Name: Sunset Motel
Address: 3504 State Street, North State, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, US
Price range: $128–$462 per night
Rating: 7.55

What guests think

At Sunset Motel, travelers consistently highlight solid value and a convenient State Street location with generally clean rooms and often friendly staff, while also noting an older, no-frills property with noticeable wear, limited parking, and occasional noise.

Cleanliness feedback is mixed: many found rooms very clean, but several reported serious lapses such as odors, smoke in non smoking rooms, and isolated pest or linen incidents. Rooms are basic and dated, with inconsistent bed comfort and unreliable Wi-Fi; some fixtures and features need maintenance, including jetted tubs that were broken or missing in a few stays. There is no on site breakfast despite some listings, though nearby dining is easy to reach. Overall, expect a simple budget stay that prioritizes price and location over polish.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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Facilities

Facilities are basic. On site parking is tight and can fill up, and several guests reported jetted tubs not working or not present as listed; some noted in-room appliances like a fridge and microwave.

Related guest reviews

6

Mary Ann

Jun 25, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

This was a last-minute find. The hotel was clean but very very small. There are not enough parking spaces for the guests so if you don't get one on site, you have to park on the street. The shower head was so harsh that I couldn't put my face underneath the water.

4

Anna

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room we had wreaked of smoke even though it was a non-smoking room. The bathroom door did not shut properly. The beds are not connected to the wall and have rollers, so if you try to sit up in the bed, the mattress rolls away. The wifi connection is also super bad. One of the two nights we stayed, we returned to the motel and there were no parking spots left, nor was there street parking in front of the motel. We had to park a ways away in the nearby residential area.

4

Kristy

Aug 6, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Said it had jetted tub didnt. Dirty

8

Jogie

Jun 19, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean room and fresh linens. The only thing i don't like is the jetted bathtub is broken. They should fixed it before guest accommodation.

10

Lizeth Vanelly

Jun 13, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Calm place to stay at but parking lot did get full and couldn’t find a place to park.

6

Antrome

Sep 17, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Smallest parking lot of any hotel I have stayed at. If you get there early and get a spot, leave your car there and uber if you have plans. Also, they have a motion sensor in the bathroom which the light turns off after a few minutes. The sensor doesn't include the shower, so the light turned off during my shower. Other than that, the bed was comfortable and the room was relatively clean.

8

Matias

Dec 28, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Good stay, more on-site parking would be nice

8

DALLAS

Sep 26, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The room was very clean, had a couple of issues but the wonderful owner fixed what she could very quickly. The Jetted tub doesn’t work in room 207 but not a biggie! Still enjoyed the stay and the staff.

8

Jeremy

Jul 15, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Parking lot seemed a little small for the number of rooms on the property, but I did have a place to park so no complaints. Room was good sized. Bed was a little firm for my personal preference.

8

SETH

Jul 31, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

I liked the location. it was nice but the parking area was to small, but it is hard to find a good place in Santa Barbara

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Cleanliness

Cleanliness is mixed: many praised very clean rooms, while others cited strong odors, smoke in non smoking rooms, and occasional severe issues like dirty linens or pests.

Related guest reviews

2

Tara

Jun 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

There was a large, dead cockroach made into the bed. At about 2030 I asked the desk clerk to have someone come make the bed. He said no one was available. I asked for some sheets. He gave a sheet. I asked for another sheet and a pillow case (there were four pillows on the bed and 2 sheets, right?). I showed him the cockroach. "oh my gosh!", and "sorry", as he had his back to me leaving the room. I took a photo of the phone on the bedside, but did not take a photo of the bathroom window propped catty-corner from the sill with a roll of toilet paper. I paid $175.00 for this stay? I had told the clerk I was leaving a poor yelp review. I will not book there again, nor will I book with Expedia. Have deleted the app from my phone.

