Ocean View Lodge — Hotel in Fort Bragg

After coming here 4 times in the last 6 months. The last time I decided to never come back again and instead go to The Beachcomber moving forward.

The last time I was here, black mold shot out of the jets in the whirlpool. I thought it may just need a quick flushing. After flushing it about four times, it got even worse. I notified the front desk, and they told me they’re maintenance guy would see it in the morning.

Keep in mind that we drove 4 hours from the bay area just for the whirlpool and the view. The manager’s solution was to credit me $30, which i never spoke to by the way. He claimed someone complained about my child in the room which is supposedly a violation, which I understood, even though my kid was not a problem the last 3 times I visited. I asked the front desk girl about the policy and that i had seen children in the rooms every time i had visited. She admitted that it usually isn’t a big deal but that a regular complained downs stairs. Again fine, my mistake.

The problem was that they tried to use my kid as a reason to disregard the disgusting mold coming out of the whirlpool. No one goes there for the outdated tacky rooms. Its the view and the whirlpool.

They have no staff, the office closed an hour early. They had no extra pillows. The ceiling fan in the bathroom dripped water on your head.

Luckily, i had stayed at The Beachcomber on New Years due to this place being booked, and I can tell you it was ten times better and cheaper! And they had no issues with my kid in the spa room.

I hesitantly, booked the the Ocean View Lodge this last time knowing about the service difference, but they have a slightly better view of the ocean compared to Surf and Sand and The Beachcomber, and both are cheaper and offer whirlpools in their rooms with an ocean view.

Ocean View Lodge lost a long time customer due to incompetent management. They ruined our MLK weekend and only offered 30 bucks. What a joke, they must be desperate, which is why the customer service is basically nonexistent. The Beachcomber has firepits and free bikes to explore, and they have someone at the front desk all night. Oh, and they dont make you choose between your family and/or a relaxing time. Cheap owners, I’m assuming. Why they are the most expensive is unknown. After staying at the other lodges, it’s befuddling. They dont even have usb plugs. Geez, ill stop. I never give negative reviews but these guys can have it for the $30 they spent on turning away a very loyal customer.

Do yourself a favor and go to The...

For reference, I stayed here with a group of family members in the middle of the summer for one night as a stopover for a longer trip; your mileage may vary based on season and size of group. Overall, it was a decent place that did have some elements that could be improved, but I was overall pleased with the room and service. I have tabulated some pros and cons below for you to make an informed decision.

Pros: View is one of the closest you can get on the strip of beach. Unlike a lot of places where you'll only get a view, this place has direct access to the beach pretty much right outside your door. This is great since this is the primary draw that brought you here in the first place. The size of the room is amazing! You also get a bonus sitting room if you're looking to entertain guests, and some have an extra TV. The shower was set up nice and had ample pressure. Pretty good appliances. Each room had a fridge, and an updated flat screen TV mounted to the wall. For those of you wondering, yes you can plug in an HDMI and watch a movie off your computer. Cons: The internet. I knew from previous reviews there had been issues in the past, but it seems the issues have been persisting. The issue is not on the signal strength, it's on the router(s) sending the signal; you can "connect" but it won't give you an ip address. This is compounded by the fact that the cell service is sub par in the rooms, so you'll be disconnected pretty much the entire time in the room. I didn't mind this since it was a short stay for me, but some may mind. Room climate. First off, there is no AC in the room. This isn't that bad since there is nice cool weather outside, but for those that like to circulate air at night there are also no fans. There is a small window you can open with a screen on the first floor rooms (not on the second floor rooms), but the patio door on the other side doesn't have a screen so many bugs will get in overnight (especially when you have lights on in the room). Noise. During my stay I was woken up at least 3 times by my neighbors banging or people coming in late that night. An easy way to solve this would be with some kind of white noise of a fan. Mattress was a touch on the firm side. Definitely sleep-able, however. I did not personally experience breakfast, but from the description given at the front desk it seemed minimal: fruit, pastries, and...

Words can not describe how amazing this place is. I went here for my honeymoon and they were nothing but kind to us. I loved it so much that I extended my stay for days longer than planned. I never wanted to leave. I will come back here every year to vacation for the rest of my life.

When we first walked into the room, our mouths dropped. They had a bottle of champagne waiting for us in an ice chest and an incredible view of the ocean. The beds are so soft and comfy that you will never want to get out of them. I opted for one of the rooms with an in-room hot tub and we spent a long time soaking and watching the waves outside. It's so intimate and private feeling. While visiting in early June, there were very few large groups of tourists around. The walls are so thick that we never heard a soul, despite the place being nearly fully booked.

The staff were so genuine and nice that I sat there on several occasions and just had a nice chat about life there and the area. I felt so welcome.

The beach is literally right outside the hotel. You can walk out onto the bluffs in just a few hundred feet. There's nature paths that go on endlessly for miles and miles. There is a little bit of climbing involved to get down onto the sand however, so if you have limited mobility that's something to keep in mind. The glass beach is less than a mile walk down the path and the quaint Main Street shops are a 5 minute drive down the road.

We had free roam of the beaches outside and inside could watch the waves either from the balcony, the super soft king-sized bed, or hot tub. Room service every day provided us with clean wine glasses and cleaned the room spotless. At night, we turned on the gas fire to keep things warm and romantic.

Fort Bragg has so many things to offer and this place is the best to stay in town. I will come back here every single year for every vacation from now on.

Stay here. You won't regret it. The prices are slightly higher than others in the area but it is worth every...