Historic Santa Maria Inn

Reviewer: Not provided on Fri 09 Sep 2011 rated 8 out of 10.

We were traveling back home from a week long road trip and this was our last hotel of the trip. We had a good experience at this hotel. The facilities are really neat and is pretty cool if you are into antiques & history. Our kids loved the pool which is large and heated. The hot tub is comically small and when you turn the jets on it creates this weird bubble/foam layer that I've never seen before, (was bad - I got out). They started setting up for a wedding while we were finishing up at the pool so that was fun to watch.

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Positives: The beds were awesome and the room was huge!

Negatives: Had to pay to upgrade to two beds. Bathroom area in room needs upgrading/attention.

Reviewer: Not provided on Fri 02 Sep 2011 rated 9 out of 10.

Outstanding inner courtyard and gardens and seating areas; excellent indoors public accommodations; very good exercise room and spa. Food and service in the dining area were excellent for price.

Positives: Overall, very good value for the price paid on Priceline.

Negatives: I prefer a kitchenette; no space/shelf for use of microwave; only bathroom sink to wash dish/utensils.

Reviewer: Not provided on Sat 16 Jul 2011 rated 9 out of 10.

Clean, friendly, lovely decor, great pool, great linens.

Positives: The swimming pool gardens and decor are great.

Negatives: Very little room.

Reviewer: Not provided on Sat 02 Jul 2011 rated 9 out of 10.

Great ambiance, very romantic, centrally located, and dinning inside the hotel.

Positives: Very clean, polite and friendly staff. The bed was very comfortable.

Negatives: My room was at the very end of a long hallway &amp; parking was not convenient.

Reviewer: Not provided on Tue 21 Jun 2011 rated 9 out of 10.

It says Historic in the title! Stay at a chain if you want shiny and new! My room was sweet and clean and the bed awesome! I know the hotel had a remodel in the &quot;original&quot; non-tower section last year. It now has new carpet, furniture, bathrooms, and yes, flat screen TVs. I had two vanity rooms, a great bathroom with wonderful light, and stayed near the rear so was calm and quiet. We had a few drinks in the pub (only drawback was that the pub turned in to a club at night. Stay a Pub!). The staff was amazing! I needed a late check out as I was participating in an outrigger race in Avila, and they were on top of it. I came back, showered, grabbed some coffee and hit the road. Best stay in recent years for sure! I will be back!

Positives: The front desk staff both days of my stay were the best I have ever encountered!

Negatives: The tap room should stay a pub at night, not turn into a club. Hurt the ambiance.

Reviewer: Not provided on Tue 16 Nov 2010 rated 6 out of 10.

Need some remodeling a bit old and run down. Don't get a room near the nightclub, it's loud and annoying.

Positives: It was historic and quaint.

Negatives: The bar/night club on the weekend was loud and felt unsafe after midnight.

Reviewer: Not provided on Fri 06 Aug 2010 rated 10 out of 10.

Lovely antiques and gardens Nice, clean rooms Extremely friendly and helpful staff.

Positives: Everything was very nice and clean. Everyone was very helpful and friendly.

Negatives: Nothing I will stay there again When I am in Santa Maria.

Reviewer: Not provided on Tue 16 Mar 2010 rated 8 out of 10.

We came in around 11pm and the front desk people were smoking outside. But when we went in to check in, they were very nice. It place had an old charm to it, but it smell musty and old. The room were very nice, comfortable bed. They kept the historical feel but upgraded the rest which was very nice. Breakfast was not included. There is a club like scene downstairs which were traveling upstairs but thank god not to our room. The bathroom was beautiful because like I said they upgraded all bathroom to marble top.

Positives: This hotel had a lot of meaning. It's very nice to see people keeping the old side but upgrading everything else.

Negatives: The carpet smells. Just that old musty smell.

Reviewer: Not provided on Fri 19 Feb 2010 rated 8 out of 10.

I had read quite a few extremely negative reviews about this hotel, particularly with regards to the &quot;historic&quot; section. I won't say I hated the hotel or room but it was not the warm and inviting place I would have expected for a charming historic hotel. The room was fine and the bed was actually incredible. I have to say it was the truly saving grace of the hotel because it was one of the most, if not the most, comfortable bed I have slept in. Our room was at the end of the hall so it helped with traffic that came by our room since you could hear anyone that did happen to walk by. The doors are thin and old so there was no sound barrier. Our room had been recently renovated with new carpet, bathroom which was very small, and bed but the light fixture was a weird old fashioned fan and it had an ancient alarm clock. There was a small microwave and fridge and a new flat screen TV. It was obvious they tried to keep some of the historic aspects while upgrade the room but I can't say the effect they wanted was achieved. The hallways were narrow and kind of creepy, which doesn't give you a warm fuzzy about what the room is going to be like. However, on an interesting note, some rooms had stars and names of movie stars on their doors and when we asked what they were for, we were informed that they designated the movie star that had stayed in that room. In the end we slept well but it definitely was not what I thought a 3 star hotel should be considering I have stayed at much nicer Marriott and Sheraton hotels that were 3 stars. Also, the lobby looked tired and worn rather than historic and nice. There are some amazingly beautiful historic hotels/B&amp;B's around the country but sadly I would not say this is one of them. It need.

