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    Santa Barbara Inn

    4.0 (248 reviews)
    ModerateHotels
    Open Open 24 hours

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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 Though the style felt outdated the furniture itself was in very good condition.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.

    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.

    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!

    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

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    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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    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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    The Eagle Inn - The front of The Eagle Inn

    The Eagle Inn

    (470 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 :)

    The room we were given was literally right behind the front desk, and the layout was absolutely…read moreunacceptable for a hotel room. To get to our room, we had to walk through an extremely narrow hallway between two staff rooms with their doors constantly open. Every time we opened our door to leave the room, we were faced with open staff-room doors on both sides, with barely enough space to pass through. There was absolutely no sense of privacy. We could clearly hear the front desk conversations from inside our room, which made the room feel more like an extension of the reception area than an actual guest room. When we complained about the situation, the manager was extremely rude and unprofessional, which made the experience even more disappointing. If you are coming here for a holiday to relax and unwind, this is definitely not the place. The room setup and constant noise make it impossible to properly relax, and instead of leaving feeling refreshed, you leave the hotel with a headache and in a bad mood. Unfortunately, this experience was enough for us to know that we will never come back.

    La Playa Inn - Loved their continental breakfast, they had delicious options.

    La Playa Inn

    (114 reviews)

    I have considered this property before, but I'm now finally staying here for the week…read more I so wish I had stayed here earlier! It is truly wonderful. Over the past year, I have been at other properties each month (including name brand properties that I will not name) and this will now be my go-to stay! A few months ago I spoke with the manager and was very impressed, and today I met with the front desk staff and they are wonderful as well! Cameron was very inviting and helpful. The rooms are modern, clean, updated and well appointed. This is an unbeatable location! I will be here every month and hope to get to know the staff better, but I am so impressed already.

    Me and my group friends stayed here from August 20-22, 2026. We made our reservations over the…read morephone and received a better deal. Although checkin was not until 3:00pm, two rooms out of three were available at 1:30pm to checkin. The room was clean as well as the bathroom. The white towels in the room looked very dingy though. Honestly those dingy towels including face towels need to be tossed and replaced with new ones. Although this hotel is walking distance to the beach I really prefer staying at a hotel with a pool. Note this hotel has NO pool. This hotel does have FREE parking. Which was a plus as one of our friends drove to Santa Barbara. The customer service we received during our stay was excellent. The breakfast snacks laid out in the morning was a nice touch. Especially if you want something light before you start your day. You'll find that the hotels in Santa Barbara are pricey including La Playa Inn. I don't regret staying here though because of the excellent customer service we received from staff.

    Kimpton Canary Hotel - Room Suite

    Kimpton Canary Hotel

    (608 reviews)

    $$$

    We love kimpton hotels and we are members of IHG group. This Kimpton canary hotel is at the most…read morepopular location in downtown Santa Barbara. Walking distances to EV superchargers, shops, restaurants and bars. Also not far away from train station and the beach. Hotel provides free bike rentals. Kimpton hotels are all cozy little boutique hotels with nice amenities. Little bodega in the lobby, gym and rooftop pool for hotel guests, on site restaurant and bar opens daily. Complimentary coffee and tea in the mornings. Also early evening wine hours. Our junior suite with a small balcony was cozy and relaxing, bathroom was spacious, bed & pillows were so comfy. Evening turndown service with cookies and S. Pellegrino waters was a nice touch of luxury. We absolutely loved our weekend stay at this Kimpton! Highly recommend this hotel for convenience and hospitality!

    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!

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

    Lavender Inn by the Sea

    (216 reviews)

