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Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.0
#19 of 58 hotels in Santa Barbara
Location
4.8
Cleanliness
4.6
Service
4.2
Value
3.9
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Welcome to Santa Barbara's premier 4-Diamond boutique oceanfront hotel. Centrally located to the beach, downtown shops, restaurants, museums and attractions. Enjoy all of our wonderful amenities which include heated pool and jacuzzi, gift shop, and fitness center
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled near the beach and the bustling State Street, Harbor View Inn enjoys acclaim for its prime location, with guests often lauding the proximity to dining and shopping options. While the service is generally praised for being courteous and professional, a few guests have noted occasional lapses at the front desk. Despite grumbles about the pricey parking, the convenience it offers is acknowledged.
The rooms earn plaudits for their cleanliness, size, and comfort, with many visitors enjoying the scenic views. Guests appreciate the hotel's amenities and atmosphere, although some desire more in-room refreshment choices.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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I would have given this hotel a five star acting, however it’s a very pricey hotel without any restaurant onsite or room service.
Located directly across the street from both the beach and pier, this hotel is very clean and tastefully decorated. I have stayed her multiple times over the past 20 years and the hotel has completely been remodeled, not including the additional wings built on State St next to the Californian hotel.
During our July trip there were several families with young children at the pool, so you may not get a lounge chair if you don’t secure one before noon.
Very accommodating staff: self parking is $32 and you might have to park offsite if you come back to the hotel in the evening, as we did. May I recommend not staying in a beach front unit in front due to the constant street traffic. Best rooms face the ocean next to the pool. Ask for a ground floor room in the West Wing.
Good experience- we will be back.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are only down for a quick one night birthday getaway for my daughter, but we enjoyed our stay here very much. All of the staff that we encountered were genuinely nice and helpful, especially Julie at the front desk,she was so helpful, she gave us a very fair price for an upgrade to a room with a view of the hillside (we booked a basic room and since we are from Monterey Bay we really didn’t see the point of an ocean view since we see it all of the time anyways) She also took the time to give us great ideas of things to do and places to eat in the area. She really made us feel welcome.
Our room was very clean and functional but can tell that it is an older building/room the tv, thermostat, iPhone 4 clock radio dock were all looking a bit old but you can tell the staff at the hotel really do their best to keep the place as nice as they can with what they have to work with.
All in all I would definitely stay there again for the wonderful hospitality that we experienced!
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mark R, General Manager at Harbor View Inn
Responded Jan 16, 2020
Hello Thank-you for taking the time to write a review on our Hotel. Our staff Loves to see positive comments about there service. We will make sure Julie sees your review. We are currently updating our West Wing to match our newest North Wing , the project is scheduled to be completed by end of March 2020 and I am pleased to say we are on schedule. I hope you can come visit again soon. Sincerely Mark A. Romasanta G.M.
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First things first, if you've never stayed here, you should know that the first thing you will encounter is the Valet parking. There is no Self Parking on property, you must use the $25 per night Valet service or take a chance and park your car on the street somewhere. I didn't have a problem with that, it just would have been nice to know beforehand, because the attendant was not present when we arrived so I just parked my car and as we were getting out of the car, he came running up to me to tell me to back it back out so that he could re-park it right back in the same spot! Weird and inappropriate in my opinion. Just saying it would have been nice to read that somewhere on the Hotel's website, so I could know what to expect on arrival. The hotel itself was pleasant enough, with clean and comfortable rooms and spacious bathroom. Our room was overlooking the ocean and Stearns Wharf. Lots of great restaurants within walking distance, but no restaurant on property. The room had all the usual amenities including snacks, soft drinks and liquor, as well as very expensive bottled water, somewhere in the $40 per gallon range. If money is no issue, enjoy it, otherwise you might want to bring your own water for the coffee maker. There was no ice maker on our floor, but there was one in the building. The front desk staff was very friendly and accommodating, and all the employees greeted us in passing in the hallways or on the property. The downtown shopping district is about a mile up State Street, you can walk, but Uber was quick, inexpensive and informative about the local scene. We will stay here again on our next visit to Santa Barbara!