Pine Acres Lodge

Everything was very clean and well cared for, and the location is handy for downtown Pacific Grove and the coast. The aquarium is about a 10-minute drive away. Our room turned out smaller than we expected, especially with our daughter’s wheelchair and other special needs. We knew space might be an issue, but not quite this much. Without those needs, it would’ve been a perfect, cozy little stay.

It felt like being at home, and there was plenty of room for all four of us. Having a kitchen was great, even though we didn’t make meals. We first stayed here on our honeymoon forty years ago, when it was a quaint, cute place. It’s been redone since then and looks lovely now.

We’ll definitely come back. The place is quaint and comfortable, with just a few quiet, well-equipped units. The hot tub is large, and there’s a nice BBQ with everything you need. Wi-Fi was fast and dependable while I worked, and there’s cable HD TV and a faux fireplace. Our efficiency had a very comfortable full king Murphy bed, plus lots of drawers and cupboards. The kitchen’s small but well stocked, and the dining table seats four.

I’ve been coming here for years and love this quaint resort, but after what happened I can’t trust the management to take sincere concerns and guest safety seriously. We found what looked like a nest of bed bugs under the mattress pad on our last night in November. That night I researched what to do and took every precaution I could: got rid of the luggage, bagged our belongings, and caught a bug in a water bottle. I gave the staff the bug, photos of the bugs and some bites, and details I thought might help. My research said a professional pest company needed to treat it quickly or it could spread through the resort. Staff said they’d called a company, so I asked to speak with them for advice on keeping the bugs out of my home. I also saw cleaning crews in the room as soon as we left. It seemed odd, but I assumed they knew how to handle it. I didn’t hear anything until late the next evening, when an email said the room had been thoroughly inspected and no bugs were found. It also said the pest company thought my photos could show bed bugs, but that the surface in the pictures wasn’t a blanket from the Lodge, and that the bugs may have come in with our belongings. They told us to check our home and said they’d watch for an infestation. That response made me worry they were covering up a problem and being dishonest about what they’d done. I suspected another guest might have been put in the room, so I asked for the inspector’s name. After a week of evasive emails, manager Debra finally admitted that no pest control company had inspected it. At that point I notified the Health Department and the HOA. Several weeks later, Pine Acres property management emailed to say the room had been treated by a pest company seven days after we checked out. That made me suspect other guests may have stayed there and been exposed before treatment. A few months later, after the room had been treated, I came back for another trip, though I was anxious about it. I was relieved not to find bed bugs in our unit. I tried to clear the air with Debra by writing a note and apologizing in case there’d been a misunderstanding. Before I could talk, she was abrupt, abrasive, and rude, which confirmed my interpretation of her emails. I believe she deliberately misled me and dodged questions. She said she stood by how she handled everything. When I asked whether someone else had stayed in the unit the week after we were exposed, she refused to answer and told me to leave her office. I tried to help deal with something that had badly affected my family, and I have serious concerns about how it was handled. The way I was treated was shocking. I don’t understand how someone who shows so little respect for guests can stay in this role.