Once again, the Santa Ynez Valley leads the county in AAA Four Diamond honors for hotels and restaurants.

Of the 10 Santa Barbara County hotels and restaurants on the Automobile Club of Southern California's 2008 AAA Four Diamond Award list, seven are located here. They are: The Ballard Inn, Fess Parker's Wine Country Inn & Spa, Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez Inn and Petersen Village Inn. Two restaurants, The Willows at the Chumash Casino Resort and the Ballard Inn Restaurant, were also honored. They are the only restaurants in the county to receive the recognition.

On Oct. 29, the Chumash Casino Resort hosted a luncheon for those Santa Barbara County hotel owners and general managers whose properties were named Four Diamond winners. The Auto Club's Approved Accommodations Manager, Charles Smith, presented each winner with a Four Diamond plaque.

“The AAA diamond rating system remains an objective and consistent method to measure upscale dining establishments and lodgings which Auto Club and AAA members rely upon,” Smith said in a statement provided by the Chumash. “We again congratulate the restaurant and hotel professionals that day-in and day-out work conscientiously to offer high-caliber service, hospitality and pampering to their guests in accommodations that are beautiful, clean and comfortable.”

The other county locations on the list - Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort, Harbor View Inn and Inn on Summer Hill - are in Santa Barbara and Summerland.

Award winners are among the top 4 percent of more than 2,600 Southern California hotels, motels and restaurants inspected by the Auto Club, the nation's largest AAA affiliate. The awards are presented annually to hotel and restaurant general managers and executive chefs to recognize their award-winning properties.

For a complete list of the AAA Four Diamond Award of Excellence properties, visit the AAA Web site at www.

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Four Diamond Award winners

Of the 10 Santa Barbara County winners of the AAA Four Diamond Awards, seven are in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Santa Ynez Valley hotels:

The Ballard Inn (15 consecutive years)

Fess Parker's Wine Country Inn & Spa (19 consecutive years)

Chumash Casino Resort (Four consecutive years)

Santa Ynez Inn (Six consecutive years)

Petersen Village Inn (24 consecutive years)

Santa Ynez Valley restaurants:

The Willows (Chumash Casino Resort) (Three consecutive years)

The Ballard Inn Restaurant (Three consecutive years)

Other winners:

Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort (Santa Barbara)

Harbor View Inn (Santa Barbara)

Inn on Summer Hill (Summerland)

November 1, 2007