Borrego Valley Inn — Hotel in San Diego Country Estates

tldr; It’s not at all what they advertise on their website. Read the negative reviews. It's basically a slightly more upscale motel. It astonishingly has a 4-star property category on google, while a more reasonable 3 on tripadvisor - it's really 2.5.

The positives: Communication with staff was generally good, and there is someone on the property to handle requests, which they did promptly when we needed something. They also promptly refunded the unused part of our trip after we left early. The two pools looked clean.

Negatives: Location - there is a difference between "tranquil, serene" and "quiet". Former happens as a result of careful and thoughtful design and execution, while the latter is a byproduct of being in a tiny desert town. It's quiet, except not really because it's right next to the one main road of the town, so you hear all of the traffic. And it's right next to a cluster of houses, where someone has a rooster and several people have dogs. So we were treated to constant noise of barking dogs and a crowing rooster throughout our "peaceful" stay. Room - we stayed in the one suite on the property, and it's frankly lacking in every way. We were supposed to receive a code to enter the room, but the text they sent didn't have it. On the day of, I contacted them and they told us the lock is broken and they're replacing it. Ok, things happen, but they had an extra day to make sure their largest/most expensive room is ready. The room itself is dated and dark with poor lighting. Kitchen was barely stocked, and there's no dishwasher, so you're expected to wash dishes during your vacation. Several of the glasses and mugs had sticky residue inside so I had to wash them prior to using them. Couch had dried stains on it. The bed was terrible. Cheap, squeaky, bouncy mattress you get in cheap motels with a basic, cheap, frame. We couldn't get good sleep on it. As others mention, the AC is very loud. We didn't mind it as it acted as white noise (helping block out the noise of barking dogs), but if you don't like loud AC - it will bother you. Location of this, most expensive room is the worst out of all of the rooms. It's attached to the main building, on the side facing the cluster of houses. The patio (that they advertise heavily) opens directly to the driveway and parking area of the hotel, and looks towards the houses and the empty flat desert to the east, and not the beautiful mountains to the west. There's a loud ice machine to the left of the room and a utility closet to the right used by staff, which takes away from any kind of feeling of “tranquility”. Breakfast is nothing to write home about. Reading earlier reviews it seems like they used to offer hot food, and choices. Not anymore. We got two croissants, two sugary yogurts, a sprinkling of granola, two small glasses of orange juice and a jar of cut fruit. This is basically what you get at lower tier Hiltons, except there you have more choice. Note about the town - the Anza Borrego park's official off-season starts in June, however it turns out the town's off-season starts in May. We didn’t see this mentioned anywhere when we were looking up the hotel and town. So imagine our surprise when we go to a restaurant, located on a property owned by the same company that owns this hotel, and find out they they’re closed until October. This wasn’t mentioned on hotel’s website, restaurant’s social pages, google, anywhere. And similar thing occurred with other businesses. The whole town had a feeling of being deserted. It was odd and unpleasant. As I said in the tldr; it’s basically a slightly more upscale motel, and that would be fine if that’s how they’d advertise it, and charge accordingly. But the experience they claim to offer is so far from the reality that the amount they charge is insulting. It’s not luxurious, or tranquil, or anything the website...

We just returned from a wonderful two-night stay at the Borrego Valley Inn in Borrego Springs and are already planning our next visit! This small 15-room, adults-only hotel was a great find. It was peaceful, beautiful, and thoughtfully designed for relaxation and comfort.||||We stayed in Room 1, a Palo Verde King, which we specifically chose for its end-unit location with windows on three sides. The extra space, natural light, and southwestern décor helped make it perfect for us. The king bed was incredibly comfortable, and the room also had a fireplace (which we didn't use in July), a microwave, mini fridge, and coffee maker. Everything was spotlessly clean.||||Although the room had a private patio, we found ourselves enjoying the front sitting area instead—perfect for morning coffee and continental breakfast. As the sun went down behind the mountains to the west of us, we enjoyed our wine and relaxed as the lights in the resort came on. The quiet, adult-only atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for—peaceful, calm, and undisturbed.||||We took advantage of one of the two pools, choosing the one where bathing suits are required. It was clean, quiet, and really enjoyable in the summer heat.||||One of the most unique aspects of our stay was the seamless, contactless check-in process. We received the door code the morning we were scheduled to arrive and never needed to interact at a front desk. Friendly Louisa was the hotel’s one and only staff member we saw. She had just finished cleaning our room for our 3:00 p.m. arrival. She also delivered our delicious continental breakfast the next morning, which included fresh croissants, yogurt, granola, fruit, and juice—simple, fresh, and just right for us.||||The inn does not have any dining options except the included Continental breakfast, but there are six or seven restaurants less than a mile just down the highway. We particularly liked Carlies.||||Borrego Valley Inn is a truly special place. If you're looking for a quiet, intimate, and relaxing getaway in the desert, this is it. We can't...

Tens across the board! The perfect place to disappear for a quiet desert retreat. Borrego Springs is a hidden gem, and it's very different from Palm Springs so read on...

The Inn. This place is so charming you won't want to leave. We had a king room with fireplace at the very end of the left-most row, between both pools. I spent all morning reading and tanning in our private patio and made friends with an adorable desert squirrel who apparently really likes almonds :) Rooms are very plush but there was only an instant coffeepot with a single serving of caff coffee. There's no microwave or oven (or water boiler) but there's a toaster in the main house. Each room has a mini fridge with some freezing capabilities. The fresh juice and yogurt were a treat and (presumably) complimentary.

Guest services. No food or drink available on site, but you can bring your own to enjoy anywhere on the property. If you need help, staff may be there around midday but otherwise use the call box on the back outside wall of the lobby. We did not receive any room service between nights but they definitely clean up nicely between guests. Everyone was super friendly and wore face coverings. Cesar, the maintenance man is pretty suave and if you see him working on site, don't be shy and say hello!

EV Charging. No charger on site but there's a Blink station very close by at the Visitors Center. You can walk to Carlee's for drinks or dinner while you wait. We took the Temecula route from LA to arrive, and departed by way of Salton Sea (up thru Palm Springs). Our battery never dropped below 40% and we only lost about 20 miles of charge with the car parked for an entire day (no driving).

Highly, highly recommend checking this out. If you do, be sure to ask about the second pool and if there are any extra special, liberating conventions you might want to be...