Monterey Fairgrounds Inn

I’ve stayed at several independent motels in Monterey, and this one is as good as the others. It’s an older place, but clean, and the people at the desk are very nice. Things wear out sometimes, but if there’s an issue, they’re happy to deal with it and fix it. They also don’t double or triple the prices just because it’s a weekend or holiday. Don’t pay attention to the negative crap.

We stayed two nights for the jazz festival, and the location was amazing, but that was the best part. There was a slug in our sink, trash left behind by the previous guest, and some socket covers were broken. I suspect there may be health violations, but we only slept there two nights and put up with it. Thankfully the beds were clean, though not very comfortable. Our key cards kept losing their magnetism, which was really annoying. You can’t keep them near your wallet or phone, so I think they need better cards. The shower had no pressure, the fixtures looked like they were from 1980, and the bath was rusty with missing parts. Wi-Fi kept disconnecting too. The front-desk staff were nice enough, although they made me feel like it was my fault their cheap cards didn’t work. I wouldn’t return.

We booked at the last minute for race weekend, when every hotel had pushed prices way up, and I guess this is what I get for trying to save money. The staff were friendly enough, but we arrived and were immediately worried by the state of the place. The floors looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a while. My wife’s clean white socks were visibly dirty after just a couple of minutes. The beds felt barely softer than plywood, and the pillows were too soft to give any support. The room was partly painted and some things were broken. The shower had no pressure at all, and we didn’t even try the pool.

The service and location were good, but the room was very dirty. The room and bathroom floors plainly hadn’t been cleaned, the coffee maker had old grounds in it, there was cooking grease and dirt around the stove, and droplets were on the toilet seat. The bottom of our socks turned black, so keep your shoes or socks on. The beds were uncomfortable and the pillows were extremely flat and thin. The hotel looks like it’s falling apart. For this price, I expected much better quality.