Creekside Inn Downtown - Cambria — Hotel in Cambria

I'm so sad to post this! We have ALWAYS endorsed Creekside Inn but after this weekend, I have to report things have changed....dramatically.

First off, we've ALWAYS stayed on the top floors overlooking the creek side. That being said....since then, we've added to our brood. We now have 4 in our family as opposed to a party of 3.

We took pity on our future neighbors and requested the bottom floor. After explaining to the host/hostess at Creekside why we would prefer the bottom floor, Suite 2 was mentioned. The way it was explained to me was "it has a room section and a living room section....and it comes with a fold out sofa bed....". Well, they forgot to mention a few things.

The room, sits right next to the office. It also has a very leaky, dripping hose bit outside the room where water is pooling. Dare I ask about the mold issue? Anyhow, you can hear the "drip drip drip" outside....all night.

The carpet, RIGHT AS YOU ENTER the room, is faded (most likely from the drip drip drip....) and catches the door so you have to "push" with body weight.

The room, must not be offered regularly as, there were cobwebs hanging from the ceilings and windows and brackets to the curtains. Did I mention the dead pill bugs?

The bathroom, was so small and tight, you have to walk sideways if you are an average man of todays standards....and there is no bath tub (even if this is considered a "honeymoon suite"....you'd want a bathtub? Or if you want to market this as a "family unit"....). Even more odd....when you run the sink, there is a sound of rushing water outside the bathroom window....I've checked 4 times. Waited for neighbors to turn on water and no rush sound....odd right? Someone is watering the yard exactly 3 seconds after I shut off water off at sink?

I don't think this units carpet has seen a carpet cleaner in a very, very long time. Forget about the sofa.....

When you go on a vacation, you run around all day and you come BACK to your room to sleep right? In a nice, comfortable, cozy bed....and room....well, the "bedroom's" mattress was so noisy and bouncy....I almost fell out when my husband "flipped". I tried the "sofa bed" but, as soon as I sat on it, I noticed quite a few springs are missing. After my "visual" inspection, I was correct. Some of the springs were not even hooked to the frame. It was too late to contact the desk so, I just curled up on the thing next to my daughter. Baby was in a sleeper in the bedroom with dad. :( The noise from this bed and the sofa bed...my gosh....sounded like a squeaky brake pad....UGH! Needless to say, I did not sleep more than 1 hour in 2 days....and I still have an infant to care for...UGH!

NOTE!!!!: DO NOT BOOK THIS ROOM! EVER! Unless they post pictures of a complete remodel! WORST room of the establishment!

My daughter LOVED Creekside....after this visit, she said "I don't want to come back to this place next time. I'm sad to see it functioning below my great memories of Creekside...."

We love Cambria and support ALL of their businesses...and VERY well I might add....just this time around...we preferred NOT to be in our stuffy, dark, noisy, dusty, little room.

On a positive note, the room offers a fridge and a fireplace. The fireplace cover, needs to be cleaned. The "dust film" on the inside of the cover, hindered the enjoyment of the fire in the morning and night. The fridge, needs to be defrosted. However, functioned well.

I'm so incredibly saddened by the service provided by the host/hostess over the phone. I wish they had just explained to us that the room is really for a couple and explained that there is no tub. We would have booked a normal room instead.

They were nice enough to tell us that we could try another establishment, if we were unhappy the day we arrived. Knowing full well, all rooms were booked. I am so sad, to hear this is the way they choose to resolve...what would have been lifetime supporters. Just sad...left a bad taste in my mouth.

Room...

We stayed here for less than 24 hours. Cambria seems to be the closest town if you’re visiting Hearst Castle which is 20 mins away. From there, it’s another 40 mins to Paso Robles.

The building is an L shape with the check in office at the front near the side walk. Tiny office with a Keurig machine.

When you walk in the hotel room, the sink and closet is what you see first. It’s outside and separate from the toilet and shower. We stayed downstairs so it’s a shower not a bath tub. Not sure if all rooms are showers vice bath tub so keep this in mind if you have little ones and wanted to do bath time or a bubble bath person.

Very nice remodeled contemporary room with new carpet. We got a kind bed. There’s a balcony with a patio to the back. Very peaceful and serene of greenery where you can hear birds chirping and see wildlife like squirrels.

(+) The room has a microwave, mini fridge, desk, two chairs, iron, hair dryer, Keurig. (+) Plenty of lighting. There’s a window above the shower and the sliding patio doors have plantation shutters. (+) No shortage of outlets. The two night stand, the desk lamp, below the tv, and along the walls. (+) The key card is a wireless tap method. (+) Given two complimentary cookies at check in from a local bakery. (+) Anti-slip shower mat (+) Ice machine and vending machines are at the corner. (-) No digital clock. The microwave doesn’t have the clock function either. (-) No black out curtains just shutters (-) Memory foam bed was soft. I’m petite 118lbs and I was sinking which gave me back pains when I got up so imagine if you’re heavier. (-) They reused the sleeves that held the keycards. It had the room and WiFi code on it.

Overall, very clean, safe, we didn’t hear foot steps from upstairs or snoring. Walls seem thick. It was a 10 min walk to town to Mojo’s Village Bean for coffee according to Google. If you walk fast pace then maybe 5 mins so we drove. I would...

Stayed during a December visit to experience the Cambria Christmas Market. The reviews were very good, which may reflect the other options in Cambria, but were quite a bit inflated if you’re a regular traveler. By no means were there any issues with our stay, but an ‘excellent’ rating on Booking.com comes with certain expectations. The room was clean and what you would expect from a basic room at a basic hotel. There were no fancy additions or added amenities that would warrant an excellent rating. Again, let me be clear, our stay was quite pleasant and we had no complaints, but that alone should be the standard for any stay in any establishment. Even if they offered a free breakfast. I would not say that warrants an ‘excellent’ rating. However, it is a few minutes walk from downtown. Downtown is quite charming, especially in December. Quite a few restaurants and bars stay open until 9 or 10. The atmosphere feels safe, in a small town Gilmore Girls way. However, there aren’t complete sidewalks or streetlights from the hotel to downtown, so it ca. be a bit Scooby Doo-ish during the short walk. You never know what nocturnal animal might be waiting to hiss or spray you.

Despite the fact that this review may feel like I am down stating our stay in Cambria and this hotel, it just isn’t true. We enjoyed our stay. It was quite cozy and the town was romantic. But the ratings aren’t a true reflection of the hotel. It is a solid hotel with a comfortable bed. And if we return next year, we will definitely consider staying...