We stayed here for one weekend night only, a stayover on the way up the coast. We wanted someplace close to Solvang because we had theatre tickets at the Solvang Festival Theatre that night. (I will try to review that separately, but suffice to say that it is a fun atmosphere, an outdoor amphitheater in the heart of Solvang.) Based on tripadvisor and other research, it seemed as if the Marriott would be one of the nicer properties in the area, and we were able to use Marriott Reward points for a free room.

We did not get off to a good start. When we walked into the lobby to check in, we saw that there was one check in clerk speaking with a man. No one else was waiting, so we just stood a few feet away and waited. Although the clerk saw us she did not acknowledge us and continued with an animated conversation with the man. After a few minutes, it became clear to me that the conversation was entirely personal in nature, not about hotel business. Since no one was offering to help us, I thought it necessary to clear my throat to make absolutely sure that the clerk understood that we were waiting to be helped. She continued to ignore us! I finally had to speak out, "Can we please check in?" At that point, the clerk finally motioned us to approach and checked us in. But she never apologized for her unacceptably rude behavior. This kind of poor customer service by the second person one meets at any establishment (the valet was friendly and helpful) really colors one's views about a hotel.

The room we received seemed standard. it was a decent size and looked clean. But the furnishings looked a bit tired. The photos on the Marriott website make the hotel look nearly resort-like but we did not find it so. The location is also drab. Buellton is just a stop along the highway closest to Solvang. Convenient enough (less than 10 minutes away from Solvang on a nice drive) but nothing to look at otherwise.

The pool area was more functional than resort-like, but it did have lots of chairs/lounges, umbrellas, etc. I don't think most folks would want to spend much time at the hotel and if one's destination is really Solvang, it is better to stay in that town. If one wants a jumping off point for wineries, again, my guess is that there are more attractive options for a similar price.

There was nothing offensive or bad about the hotel (other than the poor check in experience). It was just...meh. If you can get a very good price or you just need a place to sleep along the highway, then you could do a lot worse.

We ALWAYS stay at this Marriott on our way up north, or just visiting the local wineries in Santa Barbara... They have the nicest staff, who go out of their way to accommodate you. On significant holidays, they go overboard when they decorate the lobby and the restaurant with the holiday theme... There's a Starbucks located right in the hotel lobby too!

Full service Marriott that is close to Solvang, Santa Ynez and Buellton. My husband were wine tasting for the weekend and wanted close access to the hwy so we could head down to Santa Barbara as well. The rooms/bathrooms are good sized and offer BathandBody Works shampoos, lotions, shower gel. It is a bit dated, but it works. The breakfasts we had each morning offered fresh fruit, an omlette station and fresh oatmeal - which was really good! The fitness room is decent and you will find fresh water bottle stations everywhere. I took advantage of the pool and some sun and it was relaxing. All in all a good stay and I am sure we will go back.

My husband and I booked a suite at this hotel for the weekend of a family wedding being held in nearby Solvang. Because my husband had recent surgery, we thought a suite might be the best option, in case he was not up sightseeing during any free time. We were given room 261, called The Fantasy Suite, and my advice to any discerning traveler who finds him/herself at Buellton is to avoid this over-priced, severely lacking in value, option. The Jacuzzi tub, listed as one of the amenities, is in a mirrored alcove, two steps up, right in the bedroom. It's heart-shaped, presumably for two people's backs to fit into the top part of the heart, with their feet meeting in the vicinity of the point at the bottom. The faucet control is on the wall, so for additional water to be added, one of the two must stand up to operate it, as it is probably 8 feet from where they started, back at the top of the heart. There is the ubiquitous guilt-inducing card which isdesigned to ease the hotel's burden of providing fresh towels, "suggesting" you hang up used ones for another day; however, nowhere in the hotel room, not in the alcove, not in the bathroom, is there even one single towel bar, even if the guest paying nearly $300 a night (more, actually, with taxes) would be willing to re-use towels. There's not a towel ring on the wall for a hand towel. There is not a grab bar anywhere in the, admittedly, spacious shower (presumably for those same two people to use). There was a soap dish at only one of the double sinks.

There's a saying that nobody notices what you do, only what you don't do, and just one of the many things which made this room far less than a fantasy fulfillment were the numerous snags in the carpet. It would have been so easy for a housekeeping supervisor to take small, sharp scissors to trim the very obvious threads, and would have made a big difference in that oh-so-important first impression. Yes, this hotel is practically the only game in town, and does snag (no pun intended) the weary traveler who stops on his/her way up or down US 101, or the convention-booker looking for some kind of bargain, I guess, but if you must stay at this hotel, do not waste your money of what is presented as a suite.

If you've gotten this far in my review, you probably don't care what I may think about the quality of the food, but since breakfast was included in our tariff, we did try the buffet. It was not bad as such things go -- it was plentiful, well-presented, and the staff was cheerful and welcoming. They were appreciated, but overall this stay was a major disappointment.