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Hilton Resort & Spa
Rating Details »
1775 E Mission Bay Dr
(at Quivira Access)
San Diego, CA 92109
(619) 276-4010
(at Quivira Access)
San Diego, CA 92109
(619) 276-4010
- Price Range:
-
$$$
30 reviews for Hilton Resort & Spa
I came here for a work conference and I've got little to complain about...except that check-in isn't until 4pm, and I was hoping to get settled before my time at the conference. It worked out for the best though, because they have complimentary wi-fi and lots of comfortable areas to relax in the lobby area, which gave my fiancee a nice place to work on his laptop while I was busy.
The room was beautiful and nicely decorated, but the walls are SOOO thin - I could hear the people in the hallway like they were in my room. They obviously cater to families, since there was a nice pool area and a separate quiet area for adults with a jacuzzi.
Acqua has a nice breakfast buffet, but I opted for the oatmeal brulee, and since the hotel is right on the beach in the bay, there's a great beach side walking path to get some exercise on as well as bike and boat rentals. I would have liked to be closer to Gaslamp, but it definitely made for nice surroundings during the conference.
Good scenery and rather isolated on the bay, with a facilty that still shows its age despite the renovations. Good pool area, nice restaurant (Acqua) as far as appearance goes. However, there are a lot of negatives.
We showed up late in the day at 4pm (which is standard check-in time). Our room wasn't available, and we were told that we would have to wait 15 minutes. About 45 minutes later still no room available, and some of the other guests had been waiting for more than 2 hours without their rooms. They've been overbooking, and apparently they're short on maidservice.
The bell hop advised me to not bother unloading my car at the front because (allegedly) you get to park your car near your room. He was wrong.
Parking is insulting with the $22 fee for a free-for-all that is simply stupid later at night. You may have to park at the opposite end of the facility.
Prices in the hotel restaurant are steep. $25 for a breakfast buffet is a joke, at least for traditional breakfast fare. There's no seafood or mimosas or anything premium in terms of cost. You're paying that fee for continental style food and eggs, pancakes, toast, etc.
Our room was rather large and close to the bay, but our friends' rooms were quite small and offered a mediocre view even though they paid a small premium for a view.
We won't stay here again.
If you go in knowing that you are pretty much isolated from EVERYTHING, then you'll be okay. It's very popular with families with little kids since it's so close to Sea World and because the beach is very tranquil with no waves. The room we stayed in is pretty spacious with an average size bathroom, lcd TV, refrigerator and it's own balcony/patio (some rooms even have firepits in the patios). Toiletries were Crabtree & Evelyn, which was a nice touch. We also had a fantastic view of Mission Bay and nightly fireworks from SeaWorld.
We ate at the site's restaurant Acqua and were very pleased with the quality of the food and the restaurant prices were not outrageous for a hotel restaurant. Like I said earlier, there is nothing around - the hotel is surrounded by public parks on both sides, a car is a must if you want to explore other places to eat.
One thing I did have issue with is security. Since the hotel is surrounded by public parks, anyone can walk right up to your hotel door and peruse around. The hotel room hallways and private use areas are supposed to be gated and locked (requiring a card key), however we noticed that quite a few times, these areas would not fully close on their own or were just left wide open. I would give them very poor marks on security.
Another strike against Hilton is the price gouging for the use of amenities. I'm a Hilton Honors member, but only the basic blue level and there are no freebies at that level- so there's a fee for the use of the gym, fee for the tennis courts ($12/person - what a rip), fee for wired internet (no wireless available), and the most outrageous - the fee for parking at a WHOPPING $25/day! Totally ridiculous and I think shameful on Hilton's part for a hotel that's not even downtown. If it wasn't for the parking, I would rate this hotel four stars, but the price gouging was just ludicrous and so deserves only two stars in my opinion.
Only here in the daytime for a convention so can't comment on the facility as a whole. The conference room as just OK. Lunch time was not exciting so we went across the street to the fish market for a different not so exciting lunch. Over all the parking was a little hard to find but I would like to stay here some time.