2

Isabelle

Dec 11, 2023

·

Oh man, where to begin. Our “clean towels” literally had human feces on them. We went to the front desk to tell someone, no apology or any words of remorse, they just told us to go to housekeeping, who wasn’t there at the time. At least a sorry would have been nice. The rooms are mediocre at best ( scuffed paint, holes in walls etc). Also the fire alarm had been taking out of the ceiling which we didn’t realize until we were getting ready to leave. At least it didn’t go off from the individuals smoking marijuana on the balcony with the smell wafting into the room. The walls are super thin and you can definitely hear the people in neighboring rooms. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere that has customer service and hospitality! We’ve learned our lesson.

8

Johnny

Jun 25, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Check in was easy and staff were polite. The room, shower, and floors were clean. The bed was comfortable. Location was good. We had to cancel at the last minute our last night that we had booked due to having to leave town earlier than expected. The staff were very gracious to not charge us even at the last minute. This was an unexpected surprise and was greatly appreciated.

2

LON

Jul 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The bed was too small. It said queen but it looked like a full size bed. The room had an odor which was also in the bed. Luckily I brought my own blankets and pillows. The room just felt unclean. The staff were very loud in the morning. I will not be staying there again.

10

Amanda

Dec 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean rooms, comfy bed, and friendly staff

2

Jennifer

May 19, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Filthy dirty rooms. They should've paid ne to stay in it. Walls are peeling, holes in door fillled with a foam. Mold between tiles in bathroom. Furniture is disgusting.

2

David

Jun 9, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Room smelled like cigarettes smoke. I asked to be accommodated by any way and they mentioned there nothing they could do. When I woke up the following morning everything on me smelled like the room. It was supposed to be a non smoking room.

10

Leslie

Oct 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I lived in Santa Barbara for many years, several years ago. And I know the current Santa Barbara prices now. For me to get this one night, Queen size room, comfortable bed, VERY CLEAN throughout, extremely convenient to many necessities and other types of stores and things, free parking, a refrigerator, microwave, hairdryer, coffee maker, full size ironing board and iron, quiet stay, friendly and helpful staff,….and to pay what I did, was beyond a bargain for Santa Barbara. The area is safe and well lit. And most important to me are cleanliness and safety. The room was very clean (all rooms), and it looked perhaps even freshly painted m. Judy’s what I needed for my one night stay. I would recommend. Thank you Sunset Motel!

2

Raul

Jul 6, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

My family and I booked a last minute hotel. Please don’t book here. It was cheap but you really do get what you pay for. There was mold in the ceiling, the doors and walls had chipped paint, the floor board looked rotten, the walls and floors were dirty, and the receptionist was rude. No breakfast was included and it was so noisy until past midnight. We really wanted to leave but we were so exhausted. Dave your money and book elsewhere !

10

Jesse

Dec 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great value! Clean and functional room.

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Rooms

Rooms are dated and show wear, with inconsistent bed comfort and frequently unreliable Wi-Fi. Several reviews mentioned needed repairs to fixtures or furnishings.

Related guest reviews

4

Anna

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room we had wreaked of smoke even though it was a non-smoking room. The bathroom door did not shut properly. The beds are not connected to the wall and have rollers, so if you try to sit up in the bed, the mattress rolls away. The wifi connection is also super bad. One of the two nights we stayed, we returned to the motel and there were no parking spots left, nor was there street parking in front of the motel. We had to park a ways away in the nearby residential area.

8

Lupe

Jul 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

For a very 'humble' motel, it was adequet for a night's sleep; I would strongly suggest the the Santa Barbara sunset Motel replace the thin curtains with 'black out' curtains as the morning sun woke us up at 7am.

2

Gregory

Jun 24, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Paper thin walls, hallway light shining into room all night, broken toilet seat. Only consolation was the hot water

8

Lauren

May 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It's cheap, but clean. Everything worked properly and nothing was gross. There were some nice little touches like a mural in the stairwell. The beds were pretty hard and pillows quite lumpy. Only bar shampoo, not liquid. The sink is in the room not the bathroom. Huge TV though.

