Harbor View Inn

Santa Barbara, California Coast

Resort/City View Room
Resort/City View Room
Spa
Resort/City View Room
Resort/City View Room
Spa

The hotel

You’ll feel relaxed as soon as you walk through the door of the Harbor View Inn, Santa Barbara. Once the friendly staff have welcomed you to their Spanish villa-style retreat, it’s time to really chill out. Head to the oceanfront heated pool, take in the beach views and maybe drop by Spa Beaumontia for a treatment or dip in the Jacuzzi. If you want to get out and explore, Stearns Wharf is just across the road, and there are some great restaurants a short walk away.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Swimming Pool
  • Hot tub
  • Families
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Close to Beach
  • Restaurant

Where is it

Centrally located across from West Beach and Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara. In easy walking distance of local shops and restaurants.

Hotel information

115 rooms on 3 floors in 3 buildings. All with balcony/terrace, air-conditioning, complimentary WiFi, flat-screen TV, tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-bar*, safe, iron and board, bathrobes and hairdryer. Resort/City View Rooms with either 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

Ocean View Rooms and Ocean View Suites with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Pool bar (serving lunch and drinks, seasonal). Outdoor heated swimming pool. Jacuzzi. Fitness centre. Spa* with sauna and Jacuzzi. Room service*. Gift shop. Business centre. Self-parking $25 plus tax per night (payable locally, subject to change).

*Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (828)
  • Very good (542)
  • Average (136)
  • Poor (59)
  • Terrible (59)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Good and bad

Jul 20, 2021 carolfH8377ST Roswell, Georgia

First, the good- This hotel is probably the best location in all of Santa Barbara. You can walk everywhere. We had a nice room overlooking the harbor- great view of the boats coming and going and of the wharf. We had a nice balcony and a large bathroom with 2 sinks and separate tub/shower. The bad- We feel mislead about what services would be… Read more
First, the good- This hotel is probably the best location in all of Santa Barbara. You can walk everywhere. We had a nice room overlooking the harbor- great view of the boats coming and going and of the wharf. We had a nice balcony and a large bathroom with 2 sinks and separate tub/shower. The bad- We feel mislead about what services would be available. As you can read from their description on the website and any of the booking sites, they say they have a full spa, room service and a coffee bar. None of that is true. They also aren't doing daily housekeeping- they say "upon request" Since we were there 4 nights, we requested housekeeping once in the middle but were told they only bring fresh towels and empty the trash- no cleaning or fresh sheets. And the pool/spa was open but with limited hours. I understand hotels have had to adapt during covid, but they should have truth in advertising. We stayed in 4 different hotels on our 10 day California trip and this is the only one that didn't offer housekeeping and some kind of food option. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Check Your Room Location!

Jul 12, 2021 Southerner14

Lead me out of the darkness! Was so looking forward to my stay at the Harbor View Inn. Sadly, my ($600/night)assigned room was in an annex, with a balcony directly facing the main bldg. connector bridge over an algae-topped creek. So no privacy when trying to enjoy balcony and had to keep louvered shutters closed, hence the dark feeling, in sunny… Read more
Lead me out of the darkness! Was so looking forward to my stay at the Harbor View Inn. Sadly, my ($600/night)assigned room was in an annex, with a balcony directly facing the main bldg. connector bridge over an algae-topped creek. So no privacy when trying to enjoy balcony and had to keep louvered shutters closed, hence the dark feeling, in sunny Santa Barbara! Front desk unwilling to relocate my polite request for a different room, and was a bit brusque. Rooms are huge, with a large bathroom, but I’d trade a bit of space for a brighter room and a sunnier attitude at the front desk. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating DON'T DO IT.

