I lived there for the best part of three years, only returned to the UK last year.
> I like the look, positioning of Santa Barbara anyone been or
Looks-wise, it’s very nice for American Standards, and it’s nicely positioned with the channel islands not too far away (the least-visited national park in the US, can only get there by ferry). The Santa Ynez Valley is famous for its wine and only 30min away. There is nothing that one has to have seen in Santa Barbara, but nevertheless – or even because of that – it’s a nice place to be, VERY relaxing. Be aware of the prices, Montecito, a part of SB where you are likely to bump into some Holywood ‘stars’, is the most expensive part of the US in terms of property prices, and hotels are not known to be cheap in SB either. Anyway, I would recommend going!
Sven