Name: Tide Pool Villas
Address: 26 Chapala St, Santa Barbara, US

2/10

Poor

03 Aug 2026

James

This place was a complete misrepresentation of their location. There was no pool on site. There were no amenities on site. The mentalities were for a hotel across the street, which is a completely different establishment potentially owned by the same owners, but it’s not in your hotel and items are across the street and you’ll be sharing them with another hotel. Yeah, it’s just a couple minutes from the beach, but it’s not worth the money or the stay

8/10

Excellent

14 Jul 2026

Ojean

n/a

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2026

Lisa

Amazing room with view. Great for families

4/10

Poor

24 Jun 2026

Anabel

The floors were so dirty. We couldn’t go from bathroom to bedroom without our socks turning black. Was expecting a clean out the following day but they never showed up, called front office to schedule the cleaning for day 3. As you can imagine, we had gone through so many socks and wipes from just cleaning our feet.
We also had issues with locking back door. Thankfully they replaced the lock.

I don’t think I’ll book again as there as so many other options nearby.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jun 2026

Steven

This was an amazing, clean property with a nice kitchen. It was only steps away from the beach, wharf and marina. The bed was comfy, the air conditioning worked and there is access to the pool and hot tub across the street. They also had a free wine and cheese happy hour and breakfast.

Self

2/10

Poor

24 May 2026

Jason

Tide Pool Villas is a motel with doors facing out to an open parking lot and has literally no amenities. The amenities such as lobby, breakfast lounge, fitness center, pool and hot tub are actually at the Villa Rosa Inn which is a separate property. You do have access to them, but you have to walk to the other location. There is no mention of this in the description and the pictures they advertise make it appear that the amenities are on the property. The amenities at the Villa Rosa Inn are not impressive either, they are all old and small. Upon seeing all of this I requested to cancel my reservation because the advertised property was clearly misleading to customers and I wanted to switch to another hotel, but they denied me.

They have put zero effort in keeping the hotel up to date and everything is done on the cheap. The furniture and decor look like it's from the 80's. It's also understaffed. Half the time there wasn't anyone available at the front desk. They double charged me for the Santa Barbara Occupancy Tax, so I had to reach out to them for three days to get it resolved because there was no manager on property. They finally did refund me, but I had to waste a lot of time to get it done.

They don't allow you to mention price in reviews, but it was very expensive for one night's stay, so I paid for what I thought was going to be a nice hotel experience, but it was anything but.

6/10

Pleasant

09 Apr 2026

Cheryl

Would have given more stars, everything was great except for two areas. First, the food is very basic, but we had heard that and there is great dining nearby. However, we were there for two nights and NEVER received maid service, even after going to the office (across the street btw) THREE times and repeatedly being promised service. Also, parking is very limited. Great location and cute property.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2026

Cynthia

Great location. Walking distance to the pier, many eateries, Moxi museum.

4/10

Poor

24 Mar 2026

Angelito

Property needs to be cleaner and redecorated,curtains and bedsheets were old and needs to be updated.lobby was cluttered and disorganized. Location is good though about 1 block from the beach

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Mar 2026

Kyley

Super close to the ocean and to state street.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2026

Joseph

Staff was superb

Self

8/10

Excellent

26 Feb 2026

Ruby

The staff was great. Took a little while to find the exact receptionist area, though and when it was found, there was only one person helping out so it was a bit slow. Almost 30 minutes

Leisure Pet

4/10

Poor

22 Feb 2026

Nathaniel

The room was outdated and not as described in room description. Screens were off windows laying on patio. We attempted to put them on but they were so bent they wouldn’t stay in place. Breakfast was not worth a penny . The cereal containers were broken, the breads were stale ,the waffle irons were old and burnt. There was no fruit , yogurt choices or protein. For the price of the room in off season it was not worth it.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2026

Robert

It was a lovely room with a nice view. Clean and comfortable. Close to everything. The staff was very pleasant and helpful.