    $$

    Beautiful outside property, poor customer service for our anniversary…read more Pros- There were a few positives during our stay. The bed was very comfortable, the evening wine and cheese service was a nice touch, and the continental breakfast had a decent selection of pastries. There is a pretty courtyard in the front with comfortable outdoor furniture. Also, the room we had included a little kitchen with a stove and full fridge. CONS- Unfortunately, the negatives outweighed the positives. The room had a damp, musty smell and the towels were rough and uncomfortable. The biggest issue was that the hotel was renovating the room directly next to ours. We endured CONSTANT construction noise and workers yelling throughout the day, and it continued well into the evening. My husband and I brought the issue to the attention of the front desk three separate times, both to daytime and evening attendants. Each time we were told, "I'll let the manager know." Unfortunately, we never heard from the manager, no one followed up with us, and nothing was done to address the situation. The noise continued for all the days we were here. We were not offered another room, an apology, or any form of compensation. Even a simple gesture, such as a complimentary bottle of wine, would have shown that the hotel cared about our experience, but nothing at all was offered. In fact we were told by the female evening attendant to "Contact your booking agency to complain". To make matters worse, one of the reasons we booked this hotel was the advertised back patio, but it was not accessible during our stay. If an advertised amenity is unavailable, guests should be informed before booking. If a hotel is undergoing renovations, guests should either be notified in advance or not placed directly next to active construction. Between the constant noise, the musty room, the unavailable amenity, and the complete lack of customer service and follow-through, this stay fell far below expectations. Truthfully, we would have stayed here again if the manager or staff showed any kind of care for the situation. I cannot recommend staying here.

    This place is great. One of the best continental breakfasts I have used. They have a cocktail hour…read morewhich I missed. But seems fun. Across the street at their sister hotel you can use their hot tub.

    Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

    Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

    (582 reviews)

    $$$

    I usually book at Airbnb when traveling to Santa Barbara for Fiesta. Well, this was one of the…read morerare times that booking a room at this Hilton, especially for a big event like this, was actually more economical. I booked a king room with sofa bed, partial ocean view. I checked-in through the app, but I was still required to check-in with the front desk so they can check IDs. There was a line of people waiting to check-in as there was only 1 staff member. But luckily 2 more came so the line went faster. I will say that patience can get thin after a day of traveling whenever check-in into a hotel, so I try to be aware of that when all I want to do is rest. The woman who assisted us nice. She did have to step away as my room type apparently required her manager's approval? But she disclosed that, so I appreciated that. And she explained all the amenities that were included with the resort fees. The app states water bottles, which are part of the fees, were available at the front desk. That's incorrect - they're available in your room and are replenished each day of your stay. My room was in the Camellia building and it was pretty quiet. Even the sounds of children screaming in the pool nearby weren't bothersome. The room was spacious and clean for the most part. Though, when we pulled out the sofa bed to check the mattress, it was really worn down. Barely an upright spring.. luckily the couch itself was comfortable to sleep on. I found the bed to be comfortable as well. And the bathroom was a decent size. I used some of the bathroom amenities and they were of good quality. And the shower pressure was good. I appreciate that there are two sinks, one inside the bathroom and one outside so there's privacy if the bathroom is in use. The closet space was standard. And there are a lot of drawers, as well as a decently cold fridge and a working microwave. The patio furniture was comfy as well. The tvs are a little outdated - they don't have internet access so you can't watch YouTube etc there. Speaking of internet access, it was troublesome connecting to the internet. My regular phone internet was frustratingly slow. I usually don't use public wifi, but I decided to connect to the hotel's wifi because I wanted to scroll through instagram. Well, I couldn't as the instructions on the paper key card holder didn't match to what info was needed on the login screen to connect. With that said, I don't recommend using the digital key on the app since there's barely a signal there. The other amenities we used were the free 2hr bike rentals (which the vouchers were a one time use) and the 2hr beach chair rentals. Only 2 beach chairs can be used per room, but it was still useful to have when watching the parade on the grass. We also took advantage of their wine tasting hour for HH members as well as their Sangria and S'mores Saturdays. Check with staff about the correct times as the posting didn't match the actual time they were holding that event. The only place where I bought food on the property was the cafe in the pool area. The staff members there work really hard in the heat to get the food out. I got their southwestern salad and it was delicious! The romaine lettuce was fresh and the dressing was flavorful. I also ordered a side of tortilla chips. The salsa verde was excellent, but the chips were meh. Better off going to Trader Joe's nearby to get tortilla chips. Though the rooms have been upgraded, the age of the property shows. Some of the sidewalk lights were rusted and/or knocked down. The security bar for the sliding glass door was wonky, which my dad fixed (cue in the Home Depot theme). But sitting out on the front lawn of the property in one of their swivel chairs overlooking the ocean melts every negative thought away. The property isn't far from the Funk Zone, about a 20min walk. Getting to the middle of State Street, however, can feel far if you're not used to walking. But I think booking this hotel as opposed to another hotel on State Street was worth it because of the proximity to East Beach. Btw, if you're not familiar with Santa Barbara, there are a lot of oil rigs in the channel. Some days there's a higher amount of oil in the water and that can put a sour note on your beach experience. Staff members at the hotel might not be aware of any natural seepage as there's not a specific advisory body (or at least I can't find one) about it. You can still ask them, but you should Google it, too.

