This hostel is awesome! The location is amazing, the people are great, the female dorm room is so cozy and wonderful! The only negative thing i have to say is about booking.com and not the hostel itself.

DONT BOOK WITH BOOKING.COM!!! Go and book directly to the ITH Hostel website online. It’s half price if you book directly with the hostel. Booking.com is a rip off and they will never provide you a price correction or refund for the difference. Terrible experience going through booking.com.

Amazing location! Very clean and the beds were comfortable. Good number of showers/bathrooms etc for the number of people staying there - didn’t have to wait. Great espresso and kitchen facilities. Zack’s taco night was great!

Some toiletries in the showers (shampoo, body wash etc) would have been useful and has been provided in other hostels I’ve stayed in. Otherwise everything was awesome.

Quirky, hilarious and a pure throwback. You'll be whistling the Friends theme song. Everyone was SO NICE -- the staff was congenial and helpful and there's TONS to do including free breakfast (make it yourself and READ THE SIGNS) and free dinner (!!!) and Yoga and god-knows-what else. The smoking bus was hilarious (and lovely because no smoky smell in the building) and it was SUPER EASY to walk to from the train station - in fact it is easier to walk than to drive! This is clearly a place for daytrippers and backpackers of all ages - the social zone was the bathroom (shared & friendly and clean) and the quiet zone was the shared bunk room - shockingly everyone was SO POLITE. Except for one woman who had her phone on very quiet around 9am, the rest of the time the bunk room was completely silent! Bunks are very solid - not beds but loft spaces with plugs for electronic and chargers. There is a personal lamp above the bed and a personal curtain to close off your own little sailor-space. Quiet hours are posted and respected. The communal spaces are cordial but not noisy (on the one night I was there). Two people were playing guitar in the shared outdoor lawn. Hilarious! It was just wonderful, there are books to borrow. It's just magic. Total throwback to the 90s. Also there are lockers (bring your own lock or buy one). And Towels (if you do not bring one) are also $2 to rent. Also it is SO CLOSE TO TOWN. And to the beach! It's seriously perfect location-wise. Remember that I went there only about a month after they opened - the fact that it is so cheap and has free food is bound to eventually collect not great clientele but right now everyone is super respectful. The front door is locked and keyed open with your room card. I thought it felt really safe. (I had very very low expectations) -- just remember what it feels like to be a kid at summer camp and have fun!! It's all in your attitude.

Kitchen was out of milk when I went to get the free coffee (i'm not complaining--the coffee and tea and pancakes and eggs were all free!) - A lot of guests won't like the communal nature of this place but if you have ever backpacked in Europe or stayed in a Youth Hostel, you will totally love the vibe!

1. The hostel located in a bustling area in the center of Santa Barbara, it is super close to the amtrak station just across the railroad, also only about a five-minute walk from the beach. This is extremely convenient for tourists who want to fully enjoy the beach scenery and travel by train. 2. There are numerous popular restaurants, bars, and shops nearby. ITH offers discounts for guests which is super nice and I got a half price cocktail from a bar. Some restaurants need to line up for waiting, will try next trip. 3. The bed is super comfortable, and each bed has a curtain which is perfect for “i”people haha and is equipped with a small light and an outlet to charge electronic devices. I slept very well last night, first time slept over 8h in America. 4. There are public lounges, outdoor seating areas, etc., which are convenient to relax and socialize. The public kitchen facilities are complete, although I only use the water tank. 5. The hostel regularly organizes various activities such as bar nights for Friday, staff Julian, Luize and Jacob lead us and had a supper great night!and the staff also cared about our safety. We also had a marshmallow midnight talk in the yard which was very pleasant! Experienced an American thing haha. 6. Staff are enthusiastic and friendly making guests feel at home. Thank you Julian Jacob Luize!!

Nothing!

