Mar Monte Hotel, in The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

I can't say enough about the Mar Monte. I spent a weekend there with family and we had a wonderful time. The location is a great balance of stunning views and just enough off the main streets to enjoy the tranquility. The pool, bar and restaurant are fantastic and the rooms are quintessential California with Spanish infusion. Highly recommend this property!!

First off, some context, I’m born and raised in Santa Barbara and stay at the Mar Monte during the holidays with my wife and kids when we come down to visit my folks. We’ve stayed here three times in the last three years. All of them over the Christmas break. First the positives: the location is awesome. Across from the beach, near the zoo, near the funk zone, Eastside and Montecito. Also, the pool and hot tub are great. The woman bartender who has been there the last couple years is awesome, the other bartenders are not at her level, by far. The price was solid at $450/night but by no means did it overdeliver. Now the negatives: On our most recent trip we stayed on the third floor and the elevator to our level wasn’t functional. When we arrived on Christmas Day we were told by the front desk that the elevator couldn’t be fixed because it was Xmas day but it’d be fixed the next day, unfortunately it wasn’t functional our whole trip, we left on the 30th and it was still out of order. Lugging luggage up and down three flights of stairs. Housekeeping was poor as well. Our room wasn’t cleaned the first night. I tracked down the housekeeper the second night and asked her to clean the room, which she did. The next day no cleaning, the fourth day I had to ask again for the room to be cleaned. Room wise, we paid a premium for a balcony room. We got room 1306, it was right next to a loud exhaust that ran 24/7. Do not get that room if you’re a light sleeper. Overall, our multi year experience is that hotel hasn’t invested in the rooms or service, they’ve relied on their location. If you’re willing to sacrifice the hotel experience for the location and price then this place may be for you. At this point we’ll probably look for a hotel on the beach that offers a similar location but better hotel quality and is more attentive service, even if it costs a bit more. We wish the Mar Monte fulfilled those needs, we love the location and pool but unfortunately, after multiple stays, we’re going to look elsewhere.

This facility is ancient. My guess is 1920s (no joke). It’s clear they’re doing their best to make it feel modernish but the infrastructure is embarrassing. After waiting for six hours for our room to be ready (to be fair we got here in the morning), we just checked in to our “premium king” and it’s a tiny room with stucco walls, old mismatched tiles, and a shower we were a little scared of walking into. We can hear all the pipes running water through our walls and the ice machine sounds like it’s in the room with us despite it being out in the hall. This is supposed to be an upgrade for our anniversary. This honestly feels like a 3 star hotel. We checked for bed bugs immediately. I can express how disappointed I am with this choice.