THE HOTELS.

BOUTIQUE HOTELS/MOTELS

Villa Rosa:

A brochure playfully notes that Henri Matisse, Carmen Miranda, Ernest Hemingway and Errol Flynn ... never slept here, ``but given a chance, they probably would have.''

The place does, indeed, evoke another time and place. It was built as an apartment building in the 1930s, and the architecture is all Spanish palazzo on the Mediterranean. Today, it's a simple, 18-room hotel that features arched doorways and windows, wrought-iron fixtures and ceramic- tile accents.

It's configured in a U-shape around a quiet courtyard that includes a small cooling-off pool and a six-person spa, plus roses, birds of paradise, vines climbing the garden walls and a towering pepper tree.

Perhaps Villa Rosa's greatest asset is its location - near the waterfront but set a hallock back of the beach road, busy Cabrillo Boulevard. Stearns Wharf, State Street and even the train station are a short walk away.

The most desirable rooms at the Villa Rosa are those that open onto or overlook the courtyard, or pick up a view of the ocean, but the inn has two that rent for $110 nightly. Both are first-floor rooms whose windows overlook Chapala Street. Each has a queen bed and sitting area; one has wood shutters.

Unlike the B&Bs, the breakfast here isn't hot and lavish - just juice, fruit, pastries, bagels, coffee and tea. The courtyard is an ideal setting for enjoying it, though.

Another spot for relaxation is the inn's sitting room, which features a fireplace, coffee table loaded with newspapers and comfortable reading chairs. In this room on a hot August afternoon, I thought I was standing near an air-conditioning register, but turned around to discover that the cooling draft was coming in off the ocean.

Couples seeking a weekend of peace and quiet might be pleased to hear that the inn allows no guests under age 15 - ostensibly because of liability issues related to the pool.

Montecito del Mar Hotel:

Great pains have obviously been taken to erase this property's motel heritage and establish in its place a brick-colored, bougainvillea-covered complex that harks to an era when California was known as New Spain. They've even covered the parking area with gravel and buff-colored dirt to distance themselves from their asphalt-locked brethren in the motor court business.

The extensive renovation was undertaken two years ago, said resident manager Greg Berg. ``Before that, it was a very plain, vanilla, Motel 6 kind of thing,'' he said.

Interior wood on walls and ceilings was sandblasted to its natural state. Carpet was ripped out and replaced with large, cool red squares of Mexican tile. Rough-hewn, mission-like furniture and down comforters were brought in (there are some wrought-iron four-poster beds). Several rooms have brightly painted ceramic bathroom tiles.

The liberal use of tile, particularly on the floors, gives the property an open, clean feeling. It's no accident. Said Berg: ``I think we've all been in carpeted motel rooms where it's, who knows what's locked in the carpet?''

A wood deck features three hot tubs - so you don't have to mingle with strangers if you're seeking private moments.

The hotel's 10 standard rooms, currently priced at $115 on weekends, will drop to an off-season rate of $95 beginning Thursday. Four other rooms, featuring canopy beds, will be priced at $115. Included is a simple continental breakfast (nothing more imaginative than doughnuts).

Families will be pleased to hear that there are no add-on charges for extra people in a room.

It might be advisable to request a room at the back of the property, though, as Montecito Street kicks off a fair amount of traffic noise.

Beach House Inn: Don't let the unassuming exterior of this motel on Yanonali Street put you off. Its rooms are large and immaculate, and most have kitchenettes. More than that, it is the rare lodging property in Santa Barbara that welcomes kids and pets. Only three short blocks away, at West Beach, is a kiddie park with wading pool.

You can get a room with a king bed here for as low as $85 on a weekend, or a room with two double beds for $100.

The inn's greatest asset is probably the street on which it sits. Yanonali, one block south of Montecito, is one of those routes that doesn't seem to get much pass-through traffic, and is extraordinarily quiet.

The Beach House is configured around a grassy courtyard. It boasts 20-foot yucca trees that are alive with the sounds of nesting birds in the spring.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Bicyclists set out from the Montecito del Mar Hotel for a day of exploration

(2) A wrought-iron canopy bed is the centerpiece of this $115 room at Montecito del Mar.

(3) The vintage-1930's Villa Rosa, with its Spanish-style archetecture, is conveniently located near Santa Barbara's waterfront.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer