Sandman Inn Santa Barbara

Great pool and spa

We've stayed here a few times, and the experience has always been enjoyable. They have simple, clean rooms that are close to the pool and jaccuzi. The front desk is always efficient and courteous.

Like the Sandman, but gee...

Management comes and management goes, but the Sandman goes on forever.

The place is charming and usually quiet; amenities are acceptable.

Reservations are often hard to get because the motel staff doesn't seem to know how to use their own reservation service. It's almost never booked solid, but you couldn't tell by the number of rejected reservation requests you get. Their latest trick seems to be requiring that you reserve a room for two nights (?!). There are too many competing motels within driving distance for them to pull that kind of malarky. I've been staying there for over 15 years, but I've about had it with trying to get a room there. It seems to be part-and-parcel of Santa Barbara's new deal of treating tourists like trash and the panhandlers like royalty. Good reason to go to Solvang instead.

Very nice place!

I recently stayed at the Sandman Inn this past August for one night. It was a very enjoyable experience except for one thing. I have an extreme fear of spiders and there was a big one in my room. That is my one and only complaint. This is a great place to stay especially for a budget traveller.

Clean, pleasant-nice area

The Sandman was a very pleasant experience from the get-go. It was very clean. The sheets clean & pressed - a good bed. The furnishing were '70s but clean and adequate. The property is described more elaborate than exists today but still has mature plantings. The neighborhood was much better than described. We found Jeannine's Bakery a delight nearby for Sunday Breakfast. Fresh, organic juices, Coffee house coffee, fresh fruit, baked goods - beautiful presentation. Free parking.

Lovely older style motel

Set in pleasant spacious grounds away from the road, conveniently located on the main street, older style decor but perfectly clean, functional and pleasant, nice shower, comfortable beds, excellent breakfast with rolls from the local bakery, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. Santa Barbara is a beautiful town. The only down side - it's a little too far from the town centre/beach (2-3 miles) and parking downtown can be a problem.

Rude Staff

During two recent stays at the motel, we experienced rude and unhelpful attitudes on the part of several of the employees behind the front desk. In addition, the restaurant that is indirectly connected with the motel has unfortunately copied the employee bad behavior traits of the motel, as well as posting incorrect hours of operation.

Home away from home

The Sandman Inn was such a pleasant and cozy place for me to stay while on business trips, it is now my top choice to take my family as well!

Not only is the Inn a great place to stay, but theres great food right next door at their restaurant. Highly recommended!

Bad management

The manager at the hotel was so rude to me, when they were the ones that messed up. They made a booking mistake with my room, and all he could do was say it was my fault.

Smelly unsafe heater

I had reserved a room at the Sandman Inn because it had 3 queen beds, which was hard to find for 3 women on a weekend shopping trip. We arrived on a cold, rainy night in May 2003. My heart sunk when I saw the room - old, musty, damp, motel-type room with the bed next to the front window & parking lot. Felt like people could see in the window because the curtains didn't offer full privacy. Not what I expected for a discounted rate of almost $150/night. The room was very cold. After attempting to turn on the old wall heater, we had to call maint to fix it. The maint man had trouble starting the heater. The pilot light had blown out & was refusing to start. When the heater did start, it emitted an odor. We felt the room was unsafe because of possible carbon monoxide poisioning. I complained to the front desk, stating that the room was unsafe & I wasn't going to stay there. They refused to refund my deposit & the manager refused to talk. Knowing no one would sleep well due to the cold & our fear of carbon monoxide posisioning, we checked out anyway. Even though it was almost 11:00 at night & would be a big hassle to move, we felt that strongly. I'm currently disputing the charge with Visa. We moved to the Best Western Peppertree Inn right next door on State St & am glad we did! We actually got a better rate & the grounds & room were very pretty. Reminded me of how Santa Barbara should look-Spanish style with lots of colorful flowers. When I mentioned my Sandman experience to the front desk at the Best Western, the clerk said she had worked at the Sandman Inn for 2 weeks & left because it was a dump. My feelings exactly.

Older but nice

Santa Barbara is a beautiful town. The Sandman Inn is an older hotel. But the room had a fridge and iron and ironing board and hair dryer. No bathtub just a shower stall. It had two pools to choose from. One had a hot tub. Did not eat in the resturant. A great place to eat is a place called Woody's Beaudacious BBQ. Its a bit of a drive up State ST. But it is really good.