We stayed two nights on our trip down to family for the holidays and opted for the two-bedroom suite (well worth the upgrade at a very reasonable rate). The rooms were spacious and clean, thoughtfully decorated, and seemed recently refurbished. Location was literally a stone throw from East Beach and a 10-minute walk to State Street and the Pier.
The lady in reception was extremely helpful throughout our stay, pointing out local attractions that would be suitable for a young family and even wrote down detailed useful information for us. She was fantastic, a real asset at Blue Sands!
After we had checked out we realized that we had left some items behind and contacted them - they promptly found the items and kept them safe for us until we passed by on our return trip.
We'll definitely be staying at Blue Sands again on our next stay in Santa Barbara and can't recommend them highly enough.

While traveling the West Coast in early December, my wife and I needed a place to stay. We like the small places and usually don't book ahead. We fired up the Garmin and knowing we were close, called and asked for rates. Being happy with the rate we stopped in to see what it was like for curb appeal. Looked good from the street, so we went to the office to see if we can have a look at a room. Very nice! Tastefully decorated with nice furniture and it had a great bed. Needless to say, we had a great night sleep after a good mead at a restaurant recommenced by the owner. A quality place at a decent rate!

We stayed one night during a road trip along highway 1 without having a reservation. We got a good rate and no fee for an inflatable mattress (which according to the guy having to sleep on it was very comfy).

The guy in the reception was extremely helpful and offered us to look at the room first. He also gave us advice on delivery pizzas, as the time was rather late. Now we found another place but he wasn't stressed just because he was about to quit for the day but helped us out all the way.

The room had a fireplace which also served as heating. Really nice until it got too hot. The motel is just 100 feet from the beach so the locations is really great.

If going to Santa Barbara again I'd definitely stay at Blue Sands Motel.

Went for a weekend getaway with the family. The room was nice and clean, and the bathroom was recently remodeled. At first I was hesitant about whether it would be suitable because it is a pet-friendly hotel - but I didn't notice any fleas, odor, or damage. Great location, literally across from the beach and State Street just a few minutes by car. Wonderful pool that was well-lit in the evening and heated, too! The price was right and the staff friendly. We've stayed at a number of budget hotels over the years and I would highly recommend the Blue Sands as being one of the best of them.