The Wayfarer

The Wayfarer is a beautiful sheik hostel located in downtown Santa Barbara. The rooms are decorated nicely and they are clean. Like most boutique style hotels the rooms are on the smaller side. The outdoor pool and patio is clean and cozy. The staff is friendly and accommodating. It seems they have thought of everything… have a fun, be carefree, and have a relaxing attitude.

This place was so great! Comfortable and clean. Good continental breakfast. Great service. The pool was very nice as well. Watch out for the inflatable chair though, if you try and it in it, chances are you will fly backward in the pool! Pretty funny, but if you don’t want to get wet, stay away from it. Great location in the funk zone. Definitely coming back! Cleve was great as well!

Horrible general manager… I’m a born and raised local… we came for Soren the DJ, he always texts us. Terrible. If I could give a 0 I would… however this is a hostel what should I expect. Motel 6 would be a better venue.

My friend was having a birthday weekend in Santa Barbara and we stayed here. We took the train up from Los Angeles, and this place is so convenient to everything. We walked off the train, dropped our bags and headed to lunch. Being so close to the funk zone, we really enjoyed being able to pop back in whenever we wanted. The hotel is super cute, very reasonably priced and we loved the murphy bed (surprisingly comfortable). The pool was heated, and only a little chilly and the staff is so friendly. Great place and you should check it out for your next Santa Barbara trip.

Recently stayed here for my bday week in March. My boyfriend booked for 2 days. We were planning on going skydiving the first day and wanted to stay somewhere local and close to the main streets to go out the next day which was very convenient. We were walking distance from everything. The hotel alone was beautiful and intimate. Not to big. Our room was perfect. Wasn’t big but very nice. We really only needed our room to sleep and our king size bed was amazing. The staff was very nice, Lalo worked at the front and was very helpful with everything we needed. In the morning breakfast was ready which was a plus for us since we left early. There were games out by the pool and a small activity area. Bikes were also available to rent. Definitely returning! Thank you for the amazing service! –Michelle and Jeff

Last minute booking, after reading the reviews on Tripadvisor. Perfect location just at the back of State St. Great little pool, and on Sundays they have a DJ spicing up the afternoon. Apparently the hotel is also a hostel, but you would never tell. Everything is new and very hipster feel. Staff is great, attentive and courteous. Room was great, with a comfy bed, windows open all the way to allow for the ocean breeze to come into the room. The only issue that I would recommend improving is the blinds do not completely block out the morning light, so if you want to sleep in a bit longer, this causes a bit of an issue. Also, the hotel is located by 101 freeway, so if you’re a light sleeper, this too will bother you. Otherwise, big thumbs up. Definitely will stay and recommend again.

Super cute boutique hotel in Santa Barbara right in the funk zone/​art district. I noticed others complaining about size of rooms, so keep in mind it is euro style, so room and bathroom are a bit smaller. Not a deal breaker for me as I tend to explore and spend minimal time in my room on vacation. Loved all the creative and different décor. Only complaint is it is right by the 101 highway. Would for sure go back!

This is the coolest hotel I’ve ever stayed at ! They have the friendliest and most accommodating staff and it’s located exactly where you want to be in Santa Barbara. The wayfarer is within walking distance from the beach, state street, numerous wineries, breweries and restaurants. Highly, highly recommended and we will definitely be back.

My husband and I were driving from LA to San Francisco and needed a place to stay along the way. We found the Wayfarer using reviews on Unilocal.We didn’t mind negative comments regarding the hostel-​like environment, so we decided to give it a whirl. It’s a very cute hotel w hipster décor and an inviting lobby, but unfortunately we were incredibly disappointed w our stay for multiple reasons.
1) The rooms are teeny tiny. King bed, small desk, and barely enough room to scoot around the bed. The bathroom is roughly the size of a closet.
2) There was no hot water in the shower. I repeat — THERE WAS NO HOT WATER IN THE SHOWER. When we went to go shower before we left in the morning, the water was ice cold. When I went to the front desk to inquire about it, the guy said that they had someone working on it. There was no apology, explanation, or refund offer. The purpose of a hotel is two fold: sleep and bathe before you move on. Well, we got half of that deal. Worst of all, when I asked for a later checkout so we could wait out the fix, I was begrudgingly given a 1pm check out. The hot water wasn’t fixed by then, so we were forced to leave without showering. Gross.
3) Walls are super thin so you can hear everything happening around you.
4) Blinds do a very poor job of blocking outside light, so be prepared to wake up w the sun.

Stayed for one night in this cute boutique hostel, we paid extra for a private bathroom. The room was quiet clean and small. Would definitely stay again!

