La Casa Del Camino — Hotel in Laguna Beach

Omg! There was a bottle of wine in my room and I didn’t know what it was for or how much it was until I asked them downstairs: it was my happy birthday gift! You have no idea how special that made me feel!!!

I booked this last minute for my birthday. I normally research tons and plan ahead so I know every little detail in advance and this place did not disappoint!

Parking was across the street. I barely found a spot and barely managed to fit my car there. There are a lot or unauthorized cars there and very tight!! This had me frazzled immediately and slightly stressed out. Took me forever to find this parking lot, find a spot and manage to fit my car into and then have to walk to check in then back and forth to bring all my stuff to the hotel...but the overall stay totally made up for this small hassle.

Once I parked, I got checked in at 1pm but the room wasn’t ready until 4pm. They were kind enough to take all our bags and luggage until our room was ready. There were bathrooms to use so we went up to the root top bar and restaurant to eat and then went to the beach. They called me when my room was ready and already put my bags in our room which was very helpful!

Roof top restaurant food was very delicious and had miami vibe music. I got a tropical mojito and it got me buzzed. My son loved the burger and fries. The chicken sandwich and coconut shrimp were delish as well.

I booked a courtyard view but got an ocean view room! The room is small but cute and cozy. I got the standard room and it had a lot of character. The windows opened up! Our room also had a bottle of wine. Wifi worked great.

Cons for me: There are no microwaves, no coffee maker, no balcony, no pool: which are all things I use every time I travel but this time, I was ok with not having them. There are a lot of cafes and coffee shops walking distance. However, Free Coffee is served downstairs by the front desk. Also there, you can buy champaign and orange juice and make your own mimosas!

I also read somewhere they provide you with towels and umbrellas for the beach- have not done that either. We just used our own....you probably have to ask the front desk for that because it wasn’t anywhere by the beach.

Staff was very friendly.

I loved walking around on coast hwy and we spent a lot of time at the beach. If you don’t like the tiny rock filled beach downstairs, there are plenty big ones nearby walking distance. You can even walk over the rocks and there’s a different beach right there.

I had no reception at the beach which is odd but just forced me to listen to my kindle book. But I couldn’t stream anything to listen to.

Roof top: if you go in the evening, make a reservation because we went at 7:40 and they said they were booked with reservations and they close at 9pm. Other restaurants had the same issue: reservations! So if you plan to go out call and make a reservation. We managed to get lucky on a Tuesday at 8:30pm to get a table at the Oak which was delicious.

Last year my son and I stayed at a huge palm springs golf resort and their only on site restaurant was closed. This meant we had to constantly drive to town to eat. It was very frustrating. Here, the bar and restaurant is on the roof which means I can drink and not have to drive. Huge vacation bonus.

Check out time is 11:30 which is amazing because a lot of other hotels kick you out at 10am. They were also kind enough to let me park in their lot until 1pm because we wanted to walk around and explore before heading home.

I’m more of a pool person but my son loves the beach....so would I return? Yes! Perhaps even in the summer and hope the ocean water is warm enough for me to actually go into. In March it was too cold for me.

My only advice for the hotel is to please leave more information in each room such as where to find the coffee, the mimosas, beach stuff etc. also a sitting area by the window would be amazing: comfy chair and little table. I loved drinking wine with...

