I was happy and comfortable staying here, however two things that could be approved is one, larger rooms. I was a solo traveler and was given a room with two queen beds. The room was small and it was hard to move around the room. Two, my room was across from the pool which wasnt bad until the evening. It was super loud with guest enjoying the pool until after 10 pm. This made it difficult to rest.
We had a great week long stay at the Best Western Island Palms. We stayed in a marina view one bedroom king suite with a kitchen (no oven). I called a week before our trip and Danny recommended the marina view room and said he would pick out a good room for us. We were very happy with the room. It was clean and modern enough (some signs of age but nothing too noticeable). I should note that I have very high standards for hotels. The separate bedroom was great since our toddler goes to bed early and naps during the day. The bathroom was separate from the bedroom which was also nice. The balcony was a good size and the view of the marina was great. We could also see the bay from our balcony. The hotel was quiet. We were never disturbed by noise. Housekeeping stopped by once to give us clean towels and take out garbage. That was fine with us but if you want more frequent service, you probably need to request it. Our room was missing a toaster and housekeeping promptly brought one (and a replacement when the first one didn’t work). I highly recommend walking on the path along the bay (across the street from hotel) for amazing views of downtown San Diego and to watch all the boats and helicopters (naval base across the way) going by. It’s especially pretty in the evening. There’s a bay beach across the street from the hotel which was great for our toddler to play in the sand (water was a bit murky but we saw several locals go in). There’s also a nice playground on the bay a short walk from the hotel. The hotel is in a very scenic area and we were impressed by the views. A few minor suggestions for improvement: a sponge and/or dish towel for kitchen, lid for kitchen garbage can, our balcony only had one chair but others had 2 chairs, some rooms had a door mat but ours was missing (would have been nice to wipe off sand from shoes), towels by the pool (maybe they’re supposed to be there but were out when we visited).…
I actually started with a great review, the front desk workers are great and I still stand by that. Sadly the stay began to become an awful experience and I needed to change the review. We booked a second room to surprise my daughter who was getting married. The reservation from what we were told was put in all wrong and she was asked to re check in everyday in the lobby to get new keys for our 5 day stay. Not a huge deal but inconvenient. Then they did not clean the room for 4 days. We spoke to desk staff and management and each time they apologized and but still…no cleaning was done. Dirty towels and hotel trash was also a bit irritating but we just took it all out and refreshed the room ourselves. The ironing board and iron were awful. We did our best to clean it as we did not inspect it when we arrived as we assumed it would be clean? Our mistake for sure, the iron ended up ruining my sons shirt so we had to rush and find a new one last minute. Small coffee pot in the room didn’t work and I really really need caffeine in the morning, went to lobby and their pot was empty. Thank goodness for Uber eats. All that being said I spoke with the manager again the day we left. I don’t get angry and scream and shout, I am respectful and just need to be heard and have issues corrected if possible. He did not really show any concern for our trip being so awful. Said he could send someone to clean the room now but what good does that do the last day? Told him about the iron and board just so they can replace it before someone else’s items get ruined and he looks at me and says do you have a photo of the shirt? I don’t want a free shirt my guy, I just want you to be aware that it’s a problem! He did offer a bottle of champagne after hearing about the wedding? I would rather have a sincere apology to be honest. For Almost $300 a night, I expect more. Beautiful location but run down, carpets are filthy, overall out dated and not worth the money. Management needs some training. You are sending guests to competitors by being insincere and not fixing the issue. We spent a lot of money and are very disappointed. Save yourself the headache. We recommend looking elsewhere to stay. …
I love the mid-century parts of this tiki-themed hotel, but the newer buildings with names are more luxurious. This place feels like a resort from my childhood. It's well-kept, but not fancy. Great place for families. Comfortable bed, hot shower, good TV and WiFi. Shelter island is a good slow-paced vacation destination, and this place offers amazing harbor views. Worth the upgrade.
The hotel was beautiful, the staff was very helpful and friendly. I checked-in after a long late night flight and the front desk made the process quick and easy. My room looked just like the pictures. Happy I was able to book this hotel.
We have been coming to this hotel for years and absolutely love it. The location is incredible, with equally awesome views on all sides of the island. We particularly like the marina view. There are a ton of good places to eat within walking distance as well. The pool areas are nice -- especially the main one by the hotel front office. But the main thing that makes this place special is the staff, highlighted by the work of the ever helpful Danny -- who has been making my family feel at home here for years now.
This was my third time at this hotel and I'll definitely be back. We love the location, the pool area is great, and the staff is so nice! We had some issues when my daughter got sick and they went ABOVE AND BEYOND, all with smiles on their faces.
We’ve stayed here 4-5 times & will be back. Location is excellent—near airport; on the water; spacious, clean rooms & very accommodating staff. We enjoy the live music at Humphreys (easy walking distance) & many choices of restaurants nearby. We love San Diego, Shelter Island & Best Western Plus Island Palms.
Location is great. Unfortunately my service experience was not great. Our room wasn’t ready until after 5pm when we checked in and they never cleaned our room after requesting it in the morning. Really wish we had a different experience because overall I liked the improvements of the hotel.
Excellent beach front property that gives a cabin private feeling that feels better than staying in big building hotels. Hotel stuff is exceptionally warm and helpful. Breakfast is delicious too. I wish there was no $16 cap on the breakfast.
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