Monterey Tides, a Joie de Vivre Hotel

They didn't have a premium ocean view room for us despite having a reservation. Instead, for the first of three nights, we were given a room that smelled, was dirty, had no washcloths or hand towels, and faced the freeway and parking lot. We had to checkout the next day at 11am (even though we had plans to go to Cannery Row) so that we could move all of our stuff to our new room, which also was not the premium ocean view we had reserved, rather it was a partial ocean view (facility railing blocked the view). They did offer to move our stuff so we did not have to wait but we did not feel comfortable doing that. The first room smelled like pee / mildew. The door did not shut and lock properly. The light switch would not turn the light off once on and then the light would randomly go off. There were liquid stains on the ceiling and the wall. The second room seemed to have been recently painted and smelled nice. There were again no washcloths or hand towels and no soap for the shower. They also provided only single use shampoo / condition enough for one person, not the three that were staying in our room. The door on the second room didn't close all the way but somehow locked. There was a constant breeze that came through the crack as a result. Had we not paid upfront to get a cheaper rate we would have left and gone to a different hotel the second day we were there but we were stuck. The location is nice as it fronts to the beach and bay. The pool area was also nice. They have a "heated" pool, but it was barely warm enough to go in (outside temp was low 60's). They do have free parking, which is a perk compared to other hotels in the area that charge $25 / night to park. I still wouldn't go back to this hotel after our experience, even if they gave us a free night, which is sad b/c I am a fan of the hotel group (Joie de Virve). The outside of the hotel is run down looking, as well. I would never have stayed here had I not see the website pictures of the interior, which made it look like the hotel had been completely renovated and well-maintained. My fault for not trusting my gut. These are not rooms that you should ever pay over $400/night for. Maybe $350, at most, due to location next to the ocean, but the hotel needs to maintain the property better. Read less

We booked three nights at the Monterey Tides for a relaxing weekend getaway, and our stay was so bad, we left and came home after two nights. It began with Customer service at reception, which is abysmal. The clerk stared blankly at us when we arrived, almost as if our presence was an irritation to her. We had to initiate the conversation with her to get checked in. Our room, which was extremely expensive, was of motel quality bordering on prison quality at times. It had zero noise buffer and we heard every footstep, every conversation of each person who walked by our door. There was also a corn hole court outside and downstairs, so each evening we would hear a loud *thud* approximately every fifteen seconds until sundown. Luckily, we didn’t spend much time in our room because it was so uncomfortable. Pancake-thin duvet on top of the worn sheets, exactly one flat pillow per person, and we slept awfully both trying to get our bodies under the tiny duvet. The shower in our bathroom had a leak, so every time we bathed it sprayed all over the room, and there was a foreign hair in the shower when we arrived. It just felt icky. The one and only saving grace of this place is the ocean view in the reception area. If you’d like to enjoy it, be prepared to endure nonstop thumping techno music that is egregious, over the top and completely unnecessary and out of place in front of such an awesome force of nature. It’s almost like they play the music because they don’t want you to sit there too long... The bar and food and drinks are terrible, so don’t waste your time. Positives in this bleak and disappointing weekend were the customer service in the coffee bar and restaurant at breakfast. Very nice folks up there. If this hotel billed itself as a motel and had prices to match, it would be a completely passable experience, and one would be mentally prepared to “slum it” for the weekend. But if you’re looking for a nice, warm, welcoming hotel for your next vacation, keep on looking! Read less