Best Western Plus Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Virgin rating

Pool
Hotel exterior
Standard 2 Queen Room
Pool
Hotel exterior
Standard 2 Queen Room
Restaurant entrance
Live Oak Cafe
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
Live Oak Cafe
Live Oak Cafe
Pool at night
Standard Bathroom
Hotel exterior
Two Bedroom Suite
Two Bedroom Suite
Two Bedroom Suite
Suite Bathroom
Lobby
Standard Queen Room
Standard 2 Double
Pool
Hotel exterior
Standard 2 Queen Room
Pool
Hotel exterior
Standard 2 Queen Room
Restaurant entrance
Live Oak Cafe
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
Live Oak Cafe
Live Oak Cafe
Pool at night
Standard Bathroom
Hotel exterior
Two Bedroom Suite
Two Bedroom Suite
Two Bedroom Suite
Suite Bathroom
Lobby
Standard Queen Room
Standard 2 Double

The hotel

Tucked away in a quaint Santa Barbara neighbourhood, enjoy a peaceful stay on the central Californian coast, in touching distance of the historic downtown and the glorious Pacific Ocean. This is a great value hotel, making it ideal for a stop on your West Coast road trip – complete with on-site restaurant. Enjoy breakfast on the patio, or locally sourced seafood and craft beer after a day out in the sun. Whether you’re travelling as a couple or a larger group, there’s a range of rooms to suit you – the suites even come complete with full kitchen if you fancy a night in!

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Free Parking
  • Internet Access
  • Laundry Service
  • Restaurant
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Swimming Pool

Where is it

Tucked in a quaint Santa Barbara neighbourhood, 2 blocks from State Street and less than 1 mile from the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara Airport is approximately 12-minutes drive away. 

Hotel information

122 well-appointed guest rooms and suites, all with air conditioning, complimentary WiFi access, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, flat-screen TV, safe, mini fridge, designer toiletries, and bathrobes.

Standard rooms with either 1 king-size bed, 1 queen-size bed, 2 queen-size beds, or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 4 people. 

One Bedroom Suites feature a separate living room with sofa bed, full kitchen, and bedroom with either 1 king-size bed, 1 queen-size bed, or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 5 people. 

Two Bedroom Suites feature a separate living room with sofa bed, full kitchen, master bedroom with 1 queen-size bed, and second bedroom with either 2 double beds or 1 queen-size bed, sleeping maximum 6 people. 

Complimentary self-parking. Complimentary Santa Barbara Airport, Amtrak®, and Airbus shuttle service from 7:30am-10:30pm

Live Oak Café, serving Californian fusion food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with enclosed patio and daily happy hour. 

Outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool. Fitness centre. Bird aviary. 

Complimentary WiFi access. Gift shop/Convenience store. Laundry service*. 24-hour front desk. Room service*. 

*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 (665)
  • Very good (367)
  • Average (160)
  • Poor (62)
  • Terrible (42)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great experience!

Dec 12, 2024 shannon n Santa Paula, California

Ok so this hotel is not all new and shiny, but it gave me one of the best experiences in accommodations (even first class) that I’ve ever had. It’s a vintage, old Santa Barbara hotel, but it was clean, cozy and had the most exceptional staff I’ve ever encountered. I was there for a surgical procedure so spent most of my time in the room and I was… Read more
Ok so this hotel is not all new and shiny, but it gave me one of the best experiences in accommodations (even first class) that I’ve ever had. It’s a vintage, old Santa Barbara hotel, but it was clean, cozy and had the most exceptional staff I’ve ever encountered. I was there for a surgical procedure so spent most of my time in the room and I was kind of a demanding guest! I checked in 4 hours early (no additional cost), then requested to change rooms as I was upstairs and my husband feared they would be challenging after surgery. They granted both of these requests with a smile and genuine concern for my wellbeing. In fact, I sometimes felt like I was in the twilight zone because their cheerfulness was such a novelty in these days of lousy customer service! The restaurant was pretty good (nothing spectacular) but again, the staff there was so accommodating and cheerful it made up for any shortcomings. If I have one suggestion, it would be the horrible TV situation. Since I spent all my time in the room it would have been nice to have movies or more choice on the TV stations. I’m not adept at technology so I don’t stream on my computer. I think there were only about 4 English speaking channels available. This hotel is practically across the street from Sansum Clinic and many other medical offices and it really is the perfect place to recover. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Good but not centrally located (and no free breakfast)

