BEST WESTERN PLUS Island Palms Hotel & Marina, San Diego

The desk made us feel welcome and we talked to them everytime we left the hotel. Only thing i would suggest isbooking this at SweetHotelDeals. N e t

All in all It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at SweetHotelDeals. N e t. They usually have some pretty good deals on there.

We always choose this chain with confidence and same was in this location. Nothing to complain.

This property exceeded our expectations. The location is great if you have a car ... minutes from downtown and all major sightseeing venues. And fyi parking is free (a rarity in San Diego). We stayed in a standard d/d room with a marina view. It was small but well-apportioned and had a quaint charm. The grounds and marina view were so appealing that when we were hanging out at the hotel we were usually outside since our room had a small porch. Also, the hotel provides a code for free internet access in your room. The bathroom had a nice shower but no tub. It also had a small refrigerator. The hotel is across the street from a city park on the bay, which has a beach on one end and a fishing pier on the other. We did not take advantage of all the outdoor activities that were available to us even though we were there 5 nights. [I've started my list of things to do for the next trip.] The only problem we had was one morning I awoke to find ants in the bathroom. However, maintenance was there within minutes of my call to the front desk to take care of the problem. All staaff were extremely friendly and helpful. This hotel is perfect for a romatic get-away or a low-key family get-together. And, for the price ... this is the best deal in town.

Let me preface my comments by first saying I am very picky when it comes to hotels. This property is actually the combination of two hotels. Casa del Mar is seemingly the newer hotel of the two. I believe Casa del Mar is mostly the suites. We did not stay in Casa del Mar, we stayed in the Island Palms, adjacent property. I believe both hotels operate under the name of Island Palms Best Western. I would stay here again but in Casa del Mar. The Island Palms facility itself is older, beautiful with its mature trees and shade however our room smelled moldy, there were ants in the room, the beds are quite small and very low. The rooms were tight, a little dark. Having said that it is just a room to sleep in and overall it was clean, I found it acceptable. I walked through Casa del Mar just to check it out, it is definitely much cleaner, brighter, larger rooms, seemingly much newer, etc. The LOCATION of this property is AMAZING. It is incredible with just steps to a small beach on the marina, access to both pools at either hotel, steps to rent a kayak or go fishing, free bike riding. We traveled to San Diego for a wedding, our friends who booked at other hotels more out of town to save money were quite jealous. They paid as much as us or more and didn't get half the hotel and sacrificed location. You could almost never have to get in the car and go anywhere else, something for everyone right there. The rates were incredibly low for such a tremendous location, what a steal! Parking is completely FREE, did I mention FREE? Internet is completely FREE. There is an on-site washer/dryer you can use for a nominal cost of like $1.00 per load, fabulous if you there with family like we were. Bikes are complimentary at the hotel. Kayking just across the street is something like $20 per 2 hours, another great steal. The two pools are great, the Island Palms with more ambience and an outdoor bar, Casa del mar more modern with a nice fireplace outdoors. Next time I would definitely rent a junior suite in Casa Del Mar, I think definitely worth the additional costs and there really simply is no better location. I peaked in on a suite in the Casa Del Mar and it looked fabulous. Most anything on the Marina side has an incredible view, make sure you book a room on the Marina side no matter which hotel you are at. Every room on the marina side of Casa Del Mar had a private little patio. The Island Palms rooms only the large rooms had patios, ours just a chair with a little lawn, still very nice to just step right outside and view the beautiful marina and the boats, the water, etc. The hotel is secluded making you feel like you are on an island yet it is just minutes and I mean minutes to just about everything you want to see in San Diego. I checked out the other hotels while I was there that I had looked at online before my travels, they just don't compare, much more commercialized areas with tons of people and traffic. Island Palms is difficult to explain and the photos don't do it justice, but the VIEWS are just INCREDIBLE. Humphrey's, adjacent to the Best Western, looks nice to stay at also. I believe all are owned by the same developer who appears to be snatching up all the properties on Shelter Island. Humphreys has outdoor concerns which you could hear lightly down the street, if you're younger you might enjoy staying there and listening to the concerts. Insider Tip: A local told us about SUNSET CLIFFS ... DEFINITELY worth the trip. Sunset Cliffs is an incredible view of the ocean, the views watching the sunset are breathtaking, again, words don't do it justice. Sunset Cliffs is also great just to look at the beautiful homes, have a picnic, walks some trails (its a public park). We watched locals propel themselves down the cliffs to the small private beach and surf in, while the sun sets, really incredible.

Just returned from our 25th anniversary trip to San Digeo. The Best Western Island Palms is amazing. We loved it. The room was beautiful. It was large and clean with comfortable beds. We were in a lovely corner room. "Thanks Shilo." We had a balcony from which we could see the marina and the bay. We also had a large window that gave us a full view of the bay. We could watch the small boats and an occasional cruise ship. The grounds and lobby were beautiful also. There is a nice area across the street with a lovely path to walk on. The marina is on the other side of the hotel and is nice to watch the boats. We arrived at the hotel after a long day of flying from the east coast and driving from Los Angeles. Both of us were tired but hungry. The restaurant staff was wonderful in having our food order placed in to go boxes. They even supplied us with wonderful bread and utensils. They definitely went above and beyond to make us feel special. This was the feeling from the entire staff. They are very friendly and willing to do what it takes to make your stay special. The food was delicious. We had breakfast in the restaurant. The food again was delicious. We had a table by the window and was amazed at the view. We didn't go in the pool but did it looked wonderful. The hotel is close to the airport, zoo and other attractions. We will definitely plan to make another trip back to the BW Island Palms.

This place was wonderful for our short vacation in San Diego, it was really close to the airport, and easy to find. The view is wonderful and the rooms are clean. The staff is very friendly and helpful. My only complaint was the lighting in our room, it seems to always be dark no matter what time of the day. The pool and hot tub were clean and well kept. We had breakfast at the restaurant our last morning and it was very good but a bit expensive.

Great view, clean room, bath spacious and nicely done. However room cramped, beds double and not queen. However that said the place was clean and if you like boating you'll love this place great views on either side. The Blue Wave restaurant was excellent as well. Service was timely and nice. Next to Humphrey which is pricier so I think this was a great deal for the location. We did sea world and zoo and not a bad drive and nice to out of the city and still part of it.

This is a great place to stay clean rooms, best customer service and lots and lots of parking! It's close to everything yet, far enough away that you feel like you left all the tourist behind. I picked this place based on other reviews and they were right on!

We stayed here in May 2008. Service was excellent and staff very friendly. They upgraded our room since it was not that crowded. Very clean and relaxing (pool and hot tub overlooking marina). Wonderful park across the street for long walks. Would definitely go back.