We stayed here when we were on a vac to go to Seaworld. I pricelined it for $150 per night on a garden villa. When I got there I requested a room with two queen beds and of course, they had none in the villa and had to put me in the bayview room for and extra $40 per night and to top it all off they charged for parking at a whopping $26 per night and you had to self park and not guaranteed to get a parking space close to your room. I guess it turned out ok because I read all of the negatives from the reviews here and everything as expected -- nickel and dimed by Hilton (extra charge for everything -- internet, tennis court, etc), if they continue this practice I think they will be in trouble -- people are not willing to tolerate this especially in this economy.
BF had a work conference here and I tagged along for the weekend.
This place is pretty sweet, and more importantly a couple of things really just made the weekend enjoyable. I spent the entire weekend at the hotel, I didn't step foot out of the parking lot once, but it wasn't bad at all!
We were on the late side arriving Friday night and William at the front desk was still gracious enough to give us a free upgrade. We ended up in the villa section instead of the tower building with a beautiful view of the water and a sweet fire pit.
Did we use it once? No. But it was still cool.
The gym at the Hilton is by far one of the best hotel gyms ever. The Precor machines are no joke, and the towels are plentiful.
So even though I didn't leave the hotel once, my 2 days of eat, lay out, work out, repeat were everything I could ask for!
We had our wedding ceremony and reception here in October and the majority of our guests stayed here as well. The service was EXCELLENT; the rooms are very modern and spacious; the pool area is FRICKIN TIGHT!! If they had a live DJ, the pool area would remind me of a Las Vegas hotel pool. If you aren't a traditional "I need to have my wedding in a church" type of person...I HIGHLY recommend having your wedding at the Hilton. Our pictures look like we were in Hawaii....seriously! Everyone told us that our ceremony was like what they've seen in the movies.
It's a little pricey as far as room rates go, but what do you expect, it's a Hilton Resort near the water. The majority of our guest's rooms had a little bonfire pit and had awesome views. Everyone was really happy with the accomodations.
The breakfast buffet in the restaurant there was also worth it. I think it was $20 or something. I know I ate my $20 worth!
My husband and I always ran by this Hilton, but had never stayed here before. Since we were moving out of SD, we decided that it would be a fun experience- especially after the pure hell of dealing with Navy movers! After a long day of moving, we checked in at 3pm...it was the fastest, easiest check in process ever. We were given our keys and a map to help us locate our room.
We found where we were supposed to walk and walked all around the downstairs trying to find our room (515). We later discovered that it was upstairs...and there's no elevator. Luckily, we are young and healthy- so it wasn't an issue, but I could see how it would be for other people.
We tried using our key to the room, but the interior lock (that extra safety lock) was locked! A sweet cleaning lady tried to help us after we realized no one was in the room. She called someone, my husband went to the front desk after 15 mins, someone walked by and realized we were still locked out and she called someone...long story short- it took over 30 mins to get into the room. Extremely annoying.
We got into the room and the decor was nice and the view was great...however, the smell of mildew was not so pleasant. I took a shower, which ended up also being a partial bath due to the shower not draining. Finally, I was ready to order some room service- when I realized that there was no menu. I called room service to see if they could drop one off...waited 15 mins and I called them and had them go through the menu with me on the phone. We eventually got our menu 25 mins later!
Long story short, I was very disappointed and will not stay here again. It wasn't an expensive hotel, but it wasn't cheap- and I felt that it should've been a lot cheaper due to the lack of quality.
Where in Sams Hell did YOU come from!!!!!!?
While on my way to "Firehouse by the Bay" to get my swing dancing on, we had to pass through the Hotel. I did not have any idea how stunning the Hilton had gotten.
All of a sudden I was surrounded by swanky music in their Ocean View dinning area.
I also took note of their jacuzzi & pool, which were accompanied by lavish bon fire pits. Hellz yes.
... my new mission in life is to sneak into their pool when no ones around.
A resort, in a city, in a park, relatively inaccessible to most things. If you like to feel isolated from the world and confined to your resort bubble, sit down by the pool and order a drink sweetheart. And make sure it has an umbrella.