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:The rooms higher up on the third floor and overlooking the ocean are preferred.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I went on a vacation for the first time away from my babies. i SPECIFICALLY picked out my room at this hotel because it had a seperate bath tub. In the morning i woke up to take my long awaited bath and when i went to open the drain to rinse the tub out (since there was hair which wasnt mine and dust) the drain wouldnt open. The latch was broken so unless i wanted to bathe with hair and dust and not be able to drain the tub, my only option was to not take my bath. I called down stairs, they told me they could have maintnence come up...i was in my robe and the last thing i wanted was a man coming up to my room to look at something that couldnt be fixed. i am very handy so i knew it was beyond quick repair. Not to mention when i got there the first time i used the toilet #1 it wouldnt flush, never flushed the whole trip. The sink was also leaking. They also nickel and dime on everything. there was nowhere to get water so it forced you to buy the $5 & $7 Voss water in the room. There were no USB plugs for charging phones so it forces you to buy the $7 charging kit also in the room. Be prepared to pay 26% tax/convience fee & another $2.50 delivery charge if you order room service. Valet was amazing, nice guys.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mark R, General Manager at Harbor View Inn
Responded Feb 1, 2020
Hello Thanking for writing a review , I am sorry to hear about the plumbing issue in your room . The drain should always work correctly. We do have very good maintenance staff to fix any items that do brake or are not working properly . But again everything should always be in 100% working order so I do apologize . All our room do have charging ports I am not sure what happen , they are located in different places in different rooms , some on the desk and others are on or build into the night stands . We only sell charging kits for the cords and user side appliances . I am happy to speak to you in detail about your stay . Our valet team does do a great job . Thank-you again for taking the time to write a review. Mark A. Romasanta G.M.
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Visited recently on 9/3 and 9/4. Added a night after the initial reservation and the hotel wasn’t able to accommodate a combined reservation, nor book the second night (even though it was available on every third party site). That was fine, as it’s a holiday weekend so understandable. But, when we checked out of the first room, our luggage wasn’t moved to our new room, as promised. Next, parking fee was $35/night. This is absurd and should be included in room fee- of course you are going to park at the hotel! Resort fees still included even though the only “resort amenity” open was the pool - which was not the cleanest (even though there weren’t too many people in it) and closed early at 8pm. Beside that, I called front desk and room service and no answer. Never had to leave a message with a hotel before unless they are small (this one isn’t). Room service delivered the requested towels about an hour after the message was left. Prior to arrival, they weren’t answering phones either and I had to request a callback by leaving 2 messages with the hotel manager. When we visited or walked past the front desk, there were always a few people. So, I’m confused why they don’t answer their phones.
Rooms: first was courtyard view. It wasn’t. There was a huge tree blocking any kind of view. Nice decor. No fridge?? Weird. Bed was too soft for us. Clean though.
Second room was oceanfront (across the street from beach/pier. Smaller bathroom and shower and tub room longer to fill. Balcony was spacious and good for laying out, as the beaches were closed due to the holiday. Decor was not as nice, and again- fridge was not one that would cool?
Location makes this place great. Service was personable but that’s an expectation. Other than that, overrated from the review I read.
