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Santa Barbara Inn

4.0 (246 reviews)
ModerateHotels
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Huge bathroom
Terri K.

Fantastic location right across the street from the beach & 1 mile walk to Sterns wharf. Great price for the location & clean comfortable room. Nice friendly staff. Valet parking $25 a day in their lot or you could park on the street for free but valet is the way to go. Housekeeping was very efficient too. Large comfortable room with desk, sitting area with 2 chairs, table with 2 chairs, desk & balcony. Huge bathroom too. Decor could be updated a bit. We booked directly through the hotel & received $25 per day credit in their Convivo restaurant for breakfast. Free coffee in the lobby from 5:30-8:30am. Overall a nice stay & we will be back.

Chris S.

What a gem. Great value hotel with 5 star hospitality and service. We stayed here for two nights to celebrate new years and had a great experience. The location is perfect just a few steps from the water. Great for morning jogs or walks. It's about a 20 minute walk to the pier. Close enough but far enough from the bustling State street. The restaurant is great as well. We ordered the Margherita pizza and enjoyed it on our balcony. Another perk I appreciated was the text communication with the hotel staff for basic needs. Very responsive and friendly. They also charged my Tesla with the valet service which was nice. Valet staff was professional and helped getting our luggage to and from the room. Our room was quiet and the beds were comfortable. Super clean all around as well with character. Why pay double to stay at the Californian when you can stay here for held the price. Also walking distance to the Santa Barbara zoo.

Tumeric latte while enjoying the view
Song H.

We enjoyed our 2 night stay at the SBI. We had a 1-bedroom king suite on the 2nd floor. The room was immaculately clean! The bedding was comfortable with a four poster bed, two TVs, seating area and 2 balconies. The bathroom was large with double sinks. The decor is kind of a British Colonialism with wood, bamboo and wicker furniture and brocade covered furniture. Though the style felt outdated the furniture itself was in very good condition. We had breakfast at Convivo, the onsite restaurant. The food was good - recommend the frittata and avocado toast! We did valet for $25 night which is very affordable compared to the Kimpton Canary (which was the other hotel I was eyeing). I also love the location. It's across the street from the beach and a short walk (1.5 miles one way) to Stearns Warf, Funk Zone and lots of restaurants. The only minus was both nights I was awoken by a loud noise sounded like pipes or the loud washing machine. It happened around 3-4 am and lasted for 15-20 mins. If you're a deep sleeper this may be no issue for you. I did let the front desk know and they comp our breakfast. Other nice touches was a wine bottle for our arrival (celebrating a milestone anniversary). Santa Barbara was not super crowded when we were there early June. Plenty of parking around the city. As well, they are piloting something called the Loop where you can ride up and down State Street for free. We Uber from hotel to Handlebar Coffee in the morning and it was only $8.

3 stars because the staff was insanely good, specifically the gentlemen at valet. The views and building itself are stunning. However, the pillows are the least comfortable I've ever slept on. Bring your own, you've been warned. Aside from the loud moaning next door, horrible pillows, and the elephants stomping upstairs in the early hours of the morning, which I'm assuming was housekeeping since it stopped and we never heard it again throughout the day, the rooms are comfortable and clean.

Poor side, looking at the beautiful hotel
Raegan N.

What a wonderful, quaint, beautiful hotel with spectacular ocean views! All the staff were super helpful and friendly and accommodating the whole time. We just came for a weekend vacation and really enjoyed ourselves. Had a lovely dinner at their restaurant Convivo and everything was just perfection. Hotel rooms, extremely clean like the whole hotel and the beds were very comfortable. Also, the linens were very soft. We had breakfast by the pool and everything was just lovely. Did I mention the views? Highly recommend!

Beach access! View from valet.
Trish E.

Very nice stay. Started with the friendly valet TJ. Got checked in to the immaculate room. 2 Queen room. Huge bathroom with plenty of amenities. The pool Is clean and fun! Across the street from the beach.

Nijole T.

