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Presidio Motel: Traveler Reviews

1620 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
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Presidio Motel
Ranked #22 of 61 hotels in Santa Barbara
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214 reviews from our community

Traveler rating
    103
    63
    33
    11
    4
See reviews for
Families
16
 
Couples
111
 
Solo
15
 
Business
15
 
Rating summary
  • Location
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Sleep Quality
    4 of 5 stars
  • Rooms
    4 of 5 stars
  • Service
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Value
    4 of 5 stars
  • Cleanliness
    4.5 of 5 stars
Date Rating
1 review
“New management is awesome!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 19, 2013 via mobile

Me and a friend of mine did a road trip all the way from Canada. We stayed at many hotels along the way and I must say this place gave us a peace of mind. The rooms very comfortable, clean, quiet and the decor was very friendly.The new owners of the hotel were kind, friendly and went the extra mile unlike the typical hotel staff you get. The price was fair the location was great, easy access to state street where a majority of the restraunts and shops are. I recommend this motel to anyone who is staying in the Santa Barbara area.

  • Stayed January 2013
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask dianalindsay about Presidio Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Laura Y, General Manager at Presidio Motel, responded to this review
February 26, 2013
Thank you so much for your kind review! We take great pride in assisting our guests as much as possible. We are glad that you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again!

Regards,
Laura
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
5 hotel reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Not representative of the website”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed December 29, 2012 via mobile

We have reservations for two nights during a Roadtrip over the New Year break. We booked The Presidio Motel as it looked to be a little different and kitschy.
The website explains that they are transitioning to new management however the bulk of the website remains unrepresentative of the uniquely decorated rooms that no longer exist.
I can only describe our rooms current state as a white box with a bed.
On the plus side it is very clean, however we will be looking for alternate accommodation for tonight.

  • Stayed December 2012
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Kittykattastic about Presidio Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Middlebury, Vermont, United States
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
5 hotel reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
“Artsy, fun, and adventurous”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 25, 2012

A friend of mine and I drove down Route 1, and in Santa Barbara we stayed at the Presidio Motel. Every room has different artwork on it. We had a beautiful room, perfectly suiting with the disco ball, for my friend and I. It was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, and a huge room. Very fun and bright, great vibes. My favorite room of everywhere we stayed, very clean and affordable, beautiful sun deck. Right on State Street in Santa Barbara, walking distance from downtown. I will most certainly go back.

Room Tip: All the rooms looked gorgeous, room #7 was the best,
See more room tips
  • Stayed November 2012, traveled with friends
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
See 2 more reviews by Zoe M for Santa Barbara
Ask Zoe M about Presidio Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Chicago
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
11 hotel reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
“not worth the price!”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed December 7, 2012

I booked a room to stay here for 5 nights but checked out after two. The website said that major changes were going on with the rooms (to be under new management) but no one told me when I checked in that they were going to switch out all the furniture in my room...while my bag and things were in it!

Apparently the old Presidio supposedly had "ambiance" but my room was strictly basic with two plastic chairs and towels you would find at Motel 6. The first two nights were $69 but on Fri. and Sat. night the room went up to $129!! My room was absolutely not worth $129 a night -- it was absolutely basic and nothing special. The room did not even have a closet and the bathroom had some two drawer thing you'd find in a dorm room at best. Of course I booked the room knowing the price, but when I got there I was shocked at how basic and low class it was for $129 on the weekend. The manager actually told me with a straight face that I am paying for the ambiance! He must have meant the plastic chairs and the towels that were the thickness of dish towels!

Also, the place is noisy. The walls are paper thin so you hear everything. My room was close to the street and close to the ice machine and the pop machine. For this they charged $129 for weekend nights and this was a $10 discount!

I expressed my concerns about the furniture switch and the weekend price to the manager and to his credit he offered to find me another hotel, but I walked across the street to the Days Inn and booked a room there. To my pleasant surprise, they gave me a suite for less money than what the Presidio charges... I literally have what looks like a one bedroom apartment. PLUS the Days Inn gives you a continental breakfast and has a pool -- for basically $100/night if you book on their website.

Forget the Presidio -- TOTALLY OVERPRICED FOR WHAT THEY OFFER!

Room Tip: get a room away from street on second level
See more room tips
  • Stayed December 2012, traveled on business
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask KaliGrrl108 about Presidio Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Washington, DC
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Anniversary Evening”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed October 25, 2012

The motel is in a great location! If you're on the upper deck you can see the mountains and its situated right in the heart of Santa Barbara. The staff was very friendly and i loved the boutique that they had in their reception area. They were super flexible when it came to check out (we woke up late and didn't realize we needed to get supplies at the grocery store). The room was had was super cute and the decorations were really interesting. The flat screen TV was a nice touch. Me and my boyfriend stayed here for our anniversary, and didn't spend much time in the room. The price was excellent as well.

However, there were ants everywhere :( That is just something that I can't approve of. If they took care of their ant infestation, I would have given them a 5/5 for a motel stay.

  • Stayed October 2012, traveled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 3
Ask Ilana K about Presidio Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Additional Information about Presidio Motel

Also Known As:
Presidio Hotel
Presidio Motel Santa Barbara
Presidio Hotel Santa Barbara
Address: 1620 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone Number:
Region: United States > California > Santa Barbara
Amenities:
Free Breakfast Free High-Speed Internet Free Parking
Hotel Style:
Ranked #22 of 61 hotels in Santa Barbara
Price Range: $$
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
Santa Barbara's Modern Boutique Motel. Free Bicycles, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, Closest Motel to Downtown! ... more   less 
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