Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo

The man who checked us in was barely civil--certainly the coldest reception we've ever gotten at a hotel or b and b. When we got to our room, we discovered that in-room internet costs $9.95/day--a fact that was stated nowhere on the hotel's official website. We double-checked while we were there and mentioned it to the two desk clerks we dealt with during our two night stay. (Why did we stay two nights? I wanted to leave but my husband didn't want to be bothered.) Neither one offered to waive the fee nor did they dispute the fact that it wasn't mentioned on the website. When we returned home, I emailed the hotel manager. After several days, I sent a second email, which he finally answered. In it he claimed that it did say on the website that a fee applied and gave me a link to follow. Sure enough! Now it says it., but, of course, he maintains that it was there all along. It isn't the $20 so much as the dishonesty. One can only wonder what else the hotel is dishonest about. The view (pretty horses) and the pool were pleasant. Our room was dark and claustrophic. Because of a pedestal sink, there was no place in the bathroom to set anything down except the windowsill and the floor! Lighting was rather dim throughout. We found a charming b and b in Morro Bay that we will go back to if we ever return to the area.

Old smelly rooms badly in need of remodeling. Over price and under accommodate.

My mother and I went to the Madonna Inn for what we thought would be a very nice Christmas dinner. The mashed potatoes were powdered, the yams canned, the peas frozen and the ham canned. What a rip-off for $34.00 a plate! The only fresh part of the dinner were the carrot sticks and celery put on the table as an appetizer. We would NEVER go back!

We tried to check in early at the hotel. Got the worst service ever. We needed to get ready for a wedding at 3pm and they said our room would be ready by then. We asked if there was a place where we could get dressed and freshen up from our 5 hour drive down and to press our clothes. They refused any solution. It wasn't until my husband asked if they had a gym with a shower that they said he could use that. They wouldn't let us in the room for 10 minutes so we could press our clothes since this "nice" hotel didn't offer a laundry service. It was the rudest front desk clerk I have ever dealt with. When they finally agreed to let us in the room so we could use the iron and ironing board, the front desk clerk proceeded to tell me that he wanted our key to our room back and that I needed to come back for the key later. I told him, "Seriously? I need to come back and give you the key. What if I'm running late and don't have time?" He was snooty and told me he would appreciate it if I brought the key back. It was the worst service for the price. If I didn't have a toddler with me and we didn't attend a wedding here, I would have booked at the Embassy Suites down the road where it costs just the same. The place was noisy. You can hear everything around you. I could hear someone's TV and it probably wasn't even that loud. The beds were not that comfortable and the rooms were tacky. Only plus was that the room was clean.

Wow, would have loved to stay here but they messed up my reservation 3 times and charged me twice. Had to cancel everything and open up a credit card dispute. Total incompetence!

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!

we enjoyed the place but the walls were to thin that you could hear your next store neighbors it was like living in your own appartment building

I can accept kitsch and gaudy for fun because sometimes over the top is just a blast. But what couldn't believe was how out and out rude some of the wait staff was. I waitressed and bartended for years and would never make my customers feel like they were a bother to me. We sat down to breakfast and literally waited 15 minutes for coffee and water. Then when we finally gave up and ASKED the nearest waitstaff if we could have some she rolled her eyes and huffed over with a pot. I was mortified! My friends and I spent A LOT of money at the bar and the older gentleman who worked on the Saturday night we were there gave us dagger stares every time we came up for orders (since our cocktail waitress was no where to be found). I thought tipping him well would change his attitude but NO. He just looked at us like we were an annoyance and a bother to him. Honestly ...it was like they were doing us a FAVOR to be serving us. I must say thought that our dinner server at the Pink Steakhouse was FANTASTIC because she had the sweetest personality. However, they WAY overextended this poor girl as she was serving three HUGE parties at once and she was running around like a maniac. This really slowed up our service but we knew it wasn't her fault. We tipped 20% and I slipped her another $20 for being such a sport and not looking at us like she hated us....ahem...bartender. I thought the rooms and the overall look of the place were fun and I enjoyed that part of the experience but I won't go back with my family. My husband would never tolerate being treated that way by people who are supposed to be helping making your vacation FUN...not uncomfortable and awkward. I can never stand up for myself when I'm being treated badly by servers so I just put up with it and won't be back.

The first thing I noticed when opening our rooms door was an over powering smell of mildew. we burn incense to make the room more livable. we where charged a $50 smoking fee when my wife an i are both non-smokers. I think it is funny that the maids "detected" a smoke smell. but are unable to smell the mildew they should be cleaning. I will never go back.

My family and I stayed at the Madonna Inn on July 21st while driving up the Coast of California. The main attraction of this hotel are the rooms which each has a unique "theme" and are decorated differently. We were booked into the "Jungle Rock Room" which looks like a cave. I have young kids who were very excited about staying here. We checked in at approximately 2:30 pm. The front desk staff failed to mention that all power was out in the quest rooms (located in a differently building) due to a mylar balloon hitting the power lines. After walking into our dark, stuffy room which had no power, I called the front desk who "THEN" explained the about the power failure. They indicated that the power company was working to retore power. We went up to the swimming pool which was also without power and were unable to use the gym, jacuzzi or spa which was another attraction th the hotel. I called down to the front desk several times that afternoon and was asked to "be patient" and told that my bill would be adjusted to my satisfaction. The power finally came back on at 7:30pm that evening and it took over an hour to get the room cooled down by the air conditioner. At check out the next morning, I was given a $50.00 discount on my room rate of $264.00. I asked to speak with the manager who was conviently out of town. I paid the bill and left. I have since called the Madonna Inn several times and was treated poorly and rudely. The customer relations agent "Tish" just said "this was not our fault" and no further adjustment would be made to the bill. Her attitude was particularly cold and condescending. I would not recommend this strange, little, overpriced hotel based upon my experience. I think for the money, a Courtyard or Quality Inn would give a better value and nights sleep.