5 Comments

1. I am mid way into my stay and already blown away by this place. There are a lot of “5 star hotels” out there that fall short and this is not one of them.

   Our check in experience was fantastic. They laid out the whole resort and even walked us to our room area.

   The rooms are absolutely beautiful stocked with double sinks, great bath products and comfortable beds. The view from the rooms are fantastic.

   The Gym and Pool are fantastic with the only downside being the pool area does not have an actual bar, you have to do QR codes to get it delivered.

   Most enjoyable the hotel is nestled right next to the beach into a community where they have an in house wine bar with fantastic wines for tastings, a great restaurant with spectacular casual fresh food and great perks like a custom shuttle taking you within 2 miles of the resort.

   I am usually a tough customer and this hotel has far exceeded my expectations.

   The only complaint I have is they do hold private events on the patio. Our first night there was a wedding blasting music outside our door until 9pm which sucked. So if you stay here on a weekend you may want to check before you book rooms overlooking the patios.

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2. Beautiful hotel, the architecture and interiors are stunning. Its location is great and very walkable with really good restaurants nearby, and the beach is close-by as well. There’s a rooftop pool with wonderful views of the coast. And service was very good too.

   We had a great experience, and we’ll definitely be back the next time we visit Santa Barbara!

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3. For a hotel with a five-star rating, our experience fell short of expectations. Over the weekend, we had three fairly simple requests: additional waters, more shampoo and conditioner as we had run out, and margaritas by the pool one afternoon. Unfortunately, each of these took over an hour and a half or more to fulfill. Guest friends of ours were staying at a nearby hotel for half the cost and came over to lay at the pool and mentioned how poorly they thought the service was for us. So, despite the great location, there are better options available. Spend a little more and head to the Rosewood. It’s sad to see the brand not live up to its potential.

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4. I’ve found my dream hotel! The Californian in Santa Barbara stole my heart with its impeccable design, perfectly aligned with my taste. The tile work and black-and-white contrast combinations are stunning. This 1925-built hotel retains its Spanish Colonial architectural style, beautifully updated in 2017 by designer Martin Lawrence Bullard. He masterfully blended Moroccan motifs and Italian retro elements, creating an eclectic yet luxurious ambiance that fits seamlessly into Santa Barbara’s style.

   *Highlights:*

   – Custom-made furniture and decor, including vintage pieces like Gio Ponti chairs and 1940s lighting fixtures.
   – Over one million handmade tiles adorn the hotel.
   – Public areas feature intricate ceiling patterns inspired by Moorish design, creating a breathtaking view.
   – Our room boasted a spacious ocean-view veranda and rooftop pool access.

   *A peaceful oasis:*

   Evenings by the pool were serene, with hardly anyone around. We could have comfortably slept on the loungers, gazing at the stars. And let’s not forget the fresh Santa Barbara air!

   While everything was nearly perfect, I’m withholding the fifth star for reasons not specified (possibly minor issues or room for improvement). Nonetheless, Hotel Californian has won me over with its captivating design and exceptional experience.

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5. The overall theme for this hotel is general lack of service. This is a 3.5 hotel at best. Hiring double the staff, and adding adequate training would turn this place to 5 stars.

   Starting off with the day we arrived. We were greeted at the front desk and asked for the name etc. we were told we booked for 3 nights. We booked for 4 nights and proceeded to show him the confirmation email. He then said we would get it figured out? Then gave us a key for the room across the street. We go – open the door to someone else’s room…. Like full of suitcases, stuffed animals and clothes. We go back across the street where we were given the correct room/key 😳.

   The hotel does have 3 separate building so be prepared to get fully dressed to walk across downtown to get to the pool. Which again- where was the staff? We don’t know, because out of 4 days we only saw someone maybe twice. The pool area was also filthy, cups, glasses and towels left out for the whole day, a used bandaid on the pool deck. – another thing to note is that if you are trying to relax you’re probably not going to enjoy that until Monday. There were so many kids. We also could not figure out how to order food at the pool as there was nothing to point us to a menu or phone – and once we figured it out and was delivered 30 min later we got a call 3 hours later telling us they couldn’t accommodate our lunch request?

   There is also a gate to the courtyard that is never locked. There was a key pad but it was never in use. To help protect your guest so they feel it’s secure locking it would help, especially when we saw a few sketchy people lounging in the chairs.

   This hotel could also use actual signage instead of giving the guests maps, we were also not told where the bikes were that were included, or really any information.

   The daily room clean always happened at 4pm which is the time everyone normally gets back to change and get ready for dinner. We had 2 issues where we couldn’t get in our room and almost missed our reservations because they were cleaning. then asked us to do turn down service 2 hours later? Just really odd.

   Overall I would stay here again. I think all of these issues can be fixed with hiring more people and better training. The good outweighs the bad here, the location, and the room itself. Just please care for your guests better!

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