The Rambler Hotel

The first floor worked well for us: we parked right outside our room, and the motel is next to the 5 freeway. We had a great stay overall. There’s a small cafe, grab-and-go food, retro arcade machines, a poolside fireplace, and even s'more kits for sale. You can borrow a bike, and the staff were friendly, accommodating, and excellent. I loved the colorful, artsy room. The shower gets hot quickly, so be sure to test the water. A few things affected the room rating. Little black bugs came out of the sink, and the A/C wasn’t cooling very well, so it got hot while we slept. The floors and walls are also thin. Kids in the room above ran up and down the hall and knocked on walls, and I could hear people walking upstairs. Kids will be kids, but I’d hoped to sleep until checkout. It probably wouldn’t bother an early riser. Still, the motel is great for the price.

The beds were incredibly comfortable, the place was clean, and getting in from the highway was easy. Breakfast is complimentary, though it’s cold food only. For this price and these accommodations, having breakfast at all is a nice extra. The fancy Gaylord down the road costs three times as much for what I found to be the exact same room, and it doesn’t include breakfast. We originally booked here one night at a time because we weren’t sure of our plans, but we ended up spending all three San Diego nights at the Rambler, returning after each one. Great value, and I’d stay again if I came back to San Diego.

The staff are wonderful, always kind and ready to help. They also keep homemade cold brew on hand. It’s really good, and cheaper than buying coffee at a shop. This is one of the best motels I’ve stayed at. The room is colorful and quite nice for a motel, although the bathroom and shower area are small.

The Americana decor is cute, with fun touches inspired by classic road trips and Route 66. Since every room opens straight onto the parking lot, keep in mind that it’s technically a motel. We used IHG points, so it was a solid value for a free night. For check-in, use the middle driveway, where the office is. Breakfast is free but very basic, enough to get on the road without being hungry, so don’t expect a full spread. A nice themed place for a quick stay.