Dana Point Marina Inn

Dump of a dump. Stay away. A five-star disaster. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to stay in the purgatory between condemned and forgotten, this is your chance. Our first room came complete with a black ring around the tub, broken blinds for that wide-open-to-the-public vibe, and phones and TV that were purely decorative. The front desk offered us an “upgrade” — a new room that was somehow worse. Bonus points for the non-functioning fridge that melted our food and my diabetic wife’s insulin. When we asked about blankets, the lone employee told us they might have some… somewhere… and that the hotel’s being torn down soon anyway. So hey, if you’ve ever wanted to pay full price to be an unwilling extra in a post-apocalyptic drama, this is your spot. No thanks — I’ll take a tent in a thunderstorm over this dump any day.

Go elsewhere. Dirty and rundown. I would not stay again. Staff was polite, but the place is rundown and dirty. See the photos if you are not sure. Also, we did not have a nice marina. Iew, we had a noisy road and a tree. They just put new carpet in the halls, but as you can see in the photos not the rooms. Yuck.

Hidden fees, rude staff, dirty room but great location The location is excellent. Everything else is downhill. The balcony was atrociously dirty. My kids walked out on it and it was covered in soot and dirt. My son dropped a toy under the bed and it was filthy. It’s like they swept the carpet underneath rather than vacuum. There was even a bag of opened candy underneath along with a football. Perhaps the worst part was the rude staff and hidden fees. We booked with a pet and the fee said $30. Then the person at the desk said that’s a mistake and said it’d be $50. Ultimately our card was charged $70! Plus a hidden cleaning fee for a filthy room. Oh and the refrigerator in our room didn’t work. I love the location and the area but can never stay here again.

Very Enjoyable; Would Go Back Great location; you could easily stay there for a few days without a car. There are restaurants, coffee shops, and even a wine-tasting room within easy walking distance, plus two companies that do whale watches and the catamaran to Catalina. Unlike some other reviewers, I did not encounter any hostile men working at Reception; the woman who greeted me was very pleasant and very helpful. My king room was large and had a nice view of the marina. Despite also overlooking parking for the marina, it was very quiet at night. There was a bit of room-to-room noise, largely because the folks above me were trying to bounce bowling balls -- or something -- but that was not the hotel's fault. It is a dog-friendly inn, but I heard no barking. Breakfast is nothing fancy and tends not to vary from day to day, but is OK (eggs, sausage links, bagels, some fruit; waffles). Parking is plentiful and the WiFi was fine; also lots of TV channels, but you really won't want to spend much time in your room. Great walks run along the waterfront and there are small beaches nearby; local wildlife includes sea lions, ground squirrels, and a wide variety of birds. This hotel is not elegant and I'd suggest they upgrade the towels, but it is fine if you want to be at the marina and maybe take day trips to San Clemente, etc. I would stay there again.