Please read for tips if you want to stay here or avoid it at all costs!.1 star for location, 1 star for customer service. Let me just say those with 4 star reviews must be high on something. This place is a glorified hostel and sleeping quarters for drunks. Not cool for R&R or family. Was invited to a wedding and looked up this place on their website. Indeed it looked very appealing and welcoming. I was looking forward to a nice rest and relaxation. While enjoying the ocean view minutes from the hotel and cocktails on the rooftop. But no from the moment I set foot in there with my other half, we both are stressed out about the hotel until the day we left. I mean it is so bad we checked out early on a Sunday morning! I arrived before check in time. Puzzled, there was no entrance for vehicles, valet services, or visible parking. But a 3 minutes passenger loading zone on the side of the building. Parking is across the street behind Subway. Small lot. So if you plan on leaving any where to run errands just come back before evening to get a spot. Bell Boy assisted with bag and I had trouble using the key card to get into the room. Bell Boy helped and I was surprised as I opened the door, and like wow what the... Bell Boy started laughing: thought you were going to get a big room or something? Me: Well this is not what I was expecting. I can't even move around the bed! The room is a shoe box (#302, also 321)-friend was staying in that room), if you like the European style living quarters this place is for you. The view was the PCH. A busy highway. Below me the entrance to the hotel, above the lobby. A door opens to a fake balcony to overlook the highway. Next to it a sink. Industrial toilet and stand up shower with its own room. The flat screen tv above the balcony doors. They only way to comfortably watch anything is laying on the bed. Immediately, decided to switch rooms with added fees. Got a good deal using the AAA discount and confirmed those rate prior. But they still added FEES! Front desk was nice enough to switch to a wheel chair accessible room across the hall. Just for one night though and we would have to come back to this room the next day. The new room (#319) across the shoe box was great. I didn't feel claustrophobic. More room to walk around and easily jump on the bed from all sides. Bathroom has shower and tub. View of other rooms across the way. So be sure to close the curtains before getting naked or if you want to give'em a show go ahead. Open closet, fridge, free water, desk and chair. All the rooms have dark wood furniture and creepy lighting. Reminded me of the Haunted House ride at Disney and not to mention the lights flickering on and off when I was alone. Bed is very comfortable. This room is also above the lobby. The first night in the larger room. Before getting ready to go out for the evening. I hear live music and laughter from below. Ok well not so bad, that is cool they have live entertainment and a bar in the lobby. Relaxing on the comfy bed I hear moaning next door. Ok great more noise. This place has paper thin walls. I can even hear the plumbing constantly running and flushing. We came back after dinner around 10 pm the live entertainment was still performing and people at the bar hanging out. I was alone in the room and creepy lights flickering, and ended up turning it off. With all the noise, I could not fall asleep. After 11:30 someone started playing the piano and singing. The noise from the lobby continues, the noise next door, and snoring from above. At 7 a.m. I hear music blasting from the lobby or maybe the rooftop, not too sure but that was unnecessary noise at this hour, especially for someone looking to relax and sleep in a little. Called about the volume and they lowered it. Time...

I love La Casa del Camino and have stayed here numerous times, but there are definitely areas where it could improve. The lobby is very cozy, but on your way to your room you might be second guessing your decision to stay here because it looks OLD. The rooms have been mostly renovated and feature different designs. The rooms we have gotten have all been very small, but comfortable beds and I like the Tommy Bahama soaps they provide. We checked in late and asked the front desk attendant which rooms there were available to choose from...he was not very conversational and ended up giving us one that was courtyard facing instead of ocean facing, which is what we paid for. In my experience, staff have not been friendly or helpful. On our most recent visit, the front desk attendant (different one than mentioned before) apologized to another guest because we didn't stand at the front door keeping it open for them in case they were coming in too...despite the fact that it was past midnight and you have to have a room key to get it. She made us look bad to that person, and it seems their policy should be that all have to present a room key to enter, especially that late at night. She said "not nice to have the door slammed in your face, huh?" That's not at all what happened and that guest even said "no, I get it! Need to swipe the key to get in." Our most recent visit was celebrating an anniversary, so I messaged their Instagram asking if there were ways we could make it extra special, and they said "contact the front desk," haha. Years ago after a night of drinking, we decided to stay there and asked for a room at 3 a.m. and still got charged the absolute full rate. All this to say...it's just not a service-oriented place. If you want that, you need to stay elsewhere, there are many resort choices in Laguna! The restaurants are nice, but I've only ever gotten drinks at both because the wait is usually very long to get a table. Great rooftop view, though! There are a lot of bees up there in my experience, so be aware of that if you're allergic to bees. Parking is pretty easy - they have a parking lot across the street that you get a pass to be in. Not sure where overflow goes, but be sure to get there early if you're coming on a holiday weekend! They have a limited stock of beach supplies you can borrow; we've only utilized an umbrella, but that was nice to have! If you decide to stay at La Casa Del Camino, I recommend trying to select your room far in advance based on photos on their Instagram and set your expectations pretty low for service or a "luxury...