Santa Barbara Hotels
Inn by the Harbor
- Critic's rating
- LAT
433 W. Montecito St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tel. (800) 626-1986, (805) 963-7851
About the most glaring thing at this two-story motel is that it's not "by the harbor." In fact, it's not even next to the harbor but three blocks north facing busy Montecito Street. My small room held a queen-size bed and was jammed with country pine furniture -- with two people you might be forced to do-si-do around each other -- but opened to a pleasantly landscaped central courtyard with a pool and a whirlpool. If you seek quiet, ask for a room away from the road in the back, which abuts Pershing Park.
Price:
$155.23, including tax, for a room with a queen-sized bed.Pros: Comfortable beds and pleasing country décor. DVD player (and HBO) and movies available from sister property, Las Brisas, next door. Microwave and refrigerator. Walkable to downtown on quiet residential streets, harbor and State Street. Good variety of continental breakfast choices (included in rate): cereal, fresh fruit, boiled eggs, toast, bagels and muffins. Wine and cheese in the evening, and milk and cookies at night.
Cons: Not near the harbor and faces a street with heavy traffic. Rooms, last renovated in 1999, show some signs of wear: yellowing plastic hair dryer, rust on hinges. Close to rail tracks, so you'll hear the train whistles blowing as they pass.
– Vani Rangachar (Jan. 10, 2008)
Partake of the free afternoon wine and cheese or sit by the pool. Walk 10 minutes to explore State Street and the beach, then head to Avia Spa (www.aviaspa.com) for simultaneous relaxation.
Book with Cloud Climbers (www.ccjeeps.com), a company that arranges group wine-tasting tours; its open-air, six-seater Jeeps (about $100 per person, including lunch) transport clients to great wineries such as Kalyra and Foley.
Do dinner and drinks at Blue Agave or Rocks; end up at O'Malley's.
– Avital Binshtock (May 30, 2007)
wherever it appears.