Introduction

No need to beat around the bush—back in March, the base room at this hotel was 88,000 points per night, with a cash rate of about $400.

Still, there’s an old saying: one generation passes it on to the next; the next wave always overtakes the one before it, and one batch is never truly better than the next. It’s becoming harder and harder to redeem anything with high value...

Departure

When it was time, we drove to our destination and first looked over at Serra Cross up on Ventura’s hill.

Ventura Pier in the distance.

A whistle sounded and the Amtrak Coast Starlight arrived in the distance. That train didn’t stop at Ventura station; it just passed through.

The next stop was Santa Barbara, to the north.

We drove down into downtown Ventura to check things out; this is Ventura City Hall.

As a reminder, this city’s full name is San Buenaventura, Ventura is just a shortened form.

Check-In

It was getting late, so we drove on to Santa Barbara.

We checked the room location in the app, then checked the map. The back entrance looked much closer to the room, so we went straight in through the back entrance to enter the hotel area.

We unlocked the door using the app first. Here’s the room layout.

Bathroom.

A look out the window.

Coffee maker.

I looked at the table and got thrown off immediately... Aren’t we supposed to have complimentary water? Why are these waters charged?

I suspected the free water probably had to be collected at the front desk, and by entering through the back we skipped that step.

So we decided to walk to the front desk.

Whoever’s got those little reckless hands knocked this huge chessboard over!

The other one looks relatively normal.

At the front desk, we confirmed we indeed needed to collect two bottles of complimentary water in person.

Surroundings

We stepped out and took a look around.

This is the circular structure right in front of the hotel.

A giant chair—but it definitely won’t be comfortable to sit on.

A small pond beside it, with green-headed ducks.

The saying goes: a small temple, big winds; a shallow pond, many turtles.

There are Canada geese here, too.

As a rail fan, we also took a look around Santa Barbara station.

An antique railcar at the entrance.

Three-axle trucks, steel plate-spring suspension, tread brakes.

This cover can be opened, and an oil can can be used to lubricate the axle.

The cover is marked with the manufacturer’s name: Pullman (1862-1987).

Let’s take a look at the waiting room.

The train just arrived. Time to go out and take a look.

The Pacific Surfliner.

The train has departed. North of Santa Barbara, there’s a short double-tracked section that allows the southbound Coast Starlight to pass.

After the train passed, there was a brief moment of quiet.

The Coast Starlight arrived. Today’s power was two GE Genesis P42DC diesel locomotives.

After train spotting, we went to Loquita, a Spanish restaurant next to the station, for dinner.

The food there is a bit pricey, and service is a little slow, but I didn’t find any major issues otherwise.

The most famous dish is this seafood paella.

After dinner, we wandered around downtown Santa Barbara.

A bus was stopping at the curb.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, this place seems to have become a pedestrian street and has stayed that way to this day.

Without realizing it, we ended up at the Kimpton in Santa Barbara.

I have no idea why this place is always this expensive. Point redemption has stayed above 40,000 points all year, so there’s basically no chance to redeem a free-night stay!

To be honest... It doesn’t feel this place is that great either.

Back at the hotel, I looked up at the night sky.

There was a faint strip of cloud up there, and it gave the sky a different vibe.

Next Day

Still the same old saying: when the night is uneasy and restless, my home has a nighttime weeper; a traveler recites it three times and sleeps straight through until daybreak.

The next morning, we went to the hotel lobby at the front and had breakfast.

The Gold status on the Surpass card can get you some breakfast credit, which is better than nothing.

After breakfast, we went out for a little walk.

The pool was nearly empty, but Lizi didn’t bring a swimsuit... what a miss...

Crossed the street and took a walk by the beach.

A familiar sight—a Ventura County bus. How did it end up here?

Checkout time was near, so we went back to the room, grabbed our luggage, and checked out.

Afterword: Carpinteria Asphalt Pit

On the way back, we stopped at Carpinteria for a bit. This place has a famous asphalt pit.

A must-see for railfans: the Amtrak Coast Starlight is on time as it passed (this train does not stop at Carpinteria).

If you follow the path to the beach, you can see the asphalt.

There are offshore oil rigs nearby. To make oil extraction easier, water is injected into the rock layers, and asphalt slowly seeps out along weak points in the layers, eventually reaching this beach.

You can already smell the asphalt from this distance!

The dried asphalt, together with the stones, has formed a structure full of small holes.

Summary

88,000 points for one night, with a cash rate of about $400, so each point is only worth about 0.5 cents. Although it doesn’t match San Diego’s Red House, that’s still a pretty decent redemption (this hotel often has no standard rooms available for redemption).

Overall, as Lizi said: “When comparing things at the same level, it’s generally worse after changes”—an undeniable fact. So enjoy it while you still can!