IHSP Santa Barbara

Total rip-​off. Don’t make this reservation. Period.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here! Not only was this the least expensive option at the time, but the property was beautiful. There was free on site parking which was nice as we left our car there all weekend and walked to the beach and city (short walks to both!) The Wifi worked well in all areas of the hostel. There was a really nice common area to spend time in during the evenings and mornings when we were relaxing; they had movies and games available for use as well (we didn’t use them but it looked like there were lots of options to choose from). They offered free endless pancakes with lots of topping options in the morning. The staff was friendly and accommodating, and gave us lots of suggestions of things to do in Santa Barbara while we were down there. They even gave us discount cards for some restaurants downtown. We enjoyed IHSP and will most definitely be back the next time we are in SB!

I wish I could give 0 stars. This was BY FAR the absolute most DISGUSTING, ABHORRENT, ABYSMAL place I’ve ever stayed at. We walked in and the first thing we found out was «they had a really hard time with bedbugs»! Not what you want to hear when you first walk in. The room was on the first floor and was DISGUSTING. Right by the small lounge, extremely thin walls. The staff were clueless, didn’t even offer us bedding for the plastic covered bed. The room was a former closet, no windows, had abysmal art on the wall which looks like a child made, literally, and random weird ugly corkboards. Walls and carpets were awful. Bathrooms were awful, whole place was very loud. And the worst part: they charged us 140 dollars for the room. Truly shameful. If you want an experience you’ll never forget (or if the jail is full), go here. Otherwise, I’d just sleep anyway else (honestly, our car would’ve been a better idea).

If you want a place to crash, meet new people, and go out this is the place.
If you want luxury go somewhere else. Everyone is friendly and chill.

This was my first experience in a hostel. I had heard that they are fairly loud and sort of «hippie;» travelers with musical talent that will serenade you all night long. Noisey was something I expected, but I didn’t expect the receptionist to be encouraging the noise; he was the loudest person in the hostel, this was rather annoying. The entire place recked of weed. In the middle of the night (I was in the room nearest the entrance and reception area) people were knocking (my assumption was someone attempting to check in) and it took the reception about ten minutes to finally hear the knocks and final allow entrance, waking me up. When I first arrived I also waited quite awhile for the front door to be open, it wasn’t until I called that I was able to get service. I was placed in a room with all males, I’m female and it was sort of an uncomfortable feeling. There is a $ 5 (CASH ONLY) deposit for the key; I didn’t have cash so the attendant let me slide while only leaving my ID as a deposit (this was incredibly appreciated). Kitchen was a mess (it was night time). You are allowed to make your own pancakes in the morning, at no extra cost.

One of the worst hostels I have stayed in. I stayed in hostels, floors, and couches throughout South America and the U.S. This hostel in Santa Barbara was surprising considering the cost you have to pay for, for what you get in return. If you can afford it pay a little extra, go somewhere else.
–Mold on the ceilings in bathrooms, faucets and showers hardly working. Sometimes no hot water.
–There was water damage on the ceiling in the private bedroom. It was cold and damp. Bad mattress, the springs were practically on the outside.
–Breakfast was ok, had pancakes and black tea. The kitchen area was clean.
–In a crappy neighborhood but at least it was sort of close to stuff.
–It was nice that they had a fireplace.

Small but super clean. The bathroom, downstairs at least, has single-​use shower mats!!! It has a tiny kitchen too and we were prepared to make dinner but opted to have Chinese instead. Lots of restaurants around, trader joe’s, and beach a quick walk away. If you’ve never stayed at a hostel and/​or you’re used to the Hilton, it’s not going to suit you. If you need a cheap bed and all the amenities plus an arcade game in the living room, this is fine, just fine ;)

Assured my son and his friend that they had space in their student housing program for the semester. He packed up his belongings and drove 3 hours to stay there. Paid the $ 90 app fee and $ 645 monthly fee. 2 days later, they send an email and said they couldn’t accommodate him after all as they were at capacity. Refunded the monies, but now he has no housing. He just turned 18 and is now basically homeless. He can’t find a place and plans to sleep in his car until he does. He will forever have this memory of leaving home to go off to college a a negative. Be careful when booking this place. They may boot you to the curb too!