If you want a clean, simple and comfortable place to sleep in a great location that is close to all of Monterey's attractions for an unbeatable price, your expectations will be met. If you want the best of a world-class resort, buy a lover's package with the champagne and in-house spa. I am a beach lover, not into frills. I had a good night's rest and enjoyed Point Lobos, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the 17-mile drive.

This is part of a budget motel chain, adjacent to Monterey Bay. It's at the north end of Fremont St, just before it merges with CA 1, so don't make the mistake I did in trying to check in at the other EconoLodge down the street. After driving up the coast from San Luis Obispo via Big Sur on Hwy. 1, I arrived tired and bleary-eyed. I also needed a restroom, badly. I asked the lady checking me in and she said "there is one in your room". After telling her that I probably could not make it as far as the one in my room, she did let me use the one in her manager's unit behind the Office.

On entering I noticed a musty smell - and wondered if I had been given a smoking room by mistake. In all fairness, it faded once I turned the fan on, and it did not smell as strongly after I returned from dinner that night. Otherwise the room was clean and well-appointed, with TV, fridge and microwave. I stayed two days and the manager gave me a new card key when mine did not work because I had spilled some tea on it...

We checked in on 6/18 and checked out on 6/20. Room 229 - this is the first room at the top of the stairs above the hotel office. It was nice, i believe it was the picture on the website. It had a fireplace and refrigerator and a large cabinet area. The room had a funny smell to it, but we opened the window and it was better. The bathtub was wonderful...deep with backrest. Room was clean for the most part. The refrigerator had food left over in it and the coffee maker had the leftover grinds from the last occupant...YUCK. I left a note for the maid and the front desk apologized when I checked out...she said that the last occupant was going to stay another night... that's why the food was left in the refrigerator. The motel is located in a business district. One distraction we had (which now we can laugh at) was the seagull that had built its nest above the fireplace (We didn't use the fireplace). We got in around 3 p.m. checked in and laid down... all the sudden a loud swack noise of the gull echoed down the fireplace and we jumped out of bed! Apparently the gull had chicks and was protecting its nest from the black birds. This went on during the daytime hours. Luckily we left early in the morning and came in after dark.

We decided to go to the FishWife Restaurant (which was fabulous)...however finding the restaurant was hard. We decided to walk.... not a great neighborhood to walk in... bars on windows.....especially if you do not know exactly where you are going. We ended up walking about 20 blocks and took the bus back to the hotel...then drove and it was like 3 blocks down the street. If you go it is next to the Chocolate Factory. It is a small restaurant but excellent!

Again... hotel is average. No pool, small picnic area... You get what you pay for. I personally would not return to this hotel, but it was cheap.

This place never fails to amaze me. We've stayed there probably a couple dozen times in the past few years including this past weekend. It's reasonable, well located to the highway but not too close, walking distance to Starbucks, Jamba and Papa Chano's, not to mention Costco and a some other shops, you get that nice smell of ocean air with the breeze, 5-10 minutes to Cannery Row by car, a lovely trail nearby that winds along the coast for joggers and bikers. We also dive as one of the other reviews mention and it's handy for us as they have a rinse area for dive equipment. It's much cheaper than Lone Oak Lodge on average....another hotspot for divers....though there is NO hot tub. The rooms and bathrooms are all a very good size and the service there is very efficient and they keep the place clean. It's a well run very basic joint with no frills....just everything you need and a price you can count on will be cheaper or on par with the other similar type establishments on Fremont St in Seaside there. I've stayed in a lot of these places in that neigborhood depending on web pricing, but the default pick is always the Bay Breeze.