I was at the Hilton for a conference, and while the rooms were beautiful, and the grounds immaculate, and the pool fantastic, I could have been anywhere there are beaches and tropical palm trees. I got no flavor of San Diego as a city from the hotel proper. The recent makeover was clear and very pretty...onsite Starbucks is awesome.
The on site restaurant, Acqua, was overpriced and sufficient, but did not blow my socks off culinarily speaking. Is culinarily a word? I think not, but I digress.
Now, the real heart of the problem. They want me to pay for all my Internet access via my television. There is no complementary business suite? No complementary code or pass card? No printer so I can print my boarding passes and not mess around at the airport the next morning?
I am not responsible for the wrath factor, you did this to yourself Hilton. I'm at a conference that is bringing you plenty of business (because we are all dining in due to no options anywhere within a $10 cab ride), and you can't spring for some time in the business suite? Poo on you.
And, while I had a nice new flat screen TV in my room, the picture was oddly fuzzy, as if you didn't have digital signal or something. What a waste-I get a sharper clearer picture at home on my TV. Something is wrong there.
I would not go back, it was rather boring for someone who likes to walk around and see the city she is in. However, like I said, the pool is awesome and if I'm just looking for a good place to hang out, this will absolutely work.
Bring me another parasol drink!
I stayed here for about a month prior to moving here from New York. Nice atmosphere, close to the water. Bike and skate path that leads to the park. Sundays there is a group of roller skaters putting on a show about 2 PM until dark.
Food is really good, but small portions. After your dinner you may want to hit Mickey D's or In & Out to get your grub on!
Over all, the place is really clean & remodeled and staff are outstanding. In the bar there is Debbie and Aleem that make awesome Mojito's & other good medicinal concoctions!
I had my August 2008 Wedding here. There were some good things, but I wouldn't pick the Hilton again. To summarize --
The good:
- The venue is beautiful, stunning bay views, lovely grounds
- The food is very good -- both for events and in the restaurants
- The rooms are lovely, modern, resort-quality rooms
The bad:
- The Banquet Coordinator/Wedding Planner is pretty awful. He's unresponsive, uncreative, and handled unexpected situations horribly.
The Ugly:
- The Hilton was in the midst of Labor Dispute and ended up with Union protesters on site the day of our wedding. The GM handled it very well (which I way more then I can say for the Banquet Coordinator. And the wedding turned out OK (despite the massive amount of stress this caused). Appartenly this Hilton had been having labor problems for months and did not bother to disclose it until 5 days before our wedding.
You can read more about our experience here: http://kirstenweds.blo...
Gave it 5 stars cause I got the room on Hotwire for $99. They gave us a Lanai/villa room with a park/bay view, so yeah that was great. The place is clean, and the rooms are real nice. As some people have said, it's kinda far away from things if you aren't driving, so if you want a little bit of solitude in the city, it's a good choice. Also, if you're going to SeaWorld, it's real close by. Between SeaWorld free military admission, an the $99 rate, it was a pretty cheap weekend.
Stayed at this place twice in the last four months. Had a WONDERFUL experience. The hotel is clean, spacious and they have great spots for relaxation. You can hang out near the jacuzzi, pool, and at nights, they even put movies on the big screen so that you can watch it outdoors! The sunset around 8 pm was mesmerizing, to say the least. You can also have a BBQ at the park next door, or go boating on the other side.
This hotel is also close to the neighboring touristy spots. It is 4 minutes away from sea world, one exit away from Pacific Beach, 4 exits away from UCSD, and maybe a 10-15 minute drive away from Gaslamp district. Definitely convenient.
For both trips, I'd like to thank this place for being its comfortable self. Five stars! I wouldn't mind staying there again.
Roaches, we had four rooms during our stay last week. There were roaches in every room. I had never heard of this Hilton property before we stayed here so I did not know what to expect. I was very disappointed in the location, we normally stay closer to the beach and are able to walk to area businesses. No walking from here, you're trapped unless you have a car and drive down the very busy highway. The meals were good but VERY overpriced.
