A sophisticated, high-end beach community close to Santa Barbara.
A popular spot for second and third homes, Montecito has a rich history of celebrities owning homes in the area. The Upper and Lower Villages offer exceptional shopping and dining opportunities, and the neighborhoods are a hidden oasis for homeowners. From the beach to the wide streets throughout the community, Montecito is a great place for walking and biking.
Locals indulge in a wonderfully healthy lifestyle. The beach, three golf courses, and two tennis clubs offer a rich variety of outdoor activities throughout the year. The moderate climate makes it easy to take part in these activities throughout the year. Local restaurants and shops add to the charm.
Montecito offers a variety of dining and shopping, so locals don't need to make a brief trip to Santa Barbara. Located in an old-school dining hall, Tre Lune has all the most popular Italian dishes as well as mouth-watering pizza with an array of available toppings.
Locals flock to Renaud's to enjoy upscale coffee and all their French pastries. Jeannine's is another favorite in the mornings, with a variety of breakfast items and dark, rich coffee. This cafe also has a selection of sandwiches and salads for the lunch crowd.
Locals take their pups and enjoy a meal on the patio of Honor Bar with its upscale cocktails and new spins on American classics. For special occasions, Stonehouse is the place with its historic location, welcoming fireplaces, and white linen tablecloths. For martinis and steaks in an upscale environment, Lucky's is a popular choice.
Montecito is a peaceful, relaxed community filled with history, natural beauty, and plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. It sits nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, making a day at the beach and one hiking possible on the same weekend.
Sunny days are made for Butterfly Beach, where locals splash in the water or read a book while soaking up the sun. In the spring, Lotusland is a local botanical garden with gorgeous flowers in bloom.
Meandering along Coast Village Road is a great way to spend an afternoon ducking into shops and grabbing a snack at one of the eclectic shops. The farmer's market is a popular destination for fresh food, fruits, and vegetables and Romero Canyon welcomes hikers and mountain bikes to do a little exploring.
The Montecito Union School District and Cold Spring School District serve the community of Montecito and have some of the top-ranked schools, including:
Within the wonderful community of Montecito, you find many smaller individual feeling communities that have their own style and feel. One of the most prominent that residents and realtors talk about is the historic feeling Hedgerow area. The area itself does not have any true definitive boundaries, but is loosely defined as the area on either side of San Ysidro Road running from the 101 Freeway up to East Valley Road in between Hot Springs Road and Sheffield Drive.
This community has a true private feel to it in which most homes are largely concealed behind well maintained, trimmed hedges that have been grown and cared for for years. Many of the roads off the main thorough fares tend to have a "small country feel" to them. Being conveniently situated between the Upper and Lower Villages in Montecito, The Hedgerow neighborhood is also located near all Coast Village Road restaurants and shops, The Miramar Beach, Biltmore Hotel, Coral Casino, Montecito Union Elementary School, Crane School, Laguna Blanca and The Montecito YMCA. Most of the estates that are found in this area were originally built in the early part of the 1900's, with many seeing various levels of expansion and updates over the years. Most of the properties seem to be on decent sized parcels ranging from of .5 to 1 acre on average. In this area there is a blend of all kinds of architectural styles including French Normandy, Old Spanish / Colonial, California Cottage, Modern / Contemporary, Ranch-style etc. The Hedgerow District boasts all levels of sophisticated residences, with a feeling of luxury, seclusion and "walk-ability".
One of the oldest buildings in Montecito, The Dominquez Adobe, sits at the center of the neighborhood we know today as Ennisbrook.
In the mid 1800's, the Dominquez family was granted 365 acres of pueblo lands in Montecito. Within the following years, not much was done to develop the land outside of a small portion of farmland and a horse racing track. The property then changed hands a few more times over the next several decades.
One of the owners at the time, George Gould, was responsible for putting in 2 stoned arch bridges that still grace the property today. In 1916 Herbert C. Cox bought the ranch from Mr. Gould and renamed the property Ennisbrook. During his time as owner of the property, he enlarged and remodeled the old adobe and expanded the horse riding area to include 2 polo fields. The connection with polo stayed when Mr. Boeske bought Ennisbrook in 1926.
Through the Boeske family, the Ennisbrook community became a center piece for polo in the Santa Barbara area. By the mid to late 1940's interest in polo has subsided greatly for the time being and Ennisbrook was little used until the death of Elmer Boeske Jr. in 1965. Ennisbrook remained in the Boeske family until it was sold in 1986 to Jack Theimer and Pat Bourgeois.
Two years later, the county approved plans to build 63 homes that have now evolved and developed into the modern day Ennisbrook. Today, the private community of Ennisbrook is made up of wonderful estates sitting generally on parcels ranging from 1 to 3 acres. Many of the properties command spectacular ocean and/or mountain views.
The entire community is blessed with extraordinary landscaping, privacy, open spaces and a connection with nature. Over 50 acres in the community have been set aside as open space. The clubhouse is at the heart of the community and is a space to recreate and spend time with family and friends. The Club features 4 tennis courts (2 of which are clay), a wonderful heated swimming pool, private wine lockers, kitchen and BBQ facilities and much more. Owners from not just Montecito, but all over the country have made the Ennisbrook area a unique and special community. In addition to the wonderful estates, there are 18 luxurious Mediterranean Casitas set in their own unique area surrounded by mature Oaks and Eucalyptus. Additionally there is a separate Casitas pool and exercise room. Please feel free to view all the current active listings in the Ennisbrook community.
