I stayed at their "poor sister hotel" the first night 2 blocks behind them and the rooms were spacious and nice but old, nice little balcony to sit in the sun(facing other buildings)but the hair all
over the place led me to not leave a tip; the next night I stayed in the actual Mar Monte, registering the night before and reserving it at the desk since there were no rooms in my current abode(Parkside)across from a park where jobless hang out in their cars all night but no bother and close to a small SB zoo. The room was nice in the Mar Monte and I esp liked the quick air/heat adaptions in the room...and the shower curtain was the kind that goes out from tub which gives great room, but alas I had trouble at the desk(the people are very friendly esp bell boys)but they kept "running" my credit card.. 4 times....every time I went to get something from the hotel.....last year I had duplicate charges elsewhere so I'm leary of this practice...do it once and leave it.
Anyway, it is close to the beach but they also overcharged me and wouldn't take off the agreed upon amount even though the desk clerk told me it when I was staying at the Parkside...Don't trust them; everyone else in my line either had the wrong room or beds or were overcharged.If you need a crib better get it in writing...Also, they left food trays over 24 hours in the hallways; very annoying to walk around them all the time or have people running into them. Enjoy S B; its a great place and great weather but stay at a hotel behind them like Motel 6, Eastside Inn9?) anyway, look at the map...state street isn't bad either because of bus service all day on it and it leads to the long wharf. Cars at airport are really cheap to rent...cheaper than in Oregon. The tri-county produce stand about 5 blocks away behind Fess Parker is fantastic...and there are a couple of laundrymats on the same street(Milpas). Food at the Fess and Biltmore is good but expensive; our fav restaurant was off Chapala and State(in a Mall)
a California Pizza I think but lots of variety(we had spaghetti, Split Pea Soup(fantastic); pizza, great big salads,etc...just great.near a Nordstroms and a old time diner(Ruby''s)that was also very enjoyable....rbb

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..