I absolutely love their spa, Essence. I had the milk & honey wrap with the sugar scrub. It makes the entire room smell like fresh baked cake. So YUMMY! The Fiji shower is awesome. I want it in my house. Rob gave me a hot stone massage that was great! Diane gave me a camera read facial and excellent advice for my skin type. I can't remember the name of the lady who did my scrub but she was great, too. It is a bit pricey, but it is soooo worth it! Plus, locals get a 15% discount during the week and 10% off services on the weekend. Check them out you will not be disappointed!
I have listed my experience at this hotel. Bottom line I wouldn't stay at this hotel again. There are much better hotels with better prices, service, and food.
I stayed at the hotel 05/26/2009 and heres my experiences:
Goods:
- Conveniently located close to the bay and the Mission Beach (Sea World / Board walk / Airport).
- Spacious rooms (although the refrigerator in my room made funny noises all night)
- Nice pool areas (Not for exercising or swimming laps, just for chilling or monkeying around)
- Access to bay (water is much warmer here, some water sports)
NOT so good:
- Service at front desk and bell boy/people
(My experience: The front desk supervisor was on duty and checked me in, when he asked me what kind of room I would like, I simple stated something with a view and his response 'Oh that will be an extra charge.' That was very disappointing, firstly because the hotel was mostly empty on this Tuesday and secondly because there isn't much of a view from any part of the hotel to begin with
Then I had some boxes sent over to the hotel for a meeting, the kind bell boy (or gentleman) takes me back to where the boxes were stored and tells me 'here they are.' So I guess I should be tipping before so that maybe he'd help me with the boxes. I carried my boxes out of the storage room and my boss who happened to be checking in helped me.
- Food at the hotel was not worth the price, and the service was barely ok.
( After having my heart/stomach broken when I found out that Phils BBQ was closed, I headed back to the hotel to eat. Ended up at Acqua. I had the pork and scallops dish which was just okay. The most interesting experience was when I told our hostess that we had coupons for a free Gelato scoop and she tells us that we needed to literally present them. I offered my room key as proof of residence at the hotel, she insisted on the coupon. Is this FoodMax/Costco/DaysInn where I need to show proof of a freakin coupon for 1 scoop of ice-cream. I was embarrassed to have even asked. But I felt the need to prove to her that I wasn't lying about my coupon so I headed up to my 8th story room and brought down my coupon for a scoop of gellato ice-cream that was also just okay. )
I agree with much of what Minty wrote. The room itself was lovely and spacious and had a beautiful view of the bay from our 5th floor location. However, it was loud - I normally ask for a room away from the elevators, but obviously I was too excited about the prospect of free booze to worry about that this time. Housekeeping not only tried to bust in on us, but also talked LOUDLY in the hallway all morning. Don't they realize some people are still drunk before noon?
I also wasn't overly impressed with the staff at the registration desk - they were young and had a bit of the attitude you'd expect to get from high school kids working at the mall rather than at a nice hotel. I also felt ripped off paying $20 for self-parking.
Overall, I would give this place three and a half stars, but for only two reasons:
1) The parking lot is dark enough to enjoy a lingering goodnight without interruption.
2) If you wake up extremely groggy due to the previous evening's activities and forget your purse (with a camera, driver's license, and favorite lip gloss inside of it), but don't realize it until the next day and call in a panic, the security staff is super-nice and very responsive. I just received my belongings via DHL today. Whew!
Helpful hint: if you need assistance, the operator is a bitch. Ask for the night manager.
I love spending time in Hilton hotels when I'm on vacation. What I like about this place, is our view was the waterfront. Very peaceful and tranquil. Good place to walk, jog/run, or enjoy some time in the park. It's all there and next to it is Fiesta Island. However, I like big bathrooms, and this didn't have it. The rest of the room was great just the bathroom turned me off. Also, other Hilton hotel offers free internet, we had to pay $12/day for that. But the breakfast at Acqua was excellent, we would get the buffet between a certain time in the morning and really enjoyed the food there.
