OCEANA HOTEL, Santa Barbara-- Has anyone stayed here recently?
 

The website is beautiful, but I've yet to find a postive review of this place. I have a reservation in May and am making one last request for anyone who has stayed here recently before I cancel it.

thanks!
Dina

ttt

My husband and I stayed at the Oceana two years ago in April. We didn't know anything about Santa Barbara being from the Midwest so it was difficult to know where we should stay so that we would be close to restaurants, downtown area, beach, etc. We settled on the Oceana because of the website and a few reviews we had read at that time. The location was great, right on Cabrillo Blvd which runs along the ocean. That made it easy to take walks along the beach. One day there was an artfair with local artists displaying their wares all along the beach just across from the hotel. Entertainig and relaxing. The hotel grounds are small, but picturesque. We had a car and parking was a bit tricky. If you got back to the hotel late, chances were good you would have to park on a side street in the neighborhood. That said, the surronding neighborhood was pleasant so not a problem. We had a king room on the upper floor (which I would recommend so you have a better view of the ocean, etc) was nice, but nothing fancy. Bed was comfortable. Room was clean and bathroom was ok too. I believe the vanity was outside the bathroom which is nice for two people trying to get ready. I guess I only have two negative things to say about our room. I felt the furnishings were a bit worn and I would have loved to have a mini-fridge in the room.

Sorry, wasn't quite finished and hit "post" by accident.

The shuttles run close by so that is a plus too. We ate breadfast at a diner and dinner at an Italian restaurant just down the street which was convenient. Did a day trip to the wine country which we enjoyed. We have wonderful memories of our Santa Barbara trip and hope to return soon.

One last thing I should add, the room wasn't air conditioned and it was a bit warm for us at times. Hope this helps. If you have specific questions, just ask and I'll try to answer them.

The Fess Parker Doubletree Resort is a good place in Santa Barbara. It's directly across the road, with great views of the water.