Diamond Head Inn — Hotel in San Diego

I always love staying at this hotel. You are literally steps from the beach and the boardwalk full of amazing restaurants, cafes and coffee shops. The parking is a bit of a mess but with the location, we always eventually find a spot and not move for our entire stay. We planned on 2 nights this week but the SD weather was so perfect the day we were going to check out, we decided to stay for another day. The GM honored the third night at a discounted rate that was listed online for that night only. And he gave us his email to reach out for future stays. Apparently you can only book the room with the ocean balcony by calling them directly which is good to know. We still got a great room and location, room 208. It had a nice little table and chair right outside that we would sit at in the mornings while drinking our coffee. I love how they provide you with the basics for the kitchenette they have in the rooms. The Direct TV had tons of channels even lots of movies to pick from. The walls were pretty thick and the guests seemed to respect everyone by being as quite as possible. I loved being able to open all but the kitchen windows to let in the nice ocean breeze every day.

The GM did mention that they plan to start renovations in September so it'll be cool to see what they look like when we return next year. Pacific beach is my all time favorite beach in California. The vibes, the weather, the people, everything is just perfect.

My ONLY minor complaints (and hopefully these will be fixed during renovations) are:

The bathroom shower would somehow get water ALL over the floor to the point it was like a small pool. I had to lay down several towels to soak it up and by the end of our trip they were dripping wet. I am not really sure how this happens and made sure the shower door was closed properly. You can see some mildew along the base of the outside of the shower because of this water accumulation. And we only got one washcloth. I know I could have asked for more but it wasn't a huge deal.

The sofa bed was extra lumpy and the pillows in the bedroom were not very "luxurious." One was as hard as a rock and the other was super squishy. And the "comforter" on the bed was just a thin blanket that would get tangled up with the sheet and top sheet cover they have which were both way bigger than the "blanket" was. I hope when they renovate, they use actually duvet covers and comforters for more of a "hotel" feel.

The outdoor shower to rinse off the beach sand didn't seem to be working. I hope this gets fixed. It's been a few years since our first stay here but I could have sworn it worked back then. It's just nice having a place to rinse off all the sand so you don't track it back into your room.

The kitchen windows didn't open in our room (208.) I'm not sure if this is on purpose when every other window worked fine but it would have been really nice to have the option to have them open when making breakfast and lunch in the mornings.

I have no idea where the ice machines was and when I asked a cleaning lady she didn't speak English and couldn't tell me. There is an ice bucket in the room so I assume there was...

First of all, great location, just a couple steps from the beach, literally right in front. Second of all, it is clean, no roaches or anything. Except the walls were a little dirty in the bathroom but I don’t know if maybe they missed that due to the fact that I requested an early check in and the inn accommodated me. On another note, Vanessa at the front desk in the sister hotel checked me in and was so sweet. She also called me to let me know a room was available for early check in. That was very thoughtful because we never set up that she would call me back if anything was available. I assumed I would just have to call back on my own to check. That means she took the time to write my number down and keep me updated. This inn has very spacious rooms too. I stayed in a 1 queen bed room downstairs. The inn has a like small apartment complex feel to it so it feels more homey for someone like me especially, who grew up in an apt. Complex. My room had a small kitchen, a microwave, stovetop and a spacious fridge with a small table to dine on. My toddler and I enjoyed our snackies, chicken nuggets and sandwiches on this little table. The only downside to this Inn is that there is no personnel available in the evening. If you need more toilet paper or towels you have to go to the sister hotel which is just a block away if you need any extra supplies and pool is in the sister hotel too but it’s just a short walk from the inn. My advice would be to request housekeeping service during the day and ask to get extra toilet paper and towels. I would also like to add that I wish the door in my room had an extra lock. The door doesn’t have a switch to ensure it’s locked or even a door stopper. The area seems super safe but even then I would have felt safer with this on my door. My fiancé, toddler and I even went out for a late evening walk and like I said area feels very safe but I did not like that the door didn’t feel locked all the way. Overall, I did like this inn and would stay here again and maybe try a different room with a view next time. If you are staying in the first floor chances are you will have no view which is something I missed out on. Oh well, next time. The price is great though and location as well. I would stay here again, it was satisfactory...

I read these reviews and try and comprehend why there is so much hate. Did you know these rooms were built in the 80s? They're going to be slightly aged. No this is not considered a "5STAR" hotel, but it was 5 stars for us! We are simple folks, and to have a beach 60 seconds away from our front door was amazing. No we didn't stay in the ocean view rooms, we stayed in the queen suite with the kitchen. It felt like a little "Casita"; a home away from home. We opened all the windows and let the AC run at 76° and realistically the AC only needed to kick on once a hour for a few minutes to keep the temperature cool. Yes the reviews are correct, you do need to go check in at a sister hotel ONE BLOCK down the road. (And they give very clear instructions on how to get there.) Diamond Head Inn is on Diamond and Mission, and you need to walk down to Missouri and Mission to check in and out. The walk literally took 5 minutes. All you need to do is cut down the alley where the house with the painted walls(right outside the entrance on DiamondHead Inn), then walk up to Mission, and the sister location is on the left. If that's going to be to much for you, you better go to a different beach. BECAUSE THOSE STAIRS DOWN TO THE BEACH ARE NO JOKE. Be ready to feel that in your calves if you're not a frequent stair stepper. But everything was well worth the stay, the parking is great(and if you can't find a spot you can also park at their sister location) but it does look like 1 spot per room so you really should get one of the spots. If you have to repark later, do that. THE STAFF!! The staff has to be one of the friendliest hotel staff I've ever come across. Clam, kind, and patient. They made this environment/experience so pleasant that we will definitely be coming back. But next time with our pups, because it is pet friendly! Please take this review into consideration when you're looking for a great place to stay, because this is one of them. And for all the haters, next time you want to complain, go complain to a hotel or airbnb on the beach that cost less than $700 for 3 days. You can surely spend at least $1000 at any of the properties next door. Thank you staff, for the amazing...