Friends_and_family Friends

2/10

Poor

26 Nov 2025

Joseph

DO NOT STAY!! No one in the office most of the time. Bright light in your bedroom at night. Toilet always runs. Dirty with crickets in your room. No crib for baby except one that’s filthy and smells like vomit. Won’t refund unused nights for horrible service.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

12 Oct 2025

Bryce

Super disjointed staff. They gave our room away and then we had to wait over two hours to get checked in. Window in the room was broken, the bed frame had pieces sticking out of it. The bed itself was horribly uncomfortable. I asked the staff if there was anything they could do to compensate for the wait and they said no but they wish they could. Pretty bad experience especially since it was unbelievably expensive.

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

14 Jul 2025

Naira

Location was nice and am front desk did their best to accommodate stay as they handled at least the 2 properties from 4, lacked proper staffing . The building was older , outdated and damaged furnishings , some rooms lacked coffee maker and hair dryers ,also saw dust bunnies under beds . Pool was in another building across street , not convenient. For the amount they charged not worth it , if it wasn’t for their late cancellation policy I would have stayed at a nice beach front resort for what they charged. Ridiculous. Initials T.R. Who self identified as manager was very unprofessional , raised her voice and was condescending prior to check in when I called to ask about late cancellation process and addressed my concerns .

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2025

Karen

Quick trip

Check in process is very slow and our room was not ready
Beautiful property and great location

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

23 Jun 2025

Leah

This is a 5 star location but a 2 star property.

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

11 Jun 2025

Ronald

I prepaid for this site, when we arrived, the desk attendent could care less we stood there waiting to be checked in, there was no one else there, then she tells us its an extra $30.00 a day above the $1,200.00 we already paid. So an extra $180.00 for a room with clogged shower and bathroom sink drains

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

02 Jun 2025

Stephen

Facilities were fine. Trying to get a hold of anybody was absolutely ridiculous. Had an issue with the room it took well over 15 minutes to get hold of the manager on the phone. Get a text if you need something, asked for more towels, never came

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

29 May 2025

Jennifer

The property itself was clean and decent; the staff we encountered were pleasant. I booked for (3) people in the room, so I would expect an additional set of linens for the fold out bed. Couldn’t reach anyone over the phone, so my husband had to walk over and get sheets himself.

Location is very close to the beach, so parking can be a challenge. Perhaps this was also due to it being a holiday weekend.

The reason for the 3-star review is because we were charged an extra amount for the room upon check-in. I received a text message the morning of our arrival date advising us of an additional charge (which was lower than the extra charge I actually paid on site) since we booked our room on a third party website (i.e. Expedia/Orbitz). I already paid the price advertised and shouldn’t be charged extra on the back-end. Feels like a bait and switch. Please modify your SOPs, as this is very misleading to potential consumers.

Leisure Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

25 May 2025

Rebecca

Avoid this hotel!

They have one front desk for 4 hotels. They put us in a different hotel and room than we reserved. It was dirty, smelly and the furniture looked like it was bought at a yard sale. DO NOT STAY HERE!

2/10

Poor

29 Apr 2025

Michael

Poor Follow Up/Communication

I made four requests for a copy of my invoice via phone, email, text and website. I expected local fees (taxes, etc.), but wanted to review the charges for accuracy. I never received a response back.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2025

Abigail

I loved this hotel. It was clean and modern. Really cute touches like encouraging messages in parking spaces and the bamboo garden. Nice vibe.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

27 Apr 2025

Tanya

Our rooms weren’t ready till after four. They had no idea which rooms were vacant and which weren’t. As well as which rooms were clean or not. We had three books room and didn’t get our last one till 4:30 when check in starts at three.

8/10

Excellent

19 Apr 2025

Mike

You might have to wait to check in...

I enjoyed my stay at the Tide Pool Villas. The first of two things of mild concern: the check in process was challenging due to the fact the front desk person had so many responsibilities. We waited at least 10 minutes to check in since no one was at the desk when we arrived. There was a group in front and behind us waiting as well. I would suggest the hotel have two people on duty during prime check-in time (4-7?) so there doesn't end up being frustrated patrons.

