Santa Barbara Bargains: Motel 6 #1 and La Super-Rica Taqueria

Filed under: On the Road — StyleGuide @ 6:26 am

Santa Barbara is one of those L.A. getaways where you could easily drop an entire month’s rent in a weekend.  Here are a few of my tricks to getting to the beaches on a budget:

1.  Motel 6, Number 1 is a no-frills, bare-bones motel that has garnered near-mythical status, even across the globe — my Danish friends insisted we book there when they came to visit.  The appeal of this particular Motel 6 is location (a quick two blocks to the beach), and price (cheap, cheap, cheap).  Otherwise, don’t expect much beyond a small, clean room and a mini outdoor pool.  Now’s the best time to make your summer weekend reservations, so keep these tips in mind: 1. Ask for an ocean view, but be aware there’s no guarantee, and 2. Take advantage of the fact that there’s no “minimum two-night stay” on weekends (near-standard practice among Santa Barbara accommodations).

2.  Eat at La Super-Rica Taqueria.  It isn’t much to look at, just a dumpy little stand housing the kitchen next to a postage stamp-sized concrete pad crammed with plastic patio furniture and covered with a battered awning.  Its claim to fame is a shout-out from Julia Child, and we had our own (D-list) celebrity sighting while waiting in the hour-long line.  Nevertheless, the tacos — consisting of inventive fillings on thick corn tortillas — are cheap, and the diverse crowd — consisting of rough-looking neighborhood teens and mature, tanned, well-dressed, Lexus SUV-driving locals — is interesting and friendly.

With the beach in your motel’s backyard, and a sack of tacos from La Super-Rica, you can finally appreciate Santa Barbara’s best without worrying about your credit card limits. 

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