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!

This is a small hotel located on a quiet street near Stearns Wharf. It is a block from the beach but does not have beach views. It is an older building in the faux Spanish Santa Barbara style. It has a quiet pretty courtyard with a pool, which I did not try.

The rooms are large. Several light fixtures in our room needed new bulbs, which were promptly provided. The fixtures are quite dated and the amenities mediocre. The shower would be very awkward for an elderly or disabled person to get in and out of and the taps were cranky and hard to adjust. The bed was comfortable and the room was clean.

The hotel provides a wine and cheese buffet in the evenings and a very nice breakfast, including fresh fruit, breads, hard boiled eggs, and cereal.

With a little more maintenance, some sprucing up, and more attention to detail, this could be a really charming place to stay. As it is, it is reasonably priced in a very expensive area and not a bad place to stay. Certainly preferable to a big, modern, busy, cookie-cutter hotel on a busy street.

The main business center of Santa Barbara is several blocks away. Dining options right around the hotel are limited but there are several good seafood places on the wharf.

This Inn could be a "stellar" little inn. The "bones" as they say were beautiful, but the quality of the rooms and ammenities was very poor. In Room 17 the bed is so far off the ground I had to have help getting into it and so hard I slept on the bolster pillows. This was Valentines week end and we checked out after one night. I would LOVE to see some love and work spent on this place...all the basics are there in abundance......just no love and care. We visit Santa Barbara several times a year as it's our place......we will not stay here again. PS The staff was delightful and helpful.