El Primero Hotel — Hotel in Chula Vista

Unfortunately, this property engages in a business practice that is not acceptable to me (when booking through a third party i.e Booking..com). When using such a third-party site you guarantee your reservation with a credit card. For the vast majority of hotels this is sufficient for them even on a non-refundable rate, because if you renege on the reservation the third party website will use your credit card authorization to make the payment good to the property. However, here at this property, you will receive a follow-up email telling you that you must go to their website and reaffirm your credit card there. They want to be able to immediately charge you and not wait until you arrive. Unfortunately this probably has to do with the demographics and behavior of their usual customers. So after receiving the follow-up email from them, I answered saying that my reservation was guaranteed and that I would be bringing the credit card to them. They then attempted to charge the entire amount on my credit card for the non-refundable rate. But of course, they don't have my CVC code which was entered on Booking..com. So the charge was rightfully rejected by my credit card company. I then received emails from both the hotel and booking..com, telling me that the credit card had been declined, even though the temporary purchase had been approved through booking..com. Because I had already communicated my intent to the property I didn't do anything further. Now this morning I have received a notice that the hotel has canceled my reservation. This is a type of extortion that risks my financial security by asking me to enter all of my information on a 2nd website. No savvy world traveler is willing to do that. It also seems to reflect the inflexibility of this property. I'm sure that if I had an emergency and needed to cancel that they would never allow that, so I'm writing this here just to let everyone know that you either need to pay for your non-refundable fare by going to the hotel's website, or you will likely have your reservation canceled. In my opinion, bad business on the part of this hotel, because I travel to Chula Vista about once every two weeks and I thought I would try this otherwise attractive property. But this kind of business on their part puts a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since I had sent them a special message about their late checkout policy and they never answered that. And every reply that they sent to me was a cut and paste message, without any personal interaction. And now also, this property has earned my lowest rating which I will also be sharing with my friends who travel frequently to Chula Vista for similar purposes as mine. This action on their part has just purchased a ton of negative public relations. Because I'm also going to share my opinion with over 5,000 followers of my Facebook music page. Signed, a "Genius" status traveller on...

Quite the Gem of a Hotel. My first time stay.

Part of me wants to tell you just how terrible of a place this is so that you'll go stay at one of those big chains and leave this lovely nugget to myself and to the others that have already discovered its charm.

But this family owned business deserves the accolades for their great product and service. So I regret to, but do share.

The hotel is like a time machine taking you back to a much simpler, more joyful time. Yet you get to bring along some of the necessities of modern living with you as well, e. g. Wi-Fi service in the rooms.

Our room, del Coronado, had a nicely refurbished, full bathroom. Probably due to the building being an older structure, they placed a sign in the tub asking that you only shower. A full tub of water weighs a lot. And that's okay... helping to preserve something special, is just fine by me.

The bedroom area overlooks a lovely courtyard. There, they serve a nice breakfast. I really like their banana bread. Warning: very addictive.

The king bed was nice. I was concerned at first because it is a traditional mattress and I have a Purple mattress at home. I was worried that my back would be stiff. But after three good nights of sleep, that clearly is not a problem. So I rate the bed as very good. That's not the case at other, big name hotels that I have stayed at.

Hanging in the hallways, there are these lovely, old pictures of Chula Vista, San Diego and Coronado. I always wondered how North Island got its name. Studying the old pictures explains it all. The picture that I saw was old enough that the runway there was circular.

Which is part of why I really like this hotel. Being a temporary transplant in the Washington DC area, and a native from San Diego, this hotel is more than just a place to lay my head. It feels like home. And the "family albums" , although they hang on the walls, have left me feeling enriched, better understanding a part of my past.

Okay nothing's perfect. So to keep this review real, I will share the two things that I am aware of that might turn some people off. First, it is an older building. So no surprise, there is no elevator to the second floor. However, it has a nice, wide, wooden staircase in the lobby. Second, parking is limited and the spaces are a little tight. It is best, especially if you are using/renting a bigger vehicle, to back into the parking spot.

Being a native, it is a solid guarantee that I will be back to visit San Diego, many times. And when I do, my first call for lodging will now be to El...

Let me start with the good on this hotel.

Location: Absolutely love the location. For my husband and I it wasnt too far from family, places we were planning to go etc. Also plenty of food spots around the area AND a 7/11 across the street.

Hospitality: The owners and staff are very kind and friendly. Coffee and tea is provided in the morning at the front desk. Far as food goes, I am unsure as we did not eat there. But there is a cute patio you can sit at as well.

History: Absolutely love the history of this hotel. You can explore and read all about it and the rooms are all even named after historical places in San Diego. They also have info inside the rooms to give the history of the place the room is named after.

Price: Not sure if we got a sale price or what but for two nights, this hotel was the cheapeat in the area.

Room amenities: Mini fridge and tv in the rooms. Towels provided looked clean and they even provide a makeup towel which is a nice touch. There is also a/c in the rooms that worked really well for us.

Now, let's get into the cons.

Noise level: The neighbors above us must have been moving furniture around cause a few times at night it was very loud. Also the room doors basically have no sound insulation so we were woken up a few times early due to people walking and talking outside the room.

The rooms: At first glance the rooms are cute. Yes it is small but as to be expected with a historical hotel. Back then, the rooms were always small. If you gloss over the room seems perfect for its age BUT once you really start to look...

Cleanliness is not up to par. And Im.not evem saying they don't clean. Im saying they need a DEEP clean and renovation of the rooms COMPLETELY.

Bed sheets and pillows have old stains. Bed is dusty and dirty. Under tables and in corners of the room looks like they were never touched. Dirt in the walls and light switches. Rust on the shower curtain and rod. Dirt on the window sill in the bathroom. Basically cleaning is not enough for this place.

There is a way to keep the history and still have your guest feel comfortable. Please consider doing this.

Lastly, I pray this isnt the case but my husband and I ended up with a bunch of welts on our body after sleeping here. Considering the cleanliness was not so great in the rooms I wouldn't be surprised if there is a possibility of bed bugs at this establishment.

Overall I probably would not stay here again until they do a...