I stayed at this hotel from the end of November through the first week of December. Pulling up to the hotel I was immediatly disaapointed in the outside appearance and the lobby did little to change my mind - but are old and dumpy lookiong. I checked into my room and when I walked into the bathroom, I found a large bug crawling around in my sink. The room was outdated and the carpet was disgusting. The bedspreads look dingy, the bed itself is hard, and the pillows go flat as soon as you lay down. My room was conveniently located right along the freeway so the traffic noise was unbearable when it came time for bed. If you have seen the recent reports of hotels not cleaning glasses properly, let me tell you that I did not see a single glass on the cleaning cart which can only lead me to believe that this hotel does not clean their glasses either. The management is uncooperative and reluctant to please their customers, even those customers who would be repeat visitors. The motto is "Too bad if you dont like it, we do not need your business."

BEWARE OF THIS HOTEL! Although it is close to the main street, it just isnt worth it.

My recommendation: You are much better off staying at the Hampton Inn which is only about 1 mile away. That hotel has a seperate sitting and sleeping area, a nice wide sink, super comfortable bed, and it has views of the golf course.

Initially we were not going to book a room with this hotel because it is closer to the freeway than it is to the beach. We were already in town so we took advantage of checking out the local community and were impressed.

The hotel sits one street off of Camino Real, San Clemente's main thoroughfare. This means that you are close to everything San Clemente has to offer but far enough away that the sounds of the city don't keep you up at night.

The hotel is very clean and the rooms are big enough that you don't feel crowded. We got an executive king with a whirlpool tub. The bed is so big you won't be awaken by bumping into your respective others. The tub is actually a whirlpool tub and not just some bath with jets. It is huge and could fit 3 people (4 if you are daring).

The TV has plenty of channels to keep you busy and has both English and Spanish stations (Spanish isn't just limited to soap operas either). The entire hotel has Internet access and room service runs until 10pm. The in room menu is missing a lot of selections they will deliver so if you don't see something (beer), just ask. They have a full breakfast service and you can order from a menu you leave hanging on your door the night before. If you are going to be out late, make sure you order and leave the menu outside the door before you leave.

Now about the distance to the beach. It actually wasn't very far at all and encouraged a walk out of us. It was a good walk but not a tiring one. Along the way there are plenty of shops to keep you occupied. While at the peer we ate crab and took in an Angel game. A great way to recharge the batteries for the trek back to our room.

Overall we were very impressed with this hotel. The staff were gracious and helpful. Our bar tender (room service delivery girl) was a local and helped us plan out our evenings and days. We had a wedding party in the hotel and do to the rooms being sufficiently sound proofed we didn't hear them.

If you are looking for a hotel that has it all and is just close enough and yet far enough away from the hustle and bustle, the Holiday Inn is a great place to stay.

We had reservations about this as it was very cheap and was right next to the freeway but we loved it ! Hotel was good and clean and we had a sea view room which faced away from the freeway so we heard no noise at all. Air conditioning was broken in gym which rendered it unusable by day however. San Clemente is a great little town with a village feel and the beach is only about 15 mins walk from the hotel down the main street. Shops and restaurants (a great selection) are withing seconds walk from the hotel.

I highly recommend this hotel, it's convenient to the beach (about a one mile walk, but you can park free in town by the shops to cut down the distance), the staff is very friendly and go out of their way to be helpful without being asked. The hotel restaurant has good breakfast food, and room service is available.

I was very impressed with San Clemente, it's a hidden gem in southern California, I liked it better than Del Mar or La Jolla. The Fisherman restaurant at the Pier has excellent food with reasonable lunch and wine prices.