mary

we will be visiting santa barbara and palm springs soon. a good beachfront place in santa barbara? what are the best(not necessarily the poshest) places to stay in palm springs with a pool?

Emily

We love Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage,technically. The pool was great, there were always lounge chairs, even when the property was sold out. There is even a slide, with a separate pool it lands into. There is a spa there, but I was unable to utilize it the last trip. The breakfast buffet was great, you can also order from the menu, and you can eat outside on the terrace if you choose. www.rancholaspalmas.com

mare

The Harbor View Inn is the place to stay in Santa Barbara. Also check out www.hoteloceana.com

I've heard that Merv Griffin's resort in Palm Springs is very nice.

x

For SB, I didn't stay there but the Fess Parker Double tree looked very nice. Along the beach but a little out of the main town of SB. There also was a Best Western along the beach closer to the pier & harbor. It was a nice hotel but not very fancy.

PS Local

You did not mention whether you are traveling with children or not.

The Givenchy (Merv Griffin) is probably more pricey than you want (and sort of sterile in my opinion anyway). I would look at the Holiday Inn Mountain Shadows Resort downtown PS but also check the majors for some incredibly low rates right now. Examples: Marriott Desert Springs, La Quinta Resort, Hyatt Grand Champions, Renaissance Esmeralda, Mira Monte, Wyndham, Westin Mission Hills Resort. Keep in mind, the Coachella Valley is really 9 different cities, so I am assuming when you say "Palm Springs" you mean the general area. Most of the properties I mentioned are in other cities except the Wyndham and Holiday Inn.

Have a great time and stay cool.