Suggestions for a stopover between Cambria and LA
 

We will be driving South from Cambria and were going to stop for one night in Santa Barbara before heading to LA. Unfortunately it turns out to be a Saturday night (February 11th) and all the SB hotels I have tried have a minimum 2 night stay over the weekend.
Any suggestions for somewhere else en route which may be less famous but equally nice? We'd like somewhere where we can have a walk, eat a good meal, some nice bars........We are a family from Italy with kids in 20's.
Thanks

I see there are rooms at The Crowne Plaze in Ventura, a few miles south of Santa Barbara. The hotel has ocean views and there is an ocean walk right out the door of the hotel. Downtown Ventura has several restaurants and bars, and it is an easy walk from the hotel.


We also like Pismo Beach, because many of the hotels (including the Kon Tiki) have balconies and ocean views. There we like to have meals at the Ventana Grill.

Santa Barbara is a popular Valentine's getaway destination so a lot of the hotels will seize the opportunity. I did take a quick glance at the larger chain hotels- the Hyatt and the Doubletree show one night availability. Most likely the budget chain Motel 6 would probably have one night availability also. The Four Seasons did not.
You could go further south and stay in Ventura. They have a a downtown area where you can walk to restaurants if you stayed near the pier. If you choose that route I'd still recommend spending more of your time in Santa Barbara. Ventura is a cute town, but Santa Barbara is much nicer.

Santa Barbara is the first place that comes to mind. Many excellent restaurant choices, Ventura, interesting, but not the first pick.
Or Solvang for proximity to the wine region and also many good restaurants.
Further afield, Pismo Beach area has a lot to offer as well.

Make a cancellable reservation somewhere but try calling some hotels in SB during the week before the weekend. You may find one that would rather sell a single night than be left with an unsold room for two nights. This worked for us in early September when we attended a concert at the SB Bowl on a Saturday night.

BTW, the property that accommodated us was the Upham Hotel. If you're offered rooms in their Country House annex, don't hesitate to take them. We actually prefer the Country House. It feels like you're staying in a private home.

http://www.uphamhotel.com/

The region between Cambria and Santa Monica is quite beautiful, including the detours to Paso Robles on 46 and to Ojai on 150.

We prefer staying in one of the smaller towns, but if you like cities of 225,000 or more, Santa Barbara is the place to stay in this area.

HTTY

That's a holiday weekend in CA. Most State and local government workers and some others plus many school districts have a 3-day weekend for Lincoln's b'day. So hotels in scenic places will be busier than a typical winter weekend.

If you don't want to stop before SB (Pismo Beach, etc), I'd also try Ventura.

Noone is closed for Lincoln's Birthday anymore -- years ago, they exchanged Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays for President's Day, which is February 20, 2012.

Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez Valley has wineries, restaurants and hotels. Something will probably be available for one night. This is another nice wine area for you & yours sons to enjoy. Solvang is a Danish themed tourist town, but has plenty to keep you entertained and places to eat. There are missions in Santa Ynez and La Purisima (Lompoc).


Here is a link to the area:

http://www.visitthesantaynezvalley.com/

There is also a huge Indian Casino if you want to do a little gambling!

Thanks all,
I think Pismo is too close to Cambria (we are heading South)and I am checking out Ventura and Ynez valley. I will also keep trying other Santa Barbara hotel/motels. There is a little place called Presidio Motel which looks as if it does one night and is in the centre of town. It looks a little seedy but gets good reviews on TA. We don't really like big resorts but Jean's suggestion is good.
Valentine weekend is the problem!

I have been contributing to TA for years, but I am becoming very leery of many of the enthusiastic reviews I read there. When we stayed at Presidio Motel some years ago we found it to be very basic and we didn't find the location good for walking to town. I notice on TA about half of reviewers rate it "excellent" and I can't imagine where they usually stay that in comparison this funky joint deserves such a high rating.

There are very few hotels in Santa Barbara that are in the walkable downtown area. Distances are father than they appear on a map. For instance, it is a mile from the pier to downtown, but most of the walk isn't very pleasant.

Really like the Santa Ynez area and have stayed there many times. Nice wineries and a variety of restaurants as well.

If you are looking for a beach town and don't want to drive as far south as Ventura, maybe scope out Carpenteria just south of Santa Barbara? Never stayed there but seems to have a lot of decent chain motels, etc.

I agree with HTTY that TA reviews aren't reliable. On the other hand I looked at the price for the Presidio Motel and couldn't believe it, let alone in Santa Barbra. While the location isn't in the core of downtown, for that price you can't beat the value. Maybe that's why reviews are enthusiastic? It is a guessing game. Personally, if I'm spending $200.00 vs. $100.00 in the same location, I expect more.
I'm not sure what is so 'unpleasant' about the walk though, except maybe near the sterile bridge and train station. Even there I wouldn't describe it as unpleasant. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :) Since we're on the topic of unpleasant, I was stunned at how fast Ventura has declined during the recession. And to be fair I had similar feelings towards Santa Barbara but not nearly as much.
I get such a chuckle when I read Santa Barbara is a city. It's a town to me!

sf: "<i>Noone is closed for Lincoln's Birthday anymore -- years ago, they exchanged Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays for President's Day, which is February 20, 2012.</i>"

If you notice, I only mentioned <i>government entities</i>. Some public employees get both Lincoln's B'day and President's Day. And some school districts also observe both. But some like Orange SD will move Lincoln's B'day to the 17th to make a four day weekend. And believe it or not, one of our local districts observes Feb 13, 20 AND 21 . . .

The Presidio is 150 per room. I have also found rooms at the Orchid Inn just over $200. It seems quite a bit nicer and in a decent location. Any opinions?

Carpenteria is a nice little town with a beautiful sweeping beach and a cove where sea lions nest. I'm not sure of accommodations though, maybe someone else can advise.

I vote for Ventura. The Crowne Plaze, right on the beach, is a great place to stay. You can walk to Ventura's "downtown" which has good restaurants and some interesting shops to browse. We have stayed at the Crowne Plaze twice, when my husband attended a kart racing school nearby. Don't know if that's something you, your husband or kids would enjoy.

Just read some more of the posts in this threat. Has Ventura really declined that much? How bad is it? That's too bad; really liked it there and just yesterday my husband was saying we should go back there.

OP's "kids" are in their 20's and one works in the wine industry, thus the recs for Santa Ynez area.

***OP's "kids" are in their 20's and one works in the wine industry, thus the recs for Santa Ynez area.***

True. BUT they want.....


***We'd like somewhere where we can have a walk, eat a good meal, some nice bars........***

Sorry touristic Solvang doesn't make the cut IMHO and the block of Los Olivos has 2 great restaurants but not much else. Other than that- you need a car.

Give us your itinerary and if it meets their criteria I'll back you all the way!

Great idea to come into Santa Barbara via the 154 and do some wine tasting, though.