Ala Mar Motel

I will note that I am a very accommodating guest. Even writing this review feels rough for me but I’ve been attempting to contact the owner for months and haven’t heard a peep.

I went to ala mar during a busy week. Room price was 230 for one night.

I got to my room and there was RAVIOLI (yes, the pasta) thrown all over the room. I only have pics of the one hanging on the bathroom door hook. Sheets were dirty with food and sand. Attached is photos.

I told the front desk about the pasta, sheets were changed two hours later and they didn’t offer a new room (perhaps they didn’t have anything else, I’ll forgive it) I asked about a partial refund from multiple people, I emailed, I tried to dispute it with my bank and nothing came of it.

The room window was in front of the ice machine that went off constantly and not to mention, didn’t even work, no ice came from it.

No parking. Good luck if you need to bring a couple items in from the car.

One note I will exaggerate, staff was not super helpful but SO nice. The garden crew helped me park, the wonderful ladies at the front desk were very kind and empathetic and the cleaning staff who eventually cleaned my sheets were so kind, even though they weren’t fluent in English we made it work.

I truly think that the issue with my stay lands with management and not the staff, because staff as good as they could be given the circumstances.

Well, I love this place. It’s the best place in Santa Barbara to stay one of my favorite. The staff is good to help you out anything you need rooms are very comfortable. Has a nice little pool continental breakfast breakfast which is amazing. Dario did a great job. I commend him And I look forward to coming up there and staying again soon I give this place 10 stars

ZERO STARS. While you may be inclined to believe this boutique hotel is lovely and charming, what's inside is despicable! Prior to reserving a room, I called to check availability, and a young man answered and asked if I could be placed on hold. The receiver on his end was placed on the counter, where I then was privy to an entire 10-minute conversation between the employees and a guest checking in. The 'hold' turned into momentary warbling muzak, and I was then disconnected. That alone should have been my red flag. Despite this, my husband and I decided to roll the dice and book a one night stay at this property. We were greeted by the front staff and placed in a lower king bedroom, street view. Fast forward to bedtime. There was an occupant directly above us who, for several hours, moved what sounded like furniture back and forth across the floor. In addition, between redecorating their room, they proceeded to bang on the metal railing for about a couple of hours. The room does not come with a telephone, so we were not able to call the front desk. When this was mentioned in the morning, we were given a lukewarm apology and no offer of credit, a discount, zip. What is really disconcerting is the 'hold' placed on my card. An amount of $150 was placed against my card that was to be removed post checkout and within two days. Two business days have come and gone, and my statement now reflects a pending charge. When calling the property to clarify, a young woman I spoke to immediately interrupted me before I was able to explain the situation. When I told her she was rude for interrupting me, I was told to calm down. I was told the hotel did not charge me, my bank did, and to take up the issue with my bank. A representative at my bank confirmed that the hotel did, in fact, charge my card, TWO DAYS AFTER I checked out in the amount of $150. Just a few minutes ago, I received a call from a restricted number. It was a woman by the name of Maria who scolded me and instructed me to call my bank 100 times, and that what I described didn't matter. She then hung up on me. Suffice to say, these people should not be in the service industry. I have stayed at 5 star hotels in the heart of Paris and dumps in the desert. I have never been treated so terribly. For an industry that depends on word of mouth and good reviews, this place is the worst! It's clear that the owners and operators of this establishment have zero clue about how to treat their guests, take no responsibility for the well-being and comfort of their guests while in their care, and exact unscrupulous fees which will take concerted effort to recoup. Please consider all of this before stepping into the spiders web that is known as The Ala Mar Inn. Buyer Beware!

First time in Santa Barbara and I'm happy we found this place . The room makes you feel comfortable and having our own patio was best... came out the door to be in front of the beach was amazing... perfect location ... found our future hotel...

We z, we wehave an amazing peaceful and beautiful view by the sea stay last night. Everything was so perfect clean and they had a Jacuzzi in the room.The sweet lady at the front desk Melany was excellent and very professional. Over all everything was great. The stay, the customer service, the locations perfect by the sea. 5 star for sure. I personally think this is the best oceanside hotel with best pricing in Santa Barbara, Ca. Recommended to everyone if they want better price on hotel by beach come on to Ala Mar Inn!!! ????????????????

Do not stay here with young kids. I don’t usually leave negative reviews unless I feel there’s a safety issue. The rooms at this motel must vary in quality or only the best ones are shown on their website. I will even admit there are some lovely pics in these reviews, and I’m wondering why it’s so different from what we saw. Maybe ask to see your room before you book. Our room was unsafe and somewhat dirty. The windows had no locks or screens on them. Locks appeared to be broken off. There’s no AC in this motel, so that’s a huge safety problem. Read the other negative reviews, and you’ll see we’re not the only ones to experience this. Also, there was a smell of mildew and what appeared to be black mold in the shower. We were not looking to start a fight. Times are hard. We get it. We simply said we had a family emergency and could no longer stay. This was within 10 minutes of giving us our key, and they would not give us our money back. We did manage to get a little bit of a credit through Expedia. Also, the front desk and management is off site in an adjacent hotel.

Booked last minute, so happy we chose this motel. Dog friendly. Clean room, comfortable beds, bathroom was also clean. Cozy room, we had our own private patio for the night and could see the pier and beach from the patio. Each room seems to be different which adds to the fun experience. Loved the individuality of the motel. The lady at the front counter who checked us in was super kind and helpful, too. Would definitely stay here again!

Second time at this hotel; first a few days prior. Difference in the rooms very disappointing. This room #111 is being used to store excess furniture; additional large drawer/frig cabinet (very nice quality w/stone top) shoved into alcove while very cheap pressboard cabinet in bedroom. Portable fireplace (not connected to anything) being stored in the room along with chairs and tiny table. Old queen bed mattresses need to be discarded/replaced with new firm ones. No place to hang clothes; no clothes rod, no hangers, no ironing board/iron, no luggage stands. Bedroom window and bathroom window both missing screens; wood shutters in bathroom falling apart and missing pieces, preventing full privacy. No blackout curtains in bedroom, allowing bright outside lighting all night long. No microwave, no coffeemaker, no coffee/condiments, no coffee mugs. Bathroom sink is a too-small powder room size, sealed poorly to wall with zero counter space; no glassware (plastic or otherwise) for use. Shower has mold on ceiling and floor grout; all tile grout in/out of shower needs mold cleaning. Ice bucket in room is missing handle and lid, and zero glassware for its use anyway. Ice machine is loud, can barely dispense watery ice shavings. Considering the cost of this room, its condition is totally unacceptable. This room #111 should not be rented out until significant updating and repairs made. Owner should be ashamed of its condition and make amends.

Ala Mar Motel Info

Amenities

Other

Amenities

Best WLM Reviews

Quick Facts About Ala Mar Motel

Opening Hours

Location

Other Places