San Clemente

After reading the glowing reviews of this property, I was excited to be booked here for 2 nights during our recent stay to California. Unfortunately, I don't understand what all the excitement is about? It was just "OK." We travel extensively, and have stood at all different categories of hotels, including many Hampton Inns. In my opinion, this Hampton Inn was 'average."

Check in was quick. Staff were cordial, but not overly friendly. The elevator seemed old, was very slow, and the carpet on the first floor was badly worn. Very dingy looking.

I requested an ocean view with balcony, and received a room on the 1st floor. The "ocean view" was a view of the street and highway in front, with a small glimpse of water.

Room was a suite, with a pull out sofa, microwave, and small frigged in 1 room, and a king in a separate room. This was the first time I have ever seen plastic furniture in a hotel. Parts of headboard and TV stand looked sort of like wood, but other parts were plastic. Very strange.

Bed was very comfortable. Be aware though, if you are a light sleeper, ask for a room in the back of the hotel because you hear the noise from the street and expressway. This bed was actually better than the 'heavenly beds' at the Westin. Very nice.

Shower was a decent size with good water pressure.

"Free Breakfast"- We arrived for breakfast at around 9:30am. They were out of regular coffee, so I asked if they could refill it. I was told "it takes a long time to make, and we are closing soon, but if you want, you can go downstairs and there is some in the lobby." Breakfast is supposed to go until 10am. I thought that was a lousy way to treat your guests. The least she could have done was sent someone downstairs to get a cup of coffee. I guess closing was more important. Eggs and sausage were awful, but there was a selection of very good banana and blueberry muffins, as well as cereal and juices.

There is a very small pool and Jacuzzi in the back of the hotel.

For some reason, I had thought this was walking distance and really close to the beach, but it's not. Note that it is about 6++ blocks away. (That's a guess- didn't actually count them). It is very close to the freeway though. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get to downtown San Diego, because no matter what time of day you travel, the traffic is horrible.

Overall, it was just "OK." Service was nothing special, carpets need cleaning, breakfast was poor, but the bed was very comfortable, and the room was clean.