Santa Barbara Real Hotel

There were roaches, including one on my bed, and the toilet couldn't be flushed because there was no water. The blackout covering on the only window was useless, and they'd had to use staples to keep it up. The furniture was in poor condition, too. They advertised free breakfast and internet, but the Wi-Fi and cable didn't work. Breakfast was free, but horrible. The coffee maker was held together with tape, and using it made me sick. There was no manager, so I complained to the receptionist. She promised a full refund for the trouble, then took it back. From the first day I wanted to leave this nightmare of a hotel, but she denied my request. She said I could leave, but they wouldn't give me any refund. WATCH A VIDEO OF A ROACH ON MY BED.

The price still surprises me, since it's so reasonable for this hotel. It's close to Unicentro, good restaurants, and medical buildings. I've stayed here several times, and the service has always been good. The front desk is helpful and friendly. The room isn't large, but it's clean and adequate. Breakfast is a proper meal, unlike what you often get in the US: very good coffee, fresh fruit, eggs made to order, and a nice selection of pastries.

The room and sheets looked clean, as far as I could tell, and the front desk people were very nice. It's a nice hotel, but I'm giving it four stars because there weren't wall outlets in convenient spots. I'm not trying to be picky, convenience matters in every part of a stay.

We stayed for a week, and it wasn't a great experience. Rooms are really cold, and one day there was no hot water, so we had to shower cold. The bathroom window was high up, with no handle to close it, which didn't help when we were already cold. The fridge wasn't plugged in. They only service the room every other day, and once they missed it altogether, leaving us three days without cleaning. When we got back around midnight, reception didn't answer. There was also a problem with the reservation, but the receptionist couldn't fix it. Only someone at corporate could help, and they weren't at the hotel, so I had to call. They weren't helpful, either. I decided to take it up with my credit card company instead. There's no visitor parking, and the two available spots start charging after 30 minutes. You can't expect the receptionist to resolve things, and there's no manager on site.