I had a Doubletree 'Be Our Guest' free night stay certificate from the Diamond Desk as a result of a bad experience in Denver earlier this year. My boyfriend and I went down to Santa Barbara Friday night after Thanksgiving for a one-night stay and cashed in the certificate at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort. I have never been to this property before.

We had made the reservation through the HHonors phone # and were offered a Standard Mountain View room. We informed the reservations agent that we were bringing our 2 yorkshire terriers and were advised of a $25 fee. The reservation process was simple and straightforward and we were reminded to bring our certificate or be charged $315 for the night.

The resort is easy to access from the 101, offers a beautiful location, and there are many great restaurants and attractions near by. Valet service is available but we self-parked for just $12/night. At check-in, the dogs were given a goodie bag with 2 biscuits, a pink tennis ball, and a copy of FIDO, a pet-focused magazine.

We were given 2 free cookies, a form letter from the management recognizing my Diamond status, and breakfast certificates at check-in. The certificates are good for continental or you can apply them as a $12.95 value to an upgraded breakfast selection. The full breakfast buffet was $21.95 and was well-appointed with an omelet bar, cheese blintzes, fresh fruit and juices, a variety of different hot entrees as well as standard continental selections. We were not charged for juice or soda and I ordered Eggs Benedict Santa Barbara (2 poached eggs with hollandaise over toasted english muffins topped with fresh lump crab cake and avocado for around $18).

I inquired whether an upgrade was available and was offered a standard garden view room on the second floor. I asked if they had anything else and was given a balcony room on the third floor with a partial view of the ocean. The bed was comfortable and the room was nice enough but IMO not worth the $300+ a night they were asking. We were delighted to be staying there with a free certificate. We heard the train all afternoon but I didn't notice it at night. I was disappointed that there was no Diamond amenity provided in the room but a bottle of the Syrah was on the desk available for purchase at $25 which I thought was an OK price. Fiji water was $7. We consumed neither. There was no mini-bar (maybe we were supposed to ask for the key at the front-desk?) but bottled sodas from the machine in the hall were just $2.

Internet access was $10.95 and the speed was fine. There were dogs everywhere (none were a nuisance), I did not visit the gym or the spa, the property was clean and accessible, staff were attentive and polite, and overall it was a good but relatively underwhelming stay. We were satisfied and the pooches were simply ecstatic. I would likely feel differently (ie been 'extremely satsfied') had I been upgraded to a suite or even received a free bottle of water at check-in but the stay was a terrific value with our certificate and I would not dissuade you from checking out this property when travelling through Santa Barbara. I personally would hesitate to pay them $300+ a night but would certainly stay at this cat 6 property again for 40,000 points. Our total stay only cost us around $50 after the breakfast, parking, internet, fees, and the free night certificate so it feels like a good value - especially for the awesome sunset we experienced from the beach right across the street from the resort.