Although toymaker and entrepreneur Ty Warner is perhaps better known for his Beanie Baby fortune, the $390 million he invested in two historic Santa Barbara–area resorts is no child's play. San Ysidro Ranch, a Rosewood Resort that has been a bucolic Montecito getaway for celebrities since it began welcoming guests in 1893, has undergone two years of renovations. The forty suites and cottages in the hillside enclave—including the exquisite 1,800-square-foot Kennedy Cottage, where John and Jackie honeymooned in 1953—are equipped with antiques, sandstone fireplaces and Pratesi-clad beds. They all have expansive bathrooms with heated floors, but to commune with nature, try the rain shower and the hot tub on the outdoor deck. The ranch's two restaurants, as well as its lush trails and gardens, have also been completely redesigned (suites from $795, Kennedy Cottage $2,990; 805-565-1700; sanysidroranch.com). Warner's spare-no-expense vision is equally evident a few miles away at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, whose makeover debuted in January. He was hands-on in selecting the custom-painted tiles, stone fountains, Mission-style furniture and ornamental ironwork that bring back the original grandeur of the hotel's 1927 Spanish colonial design by architect Reginald Johnson. Guest rooms now have plasma-screen televisions and deep soaking tubs, but an ocean view—available in only eleven of the 207 rooms—is the most desirable amenity. The Pacific can also be seen from the gym and every treatment room of the brand-new 10,000-square-foot spa, the Bella Vista restaurant and the adjacent Ty Lounge, named for the Biltmore's benefactor (rooms from $550; 805-969-2261; fourseasons.com.
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