We finished our two week tour of Southern California with 3 nights here having chosen this hotel for the ocean view position. We had an ocean view room which is well worth it but I would have loved the opportunity to sit outside on a balcony (first floor rooms don't have a balcony) enjoying the views. However the seats in the garden area mean you can do this - sitting there enjoying a glass of wine watching the ocean (including dolphins and seals) - lovely and relaxing.
The rooms are very good, clean and well equipped and the staff were very helpful and efficient. Breakfast is a lttle limited in selection but more than adequate and there is free internet access in the breakfast room.
There is a nice pool and hot tub area - but it is not particularly big so I assume it may get busy. It wasn't when we were there and it was a bit a chilly (particularly noticeable having come from Death Valley and 115 degree!!). However the screening round the pool makes it very sheltered. Of course the pool is probably not that important when a 5 minute walk down the stairway leads you to the expanse that is Pismo Beach! Its probably a 20-25 minute walk along the beach to the pier and the centre of town (takes a similar time walking along the main road).
Pismo Beach is a small town and seemed a little 'out of season' but there are some nice restaurants and stunning scenery. The hotel was a great choice for location and an ability to relax. Do splash out on an Ocean View room - its worth it!!

First ever night in the US - easy to check in andpark. Rooms cosy (read very warm) the ceiling fan helps., but I would be concerned staying here in summer with no air con!!
The details of the towels as swans was a lovely touch. The hotel staff were very helpful with giving us directions to local eateries and shopping.
The breakfast was basic but ok (breads, fruits and assortment of spreadable condiments). Only styed here for one night but it started my trip off well!

Just spent seven days at the Cottage Inn by the Sea for our first year wedding anniversary. The only rooms I would stay in are the King Ocean View with vaulted ceilings. You have a great view of the ocean and the sound of the waves to put you into a deep sleep at night, high ceilings that make the small room seem larger, and they don't allow pets in these rooms. We stayed in room 424 which was clean and well maintained. The bed was very comfortable, the shower had excellent pressure and always piping hot water, and the room was well insulated (we slept with the windows open at night and did not need the fireplace heater). It is a short walk to the beach utilizing the steep stairs of the hotel next door, and there is a nice garden pathway below the rooms, where you can relax and enjoy the views and the bunnies if you're lucky enough to see some. Bummer the upstairs rooms don't have balconies (the lower ones have patios) but that's a flaw in the original design. The complimentary continental breakfast is adequate, they have hard boiled eggs to go with a make your own waffle station, bagels, etc. Skip the prepared oatmeal and make your own with the instant packets provided. They try their best, but oatmeal just doesn't keep in a chafing dish... I like strong coffee and their's although it tastes ok is very weak, but that's just a personal preference. They provide cookies in the lobby in the afternoon which is a nice touch. The hotel is also within easy walking distance to Marie Callender's (so-so) and the Ventana Grill (which we highly recommend). The rooms have complimentary WIFI which was somewhat sketchy and slow the first few days of our stay, but worked pretty well for the last part. They also have a guest computer in the breakfast area, and coffee and tea available there all day. The fireplace heater in the room cranks up and heats the room quickly, but there is no thermostat so if we had needed it, I would guess you would have to get up and turn it on and off throughout the night to moderate the temperature in the room. Maybe it never gets cold enough there to require it for heat? The housekeeping staff were very nice and always smiled and returned our greeting when we were about the property. The front desk staff were OK but didn't wow us during our stay. The young lady who checked us in wearing a black hat was very nice, and there was a gentleman we ran into a few times who had the right idea about hospitality, but the rest of the interactions with the front desk were ambivalent at best. They have a guest laundry room if you need it, a pool and Hot Tub (would have liked the hot tub to be a couple of degrees hotter) discounts with Vital Touch Massage in town (excellent value!), and you can purchase a day pass to the Gym just down the street. Only minor negative, we were saving our recycling bottles and cans in a brown paper bag in our room to take with us when we left. We kept one of our volleyballs in the top of the bag so housekeeping would not mistake it for trash and remove it from the room, but on the 4th day they took it out any way (left the volleyball or they would have heard from us.) Well, unfortunately that became their housekeeping tip for our stay. The rooms are too small in our opinion for a lengthy stay for families, but it was a great value for just the two of us. We will most likely be back!

My husband and I (along with two other couples) planned to stay here five nights. We checked out the next morning. Two of the rooms were dirty (dirty bathroom floors filled with hair, etc., cobwebs). No excuse for poor housekeeping. Staff very young and did not seem to care. Never again. We moved to the Pismo Lighthouse Suite down the street and loved it.