San Ysidro

I was exhausted at 10pm and couldn’t face searching for another hotel, though I should have left. The staff were hostile, and the whole property was filthy, with mold and garbage around. The concrete stairs to my second-floor room were broken and jagged. Inside, the sheets were dirty and wrinkled, with graffiti on the walls and scratches on the furniture. The bathroom was worst: filthy, clogged toilet that wouldn’t flush, a dirty tub, and no running water. There was no TV remote either. I asked for another room and was told none were available. They also refused my refund request. I should’ve checked Google Maps reviews instead of the hotel website. See photos.

The front desk staff were so kind, check-in was quick, and I didn’t have to do a formal checkout, which was great. The continental breakfast was nice, with instant oatmeal, yogurt, and three kinds of cereal. The room, though, was a hard stay. The carpet was so filthy I avoided walking on it, and I wore flip-flops in the shower. The sheets made me itch, so I slept fully dressed on top of them with a sweater.

I got in after midnight while crossing the country, slept, and left by 7am. They still kept my $200 deposit, claiming there was "damage" when there wasn’t any. It cost $100 a night for a filthy shack, and the customer service was the rudest I’ve ever dealt with. Absolutely the worst hotel I’ve stayed at. I won’t be back. Don’t waste your money here, crooks!

We left as soon as we woke up, then stopped at a relative’s place to wash off what felt like whatever disease our skin might have picked up there. We couldn’t bring ourselves to bathe in the disgusting tub, and there was one long woman’s hair stuck to the bathroom door. The night was bad, too. Before going to our concert at 6:30pm, we heard the upstairs tenant blasting the TV and what sounded like running. After midnight, the same TV was blaring and there was stomping. We covered the stained sheets with a blanket and used the conveniently loud AC to muffle it. We’d been given room 146, but had booked one bed, not two separate beds. The front desk lady said the room I’d booked online just 20 minutes earlier wasn’t available. Before we even swiped the key card, the place felt terrifying. A run-down vehicle full of garbage sat feet from our door, and our window had a crack stretching across it. Inside, the carpet looked like a murder scene. We asked the desk for another room, but she wouldn’t move us unless we paid more. We had to get to our concert and didn’t think we should pay extra for somewhere "livable," so we stayed. I don’t recommend this place. Spend the extra $20 elsewhere.