Had such an amazing weekend at the wayfarer! Me and some friends planned a girls weekend getaway in Santa Barbara and stayed Thursday-​Saturday at this adorable hotel. The location is prime, we were able to walk to a handful of close bars, and take a super short über the nights we wore heels. The staff was so accommodating, shoutout to Lalo, Gabe, and one
Other lovely gentlemen working the night shift who went out and got me a tooth brush because I forgot mine. These guys were so helpful with information, being accommodating, and providing a fun positive atmosphere. The hotel is super sleek and trendy, fun lobby, common room, games, gorgeous shared kitchen. The room is tiny, yes, but so cute and modern and our room opened right up to the pool we loved in. Super comfortable beds, even the Murphy bed. The hotel also has a bunch of activities planned all weekend, there was a bar crawl, wine tasting, morning yoga. Santa Barbara was so fun, but the wayfarer was also such a huge part of making our weekend so fun. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to have a fun, funky, and unique getaway.

A solid little hotel. Two levels and trendy to a T! We booked this last minute coming down the coast and found a some deal for about $ 156. The location in right in/​around the funk district.
We were great with great service and set up really quick. They ran us through the use of the communal kitchen and told about the free coffee and continental breakfast, which we didn’t know about so win! There is great and fun looking lounge as you walk in and people making use of it through the evening to check their phones for all the latest trends.
The room is basic in its amenities, but stylish. My wife feel in love with the real mermaid wallpaper and the old timey phone in the room. No closet, but some small cupboard type storage and no dresser, but check your bed there is storage there. I saw a review that said the top of head board is a trundle bed for that third party which would be cool/​nuts to see.
The restroom is equally minimalist and trendy with white hexagon tile floors paired with starch white subway tile. The shower is just an open floor with a small inset and movable glass back so you don’t soak the small room.
The bed is decent, a little on the firm side, but good sheets and plenty of pillows.
It’s a great location and plenty to walk to for drinks and eats. If you are interested in some extra curricular night life there is a spearmint rhino adult club across the street.

Just stayed for one night in a private queen room. Great spot, right in the middle of the Funk Zone. Its a hostel/​hotel and is very nice, modern, and beautiful. Our room and bathroom were quite small, but very nice and comfortable. The best pillows! It was too cold for the pool, but the outside area was very nice and the pool is heated. They have some great common areas that allow you to meet other travelers and guests. The kitchen is big and beautiful and they have coffee/​tea/​hot cocoa available for free at all times. They also have a great selection of books and games! And they have some snacks and alcohol for purchase.
Location has some pros and cons. You can walk to a bunch of bars, tasting rooms, and restaurants. But it is right on the freeway so if you get a room on that side of the building it can be a little noisy.
Staff was very nice.
Continental breakfast was not great, but certainly enough to fill you up. Just some bagels, toast, cereal, yogurt, oranges… that was about it. Still, its nice that they offer it!
We will be back!

The Wayfarer is a really cool spot; I have been here a few times for events and each time has been awesome! The atmosphere is really cool, outside near the pool is a great spot to hangout and it’s right in the heart of SB’s funk zone-​great location!

Super cute boutique hotel. Awesome location; about 6 minute walk to the beach, and 10 minute walk to the heart of State street. Great décor and fabulous service! True professionals and gentleman working the front desk.
Disappointments? Extremely tiny rooms, no hot tub, and lastly … We found out that this hotel also provides hostel services. Not somewhere I would’ve stayed knowing that. — changed my whole outlook on our stay when paying $ 300+ a night, and sharing the same experience with hostel guests and travelers. Not a good look. (This wasn’t identified on any of the hotel reservation apps)

I booked this hotel thru Platinum American Express. I told them I was traveling with my two boys, ages 12 & 13. It was described as a King room with a loft that had 2 murphy twin beds. I thought … that sounds perfect! The price was around $ 400 a night which was reasonable considering we were booking a few days in advance and it was a Saturday night.
Here’s what you should know:
1) It’s right next door to the Spearmint Rhino strip club.
2) It’s right on the freeway & State street — both very busy and noisy
3) If you don’t get a parking space they expect you to park in the public parking lot (we had a car full of golf clubs and other luggage — no thanks)
4) It’s basically a high priced youth hostel filled with twenty-​something kids coming in at all hours and very noisy
5) There is no «loft» — the beds are pull down beds — one located above the king bed.
Had I known … we would not have stayed there.
Yes it’s clean and very «interesting», but not a placed for a family that actually wants to get a good night’s rest while traveling.

