Review title
Awful hotel, run away quickly!
Review excerpt
I've grown up wanting to go the Madonna Inn. We would always pass by it on our way to the coast, and I always said someday I would stay there. That opportunity presented itself this past Saturday. I now wish it hadn't.
We stayed in the Madonna Suite, and it was everything you would expect. The over-the-top pink decor and rock bathroom definitely tickled my fancy and kept me saying, "Wow!" Seriously, if you book a room at the Madonna, you're excepting a certain degree of tacky charm (I mean, isn't that precisely why people stay there?), and this room definitely delivered.
What I didn't count on were the rude patrons slamming doors, yelling, and smoking right outside our room. The Madonna Suite is situated in a cavernous corner, and it seems all the smell and noise drifted right into our room. We called the front desk twice to complain, and they didn't seem concerned.
Other noise came from the hotel itself. We could hear people in the room above us turn on their faucet...the actual turning of the faucet! Of course, we could also hear everything else, which didn't make for a restful attempt at sleeping.
My husband and I decided to check out around 11:30 p.m. We went to the registration desk where we were asked if we were checking in. I replied that we were checking out. He started the check-out process, proceeding in silence while my husband and I stood there. The man finally asked if there was a problem, and my husband explained. The man didn't say anything. You would think he would at least apologize or offer to move us to a different room, but there was nothing. He finally said that he had reversed the room charge.
My husband and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Monterey Street. It was a bargain ($109) compared to the Madonna Inn ($299), and it was a much better experience. The friendly desk clerk checked us in quickly and in a friendly manner. Our room was quiet, clean, and spacious. While we didn't take advantage of the complimentary breakfast in the morning as we were meeting family, the breakfast area looked quite nice. I would definitely recommend staying there if you're in there area.
On a side note, the steakhouse at the Madonna Inn was fabulous! I had the French filet mignon and my husband had the fried chicken. Both main dishes were hot and flavorful. The pilaf lacked flavor, so I would definitely stick with the baked potato. If you're looking for a taste of the Madonna Inn's decor, stick with the restaurant. Don't waste your money on a room!