Montecito Inn — Hotel in Santa Barbara

My stay at the Montecito Inn was the worst experience I have had! If I could give them NO STARS, I would!

My husband and I visited the hotel to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and it absolutely horrible? It was such a tremendous disappointment and certainly not the way we planned to celebrate! We arrived at the hotel only to learn that the hotel was not working and we were placed in a room on the 3rd floor. Thankfully, my husband and I are active and athletic people, so we were able to successfully navigate the stairs.

When we arrived in our rooms, we discovered that the bathtub faucet dripped terribly. When we called the desk, we were told that we could either allow the maintenance worker to come in and fix the bathtub while we waited, or we could be placed in a smaller room, with a smaller bed. Needless to say, as I am 5'10 and my husband is 6'2, we declined the lovely queen bed they offered and the smaller space. We were already cramped beyond belief and I had no space to even open my suitcase fully. We were then offered the option of going to a different room to shower, then then returning to our room to sleep. We chose to wait for the maintenance staff to fix the bathtub, which took almost half an hour, as he darted in and out of our room. We did not feel comfortable leaving our room with all of our personal belongings in an open room. We were subsequently late for our dinner reservation.

The pool was the size of the pool at my home and my in-room massage was miserable. There was insufficient room for the masseuse to navigate around her massage table and consistently bumped the table as she maneuvered around the cramped space.

Overall, the hotel was old, dirty, and worn. The carpet was filthy and worn and there was absolutely no tread on the fibers. I slipped around haphazardly in my bare feet. The duvet slipped out of the cover overnight and there were bugs in our room. The mattress was lumpy and both my husband and I left with back pain. It was...

OK, I had an issue, I felt it never got resolved, but through the power of the Internet, the hotel manager reached out to me and offered what I feel is fair compensation for the issue.

I left a garment bag in the room when I checked out with a nice suit (not an Armani, but it was several $100) and a well worn leather jacket. When I got home, it took me a few days to realize I didn't have it, and when I did contact the hotel, I was told that they had it and would keep it for me.

Flash forward 4 months and I am ready to head back up that way, so I would stop by to grab the suit. I send an email to the guy I had been talking to, and I get a response that he is no longer there. Then I get an email from someone in housekeeping that the suit and jacket were donated after 3 months. A week later I sent an email to the General Manager, and didn't hear back.

After posting rather scathing reviews in a few spots, Jason reached out to me, having never heard of this issue before now (his brother, the GM, somehow missed my email to him). We discussed the issue, he talked about raising the issue with the staff at his managers meeting, and he offered to compensate me for what was lost. I am not getting my suit or jacket back, but overall I feel that he is meeting me at least 1/2 way.

The hotel really is a lovely property in a good location. It is not in the heart of Santa Barbara, but it is close to a lovely small beach, right next door to an excellent little shopping/dining strip, and offers a value for the money that exceeds what you are going to get close to the water in SB proper. We stayed in a suite, which really was an excellent room choice, with a Nespresso machine in the room, a nice tub and a fireplace in the living room. The breakfast buffet is also a nice little addition, giving you the option of kicking back and starting your day in a relaxed atmosphere instead of trying to figure out where to get...

The CA fires have made this quite a surreal experience. Not a lot of other guests. Pool and Jacuzzi are closed because of the ash and poor air quality. This is the hotel that Charlie Chaplin built in 1928. Einstein stayed here, as did Marion Davies, Lillian Gish, Bette Davis and many other very early film stars. There's still that residual vibe from long ago... felt most strongly in the hallways and elevator. Let yourself feel it. You might not feel entirely alone, should you check in by yourself, I'll put it that way. My comfort zone might not be yours. Small queen room with a ratty view of a roof, but it's quiet, except for the howl of a far off occasional train and it fits this experience perfectly. There are much nicer rooms but we wanted a cheaper one. You can spend several hundred dollars on a room with a sunken tub that's large and luxuriously appointed. That's not our thing, but might be yours. This would be a good place to splurge, if you're inclined. It was our anniversary and the front desk sent up a free bottle of sparkling wine and it was a very nice gesture. Parking is an additional $15.00. Street parking is limited and constrictive for maximum ticketing. Spend the $15.00 and forget about it. Expect to spend some money if you visit Montecito.... Oprah has her West Coast mansion in the hills. This is a super toney town with upscale shops and dining that rivals anything in Beverly Hills. Bottom line: This is a lovely hotel that has some residual paranormal activity. There were several shadows that darted at the periphery of my vision on the second floor. Jinns. If little tugs and glimpses from the past scare you, you might want to stay in a place that doesn't have as much 'ambiance' and history. Let your mind wander while you're taking a shower. The mental snapshots at this place can be...