Three of us stayed in their "family suite", which was nice and roomy with a separate bedroom with 2 double beds. The room was clean and looked nice on the surface. Lots of sink/counter space, decent closet space, a little mini-fridge. They have free wireless internet now which made me very happy.

We had some plumbing issues with the toilet, but the staff resolved that quickly. The shower was fine unless someone nearby flushed the toilet or turned on the water. The bed pillows were almost flat - bring your own if you stay here. Breakfast was ok - a few danish/muffins, cereal, and bananas. Good enough.

However, the walls are paper thin. I could hear our neighbors going to the bathroom at night - THAT is a little much for me. I would not stay there again because of the noise factor. Every step the people upstairs took creaked loudly. All of the rooms face the parking lot which made for a very noisy night between the cars and the loud voices. If you are a heavy sleeper, this place isn't bad for the price.

The location was good, just off the freeway, near restaurants; good for a quick getaway, but totally over-priced, and a sub-par facility and customer service. We asked for and thought we got a non-smoking room, but the pillows reeked of cigar smoke. When we told management about the odor, they couldn't care less. The bathtub was cracked and stained, the walls were paper thin, and the courtyard configuration amplified the noise. Definitely not worth the price. We would not recommend this hotel to anyone, nor would we stay there again. Would probably have been better off at Motel 6 next door. What a rip off!

When I checked in the desk staff went out of their way to help us. They offered us a map of the town and took their time to make sure we knew where we were going. Later in the evening the guest beside me became very noise and with one call to the desk it was resolved. The evening security guard was awesome; helped with some heavy items from my car to my room and refused any tip. Housekeeping in the morning was great, very friendly and helpful. I will be staying with this hotel every time I go to Santa Barbara.

Our 6 night visit to the Sandpiper Lodge was not as bad as I expected, considering latest reviews posted before I left.
Upon arrival, the desk clerk was not at all friendly, but we did not see him again the whole trip, and the other employees were much better.
The two bedroom unit we had fit our needs well. There were no problems with cleanliness or bugs. There was a good amount of closet space. There were two sinks and lots of counter space.
The shower had better water pressure than most hotels I have stayed in.
One problem was the a/c unit in the main room did not work the whole time. It was reported, but never fixed. The window could not be left open, because there was a tear in the screen.
On the first morning the quality of the breakfast pastries were a nice surprise, but the variety was the same every day, and that got a little tiring, so we just went elsewhere for breakfast some days. They added bananas on the weekend days we were there.
There are stores and resturaunts within walking distance.
The pool and exersize room looked clean, but we did not get a chance to use them.
We had a problem with parking most nights. Parking spaces at he hotel seem to be smaller, and alot of people took up more than one space.
If you are traveling with more than two people, the two bedroom unit is a definite advantage for the price, but with less people, I would probably try to stay closer the the beach or marina.