My second \"concern' is I was hoping for a little more variety for breakfast. Plan on an all-carb \"snack\" if you intend to partake in breakfast. It's still probably better than heading to a packed nearby restaurant, but worth being aware of.

The facilities in general were great including the pool and hot tub! The surrounding neighborhood was surprisingly quiet.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2025

sarah

Perfect location!!

6/10

Pleasant

06 Apr 2025

Kristal

Overall it was fine. Check in is absolutely at 3, theres not even a person available before then. Communication could have been better. Despite receiving text messages asking if we needed anything and saying to respond via text, i never heard back. Parking lot doesn’t have enough space for all the guests. Oh and if you book thru expedia you will get charged a $25/day resort fee when you check in. However, location was convenient and the room was clean.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2025

Jeannie

Great location nice room with kitchenette

8/10

Excellent

18 Feb 2025

RayE

Beautiful hotel. But some very small rooms

There was some mix up at check in and the room we paid for was not available.
Also we needed a dog room which apparently even though I stated it in the notes was not reservable
In the end we got a very tiny room with a sub par access path and wasn’t able to really enjoy any of the real beauty of the hotel, except for in lobby
Hotel tried to make it right. But it was still very disappointing.

The location of the hotel is fantastic. The inside and outside of the hotel is very beautiful.

You do need to be careful not to get placed in one of the tiny rooms.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Feb 2025

Edgardo

Really loved the space available inside of our room. Incredibly spacious in our king studio with a full kitchen and full sized fridge. My wife and I loved being able to take a walk to Chad’s for brunch and later on a walk just across the street to walk to the beach and pier. The staff was very communicative the whole time via text with me and very flexible with my late check in also. Cleanliness inside of our room and in the common areas as well. My wife and I cannot wait to go back again and stay at this hotel, will definitely be our go to hotel from now on!

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

16 Feb 2025

Weiyue

Upon checking in, I was told I would be charged $58 \"restore fee\", which was not mentioned when I booked the room on Expedia.

There was a coffee machine in the room, but there was no coffee powder. There was no tissue box or tissue paper in the room.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Aug 2024

Donna

Room was large, with kitchen. Free parking and breakfast were provided. The staff was friendly and accommodating. Location was close to beach and shopping.
Great value for area.

Leisure Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

27 Jul 2024

ROSIE

no housekeeping which i asked for twice, floors & sofa were dirty with dog hair. Had to walk to front desk several times to get toilet paper, towels, bedding to change bed sheets. Front desk personnel were nice but overworked, overwhelmed, always people awaiting to be attended. Sad situation.

Business_and_leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jul 2024

Jennifer

It was so close to the beach we could walk to the beach, shopping, and dining. That was great. What I didn't like was that there was never anyone at the desk. No one was there to check us in or check us out. And there didn't seem to be a phone number we could call for help - I always got voicemail. They said to text but the response was not until the next day or 12 hours later. But if you don't need anything it is a nice place and we all felt safe

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

02 Jul 2024

Cynthia

Our room was great. Lots of construction going on that took away from the tranquility. We cooked 2 meals in the kitchen no problem.Happy hour and contont

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

19 Jun 2024

Benjamin

We loved the room and the location. That being said, there were lots of little annoyances during our stay. First, figuring out how/where to check in was a nightmare. Turns out that this property and two other are run out of the Villa Rosa Inn. This is not marked clearly at all, and I wandered around for 20 minutes until I met another guest who went through the same deal. The fridge was condensing water, the outdoor trash hadn’t been picked up, they texted me frequently asking about the room but never responded when I replied. Nice place, nice people, they just seem understaffed or something.

