Wyndham Santa Barbara

Just came back from another visit for New Year's Eve week 52, 2011. Several small upgrades have been done in the past year. The studios all have LCD mounted TV - can now watch TV from either the sofa or the bed. The big square fabric & wood coffee tables have been replaced with a smaller wood table. The lobby has a tropical fish tank which you (or the kids) could spend hours looking for all the critters living in it. Pool table in recreation center. Gas grill outdoors for the guests to use. Dinner is now served on the boat and no longer from the Riverside place (which has a new owner). Staff is still the BEST of all the Wyndham resorts. Yudos to Rick, the resort manager!

Having stayed here twice in 2009, I am very pleased to be an owner here. Very quiet with the new patio doors and windows, delightful kitchens & living rooms and beds so comfortable I wish I had them at home. Pool is warm and sunny with pool side bath with showers just steps away.

Limited activities here, so it is peaceful. Beach and full scale Tiki Bar is just across the street at Wyndham Royal Vista. Orientation meeting will introduce outside vendors for daytrips to Key West, Everglades, Miami city tour, scuba trips, and snoekeling trips. Front desk has menus for local food places with free delivery to resort (enjoying lunch/dinners with no cooking). Evening cruise to dinner at Joe's Riverside aboard boat docked here at resort for doing a timeshare tour (or just walk 4/10s of mile to Joe's and buy a real dinner from the full menu for the same costs).

Four point nine stars -- five if on the beach. Big 1BR and 2BR units. Studios are perfect for couples. The 1BR/2BA units are the biggest 1BR units anywhere. Decor is somewhat toned down from pre-hurricane days. You'll like it or not depending on your opinion of what it was like before -- either bright or gaudy. Great views of ocean and/or intracoastal waterway, depending on the unit.

Units are clean, well-maintained, and well-equipped (full kitchens, flat panel TVs in living/bedrooms. Alas, no in-unit washer/dryer; they are next to the elevators. Staff is exceptionally friendly and responsive. Big smiles and waves greet you every time you pass through the lobby. Maintenance calls are answered within minutes. (I agree with fairwynd. Santa Barbara's staff is the standard that other Wyndham resorts should strive to meet. They want you there and want you to come back. Hear that, Ocean Walk??) Covered parking adjacent to resort.

SB is not big on activities but the concierge will make recommendations and arrange most anything you want. There is a LOT to do in the metro Fort Lauderdale area -- in addition to gorgeous beaches, you have fishing, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, swamp tours, duck tours, boat tours of mansions/yachts in the New River area, day trips to Miami or the Florida Keys, casinos, jai alai, musuems, boutique shopping, outlet shopping, a huge flea market. SB has a small pool and hot tub with a snack bar and occasional live music, but kids will probably find more to do at Royal Vista.

Recommended restaurants include Cap's Place (Hillsboro Inlet area), Malulo's (Peruvian -- great ceviche), Christina's (Greek), Peking Duck (Chinese), Cypress Nook (German), Joe's Riverside (seafood and other), and of course Stinger's, a really good pizza and beer joint that has a lot more than pizza and beer and isn't really a joint (and you can walk home!).

We own Unit 803 (south facing, 2BR) for a fixed week in July and while it is hot, it is manageable. We had a great time and we'll be back, but maybe not in July! About a year ago, we bought fixed week 1 in Unit 801 (south facing, 1BR/2BA), even better than 803 because of superior view of the ICW.

Other Wyndham resorts need to emulate SB. Owners and guests are treated very well and the units are neat and clean.

I am a fixed week owner at Santa Barbara. After re opening, everything is brand new. Our one bedroom unit is huge. It must be at least 1100 sq feet. It has 2 bathrooms, which is nice, and everything you need. The best things about the resort are: The pool was heated to around 82 or 83 degrees. Also, our unit has 2 balconies, with 3 patio doors, with great views. Parking is right there and the staff were the most friendly. The only down side is there are not many activities, which we don't mind.

Santa Barbara is a gorgeous location, fully remodeled, and is operational as of January 28, 2008!