My family really enjoyed our stay here. Reservations and check in were a breeze. All of the staff members were extremely welcoming. Our room was very clean and well-maintained. It even had a large balcony. The walk to the beach is just a few steps and downtown about five minutes away. The gym and pool were maintained and the restaurant was good as well. Ballet was very friendly, we had a great vacation here, highly recommended!

Balcony
Chantel S.

Santa Barbara Inn is modern luxury in prime location, right along the famous Cabrillo boulevard and just down the street from Stearns Wharf and downtown. We were able to enjoy a fabulous staycation here, and were blown away with the quality and amenities. Service was impeccable, we always came back to a clean room and had zero wait time for our car from the valet. The rooms are very spacious, even our balcony was quite large and offered amazing ocean views. There is free coffee for guests in the morning, and since we booked direct with the hotel we were given vouchers for breakfast. Everything was delicious, we especially loved the breakfast croissant sandwich and lattes.

CR W.

Had a great stay at the SB Inn. From valet parking to check in and check out everything went smoothly. Got an ocean view room , lovely room it was very clean and comfortable. Definitely worth a stay for a special occasion. Expensive room but comparable to the area. Shout out to the valet guys for fast and friendly service. We ate dinner at the Convivo restaurant and it was ok.

View from room
Greg G.

Room - ocean view was amazing. Bed was comfortable. Price - comparable to other area nice hotels, but not cheap. Service - welcome texts, welcome water/wine/ and $25 credit towards breakfast each day. Proximity to beach - right across the road. 5 minutes ti get to the beach. Restaurant at hotel - pleasant staff. Tasty food. Ate the peach pizza (yummy), both the Blond and Pilsner beers were great, great views of the Pacific Ocean. Ate breakfast there twice and both times it was good. Overall- we will be back for our next trip to Santa Barbara

George U.

What an amazing place to stay right across the street from the ocean on Cabrillo. The management and staff are stellar. The rooms are meticulously clean and the bedding quite comfortable. Convivo is the on-site restaurant and has an amazing breakfast and Italian dinner menu. I recommend this fine Inn for your traveling needs when staying in Santa Barbara. A definite 10 in my book. Thank you.

Hallway 3rd floor

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10 months ago

Great location, rooms. Except the bar closes at 9pm. Pretty pool and outside eating dinning room.

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Beautiful, clean, & spacious room. Nice food at the restaurant. Great continental breakfast.

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Super clean and perfect room for the weekend stay. They have a small dinning room with breakfast, coffee and pastries selection.

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Ask the Community - Santa Barbara Inn

Do they have a spa?

We do not offer a SPA at the Santa Barbara Inn. We can recommend some spas for your review. Thank you.

Are the quality and accommodations of the rooms equal to the pricing $$?

I think so. For me it's all about the comfort, space and views.

View All 4 Questions

Review Highlights - Santa Barbara Inn

Even though the room was right over the restaurant Convivo and its outside patio, it was surprisingly quiet.

Mentioned in 30 reviews

Read more highlights

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Harbor House Inn - Our room had a kitchen!

Harbor House Inn

(382 reviews)

$$

My husband and I just need a quick get away from LA and why not Santa Barbara .We came across…read moreHarbor House Inn through Yelp because they have such a good review compare to some other property and matter of fact we like it so much so we went back 2 weeks after the first visited. Location : Very convenient and walkable to a lot of restaurants.Which we love. Parking : If you stay on the queen suite side there are limited spaces but they do have permit for you to park on Bath St. as well but if you stay the other side of the property which is King suites.Those rooms came with 1 parking space per room. Rooms : First time we got room No.7 which was a queen suite.Man oh man that bed was one of the most comfortable we have ever slept on in a hotel rooms.The room came with full stove and kitchen utensils,Coffee maker and ground coffee.If you decide to cook yourself some food they pretty much have everything you need.The second time we stayed on the king suite side at room 118A. The front door facing the street,So it slightly noisy than the other side of the property.The room was spacious,Basically it's like a studio apartment.They have everything you need. Vibe : It's very clean property.One of the cleanest property I have ever stayed.Cozy warm,Charming.Overall such a lovely place. Staffs : Every single one of them were nice and friendly.Check in and check out process went very smooth.They offer you a free snacks in the office as well. We're already booked our next trip with them to celebrate our anniversary and 4th of July in Santa Barbara. If you looking for a place to stay in Santa Barbara.Come here to Harbor house inn.You won't be disappoint.