Will try somewhere different next time.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mark Romasanta, General Manager at Harbor View Inn
Responded Sep 14, 2020
Hello Thank-you for taking the time to write a review , all comments are very important to us . We do always like to hear the positive aspects of your stay. But all comment are helpful , as far as room availability due to covid-19 we have to keep some rooms vacate for extra blocking and cleaning time , also third party vendors do not always have the updated room type availability . We do not have any resort fees , we charge for parking and the amount is below many of the Santa Barbara Beach area parking fees . Our pool hours have had to be limited to meet the covid requirements . Our room service is closed and the message on the room service phone line does state that , we are providing mini bar type items for pick-up at our front desk . And we have a great Coffee bar on property with many items to go . Thank-you again for staying with us and we would love to have you return if you call me personally I will make sure you get the room type , for the amount of days you want to stay and I will make sure I answer any questions accurately to what services we have open at the time . We are hoping to get back to full service ASAP . Sincerely Mark A. Romasanta General Manager
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We chose this location based on their reviews and it did not dissapoint. In town to preview potential ceremony locations the H.V.I. is centrally located directly across from the beach and pier with plenty of restaurants in walking distance. The property consists of 4 stand alone buildings , one building is off property a block away and has its own parking garage. Parking on property is 25$ valet only. The valet stand is poorly stationed at the driveway entrance with nary room for two cars before others are backed up into the street, an easy fix. The building we stayed in #3 ? Is across a walking bridge a minute from the lobby and is of newer construction. Our room was on the top floor, floor three . The room was nicely appointed , soaking tub , high ceilings and a balcony . Very cozy . The building adjoining the pool is currently under renovation and should be up an habitable soon. The pool area has a greenbelt and small walking path and there is also a albeit small , jacuzzi . The staff we encountered were all friendly and smiling. Front desk staff at check in were fantastic , Shayann and Marissa at check out. There currently is not a restaurant on property but there is food and beverage delivery service provided by the hotel and I anticipate the currently shuttered eatery will be open in the future. Overall a great stay and the welcome/congratulations card for our upcoming stay was a nice touch from management. Thank you and we look forward to staying with you again soon.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lovely hotel with great modern and updated rooms. Really large walk-in shower room was a great touch. Staff really friendly, pool area lovely. Great location for restaurants/bars.
Room servicing isn’t being done as standard but you could call and request a light service (towels, rubbish and they made beds) which although isn’t a full service was more than we experienced at other hotels - so in this instance was a plus despite needing to be requested each day.
Only downside - the hotel has various wings/buildings, one of which is actually across the road and backs onto the town/bars . (East if I remember correctly ) This meant a longer walk to and from pool/main hotel area, and secondly you do get more noise from the trains/bars late night early morning . Main advice would be to request a particular location if this may concern you.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Check which wing your room type will be located if noise/ accessibility is of concern
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at this hotel for my sisters bachelorette and made the reservations for all of the rooms. My sister and I had reserved the suite while everyone else in our party had a standard room. Whoever was helping check us in marked each room on the reservation sheets and specifically noted which room was the suite. So naturally we went to the room that we were told was the suite. We later find out this in fact wasn’t the suite and instead our other friends were in that room. After an hour or two of unpacking and decorating, we had to take everything down and pack everything up and move rooms (late at night after our planned dinner). The room was no longer fresh as the other people in our party had showered and laid in the bed and gotten ready for our dinner there. I called the front desk and asked to speak with someone about how we can remedy this situation. I was told I was speaking to a manager but have since found out this was not in fact the manager who was too busy at the moment to help me. (One of the other girls in our party happened to be at the front desk when this happened so we have confirmation of this). Whoever I spoke to told me we would have the first night of our stay in the suite discounted for the inconvenience, which I found very generous and appreciated them trying to right the mistake they made. We would have be fine with a slight or half discount even. But of course, after check out, we notice we were charged for both nights and only 1 night of parking was discounted ($32). I called them today to ask what had happened and spoke to someone who claimed to be the manager and said he remembered speaking to me and that he had only offered a discount on parking. We went back and forth on this as this was not my recollection of the events until it was clear he was unwilling to do anything else about this situation. $32 dollars off for sending us to the wrong room on my sisters bachelorette and they didn’t even go tidy the room or bring fresh towels. Will never suggest anyone stays at this hotel if they want adequate hospitality. They are poorly managed and it wasn’t even that nice or worth the cost. Would have way rather paid more for Hotel Californian than get the service we did for an out dated suit with puke green walls. Wildly disappointing experience.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mark Romasanta, General Manager at Harbor View Inn
Responded Aug 3, 2022
Hello , I am very sorry that you were not put into the room you personally had wanted for yourself. The rooms very all booked as a group and who went into what room was not our responsibility. There were 5 rooms all booked under the the same name , we would have no way of knowing who should go where. When we have wedding or bachelorette parties we make it very clear that there needs to be a group leader so that the people in the group knows who goes where. Again I am very sorry that you had to set up your party twice and move rooms but again we only had one name for all rooms. My front office manager offer to comp. your parking as a favor even though was not our fault. We would have been happy to provide a freshen up or provide additional towels if you had request that of us. Again I am sorry your bachelorette party was disrupted by the room mix up. Thank-you Mark A. Romasanta G. M.
