Good Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member PaulaHerts
We stayed here for two nights on our way to the Big Sur and found the hotel suited us very well. It is fairly standard, but our room was large and very clean and the staff were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the complimentary breakfasts and the evening cheese and wine, this gave us a chance to chat to other people about the area and helped us plan the rest of our holiday. Our children are 11 and 14 and they both really enjoyed the aquariam and enjoyed eating at Bubba Gumps, both very close to the hotel. I am a huge John Steinbeck fan and found visiting Cannery row very interesting, it may not be very exciting for people who have not read his books.
Nice hotel with traffic problem
by TripAdvisor Member living-in-germany
We booked a room at this hotel after reading the reviews on TA and I would agree that it is very conveniently located. We parked at the hotel and walked to the aquarium and along Cannery Row. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, the rooms were clean and comfortable and the inner courtyard was full of beautiful flowers. The problem was the traffic which interfered with our sleep until we turned on the AC, which we really didn't need because it got quite cool at night. The complimentary breakfast was typical motel fare with paper plates and cups and not enough places to sit. Next time I would just get some coffee there and look for a nicer place to have breakfast. By the way, the price was quite a bit lower than the average mentioned here and we had a large room with two double beds. If you can deal with the noise of the traffic it's a good place to stay.
Great location, wonderful staff, but less than perfect otherwise
by TripAdvisor Member Eohippus
We stayed one night at this Holiday Inn Express and was pleasantly surprised in a number of regards. First, and foremost, the staff was wonderful, and this really did enhance our stay in the area. The gentleman at the front desk who checked us in (I really do wish I'd remembered to take his name) was more than accommodating. We'd arrived at 9:00 AM and he allowed us to check in despite an official check-in time of 3:00 PM and the fact that our room wasn't even ready yet (he gave us the keys with our promise not to enter until 10:30). He offered the whole family access to the ongoing breakfast, even though we hadn't actually paid for this extra meal, and provided us with dining advice, directions, and specific recommendations of things to see in the area we hadn't planned on seeing (one of which ended up being one of the highlights of our trip).
The location of the facility was perfect: within walking distance of the aquarium (and the hotel sells tickets to the aquarium. Do buy them here: you get an extra day pass for the same fee you'll pay at the aquarium itself and you won't have to wait on the horrendous lines there.) And there was obviously a great effort on the part of the company to get away from the drab beige-on-beige decor of Holiday Inns past: fabric headboards, and chintz curtains and bedspreads made for a more attractive room than I'd expected. Outside, the property is attractively landscaped with a tile patio and a bougainvillea-covered pergola over it.
The breakfast was also better than expected: not just the usual bread/muffin/bagel offerings, but hot cinnamon buns, hardboiled eggs, and containers of yogurt to round things out. We really enjoyed it.
There were a couple of negatives, though. For one, the walls are paper thin and everything is loud, loud, loud! When our neighbors took a shower, the sound actually drowned out the audio of our TV! It was unbelievable! Plus, seagulls roost on the roof and caw all night long. And despite the great effort to update the room decor, there was an aura of sloppiness about it: whoever cut the bathroom door to fit had started in at the wrong angle and then halfway through had obviously corrected himself, and the grout in the new tiles was all over the tiles themselves, and the carpeting had simply been rolled over some rather large lumps in the floor which I kept tripping over.
And one more annoying thing: to get to our room on the top floor, we had to take an elevator up, and then walk a few steps down, and then walk around a narrow widow's walk kind of thing, and then walk up a few more steps before reaching our room. This was not the most convenient thing to do with a couple of large suitcases.
Still, overall I was more than pleased and would definitely stay here again if I ever return to the area.
Great Location
by TripAdvisor Member Ron055
1/2 block from Cannery Row. The Rec Path is across the street. This is reasonably priced, compared to surrounding hotels. Two minor complaints were 1) bad cable TV reception and 2) extremely weak coffee at breakfast.
Would stay again
by TripAdvisor Member lisat1
We stayed for 2 nights and for the most part it worked out well. It's very well located and the hotel and room was clean. The breakfast buffet was decent and Iiked that they served skim milk, which can be hard to find in some hotels. The room was a good size. I do think it might be a little over priced. The biggest problem that we had was that a lot of rooms can only be accessed by using stairs. To get to our room, we loaded up a cart with our luggage and took an elevator to our floor. But right away you have to go down 8 stairs, so we had to take everthing off the cart and lug 2 big suticases among other items. After the stair case, you walk down a log hall and then up another 8 stairs. The luggage cart was not useful except to get up the elevator to our floor. This would make us consider staying at another hotel, but aside from this, our experience was good overall. The staff at the desk wasn't overly helpful. They did have an underground parking ramp that was free.
great stay here!!
by TripAdvisor Member Drdavid
Stayed here July 4th after a fantastic drive up PCH. Wanted a hotel where we could park the car and explore on foot and have a few beers, worked perfectly. Location couldnt be better, close to Aquarium and Cannery row everything convenient.
Room was large ,comfortable ,internet in room and well furnished. Free parking underneath and very helpfull desk staff who talked us in on the phone when many streets in Monterey were shut due to July 4th celebrations.
I dont see how you could fail to like this hotel and would return if I come back to Monterey
Very adequate for the price
by TripAdvisor Member Anna-Roz
Somehow I always feel compelled to write a review if a place was particularly good or particularly bad. This hotel was very adequate for my one-night business trip with a particularly good breakfast included. They also serve wine and cheese in the afternoon, a very nice little touch. Have no idea how this place would play out for a longer and more vacation-oriented stay, but it certainly was good enough for my purpose.
Real Nice
by TripAdvisor Member razzrazz
Better than expected. Traveling with 2 teenages so we always needed a rollaway or sofabed - had a huge room with sofabed & even when it was open there was pleny of room to get around - definitely recommend for families. Great continental breakfast, way more than expected - the wine & cheese was really nice as well & location in the lobby with tables & chairs makes it nice to meet other travelers & chat a bit about what they've been doing there. Nice location as well.
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