This was our first visit to Santa Barbara and the Inn by the Harbor was a perfect place to stay. The location is not on the water, but it is only a short walk (10-15 minutes) to the restaurants and attractions on State Street or down by the water.

The property and rooms are clean and well maintained. The location is in a transitional neighbourhood, but all of the rooms are well back from the road and very quiet. We never felt unsafe, even when walking at night.

The hotel offers a number of free services including breakfast, afternoon happy hour, and cookies and milk at night. It was a great way to meet fellow guests and feel like you were more than just a paying guest.

The best feature of all is the staff - friendly and helpful. Whether you are looking for a good restaurant or directions to one of the attractions, they are there to help.

We were originally booked in to stay 4 nights but my father suffered a stroke and had to have brain surgery and was hospitalised for 7 days, so my mother and I had to extend our stay by 12 nights. The staff couldn't have been more caring or helpful. Breakfast is great and plentiful, late afternoon cheese and wine is a real treat and then cookies at milk in the evening! The rooms are very comfortable and we also had a kitchen which was good once Dad was discharged from hospital, and they have the most amazingly comfortable beds. So comfortable, we have contacted the Simmons Beautyrest supplier in the UK to order one! During our stay in Santa Barbara we also stayed at one of the larger and more expensive hotels but it just doesn't measure up to the friendliness and ambience of the Inn by the Harbor. If I'm back in SB this would definitely be my first choice.

We stopped off in Santa Barbara for the evening on our way to San Diego.
Fantastic staff, they are one of the most friendly and helpful staff I have met! Very nice touch with the wine and cheese hour, cookies and milk in the early evening and a simple breakfast in the mornings. It adds to the coziness of this place.
The location is okay. About a 10 min walk to the beach and another 10 min to State Street (maybe it can be walked quicker...)
The rooms are ok. I think they need to be modernised a bit. The bathroom was too small and cramped and certainly needs a make over. The beds are very good. Very nice that the room had a small kitchen, excellent if you were going to have an extended stay!

I would echo what everyone has said about this Hotel. Staff were brilliant, with a welcome drink and cookies as soon as we arrived. Breakfast was very good. The room we got had two queen beds in and was well appointed throughout with a kitchen where you could have cooked your own food, everything was supplied.

We only stayed one night as we were travelling down pacific highway. I would have loved to have extended my stay here. the staff the following morning were just as accommodating