Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo

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.

Yes- it's crazy, over the top, and some areas are a little worn. But dang it, it is fun. We love the crazy rooms and common areas. The new pool area is absolutely fantastic. Every time we have eaten at the restaurant, the food has been terrific and the service excellent. Only problem I ever encountered was a really rude guy with a fake accidents who worked at the reception desk. He was amazingly rude, but the managers more than made up for his attitude. Visit the pool, have a steak, ask fellow travelers to swap room tours and enjoy!!!!

We were booked into the Caveman room which was absolutely the most unique room I have stayed in. However the waterfall shower was more like two hoses pointing at each other and spraying water in all directions. There was no bottled water available to buy in the room or on the location, no room service and not a tap in sight to even fill a glass with. We booked dinner in the steak house and spent a fortune eating bland steaks and frozen vegetables. The next morning we were woken at 6.45AM by the sound of drilling, sawing and hammering. There is a note at check out saying that there is construction within limited hours but I certainly don't consider 6.45AM limited. When the receptionist asked me how our stay was I told her it was not good, her response was "Oh dear, feel free to take a complimentary postcard on your way out"!!!!! I was so shocked I just left without saying a word.

My family stayed one night, which was one night too many, in two dingy, overpriced rooms. We waited a long time to be served at dinner, only to be given chipped water glasses, seriously undercooked steak, and attitude from the servers. The males in our group were disgusted by the urine soaked floor (and one feces smeared toilet) in the restaurant area's men's room. Our exit the next morning felt more like an escape than a departure.

I couldn't wait... well really my chic fell asleep and I'm awake drinking the rest of our wine. Fact is, I've never had a better hotel stay then this. I play in a band for a living so I stay in lots of places, and I've never had a better stay than tonight at the Madonna in the Just Heaven room. If you can appreciate eccentric decor, amazing dining, and a staff that's only here to satisfy you, then get your ass here and enjoy yourself. Within ten minutes of checking in, I bugged the staff 4 times for a refrigerator (which they actually, physically brought to our room), a corkscrew, and questions up the (youknowwhat). We come to SLO all the time to vacation from SoCal, and we didn't even leave the hotel this stay. It's that enjoyable. If you want a once in a lifetime, five star experience, stay and eat at the Madonna. Any time I can afford it, I'll never stay anywhere else. Otherwise, I'll be at the super 8 wishing I was here instead. Just don't stay at the ramada olive tree, trust me...

i liked the idea of all the different rooms. i figured that for the price, there would be more to the place than than just the tacky decor. at best, they just didn't seem to care. maybe that's part of the experience. when i complained that to heat didn't work in the room and that the cleaning lady walked into my room at 8am despite a sign on the door clearly requesting not to be disturbed in multiple languages, there was nothing even close to an apology. in the morning i went for breakfast where i sat at the counter and was ignored for so long, i left. if you have to, go and look. have a piece of pie. you're better off staying somewhere else.