I sit perched at the bar, downstairs at the Hilton Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California. I am finishing up my first visit to this property...a nine-day stay on business. Across from me on the bar sits a well-polished wooden base that holds 6 Scotch Whisky bottles on display. A good representation of some of the more famous Whiskies Scotland has to offer. The bottles are so well-polished they gleam under the lights. The bottles are empty. Perhaps no single image better describes my nine day stay at this hotel.

As you enter the lobby of this monster hotel, take a moment to stop and regard the spectacular view. It is indeed an amazing view with the well-groomed golf course running right up to the Pacific Ocean. If you are lucky enough to arrive late afternoon, you will seen a stunning sunset from this very spot. It is here, at this spot that your expectations are set and sadly, your stay will never measure up.

I stayed on the third floor in the south wing. My carpet had large burn marks that could only have been made by a cigar, and I'm quite sure at some point in this hotel's history this room was a smoking room. On the plus side, there is a tiny balcony with a little chair and if you careen your neck around the corner you can glimpse the golf course and possibly the ocean from the balcony.

The room is quite dated, I believe there are renovations underway, but this Hilton Honors Member did not merit one of those rooms. There is no refrigerator or mini-bar. There used to be, the cabinet is still there, but alas it is no more. This is true of all the rooms, not just mine. My co-workers reported same.

Almost every day there was some irritating little nuance that managed to remind you are not staying at the luxury resort property you thought you were. One morning I awoke to find someone else's hotel check-out final bill pushed under my door. Mr. "Wilson" had enjoyed a $35 room service meal and not one but TWO movies in his room the night before. To keep the peace I walked the bill down to his room and shoved it under his door.

Another day I came in to find my telephone's message light flashing. I immediately became concerned, dropped all my packages and picked up the receiver to listen to my message, hoping all the while nothing was seriously wrong. It was a voice mail from Hilton asking if I'd be interested in attending a time-share seminar. Nice...

One day I came into my room to find the maid had dutifully cleaned and cleared off my desk and there, sitting in the center of the desk was a note from the management about some scheduled hotel maintenance. The note was carefully, perfectly centered on the desk, but upside down....

The spectacular lobby boasts a coffee service, like a small Starbucks, so Sunday at 1205 I decided to drop in for a muffin and a latte, the lobby was full of folks but the coffee shop shuts down at noon, sharp! Really??

Room service items linger in the hallways, just this evening I was greeted by the same pair of wine glasses, sitting in the hall for two days now, outside my neighbor's door.

For such a large hotel, the bar/restaurant menu is surprising small. I ordered a salad which I must say was quite tasty.

I could go on and on (quite literally) The best thing you can do at this hotel is march right out of the rear terrace towards the golf course, hang a right, and walk about 50 yards to The Lodge at Torrey Pines. There, on the lower level is a causal "grill" that is one of the best-kept secrets in San Diego. It is amazing and will make you want to return to the Hilton to fetch your luggage, seriously....

Maybe it's just me, everyone else appeared to be enjoying themselves. This place is for you if you love Cruise Ships, NASCAR, being served en mass, or if you Golf. This is a hard-core golf property and it attracts tons of golfers from all over.

I travel to La Jolla frequently on business and have stayed in most of the larger properties, I will not be returning to the Hilton, I happily relinquish my cigar-stained dingy accommodation to allow the next foursome to play through. Fore......

We stayed at this hotel on the way back from San Diego to LA (great location, close to the freeway). Great facilities and friendly staff. The room and more importantly the beds! were very comfortable. We had a great night sleep. Will definitely come back. Great value for money.
PS for the hotel manager: the corridors to the rooms seem not to be looked after and can give a negative image to guests before they step into their lovely room with great view or visit the rest of the facilities that the hotel offers.

The facility and its amenities are first class. We were there for a five day Conference and had the opportunity to see it from several viewpoints. We experienced a few glitches, as one expects in these situations. Chief among them was the inabiltiy to handle Conference sized numbers at their regular dining facilties in a manner quick enough for our allotted time frames.
It is fairly pricey for a Midwesterner but not for the area, so I would rate it a reasonable value. No off-street parking exists, so one must use the hotel's ramp. I found that objectionable.

My husband travels a lot for business and this is one of his favorite hotels. Since it's the perfect midpoint between SeaWorld and Legoland we decided it would be our hotel of choice for a family vacation as well (Stayed over New Year's weekend).

First of all you can't beat the price. This is one of the best hotel for the money in San Diego. True, you have to drive if you want to do most of your activities downtown. But even then it's not a bad drive. We were at Balboa Park in less then 20 minutes.

And the view! We're not golfers but we truly can appreciate the beautiful golf course it sits on. The property grounds are gorgeous! We went to the Waldorf Astoria in Maui last June and I dare to say the grounds are comparable at a fraction of the price.

The rooms are a bit dated, which is why the whole hotel is going through a remodel. We never heard any noise though.

We also enjoyed the breakfast buffet (a plus for us is that kids age 5 and younger are free). Omelets, waffles and pancakes are made to order. I did the buffet one day and the regular continental breakfast the other days. Liked the food but just wish there was a bit more variety from day to day.

If you're there, don't miss walking around La Jolla, such a neat town!