This Girl Travel: Blue Sands Inn Santa Barbara
If you’re looking for a Santa Barbara hotel that’s close to the beach and to town, and that has real small town charm, Blue Sands Inn checks those boxes. Situated one block from the beach, you can walk straight from your room to the beautiful California beaches in less than five minutes. The decor is lovely, the parking is convenient (note that there are limited spots), the rooms are clean, and the staff is friendly. However, you are definitely paying extra for the location. The cost of a very “cozy’ room while we stayed there was $800 + a night, the quarters are tight, and there is no restaurant or bar on premise. If your priority is about location and beach charm, this is your spot.
View from Blue Sands Inn lobby
This is the view from just outside the lobby doors, and if you stay in the room above the lobby like we did, you can see the ocean from your room and hear the waves crashing at night. That’s just the best!
The Blue Sand Inn lobby
The Blue Sands Inn lobby is warm and welcoming, with coffee and soft beverages available at any time. But seating is limited and the space is small, so you won’t have a place to work on your lap top if your roommate wants to sleep in, or if you planned to meet anyone for business.
Blue Sands Inn hotel room
Blue Sands Inn hotel room
Blue Sands Inn hotel room
The room was well-decorated and clean, with hard flooring and a mini fridge and microwave. The bed was comfortable and the blinds properly blocked out the early morning light. However, it’s tiny! It’s not a room for more than two people and it’s a place where you’d want to spend much time without feeling a bit cramped.
Blue Sand Inn bathroom
The bathroom is modern and well-kept, however there are no surfaces to put anything. The toilet seat isn’t a spot where one wants to store a cosmetic bag while the counter space is being occupied by a flat iron or skin care, so there was a lot of back and forth between the bed and the bathroom while getting ready. A small corner table or some floating shelves would help out a lot.
Blue Sands Inn pool
Blue Sands Inn pool
Their pool is lovely and receives sunlight most of the day. There wasn’t any competition for seating but we would imagine that at full occupancy during high tourist season, a few more lounge chairs might come in handy.
Blue Sands Inn pool adjacent patio
Our favorite spot was definitely the outdoor area by the pool. This was a good, quiet spot to get some work in during the trip. There weren’t any outlets that we could find, but a perfect place to catch up on some work over the weekend.
Had the price been closer to the $300 - $400 range we would have probably found more value. There’s no bar at the hotel but there is one at the larger hotel next door. There’s no room service and no gym, but with stretches of beautiful beach just steps away, who needs a treadmill anyway.
