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Ventura · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels downtown in Ventura

Peter Halvorsen

Peter Halvorsen The Nordics

Updated 1 September 2026 · 97 Ventura hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Ventura, out of the 97 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, all five scoring 4.7.

Ojai Valley Inn is the one I would book myself.

Ojai Valley Inn

Highest rated of the five

Ojai Valley Inn

★★★★★4.7 from 2,624 reviews

Ojai Valley Inn comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.7 from 2,624 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 5 star property and found under city centre.

97 hotels in Ventura qualified for this list and five made it. Carpinteria State Beach is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out

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All five, ranked

  1. Ojai Valley Inn1

    Ojai Valley Inn

    ★★★★★4.7 from 2,624 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  2. Carpinteria State Beach2

    Carpinteria State Beach

    ★★★★★4.7 from 4,851 reviews

    • Pool
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  3. Hotel El Roblar3

    Hotel El Roblar

    ★★★★★4.7 from 115 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  4. Purple Moon Sea Breeze Cottage4

    Purple Moon Sea Breeze Cottage

    ★★★★★5 from 143 reviews

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    • Waypoint Ventura Vintage Trailer Hotel & Campground5

      Waypoint Ventura Vintage Trailer Hotel & Campground

      ★★★★★4.8 from 229 reviews

      • Parking
      • Pet friendly
      • Kid friendly
      • Air conditioning

      Check rates Read more

    How this list was put together

    97 Ventura hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

    Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

    The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

    What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

    Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

    Peter Halvorsen

    Peter Halvorsen The Nordics

    Twenty-six years of teaching means 26 long summers. Trains and driving through most of Europe, now further afield, usually alone with a tent. Keeps every train ticket since 1994.

    Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.