Best Western Encinitas Moonlight Beach

The room seemed freshly renovated, with a modern look and nice decor. They were in the middle of renovations while changing from Day Inns to Best Western, and the lobby had been moved into a guest room. Parking was plentiful and free. The location is convenient for the shopping street, and Encinitas station is about a 10-minute walk away. The tradeoff is being so close to I-5 that there's a steady background traffic sound, which might bother some people.

We ended up taking our money elsewhere after Danny, the GM, canceled our reservation instead of trying to find a solution. He was condescending and prideful, and the way he handled the conversation cost the hotel $700. The whole interaction was disgusting. Corporate, if you're reading this, the problem is him. He showed no customer service or ability to solve problems, and you need to do better with hiring and handling complaints. The place looked badly run down and, for the price, was one of the most ghetto-looking places I'd seen in a long time. Update the photos so people know what they're paying for, and lower the rates to match what's actually provided. Online booking said taxes, fees, and expenses were included, so we thought that was the full price. Instead, they asked for another $400 when we arrived. I understand room deposits, but an extra $400 on top of what we were already paying for such low quality is unacceptable unless it's clearly disclosed in the booking or contract. I also asked where the form we were asked to sign said there was a $125 deposit for each room. It didn't, so where is that money going? It seems suspicious given what we saw and how he spoke to us. I wish the BB would stop by and do a real investigation. They lost our business, and the hotels down the road gained it. Maybe that's why those places have better reviews and more money to spend on appearance and quality. Save yourself the trouble and spend the extra $50-$100 to book down the road.

The remodel may look sleek, but it has made the rooms less functional. The new room I was given was a tiny micro room, created by splitting a larger one in two. There was one room-level light in a spot that didn't need lighting, plus a desk lamp that only lit a small patch of the desk. No overhead light, and no light for the narrow space between the bed and desk. The bathroom looked nice, but the tub and shower were no longer combined. The breakfast was coffee and instant oatmeal, without hot water or milk. The rooms should have been checked for quality, because they didn't seem legally habitable. I've stayed here several times over the years because the location is handy and it used to have the amenities I needed, even though it was a little run down. Last year I was glad to hear remodeling was underway and a breakfast room was supposed to be ready by 1/2026. When I came back recently, the motel was deep in construction and nowhere near finished. The room's black decor also made it hard to find the outlets. The table and chairs, microwave, in-room coffee maker, blow dryer, and enough lighting to see were gone. When I tried to deadbolt the door, it wouldn't lock or even latch, so there was no security. I went downstairs to complain and met Madelin? at the desk. She was extremely rude, insisted all rooms had shower/tub combos, and treated my concern as if I were lying. I showed her a photo of the shower, but she didn't apologize and instead said my opinion was rude. She went to get the manager. I'd met him before and thought he was nice, so I was surprised when he came in puffed up and condescending, suggesting I find somewhere else to stay. I reminded him I was a repeat guest, and only then did he look for another room. That room had a tub/shower combo and a door that locked. I settled in, then woke up shaking because the room was around 50 degrees. Cold ocean air came through the door where there was no weather stripping. I switched on the heater, but it blew cold air. I didn't want to complain again and hoped a hot bath would warm me up, but the water was ice cold too.

The only good thing is being able to walk to the beach. Renovations made the hotel noisy at all hours, and the front desk staff were nasty and rude, especially Danny the manager. Nobody cleaned our room even once. The furniture and fixtures were torn, dirty, scratched, and falling apart, while the bathroom was filthy and the faucets kept leaking. Don't stay here.