We want to spend a week end there...have never been....can we have suggestions about medium priced hotels or boutique hotels and how important to stay on ocean vs nearby? We are thinking of the Hyatt Centric??

Here is my trip report on a week in Santa Barbara. We loved where we stayed.

Santa Barbara Trip Report

>>can we have suggestions about medium priced hotels

When DS and DIL were living in the UCSB student housing in Goleta, we ended up staying in Carpenteria at the Sandyland Inn. That was our cheapest option.
The best place that I would call "moderate" would be the Best Western plus in Carpenteria. It has balconies overlooking a central courtyard.

Santa Barbara - Motel - Inn - Marina - Castillo Inn at the Beach
We have stayed at this little place a couple of times, for short stays. It's across from the marina. Free parking is a bonus.

Have stayed here, when it was the Fess Parker Doubletree:
https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ca...GMB-HI-SBAFPHH

Money no object? Stay at the Four Seasons. Great location for walking oceanside.
https://www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara/

In fact, I stayed at the BW Plus Peppertree Inn and really liked it a lot. The rooms were very nice and it does have a pool, as I recall, not that I used it. I didn't care about being on the ocean at all, though. If you look at the photos, it has a large interior space, and rooms can have their own porch. It was a convenient location if you have a car, driving downtown and parking wasn't a problem. I was there 2-3 days. In fact, I liked kind of being away from the thick of things and I have never in my life said I want a boutique hotel, though.

There isn't one correct answer as to the ocfean thing, some people may think it's important and others don't, like me.

The Hyatt Centric is over by East Beach, a little bit out of the way but still ok. I like the West Beach Inn, over by the marina and all the restaurants and bars in the Funk Zone. We stay there often. Room 215 (I think that’s the number) is a corner, ocean-facing room with balcony (the room above it would be even better).

Distances are small in Santa Barbara - from upper State Street and Victoria down to the water is only a mile and a half.

Another place we love is the Simpson House, but I don’t know if that’s out of your budget. A fantastic breakfast and lovely evening hours d’oeuvres. Just sitting in the garden is so relaxing.

Our favorite restaurant is Olio et Limone and it’s bistro, Olio Pizzaria, next door. Yum.

We are thinking of staying in Goleta area which is a few miles from SB...any thoughts?

Mixed feelings. You will get more bang for your buck, perhaps, in Goleta. But it is not Santa Barbara; you will have to drive into town to experience the town. We stayed in Goleta often when our daughter attended UCSB. I would not pick it for a trip TO experience Santa Barbara. But SB is expensive.

There is good bus service from downtown Santa Barbara out to Goleta and the UCSB campus. There is also bus service up to the Mission up State Street from the area of the pier.
There are several restaurants out on the pier in Santa Barbara.

If I was looking to stay near Santa Barbara I would pick Carpinteria over Goleta, but would still rather stay in SB proper even if I had to stay on State Street instead of across the road from the ocean, the suburbs just lack the charm of Santa Barbara.

Check out the Eagle Inn in SB. We liked it a lot, and rooms come with breakfast.

I don’t know when you’re going, but on TripAdvisor the cost of several SB hotels is the same as Carpinteria. I agree with the other poster, if at all possible stay in Santa Barbara. Walking all around is so lovely.

We love gardens, among them the Alice Keck Park and the SB Botanic Garden. If you have time to reserve, Lotus Land is really beautiful too. Museums like the Art Museum, Natural History Museum, and the new Moxi Science Museum are great (for kids as well as adults).

Our favorite restaurants, in addition to the Olio et Limone group, are Jane and Opal on upper State, amazing tacos, etc at the SB Public Market’s Corazon Cucina, and take out sandwiches and cheeses at C’est Cheese.

Its our favorite town in Southern California. SO relaxing and beautiful. We live an hour and fifteen minutes away and often go just for lunch and walking. And shopping - cute little stores.

Ellen Degeneres lives in Carpinteria and thinks it is the most community she's ever felt. according to current article in NYT

which surprised me