Orient-Express on Monday reopened Santa Barbara, Calif.'s El Encanto, marking the company's first operation on the U.S. West Coast.
The resort, which first opened in 1917 in the hills above Santa Barbara and closed in 2006, includes 92 refurbished bungalows with views of the Pacific Ocean. Orient-Express worked with the Santa Barbara Historic Landmarks Commission to ensure an appropriate restoration process and is including eco-luxe touches such as El Encanto-branded locally brewed beer and locally sourced coffee as well as cheese from the milk of an El Encanto-owned Holstein cow named Ellie.
The resort will also provide electric-powered bikes for guests to use to explore the area.
Ali Kasikci, formerly the longtime general manager of the Peninsula Beverly Hills, is overseeing El Encanto's reopening as Orient-Express' regional managing director for North America, Mexico and the Caribbean, while El Encanto's general manager is Laura McIver, former GM of Santa Barbara's Canary Hotel.
Follow Danny King on Twitter @dktravelweekly.