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Rose Garden Inn
Rating Details »
Categories: Hotels, Bed & Breakfast [Edit]
Neighborhood: South Berkeley2740 Telegraph Ave
(between Stuart St & Ward St)
Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 549-2145
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
15 reviews for Rose Garden Inn
I stay at the Rose Garden Inn every time I am in Berkeley - maybe 3-5 times a year.
The rooms are so much more inviting than the business hotels out by the interstate. The rates are better and include complimentaty breakfast and Internet.
The folks who work there are friendly, helpful and very kind.
My wife and I stay at the Inn for 3 days in November. The grounds are lovely and clean but our rooms...not so much.
The musty smell was so overpowering that we had to open the window and leave for a couple of hours for the room to air out. They don't high dust so the top of all the furniture were covered in dust. The carpet was stained with paint and there was paint splattered on the vanity. Not little drips either, I'm talking about spills and splashes. Really a mess. The mirrors were secured to the wall with screws through the front of the frame and they left the 1/2 inch raggedy holes showing. The vanity was fitted with a faucet that was either too small or was placed too far from the sink so that it always had water all over the counter when used. The headboard did not fit the bed so they used a c-clap and a couple of dry wall screws to secure it to the wall. The c-clap was visible above the bed (hidden with a decorative pillow) and the screws had pulled out of the wall leaving dry wall dust on the bed. The headboard consequently flopped around.
All the buildings had wonderful potential but were in ill repair.
So if you like a stinky room remodeled by a 9 year old you will love this place!
The breakfast was basic but real good
Don't stay here.
My parents stayed here for about a week this summer. The grounds were very beautiful with plenty of roses, frangipani and jasmine in full bloom. The rooms were alright - my mom was delighted with the decor but I think it was a little ornate for my dad, and very full of furniture.
Their room had a lovely kitchenette with stone floors, but I think they paid more for that.
The staff was really, really friendly - my mom called me from Florida to tell me what a nice guy Alan was. The breakfast was varied and wonderful, fresh fruit, sausage, bacon, waffles, cereal, pastries, coffee, juice, eggs. Every day. They are also very mindful of sustainability. The occupants decide when water should be used to clean the towels and the staff habitually recycles and composts for the guests.
The only complaint is that the room was not ready for my parents at check-in time. They'd had a long flight and were ready to relax, but the room hadn't been turned from the last occupant.
Other than that, very lovely.
O.K. this place is not the Marriott. But if you're having a get-together in Berkeley, this is the place to stay.
I recently had a wedding in Berkeley and we recommended that our close family and friends stay at the Rose Garden Inn, primarily because of the reasonable prices. (It's hard to find a decent mid-range hotel in Berkeley!) This place came through in every way. The kids in our party spent hours running around the courtyard. We had several non-hotel guests over for breakfast the day after the wedding and it couldn't have been more perfect. No one asked us to leave. No one told us we couldn't sit outside, or in the foyer of the Fey house, or in the lobby of the hotel. We even took some of our wedding photos at the hotel because it was so hot outside and the period furnishings provided quite a spectacular backdrop! Also, the honeymoon suite was as romantic as you could ever hope for. So, if you're having a large event, I highly recommend the Rose Garden Inn. Talk to Allan - he will make it happen for you.
Truly beautiful grounds and classically charming rooms would create a 5 star atmosphere were they located in a remote area of Northern CA or somewhere in the south of France offering the availability of long walks among the grapevines. As it sits at the southern end of Berkeley's Telegraph avenue, I have to give it four stars.
Then again, as an escape from the hubbub of one of Berkeley's most urban areas, the Rose Garden Inn is a great place to spend your evenings while you are touring Berkeley or the greater Bay Area.
Kevin, the general manager, will always be sure you are taken care of and you will not be disappointed by the breakfast, which is very, very good.
Im a party planning fool! I planned a bridal tea last year and it was held in the Rose Garden's Fay Salon. To rent the room for the entire day was only $200 bucks. They set it up for food and its like entertaining in your very own victorian home. Guests loved it... Staff was hella cool. The gardens are very well maintained. just love it..
