The Inn At East Beach, Santa Barbara

We stayed at the East Beach Inn for our 14th wedding anniversary, we had a very bad experience!!!! The bathroom in room #112 smells horrible....yes a mixture of urine and body odor has been permanetly penetrated in the grout around the toilet. We stayed in the same room two years ago, and we did not have that problem. I asked management to clean it but the smell did not go away. Then I asked the manager to come by to check out the condition of the bathroom herself, I thought that she would do something about but instead she was sarcastic and condescending. She said "I don't smell anything,.....it just smells like a locker room and almost like a public pool bathroom" She proceded to show me another room that had two large beds in it which occupied most of the space in the unit and it had a window overlooking the parking lot instead of a patio as in room #112. She then said "this room is more expensive but I will let you switch and I will not charge you for the difference" I took a look at the the bathroom, it did not smell but it was carpeted. I decided to stay in the smelly room as I do not think that carpet is ideal for bathrooms because you can not properly disinfect them. The management did not offer an apology, instead they acted as if I was bothereing them and they gave me an almost empty bottle of Fabreeze to spay the horrible smell away. I WOULD NOT RECOMMED THIS FACILITY TO ANYONE, THAT HAS BEEN THE WORST EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE EVER HAD IN A HOTEL.

We stayed for 2 nights with our 13 years old. Frank was very helpful. Showed us how to use the shuttle to travel to the pier & State street, instead of looking around for parking space. He also gave us brochures of the restaurants & attractions. The breakfasts were great. All kinds of pastries, scones, muffins & bagels. They even have instant oatmeal. Coffee was great, we even have Kona coffee one morning. Early in the morning, Frank was there. Actually Frank was always there when we needed help. The room was a little dated, the chairs were worn out. But overall the room was clean. Good location, just a couple block from US101, 5 minutes drive to the pier. We were comfortable staying there. And absolutely will stay there again when we go back to Santa Barbara. Hope Frank is still there. We'll sure give him a call before we go.

DO NOT reward the horrible service at this hotel with your money. I'm a mom of two who is easy to please, and I was seriously disturbed here. I paid over $250 per night at this hotel while in SB for a wedding. They would not allow my parents, sister and family, who were driving up on the day of the wedding, to use my room for 30 minutes to change clothes. I was in the wedding party and could not be in the room to let them in, and asked the hotel to provide a key in my absence. What's worse is that I specifically asked if my parents could enter for this purpose on the phone when I booked the place and was told it would be fine. The morning of the wedding they outright refused the group entrance. They offered to help me find another place where they could change- 2.5 hours before the wedding in which I'm matron of honor?! Are they serious? And what did they think two senior citizens and a nice family were going to do for 30 minutes? Run up the electric bill? Get drunk and trash the place? Throw a loud party? How ridiculous can you possibly be? Two other parties staying there during our stay had bad experiences as well. Santa Barbara is absolutely beautiful- find a hotel that will enhance, not distract from, a beautiful experience. There are tons of hotels in this area. Give your money to people who deserve it.

Frank made us feel like long lost friends that were being welcomed into his home from the first time we walked in. His personal touch and friendly attitude never failed no matter what time of the day we saw him. He has a never ending list of great places to go as well as places to eat. In all my years of travel I have never felt like I was visiting a friend but with Frank thats how we felt everytime we came back to the Inn. We will come back everytime we are in Santa Barbara. Thanks Frank for a wonderful time!

This hotel was an excellent find. The staff was friendly, the room was spacious and clean, as was the bathroom. The king size bed was very comfortable. The fireplace heating system worked well and kept the room warm and comfortable, and it added a touch of romance. It was not a fancy hotel, but comfortable and cozy. The only drawback I would say was the sink countertop area that was crowded with the mini-fridge, microwave, and coffee machine. In addition, the TV could have been larger for the room size. The continental breakfast was well supplied, with a larger selection of items than most people's concept of continental breakfast. Plenty of good items to chose from, with a friendly and helpful staff. I plan to return to Santa Barbara and would stay at the Inn again, and I would recommend this place to friends, especially given the prices in Santa Barbara.

