Rarely have I stayed in a hotel that was as bad as the worst review -- actually I've NEVER found a hotel as bad as the worst review, until tonight. I'm sure there are some decent rooms here, but not if you check in after 7PM. We reserved a Deluxe King with balcony and ended up on the third floor in a smelly room at the end of the hall, with a window looking out on the roof and a broken screen. No easy access from the lobby: 2 elevators and a long hallway had to be crossed to get to the room. I was expecting old, we've stayed in old hotels (think the Omni in DC and the Biltmore in LA) and found them charming. Perhaps the charm is buried here somewhere, just not in the residual rooms. If you decide to chance it here, make sure you check in at 4PM and DON'T pay full price.

My sister and I are from Santa Barbara and stayed at the Hotel Mar Monte when home for a visit. We had a wonderful time. I think the other reviewers on here should be staying down the street at one of the more expensive hotels. Our room was much larger than expected and the staff was very accommodating. We used the spa and it was also wonderful. We were a little worried about the bad reviews but our experience was nothing like theirs. The pool is large and heated. The beach is directly across the street and this hotel has a wonderful location without being as expensive as others. I would recommend this hotel to friends.

A wonderful retreat.. overlooking the ocean and in the heart of santa barbara..Front lobby is warm and welcoming and the staff is very accomodating. We enjoyed the comfortable and spacious room and our dog felt right at home.. By the way , the Spa is amazing too..

Sorry for the lengthy review, but this story conveys just how shoddy the Hotel Mar Monte's service and attention to detail can be.

My wife and I checked in on December 31, 2007 to spend New Year’s Eve here. When I called to make the reservation more than 3 months prior, I requested Rm 375 because that was the room in which I proposed to my wife back in April 2006. The operator told me my request would be noted, that there shouldn’t be a problem, and that I should call back closer to the date to make sure.

A month before New Year’s Eve I called again and I was told exactly the same thing. So on Dec. 29th, I called and spoke to a gentleman who told me he could definitely get me into Rm 375.

I and my wife, expecting to celebrate the New Year in a room with special sentimental value, arrived and were told that the room I had requested on three occasions over three months was not available. The gentleman at the counter remembered my call and acknowledged he had promised me the room, but that someone else had been booked into my room, and I’d have to take another one. He and the manager on duty both simply shrugged and said, “Sorry.” The manager told me I would still be getting a similar room, which completely missed the point of my repeated requests for Rm 375. (In fact, the room was not similar – it was probably 1/3 the size of Rm 375).

Also, both the robes in our room were soiled when we arrived; my wife asked at the front desk that they be replaced, which they were, but the clerk there actually rolled her eyes at the request. The next morning we ordered room service for breakfast, but no condiments were included; I had to call and request them.

I had sought a particular room for months with the intention of spending a nostalgic night there, and it was confirmed two days before. Angry about the inexplicable oversight and the staff’s casual dismissal of it, I wrote a letter to them and was contacted by someone from the hotel wanting to make amends. But I was unable to talk at the moment, so she promised to call later that afternoon. She never did - further proof of their complete inattention to detail and indifference toward their guests. We will be staying many more nights in Santa Barbara in the future, but not at the Hotel Mar Monte.