We just got back from a week at the Country Inn and found it to be an excellent hotel overall. They upgraded us to a suite (at no extra cost) which-although not huge-was quiet and pleasant. The king size bed was comfortable and the bathroom was large . We also got good use out of the included fridge and microwave in the suite. The breakfast was very good and offered a large selection ; everything from bacon and eggs to oatmeal and (freshly made) waffles. The fitness room is small but well-equipped and the pool was open when were there, and quite nice. (and we used the laundry room, which was a bit $$ but which was convenient)
Yes, our AC/fan unit was also quite loud but I wore ear plugs at nite (and thus rendered it into a white noise BG) The staff was helpful and nice (and the fresh cookies offered each evening a nice touch) And free (plentiful) parking is a perk, esp. in San Diego.
The hotel IS far from the "main drag" so if you want to be right where the action is, this might not be the place for you. We however, had a rental car (crucial if you stay here) and the drive didn't bother us (about 15-20 mins. into town)
A few tips: Skip Seaport Village unless you are into $$ kitsch (altho they do have a Crazy Shirt outlet which is great-and their cookie shop is excellent too) Beware the Mexican food there-it is overpriced and dreadful. Ditto the Acapulco Restaurant in Old Town and the restaurant across the street from the hotel . And if you see a "Living Room" bistro(they are all over the city) . stop in. Good food(esp the chocolate cake!) and coffees.

We actually stayed there in Jan. 2007. We didn't like it so much that we checked out after one night and booked our last two nights at a Holiday Inn Express in San Diego Old Town.
I had booked the room online and it wasn't clear that there were no suites with 2 queen/double beds. We were given a very small suite (a separate bedroom with one King size bed and no room for anything else) and a pullout sofa in the sitting area. There were 2 adults and 2 kids. The other option we had was a single room with two queen beds, but we wanted a separate area for after the kids went to bed. As soon as we walked into our room the noise struck us from the heating/air conditioning unit. There's no way we could sit/sleep in the room with that on. I asked the front desk clerk if every unit was that noisy and she said yes, but let me check another room and it was the same. The ceiling vent was quite large (about 2 x 3') and the grate was covered in thick dust. It was disgusting. We turned the unit off and the front desk clerk sent up extra blankets for us (It was low 40s outside). Both of the drinking glasses put out in the room had large cracks in them (ready for the garbage, not for drinking). The wallpaper in the bathroom was pealing and there was a spot where the paint was pealing off the bathroom ceiling. Also a cobweb on the bathroomm ceiling. The common areas of the hotel were freezing! The pool was closed for renovations! When I told the clerk that we booked the hotel because they had a pool, she said that it was on their website that it would be closed (but I had booked months in advance and was never contacted to tell me this). I later looked on their web site and it was mentioned - not on the main page though - I had to go to the overview page to find it - also, it said the renovation would be from Dec. 13 - 22/06. We checked in Jan. 3/07. In the morning we were awakened by other showers running and then heard the t.v. in the room next to us. We stayed in 4 other hotels before this one on this trip and didn't hear either showers or t.v.s from any rooms. They did have complimentary internet access in the rooms and a very nice breakfast, and someone kind of evening reception, but these weren't enough to keep us there. We checked out after one night.

I'm going to go against the grain with my review of this hotel. Having seen the tripadvisor reviews and ratings on this hotel I had high expectations of what to expect although that might have been the problem.

Our initial impressions of the hotel were favourable, the lobby area, breakfast room and bar area are all immaculate and well appointed. Check in was fast and smooth and the desk staff were very friendly. We got to our room and found that the pool area was being refurbished right under our window. They were due to stop that day for christmas but since we were booked for 10 days we changed rooms.

The rooms themselves are a good size and the decor is tolerable. What is not tolerable was the small jet engine in the corners of both rooms we entered, that was the air conditioning unit. It was enough to wake me regularly through the night even though I was wearning ear plugs. The bed was comfortable enough however.

The bathroom looked fine and for the most part was. The main problem was the shower, the water was tepid and the flow was very poor indeed. For me this is a fundamental point in a hotel bathroom is to provide a decent shower, which this did not. We mentioned the issue to the front desk, again very helpful and friendly, who said they would look into the issue. Apparently it was dealt with but not to a level my wife or I were satisfied with.

In the hotels favour the breakfast items offered are decent though. A couple of hot items are replenished regularly and there are waffle irons as well as some pastries and cereals.

Overall, the hotel does have some things in its favour; the very friendly hotel staff, the decent breakfast on offer, the free parking and the quiet location, free wireless and free cookies throught the day. However, the aircon unit and the poor shower were enough to mean we would cut our stay short and rebook at another hotel, it simply was too much for us to overlook.

For the price we paid, ($116, AAA), this was a great value. A very nice, clean room. Excellent breakfast. Easy access. Quiet. A very nice place to stay.