Birnam Wood is a luxury gated community of single family homes located in the heart of Montecito. The centerpiece of Birnam Wood is an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, one of the world’s foremost golf course architects. There is an around the clock guard house. Homes here tend to all sit on larger lots with wonderful mountain views.
Birnam Wood first started development in the early 1970's and is made up of only single family homes and estates and consists of a total of 142 unique homes with currently only a few vacant lots left to build on.
Most of the homes in Birnam Wood are very private feeling and line the golf course. All homes primarily sit on approximately 1 acre parcels (although the net land of these parcels is less as easements often extend into the golf course and/or road). All homes must be single level with a footprint of roughly 3,000 to 6,000 sqft.
There are no true restrictions on styles of homes within Birnam Wood and you will find a large variety consisting of French Normandy, Cottage, Ranch, Contemporary etc. Most of the estates within Birnam Wood also enjoy wonderful views of the local Santa Ynez Mountains.
When purchasing a home within Birnam Wood, you are also required to purchase a corporate membership.
The Golden in Golden Quadrangle refers to a very high-end area located in the heart of Montecito. For many, it is a unique luxurious area that sits nicely above the fog line with many homes sitting on 1 acre plus lots and having some form of ocean and/or mountain views. The exact boundaries can be debated, but for most people they consist of the area located above East Valley Road on the south up to East Mountain Drive on the north. The west boundary is usually defined as Hot Springs Road and then extends to the east somewhere between Park Lane and Buena Vista Drive.
The area is nicely located in close proximity to The Upper Village with all of its shops and restaurants, the world-famous San Ysidro Ranch, as well as Montecito Union School, one of California’s top-ranked public elementary schools.
The homes range in age from the 1920s onwards to fabulous new builds with an amazing variety of style and architecture.
The Golden Quadrangle has roughly 400-500 single-family homes and large estates and is also famous for its 1920s to 1930s Andalusian-style Spanish residences.
Commonly referred to by many locals as “Mungerville,” Sea Meadow was developed by local resident Charlie Munger. Mr. Munger apparently had a vision to create a community in which meticulous care would be stowed upon everyone who owned a residence in the community. This vision is very apparent by the overall quality of homes in the community as well as by all the spectacular amenities that come with home ownership at Sea Meadow. The basic idea seemed to be for residents to enjoy a luxury turn-key home/facility where every aspect of the grounds and exterior is taken care of. Again the idea that its residents could work and travel abroad and then return to their home feeling and seeing that all is taken care of.
The Sea Meadow enclave sits on roughly 22 lushly manicured acres that includes 4 true oceanfront homes and 27 other homes seconds to the beach. The style and design of all homes that are found in Sea Meadows are French Normandy with top quality construction. The community is located steps from the famed Hammond's and Miramar Beaches.
Only a few minutes away by foot you will find the fabulous Four Seasons Biltmore and Coral Casino Beach Club as well as the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort. In addition, all the amazing amenities of The Lower Village on Coast Village Road are also located less than 1 mile away. The lucky people that live there consider this to be as desirable of a location as you can find.
Bonnymede is a fabulous beachside condo community constructed in 1965 and consists of a total of 113 units. Unlike the Spanish style of the neighboring Montecito Shores, The Bonnymede complex is more of a modern, contemporary, yet tropical-style construction. There are private garages and carport parking. Some units have panoramic ocean views, while most seem to at least have some partial ocean or mountain view.
Montecito Shores is also a wonderful beachside condo community that shares the same guarded entrance as Bonnymede. Constructed in 1974, the complex has a total of 99 condos located within 11 three story condo buildings. Unique to the construction, there are no "shared or common walls" between the units. The buildings have a distinct Spanish style, there is a secure 24 hour guard, parking (2 assigned spots) is located underneath with elevator access to all floors. Some units have panoramic ocean views and/or mountain views.
Both complexes are located on the famed Hammond's Beach and only steps to the Four Seasons Biltmore and Coral Casino Beach Club as well as the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort. The fabulous amenities of Coast Village Road are less than 1 mile away. Other attributes include beachside seating areas, walking paths, pool, spa and tennis.
The Eucalyptus Hill area of Santa Barbara is one that is somewhat unknown, and is even less clearly defined (even to locals). Generally speaking, the area lies above what we call the Lower Eastside, below Highway 192, and between the Santa Barbara Riviera and Montecito.
Eucalyptus Hill is similar to The Riviera, but with a lower overall density of homes and larger lots on average. Many properties in this area enjoy wonderful views of the ocean, the city, and/or the mountains. Home owners her are also located close to the conveniences of Santa Barbara. Even the shops and restaurants of the Upper and Lower Montecito Villages are only a short drive away.
There are many different types of homes available on Eucalyptus Hill, from several condominium complexes to single-family homes to a few palatial estates. Real estate values generally average around $2 to $5 million. Spectacular view homes and estates can exceed this amount threefold, fivefold or more.
Many past and current clients express their gratitude in working with a Realtor® who is both a true local and has such a relaxed demeanor in which they feel no pressure.