The hotel is undergoing renovations and although our room was beautiful with a modern decor, its actual location was horrible. We were situated on the fifth floor right by the elevators. All night long, I could hear the ding of the elevators and the rude ass people getting on and off the elevators. Stop talking so loudly! My head hurts. Please, please, please, I'm trying to sleep off a hangover!
And the housekeeping tried to break in on us. It's my general understanding when you have the room for the night, they don't feel the need to bust in on you while sleeping and therefore I don't need to put out the the do not disturb sign. Oy.
And then the front desk called to ask if we had called about a broken light. Uh, no.
PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOTT IN HIMMEL, I NEED SOME EFFING SLEEP.
Okay, then.
Otherwise, great service, if albeit awkward and goofy. Note, parking at the hotel is $20 which includes complimentary valet. When we didn't use him as such, he acted as a broker for the town car we later took that evening. Hmm, $15 for a 5-6 mile ride down the street? Gee, thanks. What a rip. Oh well, when in San Diego...
I did enjoy the Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries, the towels could have been softer but otherwise, it was a well-appointed room. I'd maybe stay here again if we could get a room far, far away from the elevators.
Apparently, we could have made use of the tennis courts and gym with our hotel accommodations but who had the time?
Plan on getting nothing done if you stay here. It's a great hotel with lots to offer and an atmosphere that will smother any plans you had. By this I mean that relaxation is top of mind for the hotel. It offers a nice pool overlooking the bay with easy beach access, a couple of restaurants, cabanas at the pool (for $120 on the weekends!), nice rooms and lots of areas to just sit and relax.
The hotel is super close to the freeway and has easy access to SD's main attractions. If your room doesn't face the freeway, it will be a quiet night for you. The rooms were recently redone and are very comfortable, modern and roomy. We had a small patio that lead out the large grass area between two buildings.
My only beef with the hotel is that it charges quite a bit for everything. But this is to be expected at a hotel. Food, drinks and boat rental prices were all inflated but I guess you pay for the convenience of someone bringing things to you while you lie there motionless. I walked into the small convenience/gift shop and bought a pint of milk. $3.23! I could buy a gallon for $3.69 at a grocery store. So bring your own snacks and drinks and use the refrigerator in the room. The downside is that they don't allow your own food or drinks in the pool area because they have their own servers working the area.
The grounds are very lush and tropical and it feels like you're actually far away from home. I live 8 miles away from this place and it felt like a vacation for me.
I would recommend this hotel if friends were staying in the area. However, it is a bit pricey and may not be an option for people on a budget.
I visited the Resort for a business trip and I must say it served its purpose well. The food is fantastic (try the crab cakes and Austrian dessert!), the drinks unwatered-down, and there are fire pits lit in the evenings.
Pool is heated and open until midnight; the San Diego view is beautiful. Plus, the resort is near the Gaslamp district and there's a man standing at attention in front of the hotel for any conceivable moment you need a cab.
And you can't beat falling into a soft, lovingly-made bed - either for sleeping, or for watching "Arthur" and "Clifford."
Loved it here.
not even 24 hours in and I gotta nail them one star each for:
-$22/night parking.
-$13/day internet.
-overall room quality: HD TVs but no HD signal, no microwave, no minibar, no way to turn off bathroom fan, poorly lit.
-no airport shuttle (not even info on unofficial non-Hilton shuttles)
...I'll be here a couple more nights, but unless any of the above changes then who cares?
This Hilton is a perfectly nice hotel and I'd give it 4 stars if it were simply positioned as such. When called a Beach Resort, priced accordingly and compared to others in that category, however, it's more like 2.5 stars in my book.
We spent four nights here on a family vacation recently and overall it was fine, but I'd try something different next time. Some specifics:
- Beds: 5 stars for the soft, high thread-count sheets and duvets
- Rooms: 4 stars for being relatively spacious and well appointed
- View: 2 stars for paying extra to look out over a public grass park and it accompanying mobile home cluster
- Grounds/Layout: 2 stars for the motel-style layout wherein we had to walk across two parking lots to get from room to lobby
- Restaurant: 3 star food and service with much higher prices. They do also have 3 star coffee cart for quicker breakfast service.
