Days Inn Half Moon Bay

We’d stayed here a couple of times before and those visits were pleasant, with a good room. The problems started at the end of our second stay, when the toilet clogged. We hadn’t put anything in it, despite their suggestion that we had, but they blamed us and moved us to room 103. That room had bed bugs. On our third stay they put us in 103 again, and after the first night we realized the bugs were still there. We reported it and asked them to fix the problem, then they moved us to 102. There were no bed bugs there, but the bed was in terrible shape and really uncomfortable. The TV was also much smaller and older than the ones in the other rooms. Don’t let them put you in 102 or 103.

Joel was helpful and very customer focused. The location is nice, the rooms are clean and reasonably spacious, and you can walk to the beach. Room 100 had a strong moldy smell and a wet rug. We told the manager, but when we stayed there again two months later, nothing had changed. We were told someone had spilled water, apparently. The beds are hard, so keep that in mind, and the towels are tiny and feel like sandpaper. Other than Joel, ownership seemed to lack hospitality and customer service skills.

Breakfast had good coffee and juice, plus Danish pastries, cereal, and waffles you could make yourself. My room was quiet, spacious, and comfortable, and I had a pleasant stay a few months ago. I’d stay again on my next trip to HMB and recommend it to friends. I had a reservation issue after booking online. When I mentioned it at check-in, the desk clerk had me cancel it and entered a new one on site. With his help, I saved $10 a night.

It was convenient for our main stop, Seahorse Ranch, and we could walk to a good place to eat, the Barn. The room was clean, large for a hotel, and had all the amenities. The furniture was dated, but fine for a reasonably priced weekend stay. I liked that breakfast was offered, though it was sparse. I know continental breakfast isn’t supposed to be a big gourmet meal, but more filling choices like boiled eggs, waffles, or pastries make a big difference. It’s been hard to find places with that sort of breakfast lately, so it’s not just this hotel. I changed my rating from four stars to three after they called at 10:50 to ask if we were checking out, even though checkout was at 11. They could’ve waited 10 or 15 minutes to see if we’d be late. That call really soured how I felt about the stay.