The location of this motel can't be beat. The motel has a retro feel to it, but to me I appreciate this. Sure you could stay at a much more modern motel, but the fact that it's not is just the reason that I appreciate this place. The rooms are clean and the furniture is a bit dated, but this does not matter at all to me. It gives the place personality. I think the negative reviewers are missing the point of this motel entirely. People are cordial and I continue to give them my business. Can't go wrong in my opinion but others might not see it that way

I let my coworker talk me into staying here for two nights. $135 a night. I shouldn't have. I admit It is in a great location right on the beach and, yes, the local nightlife and food is great. But I felt like I was staying in the hotel from "revenge of the nerds; nerds in paradise". I am laughing just thinking about it. I have never stayed at a Four Seasons and am used to Hamptons and such. I don't think I am snob but this place is not somewhere I would even consider in the furure. Maybe if I was a freshman in college on springbreak.

This was our 2nd stay at the Sea Sprite, and we loved it! We have a 4 & 6 year old. and this hotel is now a place we plan on coming each year. It's not fancy, but it's clean, the beds are comfy, the kitchen is great and you are 7 steps from the beach, literally. Once we parked in our reserved parking spot (which is sooooo convienient because parking can be hard to find) we didn't get back in the car for 3 days! Next time we're not getting a rental car. We rented bikes each day, hunted for seashells, played in the ocean, made our own meals in the great kitchen, and I walked to have a massage at "The Massage Spot" which was nice. The pool is not very kid friendly, with no shallow area, but who needs the pool when you are 8 ft away from the beach. After a few hours on the beach, we ran into our room and the kids warmed up in a bath..how COOL is that! We used the laundry machines and they were big and did a good job. Staff is helpful and friendly. Shower pressure is not strong. Towels were great.

OK...I had a bad experience at the Hampton Inn in Hermosa Beach...management is clueless and wouldn't negotiate $10 off their first asking price rate...I guess they would rather sit on an empty room in this economy. Oh well, I travel there quite a bit and now they're off my list...permanently. I headed to the waterfront and found The Sea Sprite Motel...it's a bit scary looking, it reminds me of a place Nicolas Cage might check into when he's ready to drink himself to death in the movie "Leaving Las Vegas"...but it's not that bad...and that actually added to the mystique of staying there.

The staff was very friendly and accommodating. They were lenient on their price as they didn't have the efficiency room they thought they did, so they upgraded me to ocean front at not extra charge. Don't think this is some great motel, because it's not. Everything is dated inside, but it's relatively clean for an old motel. You access the room from a common balcony that overlooks the ocean...slide open the worn screen door and unlock the sliding glass door...I think I could have yanked it open without unlocking it, but I wasn't too worried as crime isn't a real problem in Hermosa Beach.

The bathroom was, again, relatively clean for what it was and the bed was comfortable...I don't think my wife would enjoy staying there...but it was OK for me as a lone traveler. They provided free covered parking which is convenient. Everything is within walking distance, so you can park and walk to the restaurants and bars with no problem at all. There's a pool right on the strand and it appeared to be well taken care of from what I could see.

If you can rough it in basic conditions, no frills, this is worth checking out...it's location is great. I checked into a different hotel, The Grandview Inn, just down the strand and paid a bit less for a nicer, more secure room but wasn't ocean front for about $10 less per night...it sat back off the ocean a bit more but was fine for me. I think The Grandview Inn was a better overall value with nicer, cleaner accommodations, but The Sea Sprite is OK too. I think it just needs a nice overall renovation, but that would raise the prices.