San Diego Mission Bay Resort — Hotel in San Diego

We are a family of 4 from Minnesota. This was our first trip to San Diego. The city, absolutely family friendly and great fun! Unfortunately this "resort" was the only downside to our 6 night/7 day vacay because of the cost of the hotel and so little service compared to surrounding amenities.

Mission Bay Resort we are giving you a 2-star rating but it is the truth compared to other places we have travelled! We live in a time where inflation and growing cost for all services is a reality. We chose San Diego as a more cost effective option for spring break. However, paying over $3,000 for our 6 night stay at a hotel that calls itself a resort was disappointing for what we got. It just wasn't worth it.

My overall opinion of this hotel is that it should NOT be classified as a 4-star hotel, but as a 3-star, and that a beautiful pool area and Mission Bay Park surrounding does not make it a "resort". The photos on your website are deceiving. Starting with our room. We paid a little more for a "villa" room over looking Mission Bay, hoping that we might have a little more space for our family. We were vacationing with another family of 3 who stayed in the Tower and paid almost the same amount for their standard room, without the water view.

For the price we paid, our room and view was just average. Our bathroom was spacious and beautiful but with an outdated mediocre toilet and leaking shower, cracked walls! We had a shower with a glass door which was not sealed to the bottom. So when anyone showered, a lot of water leaked out from the bottom causing a pool of water on the floor when you were done showering. Longer the shower, bigger the pool, higher the fall risk! I informed the front desk that this was happening with our shower, they sent us more towels - thanks alot. Our sheets were occasionally stained, as well as the window curtains, and the standing lamp in the corner. The small table for eating and the corner on the floor, coated with dust. Big turn offs for a 4-star hotel which we paid a lot of money for! We also had an over-sized TV in the room, which would have been great if the visual quality worked properly, otherwise not worth it, it was very dark.

As for resort amenities, the nicest thing about this hotel was the pool area. The pool is heated, clean, very nice. However, if you are getting pool-side service for food or drink, watch out for the 22% surcharge that is added to your bill. Our waiter did NOT give us an itemized bill until we asked, and it not stated anywhere on the menu that there is a 22% surcharge for the service. Thumbs down, that was not worth it for a couple drinks and chicken strips!

Breakfast is NOT included at this hotel, even though you are paying so much for your room. There are 3 restaurants on the location with a very expensive menu. The restaurants seem to have good ratings for the food, but the price is not worth it compared to the numerous surrounding area restaurants. We did not at any of the restaurants on site. Room service is a modified "delivery service" at certain times. It is not 24 hours. It's highly overpriced, some entrees are $15-$22 each, in ADDITION to a 20% surcharge.

In addition to extra hidden charges, if you have rented a vehicle and plan to park, the hotel charges $42/ PER NIGHT for parking! The only place this is posted is upon exit of the parking lot, but it does not specify that it is per night, nor does the front desk mention when you check in, no discounts. 6 nights - $242.

Weather is also a downside that cannot be helped. The hotel offers smores , movie nights but only on limited days. It would have been nice if more activities were offered on rainy nights. So in all, this hotel is just an OK stay , if I had paid 50% less. I certainly wouldn't have been as disappointed if I hadn't paid $3,440 for our entire stay. I could have spent the same amount of money at an all-inclusive international resort or at an Air BNB for 7 people! Lesson learned we will not be coming back to your "resort", but certainly...