- Beach: 2 stars for this joke of a tiny bayside beach and no beach towel service at an alleged beach resort
- Pool: 3.5 stars for a solid pool and patio area that's perfectly nice, but not going to rival your more interesting pool resorts in Hawaii, Florida, Mexico or Vegas.
Calling this Priceline-hog a "Resort" is a bold overstatement, as is the word "Beach." But a more honest "San Diego Tennis Hilton" does not sound so good. It has a tropical feel -- ample grounds, large pool, hot tubs overlooking the, ur, sandy spot by the canal. The petit (as opposed to grand) lobby is okay. The multi-chambered carport is a broad and genteel gesture. The small courtyard array of candles and kerosene burners evokes faint visions of Hawaii. When I arrived they were playing island music, made me wonder if in the islands they were playing San Diego music.
The large room was dated but very clean and earnest and comfy. Everyone gets a balcony or porch. They try hard here and it shows. The way they arrange four fluffy pillows on the bed just so makes you want to jump in. A plus for an empty fridge - no minibar (though they do have a basket full of pay-snacks).
Second floor in the eight-floor "tower" (ha!) had a good view of the parking lot and the freeway and hills on the other side. As an experiment I went to the top floor and the view was about the same. On the other side is a view of sea world, which is good in the summer because they do fireworks every night over the bay. No quick access to SW, though. It would be faster to swim across the narrow channel than to drive.
What else? World's smallest bathtub. The house restaurant is not only way beyond most hotels, it's actually good food with a very pretty indoor/outdoor space. That's lucky because there's absolutely zero neighborhood nearby. A second plus for strong free WiFi coverage poolside, in the restaurant, and by the lobby.
Staff is friendly and, like I say, they do try.
other than paying $22 for parking and being welcomed by two dirty plates in front of my hotel room door upon me & my boyfriends arrival... this place was GREAT!
the location, anemities, decor, COMFORTABLE beds, outside patio (even with a crappy view), nice pool, easy access to the bay.... are a few of the many reasons why i would recommend and go back to the Hilton Resort.
I even left a dress in my room after i checked out and went home. The Hilton had it mailed to my house right away and I also expected them to ask me to pay for shipping, but I wasn't billed for it, which was an added bonus!
I didn't exactly stay here... but i was photographing a wedding at this venue, and every need I had from the Hilton Staff was immediately fulfilled. They treat you with respect and give the best customer service. Their quality assurance is as high as it can get in my opinion. They also prepared excellent food from their culinary staff and had a beautiful presentation. The venue is absolutely beautiful overlooking the bay and made some amazing pictures. I would love to come back and photograph another event here... Im sure the stay is just as great!!!
The hotel responded directly to a letter I sent to both them and corporate. They refunded me about 7% of the total stay, which apparently equates the change in the room--which almost covers parking in their shitty lot for the few days we were down there. The letter also had a snide comment in it about the car was I had to get, which makes this the absolute last time I will actually choose to stay at ANY Hilton brand hotel.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/17/2008
Quite possibly the worst Hilton property I've ever stayed at (and I've stayed at a bunch over the… Read more »
Front desk service was really good.
However, I would expects Hilton hotel rooms would be of a superb quality. The room feels like a "Quality-Inn" quality, that is, interior decor is outdated, room isn't bright and washroom is average quality. It just doesn't give you a sharp hotel room feel.
I travel down to San Diego for business quite often and this hotel is by far my favorite. I can't judge the view, I am usually not my room during daylight hours but I can tell you that the beds are amazingly comfortable - almost feels like home!
I love the restaurant, I enjoy my dinners on the outdoor patio, on the beach, near a fire pit.
And finally, the service has always been outstanding. I tried to be unfaithful and went to the Paradise Point Resort... I gave up after 2 nights and came back to the Hilton.