Location directly in front of the train station and very close to the beach: perfect for me. The equipment, the facilities, all was top notch, new and clean. The stairs to access the top bunks are wooden and wide, which makes them very comfortable. All beds have a personal lamp and tablet to put all our things. I had a room with curtains on the beds. The structure of the beds is independent of one another. It means that if the person at the bottom is moving, the person on the top doesn't feel it ! Very cool breakfast with self-service pancakes. The staff is very nice, friendly and helpful. There are a lot of free activities and stuff you can borrow, like games, yoga mats, and many more... The common space (and the good vibe induced by the staff) makes it easy to connect with other travellers. This is really like what a hostel should feel like! Bravo.

It's a bit pricey for my outside-the-US standards... but I couldn't complain about what I got for it. Not a complaint, but to be noted: the towels are not included and are to rent for 2 dollars

ITH feels like a summer camp for grown-ups. Within a minute walk from the train station, a few minutes from State street, 5 minutes from the closest beach lies ITH Santa Barbara. That should tell you almost everything you need to know. In the hostel world, location is everything and the ITH Santa Barbara location is perfect! But there's more! Although I only stayed a few nights, and I didn't have time to take part in the busy hostel schedule, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many activities planned for the guests (dance, yoga, movie nights, night outs, etc). Probably the most social hostel I've stayed so far! The facilities are spacious with room to cook and store your food in the kitchen, sit and play games (or play guitar) in the common room, sit in the sun outside, etc. The kitchen had so many supplies - for the coffee they even had various syrups. They also allow to do laundry until quiet time (11pm). And the price to wash and dry clothes was very affordable!! Even though it was a busy period at the hostel, I never had to wait to take a shower. Also the bathrooms were clean with a very nice shower gel. The dorm rooms were a bit warm inside but the hostel provided fans. The beds were so comfy and the cabin provided privacy. I wished I actually stayed longer in SB, but there's always next time.

The breakfast was provided every morning, but I wished they had a bit more variety (more types of fruits) and a sour alternative for pancakes (e.g.bagels or bread).

The location is great. Close to the train station, close to the beach and downtown. The Hostel is by the river, if you are a morning person like me, you would love having your coffee by the river or maybe some Yoga. The beds are very comfortable, the room is spacious, bathrooms are clean and of a good standard. Self-made chocolate chip pancakes are great for breakfast. The patio by the river is a bonus, you can rarely see a patio like this at a hostel. It is a bit pricey but, you can compensate for it with coffee, breakfast, and comfort. The staff is very young, they love laughter and having fun. Overall, the young staff adds to the Hostel's great vibe. I can't understand why other clients complain about this. I don't see any negativity in a bunch of young people having fun while working. This is a 10 out of 10 hostel, book it without hesitation and enjoy your pancakes in the morning. "Elza" is the employee of the day, week, and year ;-)

There is nothing to dislike.

It was one of the most welcoming hostels I have ever been, they were all so gentle and warm and specially Gerald and Reuben they both made us feel like home, we arrived on Thanksgiving so they invited us to join dinner and table games afterwards, we really enjoyed it. Besides there is parking available, the bed was so comfortable and we loved the breakfast. We were just staying a night since we were on a roadtrip but there were so many activities you could do, I would totally come back!

The location of the hostel was excellent. It's next to Santa Barbara station, so anyone who wants to take a train or get here by train can get there. The beach was a block away, maybe 5 min. State Street, where all the fun places are, is also a block away. Breakfast was basic and served until 9 am when the reservation said 10 am, but that's ok. Either I wasn't told that, or I didn't remember. The staff organized fun activities every evening, which was great. They were very friendly and helpful.

I just didn't like the bed and the linen. It could have been of better quality.

The beds were really cool with a feeling of privacy although sharing a room. Lockers outside the room were surprisingly convenient. Nice staff. Good location between beach and downtown with food and drinks. Quite clean for a hostel. Overall it felt the hostel was built by someone who actually uses hostels themselves.

It’s noisy from the ac and the train. But on the other side, it was good to cool down and the train could be heard in the entire neighborhood. So nothing particular to this place actually.