Balboa Inn — Hotel in Newport Beach

I grew up staying at this hotel, therefore did not hesitate to go back this weekend. Well things have changed. An absolute disappointing experience! My husband surprised my daughter and I with a little vacation on the beach. He found the discounted stay on Google. Honestly, could have had a better experience at a Motel 6! Our room entrance was located next to the a/c units, trash dumpster and storage for the tables and chairs! After my first initial visit to our room, I returned to speak with the gentleman at the front desk. He explained that the room was reflective of what I paid for and there was nothing else available at our price point, but for triple the price he could move us. Note to self(and significant others planning a surprise), ask lots of questions when discovering a discounted room rate for a hotel. My daughter and I returned to the room to find dirty floors, stained headboards, and holes in our sheets (pictures taken). Our room seemed to be connected to another room that later proved to have paper thin walls and a very LOUD party. Later last night, I could hear everything the party nextdoor was doing. I had to call Rich at the front desk twice, regarding the loud music and out of control noises! Rich explained it was kids nextdoor, they would be going in and out, and there was nothing he could do. Around 2:15am, those same "kids" entered our room through the broken door in between our rooms! I yelled, and the "kid" slammed the door. I stayed up the rest of the night to ensure we had no more unannounced visitors. I went down to the front desk once Rich was gone, and explained what happened. After the staff was finished questioning if I locked the door properly ( No existing lock -pictures taken), they offered a discount...a little too late. Bottomline, this hotel is currently way too dirty, and at least one room has a BIGGER ISSUE with unsafe conditions. I really hope they get this fixed immediately! What used to be a Newport Treasure, is unfortunately not a go to right now! On a positive note, although our room was smack dab in front of a service entrance that was highly trafficked.... there were two gentlemen that smiled, greeted us and got my daughter ice. Honestly appreciated their kind nature and ownership. I truly hope management can follow suit! I believe reviews can be permanent if you allow them to be. I hope that this was an isolated experience, and management is working to put a corrective plan in place immediately. We are definitely not willing to come back any time soon.....So bummed...

In all fairness, i stayed in May, and am making this review in August. There was some renovating going on, and that did not factor into the stars.

After doing some exploring, It looks like there are 2 sides to Balboa Inn. The "resort" side, which appears to be the better side. And the hotel side, which can get sketch.

It was difficult to find parking. The options are a public pay lot, or valet with them. Valet will cost you anywhere from $45 to $95. Red flag there. I have never heard such varying prices for valet. I understand they may have to charge more for an oversized vehicle, but they wouldn't give a straight price until parking your car. I have a big feeling the price was based more on whatever they felt like charging.

So the front desk had two friendly, very young men working it. We asked for an upgrade even though we did not see our room, as we were told we had a full sized bed. The upgrade had no set price, just "hey it will cost you in the realm of $200". They did "upgrade" us without charging us.

If our room was considered an upgrade and renovated, I can't even fathom what the other room looked like. After reading reviews, it appears our room truly was an upgrade. The view they said we would have in our upgraded room was rooftops, but hey, they didn't claim what kind of view, they just said we would have a "view".

The room did look nice upon first impression, then you start to notice things. The bed was NOT comfortable. I highly doubt they had changed the bedsheets from the last occupant. Floors were slightly sticky, electric fireplace was just for show and did not work, and the fridge was warm. To get to our room, we either went through the one elevator that felt like it would break any minute, or use the very steep and narrow stairs. The whole place just felt shabby.

Despite the shabbiness, the grounds are actually quaint. With some work, you can see potential. I know it's an old building, i believe it was built in 1920. Everything certainly reflects that age. Some parts felt like they were once military barracks.

Continental breakfast is small, but they did have bananas which made me happy. It's exactly what I was looking for.

For the price and experience, I would say go elsewhere. But I must admit, the location is conveniently close to the beach and is walking distance to some restaurants/bars. So I can see the appeal for those who continue to return to this location. Perhaps most of them stay on the resort side. Who knows?

Hope your stay was better than ours if you...

Well, summer’s almost over for my grandchildren. What with school starting on August 12th, I’m so glad to think that they had a great summer vacation. Our fifth Disney Cruise, the Treasure to the western Caribbean was so very disappointing. Unlike our two Disney Cruises on the Wonder to Alaska & our Disney Cruise Wonder in 2023 Italy, the Treasure was such a let down for all of us, but that’s for another post. What a refreshing experience, for my daughter & two grandchildren, as we had the very best time & continue to make wonderful memories at the Balboa Inn in Balboa Ca. |I just read some weird/harsh reviews of the Balboa Inn on Trip Advisor & I’m amazed at people. Ok, I’m a baby bummer (& not picky), but people complaining about no AC at a hotel that’s a stone’s throw away from the beach (our rooms had AC, we didn’t use it). My goodness! Complaining about the Balboa Inn being too old? It’s a gem of a hotel built in 1929 that my family & I have been going to every year for almost 25 years now. These complainers should keep driving down PCH & go to the sterile boring Hyatt or Hilton in Huntington Beach & please leave this wonderful hotel for people that enjoy the true treasure that it is!|Michele Pourmussa the proprietor is such a gentleman, Laura at the front desk is the sweetest, loveliest & most gracious accommodating lady, Dillon, one of their wonderful valets is such a great kid; well really all of their employees are great. A few years ago, Southern Cal Edison was on Main Street when the Balboa Inn & all of the stores lost power all the way down to the Pavilion. The complaining & cussing that poor Michele & his employees had to endure was nuts. Like they control when power goes out.|Every year we go to the Furnace Creek Inn in Death Valley, the Inn at Mount Ada (the Wrigley Manson), & our various Disney Cruises, we have to end the summer at the Balboa Inn & will continue to do so. The beach, the Balboa Pier, wonderful shops, the 1905 Pavilion, the Balboa ferry, the Fun Zone & of course a walk to Balboa Island has been a pleasure to three generations of our family & we will...