Perfect Little Get-Away!!

My husband and I stayed here this past weekend for three nights, Friday to Monday. It is a very cute place. They have a wine & cheese hour at 5pm everyday. Saturday was the best. There were more people to mingle with. If you forget something, they are pretty accomadating. They have the BEST cafe at the hotel. You get a free breakfast every morning which was so good you thought that you were at a four star restaurant.

They also have a wine bar which has a very good selection of wine. You can drink it downstairs or in your room. There are many restaurants to go to around the area if you don't want to eat at the Inn. We had absolutely no problems with the people at the front desk. They always said hello to us and everyone always had a smile. If you do go, ask for a room like #35. It is a great size room. We had a ceiling fan and a bay window, so we never were hot. If you close the windows at night, it is very quiet. The whole Inn is very quiet and slow paced. We were able to relax nicely. The only thing is there is no elevator. So if you are on the third floor like we were you do need to go up stairs. It wasn't that bad though really. Santa Barbara is within 30 minutes and Solvang another 30 minutes. We had a great day Wine Tasting on Saturday. We had so much fun and really got to relax that we will definitely return again. I hope you will try and go. Remember to ask about AAA discounts.

Dirty, Tired and Noisy

My husband and I stayed at the Bella Maggiore Inn on July 26, 2003. The staff was pleasant and helpful but management/owner have obviously not spent any money on maintenance, upkeep or houskeeping. Unfortunatley, our room was facing California street. It was as if we were having a loud party in our room. The noise continued until 3:30 a.m. when it finally died down a bit. Closing the windows did not help as the windows sashes were warped and the double hung windows could not close all the way. It was so bad that at 12:00 we considered calling the Marriott to see if they had a room available. Additionally, there is NO air conditioning in the Inn so the room was uncomfortable with the windows closed. The room smelled moldy/musty. The bathroom still had the toothpaste flecks on the mirror from the last occupant and the shower looked as if it needed a good scrubbing. The bed had no mattress cover/pad and the sheets were practically see through with several tears from years of wear. I did request a mattress cover. The Inn did not seem to be familiar with those but a nice lady did bring a blanket to cover the mattress so the buttons on the ancient mattress did not poke us in the back all night. It is too bad because the Inn has great potential to be a nice place. This place needs a major renovation and perhaps new management. I must say the public areas of the Inn were not nearly as bad as our room. In fact, they were not too bad at all. The highlight was breakfast in the courtyard. The restaurant is quite charming and the food was good.

Charming but staffing changes....

My husband and I have been returned to this landmark B&B at least four times within the last three years.

The ambiance is fantastic, and it is a wonderful get away,with the added benefit of a mysterious and playful ghost named Sylvia.

Night time we were welcomed with a wine and cheese party located on the second level. There we met fellow guests, and we had wonderful discussions.

Unfortunately, not all rooms have central air, for medical reasons, we need that. So we would always get the two-rooom suites, which also includes a gas fireplace.

Although we love this quaint place, we have noticed that the room we stay in is in need of obivious repair and revamp. So, too, the main lobby with it's cracked chairs, lump furniture, etc.

Most upsetting was the seemingly changing all the time of the front office staff. They used to be very warming, kind, friendly and informative. The last two times we were there, we had new people at the front desk and they were rather rude and uppity. We found that the lobby/living room area by the fireplace was unkept, messy, and trash, glasses and food was left for hours. It made for a very unpleasant experience to sit downstairs seeing that. The front desk people did nothing to try to clean it up, and we got the distinct impression they were doing us a favor by letting us stay there! This is quite a drastic change from three years ago, and we were very disappointed and let down.

The complimentary breakfast is always good, although the cook failed to appear until one hour after the first guests showed up for breakfast.

Guests and the male host alike were not at all happy, as everyone was kept in the dark, until they were finally asked for their orders.

This B&B is beautiful, centrally located, and needs to be brought back to what we remembered it to be. They need to either monitor or replace the front desk personnel, make some major and minor revamps in the room.

Parking can be a nightmare, as one has to enter the back way, as reserved parking for hotel guests is back there, making it necessary for guests to accsss through the back way, with baggaged and all.

You will love the ambiance, the beauty and history, hopefully by the time you visit,they will have made the internal changes to make your stay a memorable one.

Romantic Getaway!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the beautiful Bella Maggoire this past weekend (4/27/03). The atmosphere is charming and relaxing and the hotel and restaurant staff are very friendly and helpful! We've stayed here half a dozen times and haven't ever been disappointed! The breakfast is always delicious and served in a beatufiul courtyard setting! It's located in the heart of the historic downtown area and close to everything -- including the beach! We highly recommend the Bella Maggoire and Nona's Courtyard Cafe! Brian and Irene Glendora, California

FANTASTIC

We fell in love with the place. The street rooms were a bit noisy if you consider the strains of jazz wafting in the breeze to be noise. The staff was very polite except to the people who were constantly demanding/complaining about one thing or another. We loved the roof patio where we sat out and watched the stars and had a glass of wine. The rooms aren't rubber stamped, they all have their own personality. Simply charming.

Great stay

charming atmosphere---delightful breakfast---comfy bed---avoid street facing room on weekends---service Ok but not too friendly. would stay again for sure!!!

Terrible service, herrendous!

Truly a disappointment. I think that the Inn changed ownership and staff in 2002 because I was very disturbed that the new staff and front desk is very short, unpleasant, and truly unhelpful. This is very unfortunate. If you're planning on staying in Ventura, save yourself a headache and stay somewhere else!

Wonderful Stay

My husband and I stayed at the Bella Maggiore for the first time last weekend. It was more than we ever expected. The little touches in the room like chocolate truffles, bottled water and comfortable rooms, not to mention the wonderful gourmet breakfast and atmosphere of the restaurant in the morning made it a place I would highly recommend to everyone. The prices were very reasonable, and the guitar serenade in the restaurant during breakfast was exceptional. Thank you for a wonderful stay! We'll be back!

Disappointing

The Bella Maggiore Inn can be quite charming and we WERE return customers. This time we found the front desk staff to be completely unprofessional and even unpleasant. Unless this is corrected we would not return or reccomend the Inn. Too bad, other aspects are very nice.

Charming!

This hotel is quaint, and off the beaten path. It's a fabulous place to stay, friendly, clean and not your typical run of the mill hotel. The rooms are charming and elegantly decorated. It's an older building, with a great patio restaurant, friendly staff and character.