We stayed here for a conference, but had time to play in addition. It's a pretty walk along the bay to the Aquarium and lots of fun places to eat. I didn't get to use thr spa services, but would have loved to.
The room was nicely decorated, with white shutters instead of curtains and a super comfy bed.
Definitely a place to recommend for a vacation or conference!

Wow, what can we say. This property is almost right at the wharf and our room overlooked a pedestrian walkway. The room was well appointed and we loved the look of the plantation blinds. Although we have seen more upgraded bathrooms (ie: no granite), the bath was fine too. I think the bed was comfortable, my husband said it could have been more comfy.

The real plus for this hotel is its location. The front desk was super helpful. We asked for a specific room on the parking garage side so that we could roll our bikes in easily to our room and we were accommodated right away. The whole idea behind our trip was to bike the trail up to the Fort Ord area. The front desk also gave us cookies upon check in which is always fun.

Our favorite coffee shop (not Starbucks) was only a block up the street, so we were really happy for a great breakfast not too far away. So, we rode our bikes right out of our hotel room and never had to get in the car over the weekend if we did not want to.

Normally outside of what we want to spend, we found a good sale on hotels.com and another lady we met in the hot-tub got a good deal by booking her room 20 days out. Things to be aware of - parking in the garage is $17.00 per day with in/out privileges (although the lady we met got the parking included by booking in advance). Also beware of your room location. Some locations by streets or pedestrian walkways might be noisier at night. My guess is that the quietest rooms will be over the courtyard in the main building.

We have stayed many places in the area and this is now my #1 location. Just loved it. We did not even get to the spa services. Just another plus for this hotel.

Portola is within walking distance to wharf and all rooms are spacious and quiet. We have stayed on the 6th floor with ocean view (large patio with chairs) and the 5th floor, where we enjoyed a Winter Special rate of $179 / Night; King Bed with daily in-room breakfast from Jack's Menu. Rooms are the same size (except the ocean view had a larger patio w/ several chairs). We chose Valet-Parking $20 / night over Self-Parking because our car was always available. Staff is professional, friendly and willing to do anything to accommodate. For years, we stayed on Pacific Street, but love not having to 'climb the hill' and we like walking the area and being able to go on tours directly from the hotel. Also, this hotel accepts pets, believe for a $50 cleaning deposit.

We stayed here a couple nights for a business trip. The hotel was nice overall and the service was good, but nothing really impressed me. I would say the biggest perk is its location, especially if a person is wanting to stay near old town Monterey, since everything is within walking distance. I would stay here again if I returned to the area, and may see a little more if I was staying for pleasure.