sweetnis

We will be traveling to the Monterey Pennisula in September and need accomodations for 2 nights. We are looking to stay in an area near Monterey but not in Monterey (nor in Carmel, Pacific Heights, Seaside etc). We are looking for an area that might be 20-30 miles away. Anyone have any suggestions?

moneygirl

It might be helpful if you were a bit more specific as to where you want to be. Santa Cruz, Salinas, and Big Sur all fit your general requirement of being a bit away but your request seems confusing.

janis

Yes - and maybe tell us WHY you want to be away from the area. Is it for budget, you want to be away from the water, or some other reason? (BTW - I assume you meant Pacific Grove -- Pacific Heights is a neighborhood in San Francisco)

moneygirl

Also, September is one of the most pleasant times of the year weather wise on the Central Coast, many places are booked already so reserve soon if you have to book in a certain area for a particular reason.

E

Sweetnis--you're looking for an area that "might be 20-30 miles away"? I'm dying to know why, but the main point is, that's way too vague. Do you mean down the coast, up the coast, or inland?Perhaps if you indicated your specific needs, we could help.

sweetnis

The reason we are avoiding the Monterey Pennisula for lodging is that I have not heard a decent thing about any particular hotel in that area. When I find a hotel I go to Tripadvisor.com to learn more about it. A repeated theme for all the hotels is that they are way over-priced and most are rather run down. We are not opposed to spending $200-$300 for a room (we are spending two nights at the Inn at Spanish Bay) but I don't want a place with dirty carpet, sagging beds, dirty bathrooms, excessive street noise etc.

We were thinking of staying near San Jose (I realize that is about 90 miles away) and then making the drive to the Monterey Pennisula for our reservation at Pebble Beach.

If there is a hotel in the Pennisula that is clean and comfortable I would love to find it - anyone know of one?

janis

Oh sure - that makes perfect sense - stay in San Jose of all places because you think the hotels are nicer. NOT!

With your pre-conceived ideas about tripadvisor being the be all and end all, I don't think anyone could give you advice you'd trust . . . .

sweetnis

Wow Janis you must be having a really bad day I am sorry for you.

My apologies for using Tripadvisor do you have another site that might be helpful? I would welcome your input.

I did not mean to imply the hotels were nicer in San Jose, it is just that we could get into a Hilton for $100 a night rather than $300 a night for the Hilton in Monterey (which I have not heard good things about).

Why is it people get their feathers so ruffled about questions we ask, isn't that what this forum is for? If you have a hotel recommendation in the Monterey Pennisula I would love to hear it because I have become quite frustrated with my efforts.

By the way what is wrong with Tripadvisor? Am I missing something there?

E

First of all, many Monterey Peninsula hotels have been recommended here--please do a search. Your blanket condemnation of them all is what has ruffled feathers and caused many to ignore your post. I assume you realize that the Peninsula includes Carmel, Pacific Grove, Carmel Highlands as well as Pebble Beach and Monterey--perhaps your point is that it's hard to find a good hotel in your price range, but it's not hard to find a good hotel.

Secondly, you should know that TripAdvisor's setup means that just about every hotel in existence gets some bad reviews--the reviews are not in any way screened. So you should take them with a grain of salt; if you don't, you will end up, well, staying in San Jose for a trip to the Monterey Peninsula.

paula1470

I was going to say what "E" said about why your response ruffled feathers. I use this forum and tripadvisor all the time to pick hotels and so far the recommendations have been right on.

I can't imagine why you would want to stay as far away as San Jose. Besides the fact that you have to drive, you may pay a little more but you have the ambience of Carmel, Monterey, etc. Yes, it does seem that some of the hotels are expensive so probably not the best value. But if you can spend $200-$300 a night, you should be able to find a room that would please you. Tickle Pink Inn gets lots of good reviews. If you can't get a good rate there, others are recommended on this forum. I think The Best Westerns in Carmel get good recommendations here.


When using tripadvisor, as "E" said you have to take it with a grain of salt. I usually pick out the top 10 or so hotels for a location. First I see if they are in my price range. Then I read through the reviews. If most of the reviews are good with only an occasional bad one, then look at the bad review for the reason. If the guest wanted room service but the hotel didn't offer it, they might give it a bad review. I also check the date of the reviews. If the bad ones were last year or before and the new ones are positive, the hotel probably has done a renovation or changed policy. After I pick a hotels on tripadvisor, I then check those here on fodors. If I do a search and there is plenty of info then I make my decision. If not, then I post questions for those who may have stayed at those particular sites.

And lastly try Priceline. There are several hotels in Monterey and if you get a good rate through Pricline then they might be worth the stay.

J_Correa

Another thing to remember about hotel rates on the Monterey Peninsula - it is a popular destination. Rates will reflect that.

sweetnis

Thank you for your reponses. I do understand that TripAdvisor gets many reviews where individuals b**ch about minor issues. I am not one of those individuals but I do expect a comfortable bed, a clean room and some peace and quiet. Frankly, I looked into many hotels and the negative posts seemed to equal the positive posts, that tells me something (by the way I used TripAdvisor for an upcoming stay in St. Maarten and out of 13 reviews there was not ONE bad one). I will check into Tickle Pink and the Best Western, if anyone has other options that meet our needs I would be interested in hearing about them.

kimamom

The Tickle Pink Inn is in the Carmel Highlands, it's a very nice property. Are you referring to the Best Western Monterey Beach Hotel? We've stayed there almost every year for the past twenty years. Many times when our kids were all young, it's a very nice, clean property located right on the beach.

Have you considered the Big Sur area? ***kim***

Lovejoy

I would recommend Quail Lodge.I live in this area and can attest to this Hotel. BTW TripAdvisor likes it too.See Link:
http://tinyurl.com/5r9b9

viamar

A Super 8 in Salinas won't be deluxe but if you're looking for a place to sleep for the night it should be ok. Some areas of Salinas have a high crime rate, that might be something to look into.
October is usually a beautiful time of year here. The fog clears and the days are warm. Last October though the rain started mid month and kept coming until June. So who knows what this year will bring?

ngoldman

What other towns near Salinas would you suggest that does not have the crime problem? (30-45 miles from Monterey-Carmel on the way from San Francisco)

Norm

Austin

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Cannery Row in Monterey. My main complaint was that the walls are thin. If you stay on the 3rd floor shouldn't be a problem. It was very clean, the bed was comfy. The location excellent. We paid $149 per night weeknight, $189 weekend.

viamar

I'm really not familiar enough with the different areas of Salinas to comment on which areas are safe or not. I'm sure some areas are just fine. Our local news stations for the Monterey bay are out of Salinas so almost every night I hear about a gang shooting or something in Salinas. Super 8s tend to be budget properties so it be in a not so nice area. The 2 towns that are north of Salinas on 101 are Prunedale and Gilroy. I have no idea what the lodging is like though. Why not just stay in Montery? In October you could find some good deals.

ngoldman

Anyone know something about Watsonville, Ca

moneygirl

Do not stay in Watsonville! There are many properties in Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Grove that are more than decent for the price! I'll name my favorites and the next poster can join in the game! (These are all properties where I've stayed for under $175.00 per night and been completely satisfied. Here goes: La Playa, The Pine Inn, Portola Plaza, Gosby House, and Clint Eastwood's Mission Ranch. Your turn!