The good: This was a really quaint, cute, and thoughtful…read morehotel. I liked how the parking spots weren't marked by paint but instead the stone pavement were white marking the lines. They have a garage that opens around 8 or 9 AM (they don't open it too early because the garage door is loud for guests) and has free stuff for you to use including beach cruiser bikes, beach lounge chairs, towels, beach toys, umbrellas, and more. The lobby has snacks (granola bars, bananas, orange, etc) that were accessible during their hours (they close at 9) as well as a water machine from which you can fill your aluminum water bottles from your hotel room. I liked how they didn't use plastic trash bags, no plastic bottles, and no plastic soap containers. It seemed that they were really eco-friendly. We interacted with 3 hotel staff members and all were helpful and friendly. They gave us a list of kid-centric things to do. We stayed in unit 8 which had a queen bed and a living room as well as a kitchenette. The kitchen had everything we needed and the tools were clean, new and orderly. The unit was clean as well. The palm trees in the middle of the parking lot are nicely lit at nice. The water pressure in the bathroom was super strong. I liked that the bathroom had a window as well as the kitchen. Some rooms have a small patio door in the back. From our kitchen window we could see plants and flowers. Outside of our room there were cute tables with lots of flowers as well. It's a great location and walking distance to the beach. The bad: We accidentally went a few blocks down from here to Harbor View Inn first and then realized our mistake. Two different hotels! The bathroom is on the small side. The interesting: The parking lot is small so they don't allow big trucks/vans. If you check-out before 7:30 am (like we did) then you will leave your keys in the mailbox out front by their office.

The Eagle Inn - The front of The Eagle Inn

The Eagle Inn

(468 reviews)

$$

Stayed here at The Eagle Inn for a quick weekend trip to Santa Barbara. I loved our stay and didn't…read morewant to leave! Cleanliness - 5/5. As soon as we entered the room we could tell it had been throughly cleaned. The floors we had were tile or wood and my partner and I appreciated the care that went into prepping the room for us! Staff - 5/5. The staff was super helpful and kind and helped us with recommendations of the nice beaches nearby. Vibe - 100/10. I thought the room was super cute and cozy! It had everything we needed including shower caps and makeup wipes which I thought was a nice touch. There was also complimentary coffee and delicious homemade cookies! There was also complimentary breakfast that was delivered to our room. The only downside that I found was our room was underneath the staircase and could get noisy when trying to sleep in. However I just turned on the TV and was able to sleep through it. Overall I would 1000% come again to The Eagle Inn and stay here whenever I am in Santa Barbara :)

Rooms The layout in room selection is wonderful. I did what…read morewas considered the budget room and it was still cozy. Felt safe and felt comfortable. Location I just learned about this inn and it is a hidden gym for sure. You can't beat the location proximity to downtown/State Street. Food Breakfast came with our room and it was perfect not too much food not too little Overall I would 100% choose to stay here again. I usually stay in Summerlin however I really like this place.

La Playa Inn - Second Floor Common Area

La Playa Inn

(111 reviews)

Stayed here during the holidays. The location and reviews were the main reason to book this hotel…read more I wasn't disappointed. They have a covered parking area restricted to hotel guests which includes charging stations. There is additional open parking. The staff was very friendly and the hotel looks beautiful with its Spanish style architecture. They have some limited items for breakfast, like bagels, muffins, protein bars, juice, yogurt etc. Will definitely plan on staying here again.

