Tamalpais Motel — Hotel in Alta

My husband and I had a great stay at Tamalpais Motel. We came from Sacramento and wanted a cheaper place to stay for the weekend to get away from the summer heat. To be honest, before checking in, my major concern was that old cheap motels are often gross dumpy places -- so very glad to report this was not the case here! The owners are a very nice older couple who live onsite, and were really friendly when we checked in. They offered housekeeping every day if we wanted it, I was grateful for the option. We rented room 107 with the single queen bed, fridge and microwave, and private bathroom with a stall shower. First thing I noticed once we entered the room was how clean it looked and the faint smell of bleach cleanser, which made me super happy to know it was cleaned well!! And the bedding was super clean, the bed was tidy and made very well. There was a nice flat screen tv on the wall with DirectTV, a table and two chairs, clean fridge and microwave, an oscillating fan, and free samples of soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion in the bathroom. The door was very secure with a deadbolt and chain (surprisingly this isn't common in cheap old motels!) which made me feel so much safer. Also, there were zero creepy people in the parking lot, it was a super quiet place at night and we were super grateful! It was a no muss no fuss place -- no blow dryer nor a fancy lamp with a charging station on the bedside table -- but hey, if that's important to you, go pay a fortune and stay at the Marriott. If you're looking for a clean place at a deal in Marin and don't need all the bells and whistles this is a fabulous, clean, safe place to stay! We spent two nights, enjoyed ourselves, and would certainly stay again!...

This is a budget motel, so you should know what you are getting. I was arriving late one night and leaving early the next morning, so I figured I could deal with whatever issues it had. But things started out rough and got worse. Walked into the room and immediately noticed an old motel stench probably from carpets and bed linens that are 30 years old. The bathroom floor was flooded with water from a leaking toilet. And I noticed the toilet water was running and would not stop running. So I took off the toilet lid to find a piece of plastic had somehow jammed into the toilet flapper seal. So I took that out which fixed the toilet, and mopped up the floor. The bed was comfortable enough but the stench of the linens honestly woke me up at night. I finally just pushed them off the bed and cranked up the heat. The motel is right next to 101 so be prepared for semi-trucks and motorcycles zooming by all night. I have a sound machine app and earplugs, which cut most of the noise. The next morning, I was about to make my exit with minimal trauma when I tried to take a shower but there was no hot water. Hot water came out of the sink, but none out of the shower. Tried everything but in the end it was a cold shower in the morning. Not a great way to start the day. Pay a few bucks extra and stay...

I was going to be in SF for several days. Big conference in town, hotel rates double and triple. I needed something affordable in Marin. Tamalpais Motel fit the bill. I saw all the recent 4 and 5 star ratings. Thought they might have upgraded their rooms (words like “cozy” and “nice”). Nope. ||||Room was extremely hot. Even with fan at full blast. Only 70 degrees outside but felt like 90 inside. Sun hits it all afternoon. Furniture from nearest swap meet or Goodwill. Vinyl floor filthy and sticky - my feet were blackened. I wiped floor with some alcohol wipes I had, marginally better but still revolting. ||||Had my own sheet, pillow, blanket and towel. Only way I felt comfortable. ||||Wifi intermittent, weak and extremely poor. Little slivers of soap and tiny packets of shampoo. No kleenex. ||||TV was ok. Had a small fridge and microwave. ||||Only reason to stay is if you’re too tired to drive or desperate. Or have the DT’s. Travelodge across the highway would have been better choice (they seem to have actually upgraded).||||Sorry. This place is the opposite of...