Jul 8, 2021 myfantasticvoyage Los Angeles, California

The staff isn't trained, at all. It's unfortunate and rather off putting. It's obvious they are summer workers but most could barely communicate. They seemed unable to handle simple requests. I asked where I could get a bag of chips and was told to go to the pool, (who then told me to go order from my room.) When I asked if there was a sundry… Read more
The staff isn't trained, at all. It's unfortunate and rather off putting. It's obvious they are summer workers but most could barely communicate. They seemed unable to handle simple requests. I asked where I could get a bag of chips and was told to go to the pool, (who then told me to go order from my room.) When I asked if there was a sundry shop, she had no idea what that was.... So I asked how would a guest procure a toothbrush if they needed one and she replied, "there's probably a store in town." For the amount of money you are charging it's a crime to not properly train the staff. They need 2-3 weeks of intense training BEFORE they interact with guests. Hiring a bunch of Gen Z'ers who don't know how to talk to people isn't going to cut it. Also the rooms are loud - walls too thin. We had someone above us and it sounded like they were dancing on our heads. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Stay at Harbor View Inn

Jul 3, 2021 MenifeeHelen Menifee, California

Awesome hotel. Great view from our balcony. Close to everything by just walking so no need to drive . Opposite the Pier with museum and restaurants. Staff courteous. Nice swimming pool and children's wading pool and jacuzzi.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Horrible Customer Service

Jul 1, 2021 Lfeofpie Gilbert, Arizona

Let me start off by saying I booked a NON-REFUNDABLE rate and am fully 100% aware of that and acknowledging this. Also, I travel ALOT and understand things happen! Now, I booked my reservation months in advance. Unfortunately, some health issues came up in my family unexpectedly and the doctors advised we could not travel for sometime. Also, out… Read more
Let me start off by saying I booked a NON-REFUNDABLE rate and am fully 100% aware of that and acknowledging this. Also, I travel ALOT and understand things happen! Now, I booked my reservation months in advance. Unfortunately, some health issues came up in my family unexpectedly and the doctors advised we could not travel for sometime. Also, out of respect for others we as a family thought it would be best not to travel either. With that said, I called the hotel to advise of my situation and asked if it would be possible to just change our dates to a later time in the year (possibly a few months out) and I spoke to a Brenda, who then advised she didn't see any issue with this because they have done this before and I wasn't canceling, just adjusting the dates of our stay, but that I would need to speak with Mark the hotel manager. He of course was on vacation and not returning for some days. I left a VM. I get a call a week later from the Director of Sales and Marketing Berenice Lara. She stated they couldn't work with me to adjust my dates and they wouldn't be willing to provide a voucher/credit so that I could rebook. Please keep in mind my stay was $1,500. For me it would have been absolutely impossible financially to rebook and pay an additional $1,500. This is a significant amount of money for any family especially during these times. I said ok and also asked why the manager didn't return my call. She didn't have an answer. I also asked why Brenda advised me it would be no problem to switch my dates. I was told she must have mistaken. OF COURSE! A few days later I went online to cancel my reservation as Berenice didn't cancel it for me and the button to click advised "this reservation cannot be canceled at this time". So i called the hotel and guess what I got Brenda again. I told her I needed to cancel my reservation on the phone because it wouldn't let me online. She said ok, done and that I would receive an email confirming the cancellation (which I never received). Fast forward to today 07/01/21 a lady calls me asking if I'm showing up for my reservation. At this point I'm beyond confused. I advised her no I canceled my reservation weeks ago with Brenda over the phone. She said oh well when you spoke to Mark on the phone he said you denied a cancellation. At this point Im laughing because these people at this hotel are ALL OVER THE PLACE. I NEVER spoke to Mark on the phone EVER because he didn't call me back. Berenice Lara called me because the hotel manager didn't have time to return my call. A few things here to keep in mind if you plan to book at this hotel and lessons learned for me: The employees at this hotel lack communication skills terribly. I know what was told me and I truly believe they are trying to charge me a "no show fee". Keeping in mind they are keeping $1,500 already. NEVER book a NON-REFUNDABLE rate anywhere at this time because even-though I wasn't asking for my money back and all I really wanted was to just adjust my dates which is completely harmless to the hotel/business, these people are NOT FLEXIBLE AT ALL especially during these times we are in. Management will pass the buck to someone else and makes excuses if someone tells you something that they shouldn't have told you. Lastly, I travel to SB several times a year and have always wanted to stay at tis hotel. Guess what, not anymore and I have definitely spread the word about my experience. The management at this hotel have ZERO sympathy for guests situations. They could have 100% easily changed the dates for me and not lost a single penny and actually possibly would have received a higher rate. DO NOT STAY HERE! Read less