Family hotels in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica in July
 

Good morning! I need recommendations for family hotels in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica for the second week of July. We are two adults and 3 children (13, 10 & 7). I don't want to spend more than $200. We will have a car.

I heard these two cities are very expensive. Any other locations closeby where we could stay?

Thanks,

Clau

Carpintera might be a little cheaper than SB. There are a Best Western and a Holiday Inn Express there. Near SB there isa Hampton Inn at Goleta and on the north edge of SB a Ramada Limited, both of which are clean and comfortable. Also the West Beach Inn and Mason Beach Inn.

Hampton Inn in Goleta/SB is new and nice and around $200+ during the summer months.

You'll have to get a rollaway..they have free breakfast and internet.

Did you check last minute deals on expedia.com

La Quinta Inns and Suites are great hotels that are all over the US and CA for under $200.

www.lq.com

The Eagle Inn in Santa Barbara is usually the best deal, full kitchens, close to the beach and within walking distance to downtown. I seriously doubt you will find anything that approaches their value in SB. (I'm not advertising, merely recommending from personal experience).

www.theeagleinn.com

Although the address is SB, I consider it Goleta. Goleta and Carpinteria are your best bets for $200 or less near SB.


http://www.pacificasuites.com/

I've stayed at Pacifica Suites and the rooms are large and the hot made to order breakfast is awesome..omelettes, eggs/bacon/hash browns with a latte.
Got a great deal on expedia.com over the holidays last year and it was perfect for what it was.
Beds could be more memory foam but besides that, it was fine.
It's right on the Goleta/SB border but I would consider it Goleta.
Minutes to SB.
I've gotten deals for $159.

For Santa Barbara and Goleta, things fill up very fast... Jult is prime time around here so I would check expedia for hotels in your price range that have openings on your dates and then read reviews on tripadvisor to find a few that will work for you! Then call the hotels you are interested in directly and I wouldnt waste another minute.. prices will NOT go down between now and then and usually on the weekends there is a two night minimum... if you'll be here over the fourth of July weekend, usually a three night minimum.

Happy to answer specific location questions after you narrow it down a bit!

onemoneygirl is right on the money with her advice!

In SB, make sure you go to Renaud's for the best croissants, Super Rica for the best taco shop.
Go to the Nugget in Summerland (south of SB) for the best patty melt.

Renaud's!! YES.

Oh ksucat, if they go to Renaud's we might, have to have a mini GTG, do you think?!

I am lucky I live an hour away because if that were my hometown, I would have a mighty tough time not making that an every weekend "must!" Their coffee is wonderful too. And the quiche. I am slowly backing away from the computer now...lol.

:)

We liked the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara. Not sure it would be under $200, but it is the best value with two queen beds that we could find when we visited.

Santa Monica has lots of choices. The Marriott Courtyard in nearby Marina del Rey is under $200 and would have two queen beds.

If you click on my name you will find a report I wrote a few months ago on Fess Parkers, I liked it too but figured it would be more than you wish to pay. If you want to splurge however... :)

One of your considerations should be location so you dont end up in the car for hours every day. For example, if you stay further south as some have suggested and plan to drive to SB each day... not so convenient. The great thing about Fess Parkers is that you can walk to the beach and the pier, to the market and take the shuttle to the downtown. No car needed.

You might look at the Franciscan Inn in SB. It's located within walking distance to the beach and is pretty nice and should be in your price range.
A few times I've been able to find something somewhat reasonable in Santa Monica on one of the hotel booking sites but we usually end up staying in Marina del Rey or Venice. We've stayed at the Marriott Courtyard mentioned above and it was fine.