While our night at the sincere but dingy Glen Tavern Inn didn’t quite meet expectations, our next stop, the Sandpiper Lodge in Santa Barbara, exceeds them.
Outside, the parking lot, dotted with potted flowers and set in the shadows of tall palms, is tidy and appealing:
Inside, the decor, from the color palette to the furniture, is decidedly time-warped in from the 1980’s:
But listen: this place is spotless. It’s clean. Someone on the cleaning crew is a little obsessive, and for the weary traveler, that’s great news.
I’m also happy to report the place is run by really nice folks. When we arrived at the front desk at noon today, our room wasn’t yet ready. (In their defense, the Sandpiper people don’t promise rooms will be ready until 3:00 p.m.) But Tony was warm and welcoming and gave us good directions to the park where we had our picnic lunch.
And when we got back to the hotel this evening after a day at the Santa Barbara Mission and the Santa Barbara Zoo, we discovered upon arrival that Tony (or someone!) had upgraded us to a suite, complete with a full kitchen, a comfy little living area, and a big master bedroom and bath. That made for a very nice surprise — and it let us save a little money, too, because we could get our breakfast fixin’s from the nearby Whole Foods and store them in the full-size refrigerator until morning.
So: if you’re looking for a good mid-range hotel on Santa Barbara’s State Street (central to everything, but *not* down in the downtown night club district), I recommend the Sandpiper Lodge. When you’re on the road in a strange place, a clean, quiet place to sleep falls pretty high on the List of Favorite Things … and for this, the Sandpiper Lodge delivers.
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