Harbor View Inn

Santa Barbara, California

Virgin rating

North Wing City View King
North Wing City View 2 Double
Resort/City View Room
Resort/City View Room
North Wing City View King
North Wing City View 2 Double
Resort/City View Room
Resort/City View Room

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 where you can relax with a cocktail, or the beach is just over the road if you prefer the ocean waves. Speaking of just over the road, Stearns Wharf is there, which is the oldest working wood wharf in California, and it offers restaurants, shops and even a small aquarium!

Amenities

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

Where is it

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

Hotel information

149 rooms and suites on 3 floors in 3 buildings. All with balcony/terrace, air-conditioning, complimentary WiFi, flat-screen TV, Keurig coffee maker, mini-bar*, safe, iron and ironing board, bathrobes and hairdryer.

Resort/City View Rooms are located in the south or west wings, with either 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

North Wing City Rooms with either 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Ocean View Rooms are located in the south or west wings of the hotel, with either 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Pool bar (serving drinks and light bites, seasonal hours).

Outdoor oceanfront swimming pol and jacuzzi. Fitness centre.

Complimentary WiFi access. 24-hour reception. Gift shop/convenience store. Self-parking $32 plus tax per night (payable locally, fee subject to change - parking limited to one space per room).

*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 (905)
  • Very good (564)
  • Average (142)
  • Poor (61)
  • Terrible (72)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Family with kids, DO NOT GO

Nov 28, 2023 Harmanpreet S

I will give 1 star to this hotel. We stayed in a suite and we didnt feel we get the service that a normal 2 star hotel has to offer.. The cell phone service is non existential in the room and on top of that the wifi of the hotel is super bad. There is no wifi connection and no cell phone service if you are in the room 106 and you will only get… Read more
I will give 1 star to this hotel. We stayed in a suite and we didnt feel we get the service that a normal 2 star hotel has to offer.. The cell phone service is non existential in the room and on top of that the wifi of the hotel is super bad. There is no wifi connection and no cell phone service if you are in the room 106 and you will only get signals in the hotel lobby.. The amenities in the room are like 20 years old and does not really matches with what other 4 star property would offer. I have to keep my room door open and sit next to the door to get bare minimum wifi in order to call someone or search some restaurants.. this is a hell a lot inconvenient and many a times stressful for guests.. the wifi signal mesher/extender is barely 100 dollars cost and could solve the problem. The iron in the room does not work at all..it takes forever to warm up and is never hot enough to do the job. The shower drain got stuck twice and it is gross to deal with these situations.. the motel 6 showers would be even better in my opinion.. Oh yes the biggest inconvenience for us since we have a 3 yr old with us. The hotel doesn't have a single microwave in the hotel so if you are planning to come with little kids who would need milk or food warmed up then this is not a right place for you! We got no fan in the bedroom space... which was a bummer too! I think i wont even pay 100 dollars per night for the inconvenience we have experienced staying here. Good sides: - room big and spacious - good cleaning service - very close to harbor - jacuzzi Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great location, beautiful hotel, shame there wasn't Breakfast.

Nov 28, 2023 V972UJtomg

We were only there for 2 nights, but the hotel was perfectly located to explore Santa Barbara. We were very grateful that we could check in early and I think we got a small upgrade to a sea view room. The rooms are modern and spacious and the pool area does the job. Unfortunately the pool bar wasn't open / staffed for some reason. It's also a… Read more
We were only there for 2 nights, but the hotel was perfectly located to explore Santa Barbara. We were very grateful that we could check in early and I think we got a small upgrade to a sea view room. The rooms are modern and spacious and the pool area does the job. Unfortunately the pool bar wasn't open / staffed for some reason. It's also a shame there wasn't a breakfast option included and the parking was quite expensive, considering the car park was half empty most of the time. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Terrible Customer Service by Front Desk Management

Nov 13, 2023 MlenkLA Los Angeles, California

Don't expect customer service! Stayed at this hotel in April 2023 in the West Wing and liked the room (modern and clean), though pretty noisy from the street/parking lot late into the night (hotel is near the Funk Zone - keep your windows closed). Decided to stay here again for 2 nights (Fri-Sun) in early November for UCSB parents weekend. We… Read more
Don't expect customer service! Stayed at this hotel in April 2023 in the West Wing and liked the room (modern and clean), though pretty noisy from the street/parking lot late into the night (hotel is near the Funk Zone - keep your windows closed). Decided to stay here again for 2 nights (Fri-Sun) in early November for UCSB parents weekend. We had pre-paid and decided not to cancel when we realized that we may only be able to spend one night (Saturday), accepting that we would possibly lose the first night payment. We called the hotel 2 days prior to arrival to inquire about the possibility of not arriving Friday night, but instead arriving Saturday morning. We were assured that it was not a problem and that a note would be made in our reservation about the later arrival. Based on the assurances of the hotel, we chose to arrive on Saturday morning, instead of Friday night. When we tried to check in on Saturday, the front desk told us that our reservation had been marked as a "no show" and subsequently cancelled. They claimed there was no note in our reservation about the later check in. We asked to speak with the manager, Jason. Jason practically called my husband a liar, not believing that we had called the hotel and that he had been assured that arriving the next day would not be a problem. He offered us a different room, which we would have to pay for (again). We declined because we had already paid over $700 for the original reservation. The hotel then directly lied to us, telling us that we had not called the hotel to inform them that we would be arriving Saturday morning. I sent an email to Mark, the Hotel Manager about this very poor customer service provided by his front desk team and included my husband's phone records showing that a call had been placed to the hotel at the date and time we had stated to Jason. I have yet to receive a response from Mark. Reading other reviews, it appears that this hotel is good if you stick with your exact reservation, made through the hotel, and do not have ANY requests for additional services. If you think you might need extra customer service (like having a note put into your reservation as agreed upon and then being believed), do yourself a favor and stay at a different hotel. There are many to choose from in Santa Barbara. These people are unscrupulous, cancelling our reservation so they could sell it again and be paid double for a single room, while lying to the customer about what actually transpired. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Amazing Experience

Nov 5, 2023 mimmi12120

I spent my wedding night here and we had an amazing experience. The hotel and room were very clean with such a wonderful view. Brenda and Jocelyn were exceptional with their customer service. Brenda helped us book our room and went above and beyond for us which is what we were really looking for when searching for a place to stay. She’s the reason… Read more
I spent my wedding night here and we had an amazing experience. The hotel and room were very clean with such a wonderful view. Brenda and Jocelyn were exceptional with their customer service. Brenda helped us book our room and went above and beyond for us which is what we were really looking for when searching for a place to stay. She’s the reason why we decided to go with this hotel. I would definitely recommend and stay here again!! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Exceptional hotel

Oct 25, 2023 Lauren B

Clean hotel, very friendly staff and excellent pool and hot tubs. Great location to the beach, the wharf and State St. with lots of great restaurants nearby. Would definitely come back to this hotel any day.