Monarch Valley Inn Marina at Monterey Bay — Hotel in Marina

I can not say enough about how wonderful our experience here was from start to finish. I am not one to review hotels but this was the perfect opportunity to give back to the amazing staff.

I live in Washington State and wanted to meet my family in Monterey for the weekend. They were driving from Los Angeles and of course my unorganized self planned this trip on VALENTINE'S DAY WEEKEND.

You can imagine everything under $500.00 was booked and it was so spur of the moment we panicked. Luckily I found the Howard Johnson Marina and at a great price, under $100.00 so my family and I were a little skeptical but booked anyway.

My family arrived first and said how nice it was. I thought they were just trying to be nice because we felt we had booked a hotel everyone would feel uncomfortable sleeping in, mostly because my sister has a newborn.

We ended up getting there close to midnight. Sarah, (the owner?) was there waiting for us with water bottles and fresh cookies. We had literally just driven 15 hours straight, felt awful, tired, and ready to just go to bed. I know it sounds silly but literally all of that changed after a minute talking to Sarah.

I stood at the doorway with her chatting and laughing away, we kept saying "goodnight" but would start talking again, it felt like we were friends. I thought at least the staff was friendly and that was worth booking there but no, there was so much more.

The room was huge! It was not a $100.00 room at all. Everything is updated and really clean. The beds are so comfortable and the sheets were really nice. There was a refrigerator and all of the other essentials you would need. We were so impressed and our three kids were so excited.

"Continental breakfasts" at your typical under $100.00 hotel (if it's even offered) is some C grade coffee, a fruit basket, and individually wrapped pastries from those variety boxes but not here.

Sarah had over 4 different coffee choices brewing from a reputable company, along with juices, milk, fruit, bagels, cereal, eggs, sausages, and more I didn't even look at. She was sweeping in between people coming in and out and so attentive.

We stayed two nights and honest to goodness had a great time. We felt safe, comfortable, well looked after, and full. I talked to Sarah half a dozen times along with a few of her family members and everyone was so over the top genuinely nice.

As far as distance this location is close to several local food stops, a few fast food places and gas stations near by but not in the busy hub of things. The locations access roads felt more like side street short cuts that the locals take to get to downtown Monterey faster.

I could not have asked for a better hotel and experience. This is the gem of the area we love to visit and have made this our only option as far as where we will stay from now on when we travel through the area. Again, I cannot express how great our trip became after finding this place, we are...

Susan and her family are amazing people. Such great details and touches to the hotel that make your stay not only comfortable but aesthetically pleasing. Was in Cali for over 10 days and stayed at some very well known resorts but none beat the value we got here. From the cleanliness to the interior to the space and convenience, everything was five star. On top of that, the hosts are incredibly helpful. Very conveniently located near all points of interest. Big Sur just an hour drive, Carmel is barely 30 mins, Santa Cruz was 40 mins, Monterey is just 10 mins away. Gas station on the property. The attention to detail on our rooms was impeccable. It was clean, fresh, smelling wonderful and the interior was thoughtful. The furniture, book and lights all added to it's charm. They even provided a brand new bath tub mat which was incredibly thoughtful and hygienic. Although it's right by the road, it was pretty quiet at night. Soundproofing was pretty solid. A/C had a little noise but almost like a white noise which actually helped sleep. The bed was marvellous. Clean, fresh linen and so comfortable. I slept like I was home. Breakfast was plentiful in the morning, thoughtfully packed in a brown bag so you can take it on your adventures. Room came with microwave, fridge, tv and good wifi. They have a common water refilling station.

My experience had no cons to it, so I have no constructive feedback to share. It was a wonderful stay and I would not think twice before...

*Updated July 2024: Came back here to stay with my sister for 4th of July weekend, and I'm a bit disappointed. The room is still nice but the person working the lobby during breakfast didn't provide us all the food items we were supposed to get. He gave us a bag of just a sweet pastry, a cutie tangerine, a banana, and a granola bar. I asked about the hot pocket because that was provided last time and he said "No we don't have that" even though I could literally see the hot pockets in the back of their office. But whatever, who knows maybe they're only for employees... However, they also had a sign that lists out every breakfast item you will get and the sign says you will get yoghurt, but there was no yoghurt in our bags. Not sure was that employee forgot or just being cheap. We were already on our way out before we remember about the yoghurt so we just let it go. The last time I was here I've met other employees and they were more friendly than this guy. We'll probably still come back again because it's a nice place in a quiet area but I hope I don't have to encounter that type of workers again, especially because it was way more expensive than the last time we were there a few months prior.

(Original comment) Got a 2 beds room to stay the night with friends. Super nice people at the lobby, location is good too, gas station right in front of the inn. TV has xfinity cable, towels provided, free breakfast (pastry, a hot pocket, orange, banana, yoghurt) with hot coffee,...