My husband and I got to our room on the third floor, no elevator, immediately noticed the 80's decor complete with torn throw pillows, worn bedding and stained carpet. The bathroom was large with lots of counter space that I appreciate since I like to spread out my make up and hair products, no hair dryer however.
We were just going to sleep after a long day of travel when the smoke alarm chirped. Not good. We thought, well, maybe it won't chirp again, sleepy denial, but of course it did. We called the desk, maned by a wispy looking middle aged blond flower child who was not capable of carrying a ladder up 3 flights of stairs to replace the battery in the smoke alarm so she offered to put us into another room. That was a major pain since we had unpacked everything and we'd have to get dressed again to move. Did I mention we booked a King size bed? Well it seems the only room available with a king was a larger room that cost more than the king room we had. No problem I thought, we'll take it. But wait, we'd have to PAY THE UPGRADE CHARGE! Why? Because flower child didn't think the owner would like it if she moved us to it and not charge us the higher rate. Our other alternative was to move to a queen room for a lesser rate, so being on a very tight budget we thought that would be OK but were still perturbed that were were not offered the king up grade as compensation for our major inconvenience.
The queen room was more shabby than the king room. The bathroom had a single pedestal sink, no counter space, no hair dryer, so my make up and hair products were on the floor on a towel with my husbands shaving kit. The queen bed had the tired looking bedding as before, the mattress very uncomfortable but that was not the worst. A two story building was next door and contained a bar and restaurant. We had the delight of hearing the a/c for these establishments cycle on and off ALL NIGHT, not possible to sleep unless you are on drugs.
Sure, the ambiance on the main floor is charming, fireplace going and all, even the breakfast was alright but not great. Location is good for downtown strolling to restaurants and shopping. Cafe Fiore directly across the street is very good.
When we checked out, there were 3 women who appeared to be borderline homeless working the desk all the while munching on their take out breakfast food, wrappers and boxes covering the counter.
WE'LL NEVER GO BACK.

My wife and I have stayed at the Bella Maggiore many times. True, it is a little dated. Also true, if you get a room facing California street prepare for noise -- drunks hollering, motorcycles racing and sirens. That said, our room for this latest visit was clean and very spacious. They now have flat-screen TVs but they are really small. The selection of channels was pretty bad. They used to have HBO. Now it's like basic cable. There are many extras -- fresh flowers in the room, chocolates, nice bathroom amenities. The location is right downtown within easy walking distance of the beach, the pier and the downtown shops. Be warned, downtown Ventura is quite an experience. Homeless people eveywhere. We went for an early morning walk and a number of business entryways smelled of urine. Yet there are nice shops and restaurants. They recently added parking meters downtown I hope they use the money to clean up the area. Included in our $99 price was a great breakfast in the courtyard downstairs. And the wine and cheese served between 5-6 p.m. was outstanding. You can almost make a meal out of it -- salami, vegetables and dip, crackers, salad and seemingly as much wine as you want. We always enjoy our time there.

If you need to relax in an adorable little boutique hotel in an adorable little town surrounded by great restaurants within walking distance, fun bar scenes, unique shopping and free parking--- this is it! Loved the little touches. Wine hour, little chocolates on the bedside table, great breakfast included in the price. This is an old fashioned little hotel with a central staircase, small sitting area with relaxing fireplace, beautiful little courtyard in the historic downtown area. Nothing fancy, just basic but good comfortable bed, very clean, very friendly.

This is a cute inn in downtown Ventura. Good prices, lovely happy hour, and a nice breakfast. It's a non-smoking facility, which is very important to me. The decor is a bit dated, even while attempting to create a mid-century look. It's clean and pleasant. However the walls are paper thin and we are listening to the conversation and TV program of our neighbors as if we were in their room. Add to that the street noise and sleep will be difficult tonight.