La Serena Inn

Our anniversary stay turned into a stressful night, and I can’t recommend this hotel unless it makes serious improvements. We drove a long way hoping for a relaxing getaway. Booking by phone had gone smoothly, and we knew before arriving that the air conditioning was broken. We were tired and decided to go ahead anyway. But at check-in, the room was in no condition for guests. Trash was scattered around, the bed and sheets were dirty, and it looked like someone had already slept there. It felt unsanitary and unsettling. We called the after-hours manager, Natalie. She acknowledged the problem and offered to do her best to clean it herself, which we appreciated, but she wasn’t housekeeping staff, and at 11 p.m. we didn’t feel comfortable expecting her to sanitize the room properly. Management refunded our payment, but offered no other accommodation or help. Since the hotel was full, we had to scramble late at night to find another place, which cost more. There should be better checks and accountability to make sure rooms are cleaned and inspected before check-in. This completely derailed our anniversary trip, and left us very disappointed. The original phone booking itself had gone fine, but that was about the only positive.

The rooms were nice enough for our stay, and most attractions were within walking distance. It’s close to the bay, but the elevators weren’t working. Breakfast was very ordinary.

We won’t be back because of the maintenance problems. The fireplace didn’t work in our first room, so we asked to move, but then the heater and AC unit in the second room was broken too. The elevator also wasn’t working. Breakfast was included, but we didn’t like it and went out to eat.

We paid in advance for an ocean-view, pet-friendly room and booked directly with the hotel. When we arrived, they told us neither the ocean-view room nor the pet-friendly option we’d requested was available. I still don’t understand how that mix-up happened. They put us in a back room facing the alley and parking lot instead. One window had no privacy curtain, so the room felt like a cave. I hope they adjust the rate, because we prepaid a much higher price for an ocean view. Traveling with a child under two and a dog is already a lot, and having to look for another hotel would have made it worse. We came on vacation for a change of scene and wanted a nicer place to stay, especially since our child still naps and we’d be spending time in the room. If we wanted something very basic, we could’ve found it much cheaper. Such a disappointment.