    This hotel is very disappointing and should not be considered a Hilton property. We had to wait 45…read moreminutes to check in and our room wasn't ready while they said they would text us when it was. It was after 4pm and we had to wait AGAIN in a 45 minute line to find out our room was ready. After that, the bar tender at The Set was incredibly rude. Avoid this hotel.

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

    Hotel Virginia Santa Barbara, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

    (71 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

    Great location and clean hotel. Expect no real common space, amenities, or food options but you…read moreare just walking distance from State Street so there are much better options than what the hotel can offer. Impressed by the hotel staff and valet staff - everyone was helpful and hospitable.

    El Encanto Hotel & Villas - Cheers!

    El Encanto Hotel & Villas

    (415 reviews)

    $$$$

    My husband and I stayed at El Encanto for a quick weekend getaway. When we arrived, our room wasn't…read morequite ready, so Angel helped us with a few drinks while we waited while we explored the grounds. After an hour or so, Angel contacted us to let us know that they'd like to upgrade us, but we'd have to wait a bit longer for the room to be ready. We had no issue with that as we enjoyed additional cocktails while waiting. It was definitely worth the wait! Our room was spacious, nicely decorated with an outdoor patio. Breakfast was included in our stay and we enjoyed sitting on the outside patio of the restaurant overlooking the water in the distance. Service was great, but we have to do a shout out to David who made my husband excellent mochas. David was new to El Encanto, but you couldn't tell. His service was top notch and he made sure to perfect the mocha! We also used the steam room in the spa facilities and the pool during our stay. We didn't use them for long, but it was nice to be able to sit by the pool. El Encanto also offers shuttle service into town, but we were only able to use it 1 out of the 3 times we wanted to. You can let them know you want to use the shuttle 20 min or so beforehand, but they don't schedule it for you that far in advance. So, even if you ask 30 min ahead of time, you still may not be able to get the shuttle. When we were able to get a ride, Eric our driver was excellent. We did partake in drinks at the bar, and Angelica and Katie were spectacular. We participated in a drink making session and were pleasantly surprised with the options that they made for us. I love gin and the Eastside was a really nice, refreshing drink. I don't drink much bourbon, but the Paper Plane was really good to me as well and I'd consider ordering another one! Overall, our stay at El Encanto was relaxing and well worth it for us. We had exceptional service from Angel at the front desk through our entire stay. He made sure we were well taken care of and seemed truly appreciative that we chose El Encanto. Angelica was the best bartender; made great cocktails, but also very down to earth and great to chat with. Ryan who helped us with our luggage and car also was quick and friendly. David also made memorable mochas! El Encanto is far enough to feel a bit secluded, but close enough to quickly get into town for dinner. We can't wait to go back!

    THEY LOST OUR GUESTS CAR KEYS AND HAD TO DRIVE THEM HOME!!!!!!!!!!!…read more Definitely not 5 star. Tuesday August 11th around 6pm - a dead night. Invited important investors of ours to dinner at el encanto, a place we have been going to as locals for the past 15 years with no issues. On arrival the valet made us wait forever while they moved -one car- to put a Milpas motor Porsche into its place. Then we waited again, they had 6 cars just sitting blocking the entrance so we walked up the driveway to meet our guests. Meh not that big of deal... -UNTIL we needed to leave- Same cars sitting since we arrived, blocking entrance. We stood forever waiting for the (likely ucsb children valet drivers) just standing there chatting in a corner while we were waiting forever to bring our car, looking at us like we were crazy. LONG after our guests gave their ticket to the valet, they made our guests wait longer while being rude to us for becoming impatient. And best part?!?!? THEY LOST OUR GUESTS CAR KEYS AND HAD TO DRIVE THEM HOME!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly, worse experience at a so called 5 star hotel. Definitely NOT 5 star. Edit: DEFINITELY NOT 5 STAR FOR NOT FINDING THE KEYS!!!! Our guests have been calling and calling the valet manager this morning for their only car keys to go to work (we had hoped they'd find the keys through the night) or at least called to apologize, but nope - our guests are having to chase up the manager who isn't calling back. What a joke of a hotel. There is absolutely no excuse to not call a customer you wronged

    Santa Barbara Inn - hotels - Updated September 2026

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