We stayed here over veteran's day weekend. We enjoyed our stay and would definitely stay here again when visiting the Santa Barbara area. That said, like all hotels, this one had pluses and minuses.

The Pluses

- Our room (junior suite with king bed) was a step up from most Marriott Courtyard's. Very spacious, with a sitting area somewhat set off from the bed (but not a true suite), and two television sets. The room also had a microwave and a refrigerator. I have to agree with the previous poster about the pillows - unlike most courtyards, this hotel had nice, full sized pillows that were very comfortable. The bathroom was large with a huge shower with incredible water pressure from the large shower head. Loved the fact that they provided a real hair dryer, not those silly mini-hairdryers stuck to the wall.

- the lobby of this hotel is very nice for a courtyard - it looks more like a resort lobby than a courtyard. There is a courtyard bistro in the restaurant, but breakfast is not included in the room price.

- the courtyard of this hotel was truly beautiful! It has lovely landscaping, considering it has only been open a few months, with two fire pits that are lit every night (and, a pool as well). Wonderful cushioned furniture - even a small minature putting green. Very nice.

- We found this to be a very convenient location for driving into Santa Barbara or heading up to Solvang-area wineries. Be aware, however, that getting to downtown Santa Barbara will take about 15 minutes, depending on where you're going. Still, it's a very easy drive.

The minuses (none of these are major minuses, in my opinion):

- The setting of this hotel is just OK. It sits surrounded by a large apartment complex across the street, a major thoroughfare in front, a large school soccer field immediately behind, and a large shopping center and fire station on the other side. If you have a room facing the courtyard, as we did, you will truly not be bothered by any of this, but if you have a room facing out, you may be. For instance, we noticed that from early morning on Saturday throughout the day there were children's soccer games happening on the soccer field; if you happened to be in one of those rooms, you might get a bit of noise, or at least not feel like that was the most attractive view. So, if you stay here, definitely request a room that faces into the central courtyard if at all possible.

- Although we couldn't hear anything from the people enjoying the courtyard, we COULD here doors slamming shut throughout our stay. At one point, it sounded like someone in the room below us was opening and slamming their door repeatedly for half an hour -- this was very early on a Saturday morning. This was probably the biggest negative of our stay for us.

- The room was very clean overall, but, yes, we did see a FEW ants in the bathroom at one point during our stay This was not a major issue for us, but it was surprising in a brand new hotel.

- The room rates at this hotel were significantly higher than those at most courtyard marriotts. But, having stayed in Santa Barbara many times before, we know that decent hotels in this area are expensive in general. Overally, this was a good value for the area.

- We wish Marriott's would consider the number of people staying in a room and add extra shampoo when more than one person is staying! Those tiny little shampoo bottles just dont' cut it!

Finally, be aware that this hotel is NOT in Santa Barbara. It is in Goleta, very close to the University of California SB campus. You will need a car here.

Again, we would definitely stay here again, and enjoyed our stay. We have stayed at many Marriott hotels over the year, and this is one of the nicer ones we've stayed at (even nicer than some of the JW Marriotts). The hotel does have a few minuses, but, for us, they were note deal breakers. This is a great option in the Santa Barbara area.

I stayed here for business travel, so I did little more than grab a bite to eat at the cafe and fall into bed. However, the lobby is beautiful, the staff was helpful, and I liked the pillows so much I'm looking into getting some myself. It's convenient to the campus and highway, but not very close to downtown.
My room smelled a tiny bit musty, but I think now that I know the hotel is so new, that it was actually a slight residual new paint and carpet smell. I didn't notice after the first 5 minutes.

This is one of the nicest designed chain hotels I have seen. The lobby and courtyard are nicer then some resorts. Rooms were nicely furnished and a nice size. The sheets were clean and the towels were nice and thick. This hotel is not cheap. However, what otherwise could be an awesome hotel turned into an unpleasant experience when the room I was visited on both nights by ants. The first night my family noticed a few but did not think it was a big deal. However, the second night ants came out by the dozens in the bathroom, the desk and on the nightstand. I talked to the front desk and asked to have a different room and they claimed they were fill and could not move us. So we were left in a room that had ants! They did send a guy to spray but we did not want to sleep with fumes from bug spray in our room. The following morning I noticed on the second floor several ants crawling by the elevator on the wall next to a trash can and this was well away from the room I stayed at. The guy who came to spray actually told us the ants do bite. It seems this hotel needs to be professionally sprayed for bugs. I have stayed in a lot of hotels over the years including some dumpy beach hotels on the East Coast and never had any problems with bugs in a room. Only once before have I ever had bugs in a room and this was an ant problem 10 years ago in Orlando at a hotel.

Having been on the road for 16 years, I want to go to my room after traveling. The experience at the front desk is great and the hotel is brand new, spacious and well-designed with a beautifully landscaped pool with jaccuzi, fire place and a generous putting green. The room is modern and big and housekeeping is excellent. Short walk to shopping and restaurants and a short drive to UCSB, airport and Amtrak. Free parking and a nice fitness center. The rate is not low but for classy accommodation in the Goleta/Santa Barbara area, this place is good value for your money.