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Paid over $500 for a room, was excited when we pulled in…until…
Check in While signing the paperwork they quoted a phone inquiry a $250 rate. I understand demand/supply dynamics around different dates so no negative stars for that but that’s sloppy to do in front of us and didn’t feel good. We then received directions to the “back back” annex. Had to get back in the car, drive out the back gate, across the road, turn left (-1 star for that) Room was modern, but had all day music noise from the outdoor seating at the hotel restaurant (- half star for that)
Can deal with all those but the real kick was the super poor exit experience
Check Out Charged $30 for parking without any notice. Tough one to swallow as there was abundant open free parking all around the wayback annex Reservation desk at check out seemed to have first day staff. No questions could be answered and Manager “was away” – we had to call the following day to note the unsatisfactory experience Had a duty manager call us back a few days later, she initially confused us with other guests, then admitted parking fee should have been explicit at booking or check in (wasn’t online/ we double checked) and no-one mentioned at check in. Charged us anyway despite free onstreet parking right beside the wayback annex
Net: All in cost us over $600 for a way way back annex room, negative parking surprise at check out and overall a very very poor exit experience, we followed up with multiple chances to address. They didn’t.
They get to charge high prices, put guests in a surprise back annex and charge hidden fees. We get to provide information for other “valued guests”
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mark Romasanta, General Manager at Harbor View Inn
Responded Aug 26, 2021
Hello I am sorry your stay was not up to our standards. The North wing is our Newest Wing and not an annex. We do quote rates based on what is available at the time and that does change , somethings in just a few minutes. Our web site and the paperwork at check in clearly does state our parking charges which are some of the lowest in the Santa Barbara beach area. I am also sorry I was out of town and did not personally return your call , my staff should have known who they were speaking to and what the issue was . The street parking is only good for 90 minutes , there is a pubic lot near the hotel but it is more costly then our parking fees. If you would like to discuss the parking fee or any other issue at this point Please call me directly. Thank-you Mark A. Romasanta G.M. 805-963-0780 ext 539
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My family and I spent an entire week at the Harbor View Inn and wished we could stay longer. It really should be listed as a resort given the vibe and the amenities. You have ocean views with beach access right across the street. The pool is incredible- 3 pools actually- a spacious hot tub, a refreshing pool and a unique kiddie pool. There is even a well stocked pool bar with hand delivery service to your pool lounge chair. The rooms are ideal, especially for families, with black out shades, comfortable sleeping arrangements and suites with separate spaces separated by doors. The breakfast restaurant next door is one of the best in the city with exceptional pastries and gourmet egg dishes. We’d definitely recommend you stay here.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mark Romasanta, General Manager at Harbor View Inn
Responded Aug 12, 2021
Hello Thank-you for taking the time to write a review , We are very happy you enjoyed your stay with us. The addition of a great restaurant on site has been a goal we have been working on for some time , and now we have one. I hope you and your family will be able to stay with us again soon. Sincerely Mark A. Romasanta G.M.
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Thank you for contacting us, although decor varies between the different types of suites, we do offer suites that have modern decor. Please feel free to contact our front desk staff to review details and availability.
Santa Barbara, California2 contributions1 helpful vote
Hello
We do not have any tents or camps near our hotel
There is not a problem with Homeless on the beach in front of our hotel.
That does not mean there is no homeless in the area .
Downtown will have some homeless on the sidewalks.
Mark A. Romasanta G.M
Harbor View Inn
Carlisle, United Kingdom79 contributions24 helpful votes
"Forget the Inn's food recommendations, go over the road to the wharf or to the local Starbucks or Oat artisan bakery- no queues and affordable prices instead!"
There are more places to choose from in the Santa Barbara area.
PRICE RANGE
$314 - $387 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
harbor view hotel santa barbara, santa barbara harbor view inn, harbor view santa barbara, harbor view inn santa barbara
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaSanta Barbara
NUMBER OF ROOMS
148
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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