Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort Santa Barbara

The hotel is a little away from the downtown, but close enough that you can walk over if you feel like it. The nice thing is that the beach in front of the hotel is pretty secluded, and the hotel itself is nice. The odd thing is that the hallways to the rooms are dirty, poorly maintained and smell bad. So much of the hotel is kept well, but this was one odd thing. Otherwise the room, hotel bar and pool were very nice.

Let me begin this review by saying that my wife and I have stayed at several different luxury hotels all across the country. We have always been willing to pay extra for staying at a luxury hotel because the rooms are more comfortable, the amenities are richer, and the staff always goes out of their way for to ensure the guests are enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, this was not the case during our two night stay at the Fess Parker. First, this hotel is not truly as "pet friendly" as they claim to be. They charge an additional $30 fee for bringing your pets for each night of your stay. At check in, we were told that if our dogs are disturbing their other guests, and these guests subsequently requested a free night, upgrade, or discounted stay, WE would be charged an equal cost to offset the hotel's loss. Ridiculous, right? This would have been nice to know BEFORE I spent almost $500 for our two night stay. Isn't accommodating other guests who might be disturbed by another guests pets part of doing business as being a "pet friendly" hotel? Not that our dogs are noisy, but they do get scared of loud noises like train whistles or rickety maid carts. To the hotel's credit, they did provide us with a list of pet sitters we could call to come stay with our dogs while we were away, but why should I have to pay a dog sitter an additional 10-20 dollars an hour so my wife and I can leave our dogs in a "pet friendly" hotel while we go out for a romantic dinner? My wife and I had to take our dogs wherever we went for fear we would be charged some outrageous amount should another guest happen to complain that they barked a couple of times. Second, we ordered room service our second night. All we ordered was a bowl of ice cream. When the delivery man arrived over an hour later, he handed me a mostly melted bowl of ice cream and expected me to pay over $17 for it. The hotel obviously doesn't train their delivery staff to care about the quality of food they are delivering to their guests. This is especially rude since the hotel automatically pre bills you a 16 % gratuity and a $5 "delivery charge." As you can imagine, I sent the ice cream back with the delivery man. Fortunately, the food service manager came to our room himself not even 15 minutes later and provided us with a complimentary bowl of fresh, unmelted ice cream at no charge. Finally, the hotel charges $19 A DAY to park in their lot. OUTRAGEOUS! $19 a day? I have never had to pay, much less pay $19 a day, to park in a hotel I am checked in at. And be warned, this isn't the cost of valet parking, this is the cost of GENERAL SELF PARKING. All the hotel is doing is taking advantage of its guests at this point. On the bright side, this hotel does have a beautiful exterior, generally nice interior, and it's proximity to the beach simply could not be better. My wife and I really enjoyed walking our dogs around the area. But, at the end of the day, the impression I was left with was that the hotel was really only there to serve its own agenda: to make money by nickel and dime-ing its guests. Needless to say, the next time my wife and I are vacationing in Santa Barbara, we'll stay someplace else.

The weather wasn't great so I was glad to have such a comfortable room. the hotel has a great restaurant and their breakfast buffet was wonderful.

Extra charge for parking ($19/day) was a surprise and was not clearly explained when I made the reservation.

The location of this hotel is excellent!! The staff was very friendly. I felt their needed to be more covers on the bed. Even with adjusting the room temperature to 72 during the night, which is 7 degrees higher that at home, i was cold. I was not aware (and did not check) that dogs are allowed in this hotel. Lots of barking on my floor while the dog owners were out. I would check out other hotels in the area before going back.

The room is very comfortable. I booked the room with an ocean view; so every morning we woke up listening to the waves. Perfect place for beach lovers.

Something is incorrect when you pay $285 per night for a room, and the hotel(actually motel) charges $18 per day for parking, and $12 for internet access. Kind of chintzy.

We are a family of 5 and we loved this hotel! Great location, pool, staff was excellent! Walking distance to SB locations! Loved it!

Stayed three days for a seminar. Loved the room... lots of space in our room to stretch out.

The Fess Parker is set on a beautiful stretch of beach in Santa Barbara just minutes from downtown and the main shopping district. The staff is friendly and helpful, the rooms are well maintained, and the grounds offer everything from a swimming pool to tennis courts, a spa, and several restaurants. The hotel's main positives are its location, the view, the amenities and the staff. I wish they would nickel and dime you less though, everything from parking to internet carries an extra fee. When you're paying $300+ a night for a hotel room, you sort of expect the wifi to be gratis. And $18 for self-parking (per night) is a huge rip-off. Also, expect train noise if you're on the side of the hotel that faces the mountains.