First the good news:
This place has super fun design, great location, very clean, and dorm was super affordable. Much nicer than many other youth hostels I’ve stayed at. However there were a few misses.
First my total bill was $ 20 higher than I thought — a $ 68 turned into a $ 88 real quick. $ 10 taxes, $ 10 parking. Keep that in mind. Strike one.
After I checked in I attempted to put my food in the fridge. It was about half full of breakfast foods (all sugar and carbs btw) and jammed full from other guests. When I asked if there was somewhere else I could put my food, she desk girl said no. So I had do some high level Tetris to get my stuff in. We’ll call that strike 2.
I had a nice dinner across the street (so good!) and enjoyed walking downtown to the movies.
On the phone they said I could «borrow» a bike. After dinner asked for a bike, she fumbled around for a few minutes and finally pulled out the waiver to RENT the bike! So what they mean is you can rent a bike $ 15/​hr. Lame. Strike 3!
I slept pretty well and enjoined watching some TV after making my own breakfast. Nice guy cleaning up even did my dishes! Overall it was an ok stay. $ 88+ is still cheep for downtown, but it’s right off 101 — so make sure you know which side you are on if you don’t want to look at 101, or parking lot (two sides), or pool… Oh wait that’s all the sides … So yea not very quiet.

When we wanted to stay overnight in Santa Barbara, we decided with The Wayfarer due to its wonderful location to State Street and the beach as we knew we’re gonna spend much time in both places. And of course the great reviews we saw beckoned us to make the reservation.
The private room we had looked cozy, hip and comfortable but I guess that was it. Our room located in the first floor faced the carpark and we were okay as we didn’t hear any traffic noise. Our family members who stayed across from us were delighted that they have direct access to the swimming pool. As we would have guessed, the 9 year old was ecstatic with the murphy bed and had fun in the pool.
The rest of us, the 4 adults didn’t slept as well as we should due to the bed being on the soft side. (We own a sleep number bed) What I couldn’t stand the most was the bright stream of sunlight shining on our faces while we were still in bed at 7.30am, desperately trying to catch a little more snooze. The shade didn’t cover the window perfectly leaving a good size gap that allowed the bright light to shine on our faces. It was hard to try to sleep after that. So annoyed that I was that I snap a picture, willing myself to write this review.
Never mind that we can hear the movements from next door at midnight, or that you’ll end up stepping on wet floor to use the toilet after someone showers, or that there are no hangers provided even though there’s a bar to hang them.
We did not have breakfast in the hotel as we wanted more than the provided fare of cereal, toast and bagels thus we went up the State Street for some sumptuous breakfast. The bottles of mineral water in the hotel room may cost up to $ 5 but if you were to walk to the kitchen, they have chilled, citrus infused water for guests to help themselves, which we appreciated.
Because sleep quality is important to us, I’m rating 2 stars because yes, I’ve experienced better and having bright light shining on your face while you sleep is just not A-​Ok.

When I think hostel I think affordable (aka cheap) and not very sanitary. Don’t be fooled… The Wayfarer is not your typical «hostel».
+ Location — In the «funk zone» of Santa Barbara, its location is prime. Walking distance from the pier, wine bars, lounges, and restaurants.
+ Ambiance — GORGEOUS. Colorful and quirky… the lobby has a rainbow library, lifesize Jenga and connect four, and a bright robot art piece that covers an entire wall. Everything is very modern, unique, and vibrant. It’s truly one-​of-​a-​kind.
+ Rooms — I went with 3 of my girlfriends so we were given one «dorm room». 2 bunk beds and a private bathroom… a flat screen on the wall. Mermaid wallpaper, colorful decorative pillows.
+ Pricing — The dorm rooms are $ 59 a night each. It seemed cheap at first but if you think about it, it’s about $ 240 a room per night. With that said, I still think it was still worth it because of its location. For lone travelers, it’s a good option if you don’t mind sharing with strangers. They have lockers for valuables… and they have private rooms available too.
+ Pool — no gym, no Jacuzzi, but their outdoor pool is great. They have red couch floaties and loungers that add a nice modern touch.
+ Parking — $ 10 a night.
I would definitely choose to stay at the Wayfarer next time I’m in Santa Barbara.

Incredible experience. Would give it 6 – 7 stars if that were an option! :) Gorgeous rooms styled with such a hip and unique touch. Would recommend this hotel/​hostel to my buddies, friends with kids, parents and even grandparents! They have everything you need. (Even corn hole!)
Wonderful staff. Super close to several wine bars, the beach and of course, State Street.
I will be planning another trip to SB solely to come here again. Cheers!