Cozy Hotel at a Great Price
by TripAdvisor Member Sarah1004
On a road trip up the coast of California, my boyfriend and I stayed for one night at this hotel and were extremely pleased with the quality for the price. The staff was extremely friendly, the hotel had an "inn" feel with complimentary books, games, videos and snacks (yummy cookies) in the lobby, the room was comfortable (we had no issues with the bed or with noise), and the hotel was centrally located within Santa Barbara. We commented to one another a few times that the quality was higher than we'd expected for the price (we got a great rate on hotels.com), particularly after a much worse (and much more expensive) stay the night before at a Santa Monica hotel.
We would recommend this hotel to anyone interested in a quaint place in a great town; we will definitely return to the Country Inn when we are in Santa Barbara again.
Awful inn (motel) Poor Service
by TripAdvisor Member Hawaii1010
I recently stayed at the Country Inn by the Sea and I was extremely disappointed. I have read horrible reviews on tripadvisor before and thought to myself, "the guests must have been exaggerating" but now I know what an awful hotel experience is like. The website looked nothing like inn itself. I was told I was getting a special deal when I booked. After checking out neighboring and nicer hotels I found out I was paying a large amount higher than the surrounding inns. I confronted the front desk and was told to there is nothing they could do. When I went in the room I was amazed it looked very old. The BED FELT LIKE IT HAD ROCKS IN IT! YOU COULD HEAR EVERY CONVERSATION IN THE HALL, THE TOILET WOULDN'T FLUSH AND MY DOOR THAT HAD A DO NOT DISTURB SIGN ON IT WAS OPENED AND WALKED INTO EARLY IN THE MORNING BY HOTEL STAFF. I confronted management about these problems and was unanswered. I do not recommend staying here if you would like a pleasant and peaceful stay in SB. There are many nice inns right next door for a better rate.
Good Price for Santa Barbara! Kinda close to beach/boardwalk...
by TripAdvisor Member TXSALT
Got the last room of the day at around $119 or so. Nice lobby! The inn seems to represent what you get in Santa Barbara. A little dated but clean! Cookies in afternoon nice touch! Staff was nice and helpful. Cleaning staff smiled but did not understand English. Great location. Had my family with me (two children under 6). No internet connection. Does have a small frig. I have to admit it was quite a walk to the park and the main pier. Beds were fine if you are tired. No complaints. Pleasant stay!
Excellent Motel near the ocean
by TripAdvisor Member CalCoastJT
We stayed here during the middle of the week (Aug. 8/9) and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. The staff was nice and efficient. It was a very quiet room, even though we were near the pool/jacuzzi. The morning continental breakfast was excellent and was great for FREE. The property was a very short walk to the beach, 2 blocks. And another 2 blocks to Stearn's Wharf.
A bit oudated and tired ...
by TripAdvisor Member bw27
This hotel is ok, but nothing special and it seems a shame to go to such a lovely place as Santa Barbara and not stay somewhere a little more exciting and chic. The rooms are decorated in a very outdated, floral style, the air con doesnt really work (although it wasn't that hot when we were there) & the carpet in the communal areas is pretty dirty and stained. It also seems a shame that breakfast has to be served on disposable plates with plastic cutlery - surely someone could wash up? And it's not really that near the beach - it's close to the marina (which is very pretty and has some good restaurants) but a good long walk to the nice beaches.
Cute place
by TripAdvisor Member tripvisor1234
Enjoyed our one night stay here. Rooms were cutely done and location was convenient. Breakfast was nicely done and more than many other inn type hotels. Of 7 nights in hotels in California our party rated Country Inn by the Sea number 3.
Grumpy Staff -Over Priced- Not for Families
by TripAdvisor Member jmclean123
We stopped over in Santa Barbara on our way home from a family vacation. My husband and I had stayed here before and remember we enoyed our stay. This time we had our kids with us, and thought we would try it again. First off we were given a room where the bathroom was flooded, no problem they managed to move us.
We went down stairs to get or new keys and the manager was yelling at the employee who checked us in about the rate he gave us when we checked in. I mean YELLING. Also it appeared the manager had a problem with us having kids. Then we decided to go swimming and on our way back up to our room asked for more towels since we had used ours at the pool. The same manager lady gave us a hard time for asking for more towels. It was just one thing after another. This is NOT a place to stay with KIDS. It was obvious the lady had a problem with children, and mine were on there best behavior.
Bottom line great locatoin but for the money we spent the room and service was below average.
NIghtmare Stay -Country Inn a bad idea
by TripAdvisor Member Mzscahlett
My husband and I have been staying at this hotel for about four years, whenever we have been visiting our daughter, a student at UCSB. Up until this last visit we considered it a gem.
The hotel has changed hands and this last visit was really a disappointment. So many things went wrong, and the worst part of it all was the staff just didn't care. The new owners have no idea of what it is to provide good customer service, or ANY customer service for that matter. Among the problems we encountered: 1) our reservation for a deluxe suite w/ jacuzzi, made for graduation at least 9 months in advance, was changed to a tiny room with no jacuzzi without a phone call to let us know, in spite of our having confirmed it in person on a stay there in April. When we were told of the change (upon calling the day prior to checking in) we were told the room we had booked had not been available for four months, which would have meant that they didn't have it when they confirmed it in April. 2) Attempts to put us in a smaller room with a jacuzzi resulted in us being in a room with a non-functioning jacuzzi. We were however, allowed to think it was working by the woman at the front desk. When we went to use it, and it was obviously broken, we asked her how to work it, in case we had misread the instructions. She replied that she knew it to be broken, that the repair man could only get the red light on, and that "they (Jacuzzis) are a pain in the butt" and "we are taking them all out"; My husband and I have mobility issues and find a jacuzzi is necessary for health reasons. This concierge had been told this, but nevertheless put us in a room with a broken jacuzzi and did nothing in the five days we were there to try to remedy the situation. 3) The owners have a bad attitude, and simple queries are routinely responded to with irritation or complete disregard for the traveler's comfort or needs (except for Jeff who is very pleasant, and housekeeping who were professional and attentive the entire stay). 4) Polite requests to talk to a manager were met with evasive responses. Either they have no manager, or I already was talking to the manager who told me she wasn't the manager. The staffer who told me the manager's name was "Pete" and that he has "no set hours" later told a family member also staying there that she was the manager. This sort of nonsense from a professional hotel manager is absurd in the extreme It's just not okay to evade your guests questions or concerns when they are paying upwards of $200 for a room. There were a myriad of other problems, things were broken and out of repair, such as a light fixtures continually falling off the wall onto my husband's head. (It was hanging by an electrical cord). On one occasion I was left standing at the front desk while the same staffer sat and watched her TV show in the lobby next to me, completely aware I needed attention. America's Got Talent must be really compelling.
I am not ordinarily fussy, I don't find reasons to complain, but when I take pains to arrange for something like a jacuzzi in my room, or a special view, I think it is not unreasonable to have those in charge keep their promises. This place will soon be a dump, no hotel can survive if the people running it neither treat their guests properly nor put any effort into maintaining the property - AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS.
Charming hotel
by TripAdvisor Member NYVegas
We had a wonderful vacation in Santa Barbara. The Country Inn was comfortable, and the manager, Samantha, was extremely friendly and helpful. Our room was cozy, breakfasts are great. We will definitely return!
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