Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Carpinteria

This handsome chain hotel received a complete renovation in 2014. The upgrade created an inviting and cheerful lobby with high ceilings, natural stone walls, and laminate wood floors. Photos of the spectacular local scenery decorate the walls, and a cozy library-like area features a large communal table and shelves of books that are available to borrow. Free coffee and newspapers entice guests to stay a bit longer and catch up on the news of the day. Despite being next to the busy Highway 101, this is a relatively peaceful property that hosts mostly tourists experiencing the laid back SoCal beach lifestyle.

The Holiday Inn sits just off Highway 101 on a mostly residential street that runs directly into the lovely little town of Carpinteria in about a three-minute drive. The front of the hotel that faces Carpinteria Avenue tends to be less noisy than the back that faces the busy highway. It’s an eight-minute drive or 15-minute walk to the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve that overlooks the ocean. It’s also where the Carpinteria Bluffs Trailhead is accessed. The Carpinteria State Beach is an eight-minute drive. There’s not much of interest in the immediate area, but a retail plaza with a supermarket, Starbucks, and other restaurants is about nine minutes away on foot. Stearns Wharf and other attractions in Santa Barbara are roughly 20 minutes away by car. Bob Hope Burbank Airport is approximately an 80-minute drive. LAX is around 90 minutes by car, depending on traffic conditions.

These clean and comfortable rooms were renovated in 2014, and they remain fresh and well maintained. They’re tastefully decorated in mostly light earth tones, including white walls with light gray accent walls behind the beds. The patterned carpet is dark brown and light gray, and local interest comes from photography of the California coastline. The matching wood furniture has a light finish, and some of it is topped with quartz. Space is a big plus, with even the Standard Double Queens featuring separate sitting areas with sleeper sofas, coffee tables, and desks with leather office chairs. Some rooms also have wets bars and/or private balconies furnished with tables and chairs. Amenities add to the appeal and include Keurig coffeemakers, mini-fridges, microwaves, air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms are just average in size, but include nice wood laminate floors, roomy quartz vanities, and shower/tub combos with handsome, sand-colored tiling. While pleasant, views of the pool and surrounding grounds are pretty unremarkable. The rooms are generally quiet, but those in the front of the property away from the busy highway tend to hear less ambient noise.

This hotel has several attractive amenities, including a free breakfast buffet that features eggs and other hot dishes. Outdoor seating on a covered porch is available in warm weather. Free coffee is available in the lobby all day, and the on-site convenience store sells snacks, sundries, and frozen entrees. The outdoor pool is on the small side, but it’s heated, has an adjacent whirlpool, and is surrounded by a peaceful patio with covered tables and nice landscaping. The fitness center is also a bit small, but it includes two treadmills, an elliptical machine, free weights, and a universal strength-training machine. The hotel’s two meeting spaces can host up to 40 people, and the business center in the lobby has two computers and printers. The guest laundry room has two coin-operated washer/dryer sets. The hotel offers valet dry cleaning and laundry services. Wi-Fi, surface parking, and daily newspapers are free. Pets are welcome with a modest surcharge.