Casa Tropicana — Hotel in San Clemente

We have been coming to this hotel a couple of times a year for 15 years (except during COVID) because the location is great. The owners had it for 30 years and cared about their hotel. Each room used to have its own vibe with a color scheme, shells, decor. They used to have free snacks in a basket and a bag of toys to take to the beach. They used to have a breakfast area with a buffet, help yourself French press, hot chocolate, fruit, ice and popcorn. And they used to have a very nice manager, Margie, who made you feel welcomed. ||All that is all gone now with the new owner, Mark Garegos. All the walls are white and the rooms have no personality. There are no free snacks or beach bag. No breakfast or anything available. They’ve torn out cupboards and the ice maker. We stayed in the penthouse this time (over $700 a night) and they had taken out the sauna and haven’t even bothered to repaint. They’ve taken out the carpet and painted the concrete gray. They use painters tape to show where the step is so you don’t trip. Several of the plugs don’t work and neither does the tv. The outside balcony is spongy to walk on, and I n top of that, there’s a big chuck of plaster missing on the staircase. It was kind of scary since the Florida hotel just collapsed. It’s sad to see a place that used to be so lovely to come to, be turned into a dilapidated, lifeless ruin. ||I will not be coming here again until the owner remodels or sells it to...

The best thing about this hotel is the location. You are literally a hop, skip and a jump from the beach! This is the main reason I booked it for our anniversary. Getting a spot in the parking garage was fairly easy. There were a few spots available for $10 per day. The receptionist gave us our gate remote for the garage and let us know the easiest way to get back into the hotel. It's a small walk from the hotel, but definitely worth having. The building itself is a bit strange. I didn't see an elevator so we basically climbed the stairs the entire time. Not a problem. We entered our room via sliding glass door. All the rooms were like that. I booked the Casa Clemente. It was large enough, but seemed a bit dated. The room needed a paint job in a few places. The jacuzzi tub was situated in a weird way, but it worked and felt nice . I didn't like that the shower head above was constantly dripping on me while sitting in the tub. The shower curtain was a bit rusted and needed to be replaced. Our ocean view was partially blocked by the stairs, but there was a shared patio that was nice to sit and look at the sunset. The fireplace looked nice, but gave little heat. My guess is that it's there for the ambiance. The bed was large and comfortable and we got a much needed romantic,...

Don't stay here if you what to be kept up till 3am in the morning. There is a bar directly below the hotel that plays loud music till 3am in the morning. I made a call to the hotel and they said that they would call the bar and see if they will lower the music. That didn't work! So I called the police, they said that they would send a patrol car by to see if they can get them to lower the music. They also said that if they had a permit there would be nothing they could do. There is also a railroad between the hotel and the pier that goes by aprox. ever hour through late evening, with warning bells ever time it passes and starts up at 5:30am in the morning. Also when I checked out the girl at the front desk said that she was sorry for the noise and she would talk to her manager about it. It has been 2 days and I have not heard anything from anybody. Sounds like they have plenty of business and are not worried about customers returning to their hotel or telling others to go there. Again you can do what you want, but I wouldn't stay here again or recommend...