Overall, this inn is fine for what it is: a basic, no-frills accommodation somewhat centrally…read morelocated in Santa Barbara. It is not, however, somewhere I would personally recommend unless you are mainly looking for a place to crash. We booked a room over the phone the same day we arrived and were happy to receive a discount, which brought the total to just over $300 after fees. Having been away from Santa Barbara for many years, we were excited to have a restful and celebratory evening and trusted the internet's recommendation of this place. The service was nice enough when we arrived, but the lack of amenities and the quality of the bed and pillows were a real letdown. I wish I had called the other hotels nearby to ask about their rates before committing, but we were on a road trip and didn't have the patience. I typically stay at four-star hotels, although my expectations were nowhere near a four-star experience here. I simply assumed it would be comparable to other three-star establishments that identify as "Inns" in the area. Once we checked in and realized there was no pool, restaurant, bar, help with bags, or much in the way of amenities beyond free pastries and coffee, it became clear that we had not made the right choice for what we wanted. We were weary from travel though and didn't want to fight to leave so we stayed. Our room was modern and clean, but it faced and was right above aneighboring parking lot, and that combined with the street noise, was not especially conducive to rest. The AC unit also made a remarkable amount of noise. It did not bother me too much, but for light sleepers it could be a challenge. The best parts were the exterior, which feels very Santa Barbara, the free parking, and the complimentary pastries at breakfast. That said, there are several inns and hotels around the same rate, or sometimes only $50-$80 more after fees and parking, that offer on-property bars, restaurants, pools, and amenities I had assumed were fairly standard at a $300-a-night inn or hotel, including things as simple as Q-tips and comfortable pillows, and bathroom doors which actually insulate your private moments from the rest of the room. We should have done more research beforehand and noticed that this place did not have a pool or any facilities beyond a vending machine. However, it appeared in online results alongside full-service hotels rather than motels, so I expected a little more. My primary complaint is the bed and pillows. The pillows were barely more than bags filled with an extremely lightweight, shapeless foam material, and the mattress sank so deeply that the bed felt more like a nice pull-out couch than a proper hotel bed. The pillows reminded me of what I bought at Target for $11 before moving into my college dorm room. Fine in a motel for $150/ night, disappointing for twice that. The free parking seems to be a major draw, and it is certainly convenient, but I would still encourage people to explore other options if they have an extra $50-$80 to spend and care about the quality of the room where they spend the night. With one exception, the nearest restaurants and bars are about a 10-15-minute walk away. State Street is at least a 12-minute, 0.6-mile walk, while many other inns and hotels in the area have bars and food on the property or immediately nearby. The beach is technically one block away, although this property is toward the far end of it rather than near the main activity. We ended up ubering from state street back to the hotel. I think that if you are traveling with children, do not need many hotel amenities, or are really just looking for somewhere clean and convenient to sleep, this is a perfectly fine spot. I also should have done more research beforehand, and I cannot blame the property for amenities it never claimed to offer. Still, I do think its surprisingly glowing online reputation creates expectations that the actual experience does not truly meet. In my opinion i would describe this place as a nice, well-kept two-star inn /motel, and if that is what you are looking for, it could be a lovely choice. Many other guests were happy and that is certainly worth something.

Kimpton Canary Hotel - Room Suite

Kimpton Canary Hotel

(603 reviews)

$$$

Absolutely love Kimpton properties. My friend and I stayed 4 nights, 5 days. Check-in was easy,…read morevery friendly staff (Kimberly was GREAT). The valet was fast and efficient. We were upgraded to a suite which was wonderful. The room location was very quite, no noise issues. Plenty of room in the living room, bathroom and bedroom, a lot of charm. The rooms seem very clean and well equipped with a mini refrigerator Nespresso machine and robes. The only item missing oddly in the rooms are hotel luggage racks. We went up to the roof to see the pool, looked nice, it was empty due to the cooler weather temps in Santa Barbara during our stay. We did enjoy the "Wine Happy Hour" and the complementary Coffee station in the morning. There are ice machines on every floor and on the ice machine you can also get filter water for your water bottles. To note: it is a dog loving paradise at the hotel, dogs everywhere, big dogs little dogs, I love dogs so I had fun watching all of them. OK, so our only 2 criticisms are is the fee for parking per day $55... crazy! The second criticism is why can't the hotel spare space for a small gym? The hotel is affiliated with a Free 24 hour gym, "Key 2 Gym" which worked out great, BUT it's a 16 minute walk... a 1.07miles. Might not seem much, but I work out daily at 5:00AM to get it out of the way. Walking on State Street at 4:45 AM in the dark, when the only people on the street are the aggressive homeless does not make me feel safe at all. Other than those 2 items, we loved our stay!

