I’m ashamed to admit that as a Los Angeleno, for whatever reason, I haven’t adequately explored the nearby Central Coast region of California very much at all.
The pandemic has given me a reason to stay local and rectify that.
And the first stop on my tour of the Central Coast is the Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara.
Review: Mar Monte Hotel
Full Disclosure: We stayed at this hotel during the pandemic (when services were limited).
The Mar Monte Hotel is a member of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt.
Up until this stay, I had only ever stayed at one other Unbound Collection property, Carmel Valley Ranch, and I had a great experience there.
Arrival & Parking
Finding the Mar Monte Hotel was easy, the GPS took me there with no issues.
As I arrived, I found a few parking spaces near the lobby for check-in, although I later learned I could have just as easily parked directly in the underground parking lot under the pavilion at the entrance.
The underground parking entrance is right here (under the pavilion and to the right)
World Of Hyatt Redemption
During our stay, a “1 King Bed” room went for $630.66 per night (total with taxes and fees).
However, because the Mar Monte Hotel is a Category 4 Hyatt property, we could have booked this stay for 15,000 World of Hyatt points (a CPP of 4.20 – which is an incredible value for a World of Hyatt Redemption).
Even better, at 15,000 points, I cashed in one of my Chase World of Hyatt credit card’s free annal night awards (which meant my $95 annual fee gave me an insane net value of $535.66) on just this redemption alone!
Entrance
The Front Desk & Check-In
The Front Desk
Although I had arrived quite late, I was warmly greeted and recognized for my Hyatt Loyalty.
After thanking me for staying at the Mar Monte Hotel, the front desk attendant informed me I had been upgraded from a “1 King Bed” room to a “1 King Bed Corner Premium View” room.
The Room Key
Contactless Menus
Along with the room key, I was handed a card for the hotel’s contactless menus.
The Walkway To The Room
The Hallway
The easy to remember Room #1-111
The 1 King Bed Corner Premium View Room
The room was refreshingly large and cleverly decorated in a style precisely somewhere between “Central Coastal Spanish” and “Vintage California Surfer”.
One side of the room had views of the fire pit near the lobby, the other, views of the ocean and beach.
My only complaint with the room had to do with the A/C that would “knock” throughout the night – so much so, that I was beginning to think the room was haunted. There were even a couple “knocks” that were so loud that it sounded like somebody threw a brick against the side of the wall outside. Once I turned-off the A/C and turned on the white-noise on my phone, all was well.
The Bedroom
Room Amenities
The Bathroom
The bathroom was decked-out in attractive Spanish tile, with the sink/vanity separated by a door from the shower and toilet.
Lather was the Mar Monte Hotel’s toiletry brand of choice.
The [powerful] drybar blow-dryer was a very nice touch
The wall hanger in the bathroom
The View From The Room
Views of the fire pit and fountain
The beach is just across the street
There’s actually an ocean view hiding behind this screen
Breakfast At Cafe Lido
The only restaurant dining available during our [pandemic] stay was the outdoor dining [at the swimming poolside] at Cafe Lido.
For breakfast we went with the Lido Breakfast Sandwich, a side of Crispy Yukon Gold Potatoes, the Avo Toast, and a side of two eggs. Everything was delicious and I’d recommend all of the above (especially the stand-out Crispy Yukon Gold Potatoes).
Cafe Lido served the Central Coast’s own Spearhead Coffee (which is excellent).
The street entrance to Cafe Lido
The waiting area
The bar
Outdoor dining at Cafe Lido (there are tables behind the lounge chairs)
The Cafe Lido Breakfast and All Day Menu
The drink menu
The Lido Breakfast Sandwich and a side of Crispy Yukon Gold Potatoes
Avo Toast
A side of two eggs
The Swimming Pool
Image: hyatt.com
Jacuzzi
Walking The Property
The fountain
The Library
The Lobby
The fire pit
Costa Kitchen & Bar. Image: hyatt.com
Bike rentals
Mementos
The Bottom-Line Review: Mar Monte Hotel
Wow, another great stay at an Unbound Collection property.
Let me first state, the location of the Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara is just about as perfect as you can get. It’s extremely close (a long walk) to the Santa Barbara Zoo, the East Beach, the shops and restaurants on Cabrillo Blvd, the Chromatic Gate, several parks, and the Stearns Warf.
Aside from its location, the property itself is great, much more of a boutique hotel than a “vanilla hotel”, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from a beach town on the Central Coast.
The service and dining were on-point (even during the pandemic). We actually loved our stay here (even with the knocking A/C) and intend to make this one of our “go-to” spots.
Side-note: At currently just 15,000 points, this is another high value “sweet spot” in the World of Hyatt portfolio.
Final Rating: 9 out of 10.