My parents are staying here. My brother had offered to put them up at the Claremont, but they declined, as they felt it was too much money.
Boy, was this a mistake. Let me put it bluntly. This place is a dump. The rooms are tiny and gloomy. The decor is generic B&B, with little true character or attention to detail. When they had to switch rooms, because there room was too damp THERE WAS NO ONE WHO COULD HELP THEM with their two small bags. They called me.
Really, I think the Holiday Inn Express on University, or the Woodfin Suites in Emeryville, or just about anywhere is a better choice. And less money. Oh I guess the breakfast is better than average.
Our experience here was great. It was like the Winchester Mystery House of B&Bs.
The garden is beautiful, the buildings eccentric and the breakfast? The best I've had thus far at a bed and breakfast.
Quaint Victorian B&B within walking distance to the College/Claremont/Telegraph areas of Berkeley. My bf booked us a room for New Year's Eve. and I did not know what to expect from the mixed reviews I've read at http://Tripadvisor.com.
When I got there, I could see that while the B&B does have guest parking, the parking is limited, so during peak season, I can imagine that the only option might be on-street parking. The on-site parking appears to be reasonably secure--they have a gate that they lock, and when we were there, there were a few open spaces.
The grounds are well-maintained and a lot of thought has been put into the landscaping. There's a lot of cute water features--lots of plashing fountains. The rooms are subdivisions of several Victorian houses all fronting the central garden area. Our room had a fireplace and a huge couch next to it. There was also a large cabinet that held a small-ish TV (not flat screen), and a microwave. There was also a fridge/freezer combo that was 2-3x the size of dorm room fridge/freezer units. (That was very handy for things that need to be chilled.)
The bathroom was small and the tub was (to my slight disappointment) not a clawfoot. The bathroom fan was extremely noisy and the heat lamp that was turned on with the fan was very warm. The water pressure was low, despite the fact that we were on the ground floor, and there was very little mixing of the hot and cold water. The water is either cold or barely tolerably hot. The bathroom contained only the toilet and the tub/shower combo--the sink was outside the bathroom and adjoining the closet.
The interiors were decorated in a manner consistent with the Victorian theme. While it's clear that it's old and may be maintained better, having stayed at other urban boutique hotels (like the Charlesmark in Boston or Orto de Medici in Florence), the Rose Garden Inn is as well maintained if not better--at least there weren't anything that was clearly broken or dinged. Despite the Victorian decor and ambience, there are modern conveniences, such as in-room internet connection (I spotted a modem inside the room). Also, there was a computer with internet access in the check-in area. This computer was always free when we were there, unlike in other hotels...
The breakfas that was included in the room rate was plentiful and adequate. It's not gourmet but it was good if a bit greasy . The breakfast buffet was frequently replenished unlike other hotels I've stayed in even though we showed up about 1 hr. before the end of breakfast.
Re: cost of stay, I had no idea since my bf booked it, but he did say the rates were cheaper than for a 3-star hotel in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco.
The other big plus about the Rose Garden Inn was its proximity to Telegraph Ave. (and the University), College Ave., and the Claremont area. was about 4-6 blocks to the University and to College Ave., The walk to College Ave. was through a residential neighborhood--very pleasant on a sunny morning, but perhaps a bit more dark and scary at night?? Also, there was an Andronico's across the street on Telegraph--very convenient for picking up some last minute refreshments and necessities!
Bottom line: it's a very convenient, pleasant B&B to stay in in the Berkeley/Oakland area.