Leisure Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

18 Jun 2024

Sarah

Overcharged, dirty and no smoke alarm in room

They stuck us in a room that you had to enter from the backside of the hotel (the only one). It had a queen sized bed and barely space to walk around it. The bed frame was propped up on wooden blocks, but one was missing so the bed was severely slanted. The mattress could not have been cheaper. The room was filthy, the towel rack was ripped out of the wall and zero hooks in the room. They stacked the towels on the toilet. There was no fire alarm in the room. It looks like there was one built in but it had been painted over. The staff was rude and could not care less about our very legitimate complaints. Also, they overcharged me my given rate and blamed Hotels.com for misrepresenting the price. You couldn’t pay me to stay there again. (We had to check in across the street at the Villa Rosa Inn. The same owners, obviously. They also own the Ala Mar Motel. I assume all 3 properties are just as poorly run).

Partner

2/10

Poor

12 Nov 2023

traycee

poor communication, old decor, sandpaper sheets, no parking,

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

05 Nov 2023

Jon

No parking despite description on site. Office is located off property—hard to find. Room was fine tho.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

19 Sep 2023

KERRI

Not worth the price

A frustrating experience. There’s 4 hotels being run out of one office, which is not where this hotel is so you’ve got to go across the street to check in. Check in took forever. They accidentally kept my ID and didn’t bother to contact me. After ten minutes on hold (after discovering it was missing the next day) they found it. Eye roll since the desk space was 2x5, maybe. The staff are kind but clearly stretched too thin. It appears they’re also responsible for keeping the breakfast area stocked, which didn’t happen. For nearly $500/night we had higher hopes for breakfast than dried out pastries, a sticky waffle iron, and an empty oj pitcher. We also assumed that there’d be soap in the shower. Cute place, good spot, nice staff, but not at all worth the price. It was a huge splurge for us and we really felt let down.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2023

Kadie

Great accommodations for the value. Close to everything. Staff is very sweet.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Sep 2023

Michael

Such a great area and beautiful property

4/10

Poor

16 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

Room felt dirty and you do not want to know what was found under the bed. I will not be returning.

4/10

Poor

14 Aug 2023

Julie

Disappointing trip

We had a 3 pm check in but had to wait in the lobby with a number of other people for over an hour until the rooms were cleaned. The lobby was not clean. It was a nice room but very uncomfortable bed and very uncomfortable futon instead of a couch. It was a noisy room. You could hear every toilet flush, shower and bath from the room above. We ran out of shampoo conditioner and toilet paper. We started asking for more when we were getting low and two days later had still not received any. I called the front desk and was told I could walk across the street and get some if I needed it. So we had to walk to the other hotel and take some!!! Then when it was time to check out there was no one there. They had left a sign with a phone number on it but when you called the number they didn’t answer and the mailbox was full so you couldn’t leave a message. Again I was not the only guest in the lobby waiting to check out.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

10 Aug 2023

Richard

The reservation started out poorly. I was texted asking to upload my drivers license and other information. The picture wouldn’t upload and it kept saying the server was busy. I responded to the email with no reply. When I arrived everything was dark. There was no check in at that building. I had to ask another wandering person and she directed me across the street to check-in. She was given a room that already had people in it. I checked in and the lady was very nice, apologetic and said if the room wasn’t to my liking she would upgrade me in the am. The room was down a dark ally and it had no side table for the bed or a place to hang my clothes. The next morning at 7:30, I turned in my key and told the person at the desk I would take him up on their offer. I returned at 7:30 that night, and there was no record of the promise or request. They made a couple phone calls and 30 minutes later I was upgraded to a nice room in the main hotel. They handled that very well, when I checked out this morning at 7:30 there was no one there, so I just had to leave my keys on the desk. The property desperately needs a refresh. The service of the people I did deal with at the front desk was overall very positive. But, the ownership needs to upgrade their Wi-Fi, their servers and the property.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jul 2023

Lesley

Great stay right by the ocean.

The room was really spacious. It was very clean and the bed was really comfortable. The bathroom was nice too. The front desk people were very friendly and accommodating. The location is perfect!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jul 2023

Mayra

Super cute! Parking is a bit tight.

Leisure

4/10

Poor

18 Jul 2023

David

They stuck me in the terrible little studio with a hole and toilet.