The Old St. Angela Inn — Hotel in Pacific Grove

My wife and I spent three nights mid-May 2025 in the Lands End room, the smallest of the "Queen" garden view rooms at The Old St.Angela Inn. |We decided to try a B&B this trip to Monterey, something closer to downtown and the Aquarium area. The St. Angela Inn had a great score/rating on booking websites, offers a hot breakfast for guests, and is only a block from Lovers Point. All this led me to book our room.|After booking through a third party site I received several emails communicating house rules, check in procedures, etc. |Check in was at 4pm; we arrived about 15 minutes early and proceeded to the "atrium" office/breakfast room for check in, as directed in emails. There is no front desk, just a room with a few tables and a doorway to the kitchen area. There was a man sitting at a table, apparently working on a laptop. Appeared to be another guest, I finally asked if he worked there (he did). Not bad but not the welcoming I expected.|People leaving reviews generally report positive experiences with the breakfast provided, but I have to say it was possibly the worst breakfast I've had that wasn't affiliated with a lower end motel chain. Hard boiled eggs, croissant halves, bread for toasting, and a hot prepared breakfast of a crepe with a slice of processed turkey and a slice of cheese on a plate along with stale fruit (5-6 green grapes, some old looking blood orange slices, a small piece of dried melon. A half filled carafe of orange juice was in the mini fridge. Coffee was provided with coffee mate for cream. We did NOT avail ourselves of the breakfast on our third morning. No bargain here.|Room was beyond cramped with little room or accommodation for storage. No fridge, no microwave. The bed isn't quite a queen, it's more of a large double bed. There is limited room space to work with but could be done much better. Huge non functional antique furniture takes up a large amount of footprint and its doors won't stay shut, blocking our path. Also, one chair, two people. Not much wall shelving (it would help a lot). Only one small window in room and its curtains are stapled across the top so it can't be drawn open. Wall switches that don't work for anything. |According to old reviews this place was pretty decent for a long time, but my experience was not that. The courtyard looks wonderful in the old photos on TripAdvisor and other sites. Today (May 2025) it's more an overgrown jungle. It needs love that it hasn't had in awhile.|Nothing changes the fact that the old St. Angela Inn buildings are charming, and the location is excellent with proximity to the ocean promenade and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Also, there are seemingly nice people running the place (for a couple years now?) but don't seem to know quite how to do it right. |This place could be great but must do much better even at their (relatively) "low" price point.|Good luck...

Location: Excellent location, just a 3-minute drive from Lovers Point and 10 minutes from the pier. This was one of the best aspects of our stay.

Check-In Process: Convenient and efficient; everything was sent via text message. However, after replying with our estimated arrival time (around 9:30 PM), we didn’t receive any response. This left us unsure about how responsive customer service might be if assistance was needed.

Room Condition: The room was very disappointing. It’s extremely old, which seems to be part of the charm, but unfortunately, the lack of maintenance was evident. There’s no TV, the bedding was stained (likely due to age), and the bathroom drain was severely clogged, to the point where my husband had to unclog it himself. Everything felt worn out and in dire need of care. The overall state of the room was far below expectations. For a tall person, the shower would be problematic due to its very low height. Even the shower door was faulty, making noise when closing. It was clear that there’s a significant lack of attention to the room's upkeep, which greatly impacted our stay.

Lost & Found Experience: My husband forgot his jacket in the room, and when we called to inquire, the management seemed unaware. It was later found, and I appreciate that, but it highlighted a lack of a proper lost and found process. When we went to pick up the jacket two days later, despite notifying them in advance and sending a reminder, there was no one at the check-in area. The person on the phone seemed unaware of the situation, though another staff member eventually appeared and was able to assist.

Final Recommendation: I’m generally not one to complain, and I try to overlook minor issues, especially having worked in the hotel industry myself. I would recommend this place only if you need a quick place to sleep and if the price is very low. However, considering the rate we paid, a chain hotel in the area would likely have been a much better choice. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t return based on...

I stayed at the Old St. Angela Inn a couple of weeks ago as a solo traveler and had a simply wonderful stay. The room ("Whale Watch") was very clean and attractive... featuring a working gas fireplace, large bathtub with jacuzzi jets, and -- best of all -- a delightful balcony with a view of the ocean! My bed was extremely comfortable. It is a lovely older building, and another reviewer described it well as being like going to stay at your cool Great Aunt's house. It does have all the modern amenities you will need! (No television, but that's ok...who needs tv when you can walk a block away and be mesmerized by a colony of harbor seals? Bring a tablet and stream things on the wifi if you need a tv fix. ) The included breakfast every morning was absolutely delicious and filling. The location is great, too... about a ten minute walk to the world-famous aquarium. ||But the greatest thing about the Inn is host Angela and her team. Angela knew I was traveling alone and unfamiliar with the area, and took lots of time to make me feel welcome and give me great advice and tips for things to see. (She even had a couple of discounts to area attractions, so you should ask her if she has anything available when you stay there!) Angela always made sure coffee and tea were available, even late at night or early morning, and also provided a few light snacks through the day. She and the other staff really aim to please... when I made an extremely last-minute decision to go whale-watching one morning, Angela and the young woman working in the kitchen whipped together a delightful brown bag meal for me to take with me. They did this in only about ten minutes, and I'm very grateful for their flexibility, kindness, and hard work. ||If you want to stay in a beautiful, clean, historic B&B with delicious food and a host and staff who genuinely look out for your comfort and happiness, then look no further. The Old St. Angela Inn is the place. THANK YOU ANGELA FOR A...