The Sofia Hotel, San Diego

I had never stayed in a boutique-type hotel before and had always wanted to so we booked here since we wanted to be downtown. I read all the reviews so I knew what to expect and there were no unpleasant surprises. But I was even more impressed with the quality and cleanliness of this hotel .. ESPECIALLY given the age of the building. There isn't much counter space but there are two large drawers beneath the sink. MORE than handy and actually more desirable than having ALL of your toiletries sitting out. I love the magnifying mirror on the wall. We were lucky and had a suite with a tub, but I was actually looking forward to having the shower stall. I found the issue of towel hooks not an issue at all. They were fine for us. The drawer/closet space was plenty If you've read the reviews and viewed the photos, you'll know exactly what kind of place this is and won't feel that you've been baited and switched as so often happens with best-foot-forward misleading adverts. This is a great location, easy to get around from, and the staff are MOST accommodating. This is where we will stay the next time we come to San Diego and we hope to bring our four-footed "kids" with us!!

My husband and I booked the Sofia Hotel last minute because we were spending a couple of days in San Diego. We didn't know what to expect before we got there, especially knowing it was downtown and seeing all kinds of interesting people hanging around. However, we were surprised and amazed at how nice the hotel was! The rooms are very, very tiny (probably because it is historic) but every detail is modern, quality, and beautiful. We stayed on the 7th floor and had a beautiful view of the city and the bay. We really wished we had more time there. Definitely check it out!

The decor was beautiful. Very hip and trendy. We stayed over Labor Day weekend and loved that we were so close to the Gaslamp District. But the rooms are tiny. The front door opens and there is the bathroom sink. There is no counter space, only one hook to hang a towel and we had to search for over 10 minutes to find it! The shower looks nice with the open glass wall but it's not practical. Water gets everywhere. The closet and mirrors are tiny. We are 6' tall and I don't know where they get these queen size beds but they bear no resemblance to the queen bed we had at home. Soooo tiny. The steep valet parking at $25 per day for hotel guests is just a rip off. As for the service, the nicest people were the bell staff and the valet staff. The front desk staff were rude and indifferent to the guests. We contacted the front desk about the size of our bed believing it was a full and we paid for a queen. We were told to meet the front desk person on another floor and he would show us what the full beds looked like. We went to the room indicated and he never showed up. We were just left standing around waiting. Finally we went down to the front desk only to be told they had no idea who said that and there was nothing they could do. As for the fancy restaurant downstairs, pass on it. No need to pay $18 for meatloaf when you can walk less than a block away and enjoy a wide variety of foods at reasonable prices. In the end we lodged a complaint through Travelocity and are waiting for our refund. We will never stay at this hotel again and would recommend to other travelers to try one of the many other hotels in the area. This is to be a last resort only if the choices are the Sofia and sleeping in the park.

The rooms were tiny, but the style was great. I'm not sure why someone disliked the shower, while staying there I never managed to get more than a few drops of water outside the shower. They give you floor mats for a reason :) My main thing was the fact that our room was haunted. It was on the sixth floor, and during the night, the lights would click as if trying to turn on, our bed would feel as if it was being kicked, and when whatever it was was ignored, it would attempt the same thing on the other side of the bed! The biggest part of the haunting was watching with both eyes open, as whatever it was, opened then closed the blackout curtains with two people watching from the bed. Spooky and awesome, I was totally not afraid, and it was almost like a child was trying to get our attention, so for paranormal buffs, this might be a place to check out!

We stayed here one night before leaving on a cruise ship. We chose the Sofia because it had been recently redone and because it seemed to centrally located. The room was small but adequate. We could not figure out how to work the TV and there were no instructions or TV guide. The restaurant was not open yet but there was a coffee shop next door and a Wendy's across the street.

After reading positive reviews, I decided to give the Sofia a try for two recent biz trips. Not a good choice. For $9.99 a day, the internet connection, when it was working, was painfully slow. Va;et parking is a hefty $25.00 per night. The long awaited restaurant is still not open so there is no room service nor a bar. When checking in on one visit, the front desk clerk announced my room number out loud in front of other waiting guests. This just isn't cool and it isn't safe. Do not stay in a room on the upper floors - they are very hot even with the air conditioning blasting. The walls are paper thin... I could hear the couple next door doing it at 2 AM. The bathrooms are designed to look cool, but they don't function well. The shower doesn't have a curtain or a door. Water drips on the floor. The basin sinks are too high.

We had a great stay at the Sofia hotel. The hotel is beautifully designed and the staff is friendly. Although the rooms are a bit small, they have everything that you need. The location of the hotel is very good as well. Would definitely stay here again.

We booked this hotel based on the price and the fact that it had recently been remodeled. The service was great! It was a little misleading when I booked the reservation. I booked two rooms for two families, both with small children. The rooms were extremely small and so were the elevators. Also, the bathroom is a shower only and only has a partial door, so the floor gets really wet when taking a shower. The rooms are extremetly nice if just for adults. The low rate may be appealing, but if you are bringing a car it is $25/day to park! We stayed Arpil 2007. Walking distance to the mall, but just remember you are close to the downtown "live in's".

I'm not sure exactly why there are reviews of a hotel called "The Pickwick," which people dislike so much on this thread, but when I recently stayed at the new Sofia I was extremely pleased with the quality of the rooms, location and the price I paid. The hotel is still not 100% complete - at the time of my stay they were still building a restaurant & bar in the lobby - but everything else was fantastic. Great service, very clean rooms (probably too small to take a family with young kids to)and amazing location. We were able to walk to many great sites in and around downtown and had easy access to the highway to make it around to the other sites in San Diego. I frequently visit San Diego and have stayed at many hotels, however going forward I will only be staying at the Sofia.