I really love Kimpton properties. I almost always have a great experience at them and if there is…read moreone available where I need to stay I book it without hesitation. Kimpton hotels are very pet friendly and that always gets extra stars from me. They don't charge any pet fee or have size restrictions and if you ask them, they will provide food and water bowls for your stay. As someone who always travels with her dog, that adds a lot of value for me. This location even told me that, while I couldn't bring the dog to the restaurant on site, I could bring her to the nightly wine reception. I did not ever end up attending one but it's the thought that counts. The location was great. It was about a 15-minute walk to beach and we did walk to Stearns Wharf multiple times during our stay. It typically took us about 10 minutes to walk to one of the many restaurants in the area that we had decided to go to each time. There are lots of coffee shops, wine bars and places to eat within walking distance so we ended up leaving our car parked for most of our stay. I believe the valet parking was an additional $50 or $60 a night but you do get in and out privileges. We just found that we didn't need the car much to get around on our visit and in the time it takes to have somebody pull it out for you, you could have already walked halfway to your destination. The amenities are nice. They have a rooftop pool, fitness center and then their complimentary coffee, etc. I did not end up taking advantage of any of those because I travel with my dog, so I can't speak directly to the quality of any of them, but I know most people appreciate having extras like that. Our room was cute and comfortable and felt very cozy. It was honestly probably smaller than I expected for the price point, but it had everything that we needed and I was happy with my stay. If you need a pet friendly, walkable place to stay, and you aren't on a super tight budget, I would definitely recommend looking into this hotel.

Lavender Inn by the Sea - Love the Dried Lavender bag on the bed.

Lavender Inn by the Sea

(212 reviews)

$$

I stayed her in September for my birthday trip. The location was mediocre at best but not far from…read morethe train depot. The staff were nice enough but something just felt lacking in the entire hotel experience. Nice enough but not great. And not worth the cost of the rooms.

I wish I could give 5 stars because the people who work here are so sweet and they provide…read morebreakfast and cheese/cracker wine afternoon events daily. The problem is their queen bed room looks nothing like the pictures on their marketing. When I was booking the room, I was charmed by the cute wall paper and beach hotel look of the rooms. If I had known now that I needed to pay more for that, I would have happily paid more because what I got looked like the room from the horror movie, " The Exorcist." There was no color but yellowish white looking walls and the same sick looking white drapes to match. The painting above the bed looked like something from a garage sale of a very elderly person with poor taste. The heating system was so old that it had TAPE on it and it was so loud that it was impossible to sleep, ( a cricket outside) completed the torturous noise. The cute lavender satchel and champagne bottle normally would have been really charming but in a room that looks haunted, old and cheap, these things didn't help. I honestly felt duped. It was so different from the charming and modern feeling of the office that seeing my room was a real letdown and depressing. The only nice thing about the room was that the water pressure in the shower was strong. I suspect the bathroom was the only thing updated in that room. I saw other rooms and they were more charming and looked like the pictures on their website. I suspect that I was given a room that wasn't updated. The second night, I saw ants walking on the bathroom floor which wasn't swept when we arrived so maybe the ants found food. When I noticed that an ant was running around on my foot after my shower and then another ant on my cellphone that I decided to call the office and complain. At that point, it seemed that I was covered in ants. Luckily, the lady who answered the phone was kind enough to find me a new room upstairs. She explained that the rain and flooding outside was causing the ants to run inside the room. We packed our things and went upstairs to a King bedroom and it was so different looking that it felt like we went to a different hotel. So make sure you never book a queen bed here! If I come back, I will always make sure to only get a King bed room or double queen. Also, bring your own pillows as their pillows feel like bags stuffed loosely with trash and will provide your head and neck no support at all. The bed itself is very comfortable (Beauty Sleep Simmons with a nice cushy pad). The hotel is close to everything and we were able to walk to nice seafood restaurants or drive to Whole Foods/ Trader Joe's, The King bed room also had a nicer updated heating system although still very noisy but the upstairs room was warmer so we didn't have to turn the heater on. If you come here, make sure to bring your pillow and don't get the queen bed room! The breakfast is perfect if you want to be healthy as they have oatmeal, organic boiled eggs, melon, and oat bran. They also have pastries and small quiches (very salty). They always have coffee and tea so it's a nice plus. In the afternoon, they had hot cider for the holidays. The afternoon wine is very nice too. They had two kinds of cheeses, tasty crackers, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes instead of fruit. They also had chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon.

Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

(550 reviews)

$$$

I was a little hesitant to book Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort after seeing the low Yelp…read morerating, but I'm really glad I went anyway. I'd give it 4 stars. Our ocean view room was beautiful, spacious, and very comfortable. The outdoor s'mores were such a fun touch and the staff was mostly friendly. I was also happy the pool was open during our stay since it had been closed for renovations before. Overall, we had a great experience and would definitely come back.

Pros: 1) Across the street from the beach…read more 2) Great views 3) This Hilton Hotel has a Spanish look to it, much like Santa Barbara. Cons: We went for a wedding. But only stayed one night for the wedding. The other nights that we stayed were at another hotel in Santa Barbara. This Hilton hotel I'm giving one star more than the other because it is a Hilton. 1) Completely out dated. It looks like it's something out of the 90s. They can at least buy new furniture. The carpets smell. Everything smells very musty and old. The front desk when you check in is very small. We actually walked right by it because we didn't even see it. It was that small. For such a big hotel you would think that they would have a bigger front desk for their guest to check in and out of. For this to be a Hilton, they need to spend more money on renovation. 2) We could only stay one night because of how expensive it was. We were expecting a lot more for the price. When we entered the room, the linens smelled, and again the carpet smelled very musty. We called the front desk. It took them forever to answer the phone and when they did, they had an attitude about changing the linens. It took two hours for them to come to our room to change out the linens thank God they did because the second set of linens did not smell. 3) The staff all over the hotel were completely rude and aggressive. It didn't matter what department they were in. If this was a rundown Motel 6, then that would be one thing, but it was a Hilton in Santa Barbara facing the ocean. 4) When it came time for the wedding it felt great. It felt organized. I'm not sure if that was the Hilton staff or not. but I know that the catering was the Hilton and that was not organized and that staff was horrible and aggressive. For instance, taking your food while you're still eating. And giving you attitude if you say that you're still eating your dinner. 5) When it came time to use the downstairs restroom my wife stated that the downstairs restroom was filthy, and there was paper towels all over the ground. 6) Which brings me to my next point, this Hilton Hotel felt very understaffed. I could keep going, but the point is that my wife and I do love the Hilton family hotels, but this place is not the best Hilton out there. We will not be back.

Hotel Virginia Santa Barbara, Tapestry Collection by Hilton - Newly Renovated 1 King Room

Hotel Virginia Santa Barbara, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

(65 reviews)