Dec 3, 2024 CaliforniaPlanner Seattle, Washington

Attractive tiling on the steps, in keeping with the Spanish architecture throughout the town. The hotel is in a good location about a 20 minute walk to downtown, and the staff we dealt with were pleasant. Our room was nice and clean, though the walls were thin—we could hear other guests in their rooms. I saw a bug in a towel, but that could happen… Read more
Attractive tiling on the steps, in keeping with the Spanish architecture throughout the town. The hotel is in a good location about a 20 minute walk to downtown, and the staff we dealt with were pleasant. Our room was nice and clean, though the walls were thin—we could hear other guests in their rooms. I saw a bug in a towel, but that could happen anywhere. There were no grab bars in the shower; the tub was slippery but a rubber mat was provided. The TV had very few channels—no MSNBC (though CNN), Bravo (though TLC), HGTV, Food Network, etc.—fewest I’ve seen at a hotel in years. There was no free breakfast, but there's a good and spacious cafe on site (with an outdoor enclosure for a variety of small birds). All told, I don't think we'd stay here again, in part because it's not cheap (especially when you factor in having to buy breakfast somewhere) but also because it's not quite as centrally located as we expected. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Excellent 10 night stay - highly recommended!

Nov 22, 2024 J D Boston, Massachusetts

I recently spent 10 days at the Best Western Plus Santa Barbara part of a family trip. We found this hotel somewhat by accident after a tough experience at another hotel We arrived at the Best Western Plus Santa Barbara midday with no reservations after getting no sleep the previous night at the previous hotel. The caring staff really took… Read more
I recently spent 10 days at the Best Western Plus Santa Barbara part of a family trip. We found this hotel somewhat by accident after a tough experience at another hotel We arrived at the Best Western Plus Santa Barbara midday with no reservations after getting no sleep the previous night at the previous hotel. The caring staff really took care of us right away. We expected to stay only a night or two but the hotel was so wonderful, we ended up staying for a total of 10 nights to allow my daughter to finish some appointments and academic work in the area. Everyone at the hotel was super responsive to anything we needed including helping find a lost item and offering flexibility on the length of our stay. The property is in a convenient and safe location with beautifully landscaped grounds. The onsite restaurant (Live Oak Café) has a wide menu with reasonable prices for breakfast / lunch / dinner. I have visited the Santa Barbara area over 10 times in the past 5 years and stayed in many different hotels, motels, and airbnbs. The Best Western Plus Santa Barbara was by far the best accommodations I have found in terms of comfort, cleanliness, value, and overall friendly, happy experience. We look forward to returning soon! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Excellent Stay

Oct 22, 2024 Jayne G Los Angeles, California

We were in one of the renovated rooms and found it and amenities excellent. Good parking, clean functioning bathroom with a fabulous new mirror, waffle weave bathrobes, 2 luggage racks and complimentary water. Really like the coffee in the lobby 24/7. Comfortable bedding, On site restaurant has good food and reasonable prices. Very handy for… Read more
We were in one of the renovated rooms and found it and amenities excellent. Good parking, clean functioning bathroom with a fabulous new mirror, waffle weave bathrobes, 2 luggage racks and complimentary water. Really like the coffee in the lobby 24/7. Comfortable bedding, On site restaurant has good food and reasonable prices. Very handy for breakfast. Great location. Stayed here with friends who all enjoyed the stay. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Very enjoyable stay

Sep 12, 2024 Rande F

We had a lovely time. The staff was very friendly, we had a nice room overlooking the pool and garden and it was a nice size room with comfortable beds. The hotel is centrally located with an easy drive to both downtown and the beach. We will definitely be back!