We needed a mini vacation that was affordable and all inclusive with activities. My children are grown, however, this is a kid and pet friendly resort. The food is amazing, the rooms are cozy and comfy. The scenery is amazing. …READ MORE|Trip typeVacation · Couple|Rooms5.0Service5.0Location5.0|Hotel highlightsLuxury · Great view · Romantic · Quiet · Kid-friendly · Great value|RoomsThe only issue we had with our room was our TV wasn't working at first. Since I'm the technical one, I tried to figure it out before bothering the staff. When I couldn't figure it out, I went to the front desk to make them aware. I was told someone would come and fix it. After about a couple of hours on our phones, no one came. So I decided to figure it out again. Luckily it was a loose cable that had to be pushed all the way in. Even though I saw the cable plug in, it just needed to be pushed in further. When I say this place. Is impeccably clean, I mean it from driving into the resort to outside our balcony is so clean. I'm telling you, it's very inviting. We didn't want to leave.|Nearby activitiesFor nearby activities, you have so many things to do. From kayaking to taking a sunset San Diego cruise. We even went on aa roller coaster at the nearby mission beach. Here I got to walk in the ocean, collected seashells, and danced in the beach sand. I wish I took my swim suit with me. A lot to do, but not enough time.|SafetyWe felt safe, parents with kids and pets were safe. There was a sense of calm energy. I feel rejuvenated since my trip this weekend.|WalkabilityOh my greatness... When I say the scenery is amazing, trust me! You can walk, jog, bike ride. You name it and it possibly is available or achievable. You can go for miles, and not tire out because there is so much to see.|Food & drinksFrom the chef to the server, were wonderful. When they made a mistake, they took ownership, and went above and beyond to make it right. They all had smiles from ear to ear. My husband and I chuckled at one point because it seemed like we were royalty. Just about all the workers flooded to our table to make sure we were taken care of. The food and drinks at Covewood are sooooo delicious. You won't be disappointed.|Noteworthy detailsThe staff, from the registration to the chefsnare wonderful. Very professional, caring, accommodating, welcoming, understanding, approaching, Even when they make a mistake, they take ownership and make it right. They all go above and beyond!!! The only issue we had with our room was our TV wasn't working at first. Since I'm the technical one, I tried to figure it out before bothering the staff. When I couldn't figure it out, I went to the front desk to make them aware. I was told someone would come and fix it. After about a couple of hours on our phones, no one came. So I decided to figure it out again. Luckily it was a loose cable that had to be pushed all the way in. Even though I saw the cable plug in, it just needed to be pushed in further. When I say this place. Is impeccably clean, I mean it from driving into the resort to outside our balcony is so clean. I'm telling you, it's very inviting. We didn't want to leave. The guest room from the bathroom to the balcony are insanely clean. Our drawers, refrigerator, and everything were clean. All 100% great overall experience. I'll be reviewing and posting pictures on different platforms. I'm so impressed. From the chef to the server, were wonderful. When they made a mistake, they took ownership, and went above and beyond to make it right. They all had smiles from ear to ear. My husband and I chuckled at one point because it seemed like we were royalty. Just about all the workers flooded to our table to make sure we were taken care of. The food at Covewood is sooooo delicious. You won't be...

The location can't be beat, but be warned this is NOT the "resort" that you see on the website. They obviously spent their entire budget on marketing a property that doesn't exist. We have never stayed in a resort this run down; the couches, carpet and curtains in the multiple rooms we had were dirty and stained. As noted in other reviews, the beds are NOT queen, they are double. Not only are they smaller than advertised, they were loud and squeaky and very uncomfortable. The pillows were also terrible, even after requesting different types. You aren't even able to brew a proper cup of regular coffee or tea in your room; they only have espresso machines (which upon inspection were filthy). The sound proofing between rooms is very poor; every flush of a toilet or closing of a door can be heard. Upon our arrival we had a duvet that was ripped and bleeding feathers everywhere and our entire room had to be "cleaned" again. The entire property was dated and run down, despite the fact that they try to charge you for everything imaginable; want some regular coffee in the morning, you have to buy it. Want to park, you have a daily $40 charge and the parking mechanism was broken multiple times during our stay causing issues. When I asked about arriving early they said if our room was ready, we could go ahead and check in, not telling us until later that was another $40?! For all the extra expenses you'd think the overall facilities would be impeccable, they definitely are not, the entire place is obviously old, dated and run down.

The restaurant staff was all very friendly and accommodating. However, again beware, you can't order from different "restaurants" and then eat your food in a different spot on the grounds. This despite the fact that all the food from different restaurants was prepared and delivered from the same kitchens?!

Of the office staff and management, there was only one girl who worked evenings that was helpful and kind, the rest were neither professional nor accommodating. While I was quite unhappy about multiple issues, I was never rude or belligerent, yet the manager tried not to speak to me in person twice. I've a message into their GM and am still waiting for a response.....

And also not clearly stated is that in off season the restaurants and activities are extremely limited. Not all food options are available all the time and hours are limited. Would not have been a huge deal, had we known that ahead of time. Like their entire website, it's all very misleading.

Parking is yet another expensive fee, also noted in previous reviews, and while we were there the parking mechanism was broken part of the time.

Then we had an irreplaceable item go missing in the laundry that is apparently sent out 2 hours away. No one seemed much bothered by this, just like all the other issues we experienced.

For this price point and what is described online I expected much better quality and service and amenities! We absolutely will not return and if we could have found different last minute accommodations we would have left early. But, there is of course a $75 fee for that too!! I would absolutely not recommend...