Oak View Holidays from £1,187

It was a great experience to wake up to that view of the ocean

We had a wonderful time at Zachary Dunes resort during spring break! I have to say that because of several bad reviews here on Google Maps, we had some doubts about this place, but after considering what's important to us on a vacation, we still decided to book it and we did not regret this decision. Here's a summary of our thought process, why we chose to book, and our overall experience. We were looking for a nice resort on the beach in the area between Santa Barbara and LA and this hotel met all criteria. We wanted nice rooms, ocean access without a highway separating us from beach, a fun swimming pool and a whirlpool. Zachary Dunes had it all and was a lot cheaper than other hotels that were closer to Santa Barbara. Most bad reviews focused on some noise in the rooms, no real ocean view in the rooms labeled as "partial view" (thank you dear reviewer who wrote that - we decided to spend $20 more per night for full ocean view and it was stunning!), and people unhappy about parking being extra cost. Oh - and someone complaining about avocado toast costing $19. Our perspective? Noise is manageable and understandable given many of the guest are families with young kids like us. View from the room - was totally worth the extra cost for better view. Parking - unfortunately, this seems to be the standard in California and they were transparent about it when we booked so it wasn't a surprise. Just ask how much it is in advance and add it to your budget.