6

Spencer

Mar 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

This is not a high end place as evidenced by the price. It’s clean but shabby with paper thin walls. I’ve stayed here several times and I keep coming back because of price.

6

Curtis

Jul 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Convenient location & quiet room. Mattress wasn't great.

6

Amy

Nov 5, 2023

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Stayed 2 nights

Overall, the stay was good. The staff provided excellent service! Three things were not great: WiFi was not working most of the time, the TV options were outdated, and one of the beds was horribly uncomfortable due to a huge dip on one side.

4

cayce

Jan 27, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

It was ok, good location. No breakfast items or 24 hour front desk. Very run down room in deep need of repairs. Had a microwave and refrigerator which was great. TV was good. Bed sloped in the middle. Walks very thin. Get what you pay for!!

4

Midori

Nov 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Beds were not comfortable. Furnishings looked like they were bought at a garage sale.

8

Guido

Sep 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Relatively cheap for Santa Barbara. Decent but average. It is noisier than expected.

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Service

Staff are often friendly and accommodating, but multiple reviews described rude or unhelpful interactions and inconsistent front-desk responsiveness.

Related guest reviews

8

Wendy

Aug 4, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It was fine, clean. Stafff was courteous and helpful.

10

Amanda

Dec 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean rooms, comfy bed, and friendly staff

2

Ryan

Jun 25, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

After extending my stay by paying through the app, the front desk manager told me that I had not yet paid. I showed her my expedia receipt and reservation confirmation, she continued to tell me that I did not pay. I asked her if she thought I was lying or if the receipts were fake? 20 minutes later she changed her mind! Incredibly rude and inconvenient.

10

Elizabeth

Aug 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The Lady Proprietor at the hotel was very kind while assiting me with a challenge when I was checking in. This compassionate event made my stay very comforting. Thank you for you kindness.

4

adam

Feb 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

My non-smoking room reeked of cigarettes. The front desk refused to give me a receipt or tell me how much I had been charged when I checked out. They said "your receipt is available from Expedia ". I travel to Santa Barbara frequently and I will never stay here again.

2

Ryan

Jul 19, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Rude staff. Lady at the front desk is in on her cell phone in the parking lot all night.

10

Aaron

Sep 11, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great stay. Nice staff.

4

Rosita

Nov 26, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Front desk lady was very rude and made me pay an extra $100 deposit. The room was okay and clean but the furniture was very outdated and the mirror frame was broken. Just looked run down.

6

Jamie

Mar 18, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Went to check in - was told to come back because owner was in the shower. Hair dyer didn’t work in room - otherwise it was okay

10

Ahmed

Nov 29, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very friendly staff

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Location

Convenient State Street location near restaurants, shops, and transit; easy access to downtown. A few guests felt the surrounding area could seem seedy or noisy.

Related guest reviews

10

Joseph

Oct 22, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great distance from downtown SB

8

Frank Drake

Feb 15, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Sunset Motel is an affordable option located near the bus line and various restaurants. I had a very quiet and secluded room (207) so fortunately I did not hear other neighboring rooms which is a plus. The bed was very comfortable too. The furniture and decor is very dated which could use a good renovation. The A/C & heat worked well in the room. The biggest disappointment was no hot water to take a shower during my entire stay.

4

christine

Jul 2, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel doesn't feel safe with transients walking by screaming & yelling in the street & area the outside area of the rooms. The staff barely say a word & can't answer anything you ask about the hotel service. Room is old & dingy looking nothing like the pictures in their ads. We will definitely not be returning there again.

8

Bennie

Oct 5, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good location on State Street. The welcoming staff Lady was very friendly, smiling, and pleasant. Restaurants and gas stations were not far away.

10

Xuan

Jun 22, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Very convenient location.

6

stephen

May 14, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Location seemed good.

10

Zach

Jun 9, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location and good price.

10

Jordan

Oct 9, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great location and our stay was perfect. The room was nice and cozy. Easy walk to restaurants and shops. We will definitely stay here again!

