3 weeks ago
What a treat it was to stay here with my daughter, who flew into San Francisco on a Friday afternoon. It was an easy 35-minute drive from the airport, and we arrived just in time for the 5:30 wine reception and sunset. Check in was easy and fast, staff was informative, professional and friendly. And we met fun people in the lobby by the fireplace during the wine reception.
After checking in, we took a short walk along the well-lit beachside walkway and found ourselves at Sam's Chowder House. After a tasty dinner, we strolled back to the hotel, threw on our suits and hotel robes and went to the hot tub, which was open until 11pm! (Such a pleasant surprise given how stingy hotels tend to be with their hot tub hours, often closing by 8pm.) The HUGE hot tub was the perfect temperature, hot but not scalding. After our soak, we went back to our room and lit the ingenious little burlap fire-in-a-sack and enjoyed a blazing fire while I caught up on all my daughter had been up to while away at school.
The next morning, we were pleasantly surprised by the cozy fireplace and marina views we found in the breakfast room, which offered a tasty assortment of pastries, along with fruit, freshly squeezed juices, coffee, tea, etc. The many varieties of croissants were especially delicious! They even have trays you can use to take your breakfast back to your room. We made up a small tray with fruit and treats to enjoy later with our leftover seafood from the night before, which made for a tasty lunch we enjoyed by the pool that afternoon after we checked out. They were very kind to give us an extra hour to check out and then gave us a pool key so we could go in and out of the pool area as needed once we turned our room keys in. To top off the day, we took a sunset stroll along the wide-open beach that you can access directly from the pool area. All in all, it was a lovely overnight trip that gave us the special girl time this mama's heart was longing for! My husband and I just booked our return visit to celebrate our anniversary, and this time we are splurging on an ocean view room. Can't wait to go back!!
For this trip, I decided not to pay extra for a room with a view because the whole place has lovely views, and we didn't plan to spend many daylight hours in our room. Here are a few things to note about our Standard Queen Suite room:
- Good soundproofing. Our room faced the busy road, but we heard no road noise, unless the balcony doors were open. Never head noise from our neighboring rooms.
- Clean, spacious room with comfy beds, quality linens and fluffy pillows.
- The sofa was a bit too firm for us when closed, so we opened it up into the sofa bed. It was fine for snuggles, but I would not have wanted to sleep on it! Probably for little kids who are not too picky. :)
- The shower/tub combo had hot water with decent pressure. Appreciated the two sinks and good counter space. Good hairdryer, not the tiny travel kind.
- Big dresser is provided. Closet space was a bit tight due to the safe, extra pillows and ironing board.
- The kitchenette is really well equipped with two electric stove burners, a toaster, coffee maker, microwave, and fridge. It even has a kettle for a cozy cup of tea by the fire. (Bring your own tea bags if you're like me an prefer fruity herbals to Earl Grey or tea with flowers in it.) Lots of storage for your own groceries, if you bring them. Dishes, utensils and silverware provided.
- Sound system wasn't super intuitive. I will bring my Bluetooth speaker next time.
As for the price, I found this place to be such a great value! At $310/night, it ends up being cheaper than a city hotel that charges $250/night because there is no resort fee and no fee to park. Throw in free breakfast, free wine reception, direct beach access, hot tub and heated pool with views for days–you get a lot of bang for your buck!