$$

4.5/5 stars! Stayed for a quick weekend getaway at the start of summer and had a great time…read more Stayed in room 314 Pros: - GREAT location. Literally around the corner was State Street which is full of restaurants and ships. A nice 15 min walk to the pier - Room 314 had beautiful huge windows that overlooked the street - Staff are all very friendly and professional - Cute outdoor balcony/patio area on the 2nd floor, right off the elevator. Nice comfy outdoor couches, chairs, tables. Shaded and cool. It was a great spot for a quick afternoon drink, or if you need to do some work. We were the only ones there both times we went during the weekend - Lobby was small but very cute - Free bikes for rent (see picture)? DTSB is very bike friendly so it was a great way to get around - Valet used a text service (scan the QR code on your ticket to text the valet to bring your car around), so minimal wait time - Room had a really nice sized drink fridge. I was able to put in an entire pizza box - 2 sinks - Keurig coffee machine in room - Smart TV, I was able to sign into my streaming services - Lobby has a small bar that served coffee and continental brekkie for a fee - Relatively quiet on the 3rd floor. My room was right off the elevator and you could definitely hear some people walking to and from, but honestly pretty quiet. The ice machine was across the hall and that could be noisy but I only heard 1 person getting ice my entire stay Cons: - I can only speak for the room I booked 314, but the shower was a stall with the dreaded flappy shower curtain. If you're uncoordinated (like me) or big and tall, you will definitely feel the slap of that wet curtain on your body while showering - So the showerhead was actually leaking, spraying water above the showerhead onto the ceiling. It not worth my complaining or changing rooms, so I never said anything, but the last morning, before I checked out, it miraculously stopped spraying water. - If you're sensitive to city noises I suggest opting for a room that overlooks the hotels parking lot, away from the street. Our room faced the street right above corner on State Street and Haley, and even being on the 3rd floor, we definitely heard some night life noises - Expensive! This was on the pricey side but, due to location. I thought it was definitely worth it - The hotel is definitely older, but they worked hard to renovate it. It's not just a motel with a facelift - No pool, but the beach is just a 15 min walk away Tips: - Definitely sign up for the Hilton honors app, it'll make it easy to check in and you can pick your own room, get room key access, and check out, etc Would I come again? Yes

Fun boutique hotel experience…read more I'd give this a 4.5 experience. Historically hotel Virginia has been around for a long time. It's cute and cozy. The bar/breakfast/lobby are all in one area. You can even rent a bike here. The rooms are on the smaller side but the shower oh my goodness i wanted to stay there the whole time. They have all the streaming services for you to watch (some you need to create an account for) The gym isn't on site but it's close by on state street (it's a full on gym) Speaking of state street, this hotel is less than a block from state street so just the location makes this hotel a great choice. The Judith at the front was incredibly kind and welcoming. Again the experience was awesome and can't wait to come back again in the future !

El Encanto Hotel & Villas - Cheers!

El Encanto Hotel & Villas

(410 reviews)

$$$$

We stumbled across this spot while looking for breakfast and ended up having a fantastic meal. We…read moreweren't staying at the hotel, just stopped in for the restaurant, and I'm glad we did. The food was excellent across the board, and the service was friendly and quick. We got there before the big breakfast rush, which probably helped. As we were leaving, I did overhear another table mention they'd been waiting a while for someone to take their order, so it sounds like experiences may vary when things get busy, but that definitely wasn't the case for us. The staff was great, valet was complimentary with dining (which is nice since there's no self-parking), and the whole experience felt easy and relaxed. If you go, try to grab a table on the upper terrace. The views and atmosphere make it the best place to sit. We'll definitely be back next time we're in the area.

UPDATE REVIEW 9/29/26 I took management up on their offer to…read morerectify the situation we had in regards to the gift certificate for tea service. At first they were only going to offer it during the week but when I explained that my Aunt is a teacher and wouldn't be able to go during the week, they spoke with dining management and said they could accommodate us on a weekend. Had some issues in regards to the reservation system with the wrong date initially scheduled, but when I reached out to Maria she rectified. We went to El Encanto on Saturday, Sept 27 for a 1:00pm tea service and it did not disappoint. Our server Lisa was excellent! She was attentive, professional and very kind. She really helped make the experience special. We started with a glass of champagne and beef wellington, flavor was excellent and the beef melted in your mouth. Our tea tray included a variety of desserts, all beautifully done along with some additional savory options as well. Everything we were served was delicious. We were also served warm scones mid way through service. We especially enjoyed all the different tea options they provided based on Zodiac signs, very unique. The view from the table in the dining room was spectacular. All the staff we interacted with were great. If El Encanto does bring back their tea service, I would highly recommend.

Santa Barbara Inn - hotels - Updated June 2026

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