Santuaria Hollywood

This was $80 a night, and I’d tell people to stay away. The photos and description were very misleading. It’s a shabby house with dim hallways in a dicey neighborhood, with no parking unless you pay $10 a night, which wasn’t disclosed. Bathrooms are in the hall, with one shower for everyone. It’s not a hotel room, and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to use it. My room had one bed, no blanket, and a small table with a lamp. A young man was lingering in the hallway, and other people were smoking marijuana outside. When I complained, they asked for a $50 deposit through CashApp to cancel. I contacted Expedia, where I’d booked, and they got the reservation canceled, but the property wouldn’t honor that $50 offer. Luckily, I hadn’t paid it ahead of time. There’s a reason they don’t show pictures of the outside.

Brandon made the biggest difference for me. He was kind, understanding, and quick to help. I even saw him scrubbing and freshening up the bathrooms himself each morning. At a budget price, that kind of attention is rare. Santuria Hollywood looked like its online photos, and the property felt bright, clean, and well cared for. The bathrooms were spotless, smelled fresh, and were cleaned daily. After months of stays in motels, hotels, hostels, and shared spaces, I’d gotten used to dirty rooms, bad smells, bugs, and management that didn’t seem to care. This place was a welcome change. The kitchen is large and fully equipped with a stove, oven, air fryer, coffee maker, and plenty of fridge space. There’s also a backyard lounge area where you can relax. Rooms are basic but clean and comfortable, and although some may be small depending on what you book, they’re kept in good shape. I found the place clean, safe, welcoming, and well run, and I’d recommend it for affordable lodging without giving up comfort or cleanliness.

We stayed at Santa Maria about two or three weeks ago, and the biggest problem was that the listing called our room private when it wasn’t. We were told safety compliance mattered a lot, but privacy still seems to be treated as unimportant because it continues to be advertised as a private rental. A wall had been added to split a room, and our third of it wasn’t even a decent space. The lamp was nearly broken and had to be balanced in a corner to stay upright. There was a window joining our room to the one across the wall. From a distance we could see only about a third of it, but from either side the full window was visible. A plant on the sill and a flexible paper AC return duct, like a dryer hose, seemed meant to distract from the fact that another room was right across the window. We heard everything, even whispers, and heard the other people talking about how they knew we could hear them. We burped loudly on purpose to see if they’d react. The woman felt uncomfortable but didn’t want to complain, and went to sleep with something like a phone playing to help keep her dog calm. Her husband was barely in the room for five minutes, and I think he could have slept in his car, except for the few times we saw him watching the front door. He didn’t know us from anyone else. She had her dog and husband there for protection, and we were glad she could sleep. My partner and I are both into men, so she had nothing to worry about from us. We barely slept either. We couldn’t have the private conversations we usually have when we pay for a room we believe is private based on the listing. We told both hosts that some people may be okay with a semi-private room, but it should be listed that way and priced at an agreed semi-private rate. The room across the window should have been given that choice too. We didn’t want to create drama or harm anyone’s reputation, especially since safety was the main issue, so we left the hosts a polite note through Airbnb to explain our concerns. We’d previously been dinged for supposedly having an animal in our room because it had better lighting, although we didn’t. I used an electric razor because of my vision issues and apparently left more hair than I’d like to admit. The hosts thanked us for our kind business consultation.

I really enjoyed my stay, and when I mentioned needing a blanket, I came back to find one waiting without even having to ask. The place was clean, and I’m OCD about that, so I was impressed. The only thing missing was a TV. I appreciate them waiving the $10 parking charge, because I don’t think that fee is right. The owners, property, service, cleanliness, and the peace and quiet all get a ten from me. I’ll be back and tell people about the great stay. Thank you so much!