10

John D

Jul 6, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

This was excellent for what it was. I sought a cheap quiet night in Santa Barbara, and this delivered. The area is a bit seedy, and there were some loud conversations in the evening (my sleep was not disturbed). The room was small, but completely adequate for my limited purposes. I felt safe the entire time. The room was dated, but clean. Compared to other lodging options in Santa Barbara, this was a great value.

8

SETH

Jul 31, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

I liked the location. it was nice but the parking area was to small, but it is hard to find a good place in Santa Barbara

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Dining

No on site breakfast despite some listings, which disappointed several guests. Many found nearby options for meals.

Related guest reviews

8

Dennis

May 22, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Motel has good location to walk to Harry's Cafe for dinner/drinks and Farmers Brothers for breakfast. Place is good for one night, only complaint is that pillows were not very comfortable.

10

Elizabeth

Mar 18, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Easy access to dinner options.

4

Thelma

Dec 3, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

First, I saw the motel in one website and said that had breakfast included. When I did the reservation through Expedia, breakfast was not included. So, I was trying to find a phone # to call, but send me to a general reservation. Any way, I reserved it anyway, breakfast was not important. The person at the check-in was on the phone all time, she did the process but I feel I wasn't important. Room was somewhat clean, mirror in the bathroom was dirty, and the ironing board had hanging the under ware of the previous client. It was just a place to crash for the night.

4

Cassandra

Jan 2, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The person at the front desk was never there whenever we went. There was breakfast advertised but there was no breakfast, the maid said she had already spoken to the owner about taking it down but it was still up. The room was clean but the paint on the walls and door was chipped or had weird stains on them. Everything else in Santa Barbara was booked otherwise I would never have stayed here. The nerve to charge over $200.

8

John

Jan 12, 2023

·

Stayed 19,364 nights

To much plastic and non decomposing material used in coffee making. This is aimed at most hotels of the similar star rating.

8

Hamilton

Dec 16, 2022

·

Stayed 19,337 nights

Close to breakfast restaurant. Nice big TV screen. Cable selections are poor.

10

Alexey

May 26, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This is small budget-friendly property. You get a room and not much more. The bed linens and the bathroom were clean. The bed was comfortable. There was some old dust in the corners and on the AC unit. Toilet paper, toiletries, towels were provided. Large-screen TV in the room is hooked to cable, 100s of channels available. Free wi-fi. The area around the property appeared safe, there were several cafes walking distance. 10 min by car to downtown.

2

Marwa

Jan 17, 2023

·

Stayed 19,364 nights

There was no breakfast in this facility even though expedia describes it as it has breakfast.

2

rudiger

Jan 13, 2023

·

Stayed 19,364 nights

Breakfast which was included in the price was NOT available "due to Covid" !! ........... COVID restrictions are barely in effect now. I would like to be reimbursed.

8

Brian

Apr 29, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

It's a motel, so my expectations weren't high, but the room, bed, and bathroom were all clean and well cared for. The shower was one of the better ones I've used in a while: a welcome surprise after a long day. It had good blackout shades too. And it was right next to a 7/11, which was handy. A minor negative is that the freezer in the fridge wasn't working, but that probably won't bother most people.

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Month	Average price
January	$97
February	$112
March	$101
April	$120
May	$280
June	$187
July	$216
August	$214
September	$141
October	$120
November	$126
December	$97

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $144	2 $270	3 $386
4 $150	5 $147	6 $154	7 $149	8 $163	9 $335	10
11 $151	12 $147	13 $150	14 $153	15 $153	16 $279	17 $462
18 $147	19 $150	20 $149	21 $149	22 $149	23 $240	24 $257
25 $149	26 $151	27 $149	28 $151	29 $150	30 $190	31 $210

Sunset Motel

Prices for Sunset Motel

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Guest reviews of Sunset Motel

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Considering this hotel for your Santa Barbara trip?

Prices for upcoming dates

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20 $203	21 $166	22 $144	23 $144	24 $141	25 $247	26 $324
27 $151	28 $152	29 $128	30 $131