La Valencia Hotel

There is something very special about this property. It's quant and romantic. They usually have a great band playing in the lobby bar with great drinks. The rooms aren't huge but they are very well appointed. The restaurant is a throw back to the fine dining days as if you were dining on a cruise ship in the early 1900s. Very classy and the menu and food is always superb. Great for a weekend getaway! Plus it's in the heart of La Jolla. Could not be better placed with many galleries and restaurants in walking distance. Go here!

I always wonder how some hotels can get a great review from some people while others give a crummy review. I think it starts with expectations being disappointed. La Jolla is beautiful so you pay a premium for everything. I had booked a cheaper hotel which was a little spartan so I decided to move to the Valencia. I went online and saw an Oceanfront king was available. I decided to go to the hotel in person to make the res. They insisted there was not a room of that type but made the res anyway. I went back to my current hotel and went on the website again and saw they were right. That room had come up in the search but when you went further it wasn't available. So I walked back to the hotel to make sure all was OK. I went personally instead of calling to avoid confusion. A wonderful woman helped me and found a suite which be an upgrade and gave me a little discount. Then she found out that I would have to move on Fri. if I took the suite. I said OK but then she offered me a Villa so I wouldn't have to move. I said I'd prefer the suite until she told me I'd have a fireplace and a balcony with the Villa!!!!! I was thrilled and this got me through the night at the noisy, spartan hotel. I dropped off my luggage at 10 am at the Valencia as I had work to do and of course I didn't expect my room to be ready. They said they'd call but didn't so I showed up at 4 and the room still wasn't ready. They offered me a drink in the bar which was nice and there I sat for 40 mins. Then, I am told that I do not have the Villa room. Mind you, all I wanted was an oceanfront king but I had been thinking about my balcony all the previous night and all day. That's what I mean about expectations. It's like expecting champagne and getting soda water. The receptionist implied that I had been upgraded to a suite and shouldn't be unhappy so I just let it go. But from then on I noticed the little things. Like the utility room next to my suite with garbage bags. The suite smelled a little. It has one of the old style AC unlike most luxury hotels which have a thermostat and don't make noise. The bathroom is beautiful. I am writing this before I have even slept one night. I walked down to the pool and garden. Garden is pretty but has AstroTurf. I went down to the water and couldn't come back the same way as the restaurant was closed off. I asked one worker who gave me directions but I was still turned around so went back to the lobby and was sent in another direction and became confused. Finally the bellman showed me the way. Seriously, what kind of service is that when you have to ask three people before one actually guides you where you're going? Have you ever noticed that at the Ritz they walk you most of the way to where you're going. This hotel is the best hotel in a prime location in one of the most beautiful places on earth. If not for that my guess is that they'd be long gone.

Pros: -Good location, easy access to almost everything. Cons: Front desk = incompetent. One guy offered to change our rooms only to get called into the back before this could be done. He came out red faced and told us it wasn't possible as NOBODY was checking out for the next 3 days...which is clearly a lie. They have a beach towel service, but you must ensure you check the bags of towels they give you or you might get a bunch of worthless hand towels instead. -The room smelled of SEWAGE every morning. No explanation was given and was one of the reasons we wanted to move rooms (see above). We were also over the restaurant and understood we would hear road noise we however did not expect loud thumping music to be playing in said restaurant right below us into the wee hours of the night. - Concierge = worthless. We attempted to use it for reservations and were never called back. We eventually went downstairs to find her chatting with a friend. She then told us she had JUST left a message about a reservation she made outside of our preferred timeframe. Ok, fine…we made our own at a different location anyway. When we returned we found there was no message waiting for us. She was too distracted to call us back! -The “king� rooms are not king beds at all. They are closer to a queen. We sleep on a king at home and noticed the discrepancy immediately. We asked about it only to be told that the beds were “Vintage king� …whatever that means. -Expensive valet parking only!

As soon as you walk into the Lobby you know you are going to enjoy your stay. Just off the lobby is an old fashion hacienda style lounge and restaurant. They have cocktail lounge near the front entrance that is a good place to meet friends and family. Come for a night and stay a week!

A long weekend at the Valencia was just what we expected. Older hotel which has been kept up and provides an old world charm not found in most of today's newer hotels. The stafff is most welcoming from the time you arrive to the time you leave. The property is well cared for and the rooms are very comfortable. Location and views of the ocean and beach cannot be beat. The pool area is beautiful. Very relaxing and comfortable, a great place to stay in La Jolla. For a great view of the pool, ocean and sunsets try for rooms 815 thru 820 or 915 thru 920.