California

Draft

Montecito

A beach town that behaves like a garden. Short distances, long lunches, and enough hedge to lose two toddlers behind.

By Armon & Linda · May to October

White cabanas and hedges at a beachfront hotel

Montecito is flat, which matters more than anything else we could tell you about it. Everything we wanted was within a stroller push of everything else, and the pavements are wide enough for two abreast.

White cabanas and hedges at a beachfront hotel
The cabana row at nine in the morning, before anyone claims one.

The beach itself is a five-minute walk down a lane with no traffic. We went at eight, we left at ten, and we were the only family there for the first hour.

Where we slept

Stays in Montecito

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