Haley Cottages

If I could give this place less than one star, I would. I made a reservation over the phone a month ago for a stay this coming weekend in which I was «supposedly» told that there was a three day cancellation period for the hostel. I do not remember them ever telling me this and when I asked for a written confirmation at the time of the booking that included the cancellation policy sent to my email, they said that they did not provide that service and that everything was taken care of over the phone. I thought that was strange and unprofessional, but I needed a place to stay for the weekend and had no other options.
In the course of the next few weeks, however, I researched the hostel more and saw their absolutely terrible reviews on TripAdvisor (amongst the complaints were bed bugs, mold, dirty sheets and spider infestations) and decided to look for accommodation elsewhere. Fortunately, I was able to find a much nicer — and even more affordable — vacation loft to stay at through Craigslist, but was unable to cancel the hostel within the three day period that I was allowed (and unaware of due to the lack of written email confirmation). When I called to cancel the Haley Cottages reservation, I was informed that I would still be charged for the first night’s stay because I was a day late in canceling the reservation. When asked how they could charge people when they refused to send out written confirmations, they merely said «a phone reservation is considered a confirmation.»
As if the bed bugs and spiders weren’t enough, their lack of professionalism and customer service warrants a rather unfavorable review, in my opinion.

this is my second hostel stay and I was very happy. You are getting a great rate;especially since I only stayed a weekend. Santa Barbara is very expensive. It is a cozy place, a bit small. But it doesn’t beat the price and the 4 blocks you walk to get to state street and the beach. There’s no tv, pool or hot tub but that’s not why were here right?

This is a hostel. It isn’t a hotel. If you bear that in mind, then couple it with the price and location you will not be disappointed. If you want a room with TV. Not for you. If you want a nice firm bed, big shower, and new carpet. Again, not for you. However if you want a cheap place that can sleep up to 4 3 blocks from the heart of state street and walking distance to the beach. Oh and you can’t spend 200 a night? This is the place for you.