Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel by IHG

We picked this hotel because it's close to the cruise port, and weren't sure what to expect after reading earlier reviews. We arrived well before check-in, but the two women at the front desk greeted us warmly and let us into our room early. Our harbor view Jr suite was clean, well maintained and roomy, and it was quiet enough for a comfortable night's sleep. They also sent a nice text to ask if we were happy with the room or needed anything. The shuttle to the ship was just $11 per person, which saved us from needing an Uber or taxi. Several good restaurants and attractions are an easy walk away, including the waterfront, maritime museum and USS Iowa. I highly recommend this hotel and wouldn't hesitate to stay again when I'm back in the area.

I had a decent night's rest in a spacious room with a comfortably supportive bed, and the hotel is roughly a 15-minute walk from the cruise terminal. That's close enough to be convenient, though walking with luggage still takes some effort, especially before an early departure. There are a few cafés and casual restaurants nearby, but Sunday breakfast choices are limited, so plan ahead. At this price, I expected more attention to the room. It felt dusty, and turning on the air conditioning made that obvious right away. My dust allergies flared up and affected my comfort. The biggest frustration was the hot water: it turned cold during a shower twice, once in the early evening and again the next morning, even though I was told it had already been fixed. For a hotel serving cruise passengers, reliable hot water should be a given. Crowne Plaza San Pedro Harbor works as a practical overnight stop thanks to the room size and its relative closeness to the port, but cleanliness and basic maintenance let it down. More care with those details would make it a much smoother start to a long-awaited cruise.

The room was a clean, well-kept and fairly spacious harbor view suite. It had a mini fridge, couch and tea table in the living area, plus a small coffee machine with coffee and tea. We arrived around 11 am and were checked in right away at no extra charge. It's a great spot for a cruise, about a five-minute drive from the port, and they offer a shuttle for $12 per person. There are plenty of restaurants and bars within walking distance, it's close to the Little Italy, and there's also a cozy hotel restaurant open for breakfast, brunch and dinner. They have a laundromat, pool and gym, though we didn't have time to try them. The only annoying part was that someone started using a drill or something loud outside at 6 am. That had nothing to do with the hotel. We had a great stay.

We had a wonderful view, and the rooms were reasonably nice and clean. The front desk staff were friendly and helpful. I only held back a star because the outside of the windows wasn't very clean, though I don't blame the cleaning staff for that. The location made it easy to find restaurants, and Enterprise Car Rental is right next to the hotel. A family member rented a car at the airport and returned it here. Breakfast isn't free, so some of us ate at the restaurant while others had food we'd brought in our room. The shuttle to the cruise port costs extra but took only 4-5 minutes. Walking takes 18-19 minutes, not the 5-10 minutes others mentioned, according to Google Maps. My husband has a health issue, so having the shuttle was helpful. If you don't mind walking that distance with luggage, it is walkable and would save money. We could have taken Uber or a taxi too, but booking the shuttle at the front desk when we checked in was easier. If it were free, it must have been very hard to reserve.