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Positives: The bed was probably one of the most comfortable I have ever slept on.

Negatives: The hotel is a strange design and the hallways are small and narrow.

Reviewer: Not provided on Tue 16 Feb 2010 rated 10 out of 10.

Great historic hotel. We stayed in original(older) section. Clean, charming - would love to visit again.

Positives: Beautiful grounds.

Negatives: Our stay was too short to enjoy the facility.

Reviewer: Not provided on Sun 13 Sep 2009 rated 10 out of 10.

This hotel has everything. We were on limited time so we didn't get to use the beautiful pool but it looked great. The dining room is gracious and inviting. Staff is very friendly and competent

Positives: Nice common rooms, tap room, outdoor patio dining room.

Negatives: No complaints.

Reviewer: Not provided on Tue 28 Jul 2009 rated 3 out of 10.

No guest service. When we pulled up no offer to help with bags. Even after we went to desk no offer. It smelled musty and old. Bathrooms are old and need upgrade.

Positives: Pool was clean.

Negatives: This hotel is old and outdated but not in a quaint way more like a tower of terror lobby.

Reviewer: Not provided on Mon 06 Jul 2009 rated 10 out of 10.

The hotel is a nice place to stay. All of the amenities were easily accessible.

Positives: The history of the hotel was very cool.

Negatives: They accomodated my every need.

Reviewer: Not provided on Sat 23 May 2009 rated 6 out of 10.

The service was excellent. The atmosphere is better than any other hotel in the area. The old section is just that, old. The sheets felt like they had been in use since the Inn opened in the 30's. It could be a gem, but is sorely in need of updating.

Positives: All the staff were extremely pleasant and helpful.

Negatives: Old section was old and smelled musty.

Reviewer: Not provided on Fri 24 Apr 2009 rated 9 out of 10.

The food is good, but over priced. The lounges and restaurants are nice. Hotel staff is friendly. My only complaint in this area is that the housekeeping staff doesn't speak English. I liked that the hotel has history. A very pleasant looking hotel.

Positives: I enjoyed the historic charm and cleanliness.

Negatives: The fitness center was small. Not many available exercises.

Reviewer: Not provided on Thu 09 Apr 2009 rated 8 out of 10.

Very nice hotel and<BR/>the room was a little outdated, but very clean.

Positives: The staff

Negatives: There

Reviewer: Not provided on Mon 16 Feb 2009 rated 8 out of 10.

Great place to stay. Comfortable, spacious, clean.

Positives: Staff was knowledgeable, helpful and polite.

Negatives: No continental breakfast.

Reviewer: Not provided on Sat 27 Sep 2008 rated 8 out of 10.

Hotel Staff were very friendly. Room was small but comfortable for one. Very interesting history and celebrity named rooms added a mystique to the stay.

Positives: The history and close location to business site.

Negatives: Water pipes loud when other rooms were using facilities and towels were rough.

Reviewer: Not provided on Tue 09 Sep 2008 rated 5 out of 10.

Overall, the price of the room was too expensive for the value. The room was nicely appointed and at first blush was worth it, until I started to settle in and found I needed to keep my feet covered, since the carpet felt very dirty, almost sticky. I was awakened at 5 AM by a heavy sewer stench coming from the grounds or street and was unable to go back to sleep. The restaurant was nice, service great, but food mediocre. Never buy an expresso to go, it will taste like to cup they put it in, undrinkable.

Positives: The ambiance and grounds were splendid.

Negatives: Room was very small and the carpet felt very dirty.

Reviewer: Not provided on Sun 07 Sep 2008 rated 7 out of 10.

Staff was great. Hotel has lots of history and must have been huge in the '30s. Clean, quaint room for those driving along the coast, just looking for a place to stay. Old. Although everything is clean and has great history, I was not a fan of the antique look. This might be a plus for many, but wouldn't be out first choice.

Positives: Great history, staff was helpful.

Negatives: Musky smell in room and halls, antique look.