I can laugh about it now, but at the time it was terrible . . . When I announced to my fella that I was taking him away for a romantic v-day weekend in Berkeley, lots of thoughts came to mind, but none of them involved a house that appeared to have been decorated by somebody's criminally tacky aunt, nor making our way thru a courtyard of murals which still haunt me to a suite(and I use that word loosely here) with just enough room to set down your suitcase, then crawl over it to get to the bed, from which you could strategically make your way to the cupboard. I mean bathroom. As advertised, the room DID have a gas fireplace, but it was practically touching the bed. I fantasized for a moment about it igniting and taking the ancient polyester bedspread and wicker wreath which stood in for art with it. The floodlights from our Private Deck glared at us thru large cracks in the door. This is what gave us the idea to escape our claustrophobic quarters, take advantage of the free wifi, and find ourselves a new place to stay. We were so caught up in our plan that the sounds of god-knows-what scurrying to and fro in the surrounding shrubbery did not phase us. Until we discovered that there was no wifi. And so we cut our losses, called a reliable hotel in San Francisco and caught a cab out of there.
Fabulous, romantic getaway saved!
And for the sake of time I'll skip the part where the manager yelled at us and called us liars when we asked for a refund, because ultimately - two months later - we did in fact get our money back.
I got my parents a room here when they came to visit last week. It was a sudden visit, and I didn't want to put them in the Marriott or anything downtown, so I did a bit of B&B research online. The Rose Garden Inn advertised beautiful gardens, clean rooms and a big buffet breakfast, and it's located on a great part of Telegraph, so I booked them a room (the deluxe queen). I think the room ended up being a bit pricey for what it was, and I was quoted a different price online than in person - those are the downfalls. The good bits are that my mom loved the huge rose gardens (especially out front), my dad's bad back was fine on the mattress, and they both loved the breakfast!
Recently had to host a group of 25 people with about 12 of them coming from out of town. They all raved about the caring and personal service they received at the Rose Garden. We had the use of the Faye Building lobby for 3 days and they set everything up and catered to our needs. We couldn't have asked for a more peaceful and comfortable place to hold our meeting. Kudos to Inn Keeper Kevin Allen and his very accommodating crew for making our stay so pleasant. Highly recommended for individuals or small group gatherings.
the room was up high with an outdoor patio that was divine. the view was towards the bay, you can see the bridge, you can watch the sun set.
i had been completely turned off by all the pink and flowers on the website (duh - rose garden inn? what did i expect?). it turned out ok and i thought i might stay there again UNTIL....
my dude's car got jacked on the street that night. the b&b gives you one parking spot and tells you about some other parking lot. that, on top of the big nasty spider bite i got on my hand that was swollen for 2 days (my doc said, "if he saw it why didn't he kill it?") - make me say, uh....watch out where you park.
if your parents can handle that -- then i agree -- it's ok for the parents to stay. i wouldn't go back, myself.
Where to start? Bad mattresses, scary wiring, whole place is in bad repair. On the other hand lots of character, excellent full breakfast.
Rooms in multiple buildings with lots of steps, and lots of nooks and crannies. When we changed rooms (and paid a lot more) because the mattress in our original room was unbearable, it took 3 tries for me to find the new room. The night clerk was unable to explain where it was. Not enough parking for all rooms so watch out for that on weekends. Nice Chinese Restaurant across the street and 2 doors down on Telegraph.
It could be OK but very crappy service., and dramatically inconsistent room value for the price.
I had my wedding in Berkeley and arranged a group rate for some of the guests. My soon to be wife and I were staying there as well and were talked into reserving a room at a more expensive rate that had a hot tub. Sounds like it would be worth it, to relax after all the wedding planning stress.
Get there, get to the room, no hot tub - they don't even have one on the property. They were 'thinking about' putting one in but decided against it. Way to inform me of that when I made the reservation. So now I'm in a generic bottom floor room which is OK, but has a terrible hole in a wall bathroom and looks into a fence; and I'm paying more than my guests. Two of whom, I find out, staying in a different building have a huge amount of space and one has a view of san francisco and the golden gate bridge. Both rooms are obviously superior in every way. Both guests paying less than I am. It being my wedding I was a little too busy to be able to berate the staff and find out what the hell happened, but they have ignored all subsequent communication from me which is amazing unprofessional. (I'm not sending them hate mail either, just a very polite email asking what happened.) I would never go back or recommend it.
