Reading some of the reviews here I realize you just can't please everybody all the time. This review is from me and my wife when we came over from the UK in early September.

We were a bit jaded driving up from LAX after a 10 hour flight but getting there was really easy. The hotel is in a great position being just minutes off the 101 Highway. On arrival Josh (yes, the same young man mentioned below) greeted us warmly. He was friendly and very helpful, even though we confused him with our request for a first floor room (it's different across the pond) which he immediately arranged for us. He told us about all the facilities offered at the hotel, the restaurant, pool, free coffee, fruit, etc.

Our room, at the back of the property, was a good size, clean and fresh. The bed especially comfortable (I could actually sleep in it unlike some hotel beds) and we liked the extras - bottled water, fruit and candy.

We had booked for 4 days, enough to check out Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, and the Santa Ynez towns and wineries which were a great experience.

Every morning we would grab some fruit and drink before hitting the road, Josh or any other of the attending staff, if not busy, would happily have a quick chat (ask about our plans for the day, offer advice, etc)

We did not try the on-site restaurant, but we did spend a few hours around the pool at the end of the day, it was basic but clean.

At the Cumbre Plaza, across the road, we enjoyed some tasty burgers at the Habit Burger Grill, as well as picking up snacks, beer and stuff from Albertsons, (or you could try BevMo just down State Street, one of Josh's excellent suggestions).
Oh and there's also a Starbucks.

It's not a resort hotel and doesn't pretend to be, but we enjoyed staying here it served our needs. We would definitely come back again.

A big thanks to the fantastic Josh and staff for helping to make our stay comfortable and memorable!

I've traveled a lot and this hotel may be one of the worst I've stayed in. My husband and I came to Santa Barbara for a wedding and this hotel wasn't worth $175 a night. The front office staff were nice and they provide coffee in the lobby, but the rooms are very old, the ceilings are the original popcorn, the beds are hard, the bedspread is from the 80's, and the worst part was the people above us were extremely loud making it so we barely slept all night. Also there is a window that is permanently open that faces out to the pool and our neighbors were smoking for hours so the entire room, including our clothes smelled. We called the front desk at 3 am to complain about the noise but it continued. I would never stay here again.

I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't have much time to make these reservations, due to the short timeline for this business trip. When I arrived I was somewhat dismayed to see external doors, since I tend to avoid such properties due to security concerns. However, the location was safe, and it turned out not to be a concern. Check-in was easy, and the room was lovely. There are two sets of buildings, arranged in a quadrangle, each with garden area and pool area in the internal quad. Most rooms have private patios facing the quadrangle with chairs and a small table. There was a fire pit in the garden area which was automatically lit each night. The room was quite nice and comfortable, with amenities that included fresh fruit, a small candy bowl, free water bottles, refrigerator and microwave, and nice seersucker robes. It was very quiet! My second night there was a group of teenagers enjoying the pool, and when I closed the door to the patio I couldn't hear them showing off their cannonballs into the pool. (Of course, I was by the garden area, not the pool, but I think even people closer couldn't hear if the doors were closed.)

The restaurant on premises was typical American fare, nothing gourmet, but very good: my New York steak was thin (1/2 inch) but a perfectly cooked medium rare. There is a mall across the street with a Macy's and other higher end shops, some fast food places, and nicer places as well. I ate two nights at the Marmalade Cafe in the mall which was very popular, more gourmet than the Pepper Tree restaurant, but also very reasonable. Location was 10-15 minutes away from downtown Santa Barbara. I'm placing this review in my office's online file of recommended places to stay.

At first we thought the outside was nothing too exciting - but the rooms were fabulous!! They were very spacious with top-class furnishing. View was quite good (overlooking the pool) & staff were very helpful. Pots of coffee were available at the reception along with lots of area information. Santa Barbara itself is beautiful - lots of nice shops, great places to eat & clean, tree-lined streets.