Cool motel with an "arty" feeling. Ok location quite high up on the main street through Santa Barbara. Pros: comfortable cool bikes for lending (no extra fee), spacious rooms, relaxed and helpful staff who gave us good insider tips on where to go for wine and dining. Cons: VERY expensive for a motel, rooms are not soundproof which means you hear everything that goes on outside.

Absolutely amazing!

On an impromptu trip down the coast from SF, a city that has made me all but a little to pretentious, We stumbled back to Santa Barbara. Having grown up there I knew what we were getting into, A night of floral prints and potpourri. Tea service and old ninnies. Bars full of cooks in blazers and Hollister shirts with sandals and jeans. Then, while eating at Super Rica, An epiphany! From out of the fog, Presidio Motel... When I called around 6:00 and was told that they wanted to "flip" the last rooms for cheap I knew that was out spot! Just the vernacular alone told me that Chris and Kenny were the cool kids in town. I had no Idea! Fresh, but subtle touches everywhere from the wall stickers to hand made soap. Flat screen TVs to Intelegencia coffee in the morn. AND FREE BIKES!!!!!! What? Beach cruisers to rock down State St? That's right! And I didn't even touch base on Supply Room. Who needs a lobby to check into? Kenny was smart enough to turn their old living room into a boutique and she has an impeccable eye. Women's clothes, home wears, sick jewelry and the such! SAY NO MORE.

So, stay there... Unless you like tea cozys.

Location is good as many have mentioned and the staff were friendly and helpful. It's a basic motel with reasonable size rooms, good beds and flat screen TV. Key negatives were some of the noisy guests and the stain on the carpet that rather put my wife off. Hotels appear to be pricey in Santa Barbara and this was available for a single night over the weekend at reasonable pricing. The "funky / arty" descriptions are oversold in my view. Must say we loved Santa Barbara - not too large, great restauarants / cafes, the overall European feel of the town, and great beaches. Would schedule more time here in retrospect - Solvang and Santa Ynez a little to the north are also lovely.

My husband and I stayed here for one evening as we drove from Yosemite to LA.
I was looking for a reasonably priced hotel walkable to downtown restaurants and bars - the Presidio was perfect. At check in we got some helpful suggestions for places to try.
The rooms are sparsely furnished (some IKEA pieces) but the bed was comfortable and there is an HD TV with cable. The bath linens were clean but not luxurious.
In the morning they have coffee and tea available at the checking desk.
Overall - not a luxurious relaxing hotel - but exactly what we were looking for as a quick stop over in excellent location.