We have been going to the Inn At East Beach for the past 5 years to get out of the Arizona heat,we had a choice of many places but this one just caught our eye,we started by taking a long week-end then 1 week 2, weeks now we stay for 1 month and love it. I have never found our unit dirty, the Housekeepng Girls are great and will do anything to make your stay happy..Not to mention Linda and Frank who will go over board to do anything they can to satisfy you. If you address Frank or Linda with any kind of issue it is taken care of immediatly We do not take advantage of the breakfast as we do our own cooking in our unit,but the breakfast is very nice. The location is excellant right across from the beach and the shuttel goes up and down Cabrillo Blvd. every 20 mins to state street and the wharf...How much better can that be...Can't wait for July to come to get back to see everyone at East Beach Inn...Keep up the good work Frank and Linda.... Carol & Mike

I stayed at the Inn with my wife for two nights. Overall this place is just OK, nothing great. Except for a small factor: the owner Frank. He is simply a great guy, always laughing and ready to help out. After we got checked in, he gave us a bunch of stuff about the city, places to see and things to do around. Its a great place, much like a number of family-owned B&Bs. Now for the cons. Well, the room wasn't very clean. I usually walk barefoot while indoors. I noticed that my feet got black very soon, a sign that the carpet was very dirty. The breakfast contains some good stuff from a local bakery: muffins, danish and bagels. But the coffee was one of the worst. Ever! And why Sunny D? Can't you afford a better orange juice to serve with the otherwise decent breakfast? Finally, this place is about 2 miles from State street, the main shopping district of SB. But the walk (or bike ride, if you prefer) is really worth it. All in all, I wouldn't mind going back to the inn at east beach again.

To say that I have been coming for 4 months every year for 14 years says a LOT ! The management is always courteous and helpful and kind to all guests. The room is always clean and cared for and has gotten "updates" in furnishings, etc. over the years. A big improvement came when no smoking became the rule. The pool is warm and clean, the breakfasts ample. Guest washer and dryer good. Many of the same people come back year after year which makes it an especially friendly spot to spend a holiday or an extended stay. YAY to Frank and Linda!! jcl

I stayed at the Inn at East Beach late Sept. to early Oct. 2006. It was my boyfriend's birthday and I thought this would be a special getaway. While I was checking in, my boyfriend came out of my car smoking a cigarette. Frank, the owner, tells me they charge $150 for smoking on their property. I've heard of no smoking rooms but Frank meant no smoking anywhere on their property, not even in your own car while it's parked in their parking lot. Frank said we could go out to the public sidewalk and smoke. We went to our room and Frank and his wife had left a nice bottle of wine for us because it was my boyfriend's birthday. It was a sweet gesture, but it would have been sweeter if they disinfected the room first. We had to leave the door open for a couple hours due to the strong smell of mothballs and stale air. It put a damper on our privacy but both our eyes were watering from the stench so we saw no choice. Frank informed us that 6 months out of the year, an elderly lady stays in the suite we had gotten. We made a special trip to the supermarket to buy Glade and strong Nag Chumpa incense, this way we can enjoy our $600 stay without compromising our senses. On a Saturday we even stayed out until 3 a.m. so we could smoke cigarettes in peace. We gave a lot of thought to paying the $150 just so we could be comfortable, but the whole principle of the situation made it so we went out to the public sidewalk at ANY time of day or night to smoke. We even had to go out to smoke in the rain, which made us laugh at how uptight the hotel was, but it was their property not ours and thats how they ran it. We even had a balcony that hotels usually use for smokers in non-smoking rooms, but not at the Inn at East Beach. A month later I get my statement from my credit card company and what do you know? There's a $150 charge on there. I call the Inn and ask what the charge is for. The relief manager tells me the charge is for smoking IN THE ROOM. I explain my situation, and he says Frank will be back at 8 p.m. and he's the one to decide if my charge will be upheld. I ask him to make sure Frank calls me. Four days later I still had not heard from Frank or anyone at the Inn so I called them and got Franks wife on the phone. She knew the situation well. She said they had to get the carpets cleaned because of the smoke in the room. I was amazed. "So you get the carpets cleaned from imaginary cigarette smoke, but couldn't clean them before we got there when you have a stench of mothballs and formaldehyde?", I asked. I even asked about the cameras that are monitoring the whole property, didn't they see us going out for cigarettes at 4 in the morning in pouring rain? Why would we when according to them we were smoking in the room? She said, "We all went up to the room and it smelled like smoke". Sounds like they have this line rehearsed for the smokers that stay at their hotel. My credit card company is disputing the charge, but if the Inn doesn't deny the charges, I'll have to pay. Even though there's no proof, no burnt carpet no smoldering towels. The sick thing is, I think Frank and his wife know that I'll be left holding the bag. Nothing's free, so I just payed $150 for some 2005 wine. Don't think I'll ever stay there again. They're running a dishonest business and honor is a big deal with me.

We stayed in May. The front desk (Frank) was very very helpful. We walked to the beach in the morning. It was only a block away. The room was nice and big. Bit far from State Street where most of the restaurants and shops are located. Very friendly staff!!