Found Villa Rosa in the Loney Planet guide and glad we did. The hotel has an old world charm, but has all the modern faciliites expected of a smallish boutique establishment. Service was friendly and helpful, and the breakfast and happy hour were adequate and a nice touch.

Best aspects are the location and ambiance - we went for a swim though the water was pretty cold! Bathroom was bit spartan but overall I would stay again.

The Villa Rosa Inn turned out to be a wonderful spot in the cute Santa Barbara area! My boyfriend and I checked in right during wine and cheese hours, and we were surprised to see how nice the set up was. There were flowers in the lobby area, candles were lit up, giving out a cozy feeling to the inn. There was plenty of stuff - a bowl full with fresh fruits, plates decorated with a big variety of cheeses. When we came back at night there were Port and Sherry out, cookies and iced water.
The room itself was very charming. It had a queen-size bed, a kitchenette, a sitting area, a balcony facing the garden and pool area, and a fireplace. The mattress was new and comfortable. The carpet was new as well.
The staff was very knowledgable and friendly. They made a reservation for Downey's restaurant which was absolutely wonderful. When we woke up in the morning, there was a continental breakfast in the lobby - quite extensive, fresh fruit, yogurt, fresh pastries, waffles, cereal, bagels, variety of breads.
We had a wonderful stay, and we would definitely recommend the Villa Rosa Inn to all of our friends.

Was a bit worried about staying here after reading some of these reviews. I hope my photos tell the true story.

On arrival we were greeted by friendly, helpful and pleasant front-desk staff. Free wine and cheese from 5pm-7pm every night was plentful and delicious. Free tea, coffee and cookies were available 24/7. Breakfast from 7am-10am was free too consisting of a choice of cereal, either raisin bran or granola; grill your own waffles with syrup and whipped cream; butter and jellies, bagles, pastries, English muffins, bread, yoghurt, fruit. Rooms were large and beds and pillows extrememly comfortable, and i have a bad back so i should know. Bathroom was modern, most of all the price was right. We paid around $230/night. We were in room 6 on the 1st floor. We had a patio and table and chair, it was a little more private than the rooms facing onto the pool. Upstairs rooms have a balcony. The Villa Rosa inn was quiet and relaxing compared to other hotels in town which had some rowdy people on the balconies. There's a massage service which will come to your room but we didn't use it.

The Inn is steps from the beach, shops and restaurants. Great to be able to have a drink and not worry about having to drive home.

As for the bad points, there's no a/c. There's a ceiling fan and a floor fan. A couple of hot evenings we came home to a very musty smell, so we opened the patio doors to let the room air out. In the evenings, the room was dark with inadequate lighting. I agree with the previous poster who said the tub could be difficult to get in and out of. The fawcetts worked without any problems and all light fixtures were intact. Yes, i'd agree the furniture is old, but it isn't frayed and there were definitely no stains. The bed linens and towels were fresh and clean.

The only thing nice about Villa Rosa is their website. The pictures made the B&B look nice and very quaint, but it wasn't anything like that in person. This B&B is obviously run down and not cared for. The bed in our room was rock hard. Not joking I think the floor might have been more comfortable. The chair in the room was worn so badly that you could actually see the fabric fraying. The light fixture in what they called a bathroom was falling down and the bathtub... well let's just say it was disgusting. I was upset, but didn't want to spoil the nice weekend I was having with my boyfriend so I didn't complain during my stay like I should have. When I got back home I called and spoke to the manager about the disappointing stay. She agreed that the hotel is VERY outdated and that it needs to have a major overhaul. However she was unwilling to do anything other than say that yes I was right. Oh well.... You win some and you lose some. I would NEVER stay at this place again and unless major renovations have taken place I would recommend that others pass on this one as well. Not worth the price!