Kimpton Hotel Palomar San Diego

San Diego, USA

Virgin rating

Pool Bar
Lobby Lounge
Deluxe King
Deluxe Guestroom with Two Double Beds
Lobby Lounge
Pool Lounge
Skyline King Room
Premier One Bedroom Suite
Pool Bar
Lobby Lounge
Deluxe King
Deluxe Guestroom with Two Double Beds
Lobby Lounge
Pool Lounge
Skyline King Room
Premier One Bedroom Suite

The hotel

We love the chill out spaces at this chic hotel. Firstly there’s the Palomar’s lobby living room where you’ll find the evening drinks reception and morning hot drinks. You should also try the soulful Mexican street food at Curadero, the hotel’s flagship restaurant — the cocktails are good here too. At the outdoor rooftop pool and lounge there’s more cocktails, plus a pool menu and great views of downtown. Talking of downtown, if you want to stroll out, you’re near the shop and restaurants of the Victorian Gaslamp District and an easy walk to the waterfront.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Spa
  • Swimming Pool
  • Room Service
  • Valet parking
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Laundry Service
  • Internet Access
  • Bicycle Rental
  • Restaurant

Where is it

Near the Gaslamp district, a hub of dining, drinking and entertainment spots, and within a walk of the Financial District. It is also surrounded by theatres, galleries, museums, and live music venues, and is 2 blocks from Westfield Horton Plaza, a 5 tier open-air shopping mall.

Hotel information

211 rooms. All rooms have a flat-screen TV, WiFi*, alarm clock, honour bar* (with gourmet and organic treats, restocked on request), glass rainforest shower, yoga mat, hairdryer, iron and board and bathrobes. Fridges* and microwaves on request*. Deluxe Rooms have 1 queen-size or 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Deluxe Rooms with Two Double Beds have large windows, and 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults.

Premier Rooms with One King Bed have 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Skyline View Rooms with One Queen or King Bed are on floors 16-20, and have large windows, partial San Diego or pool deck view, and 1 queen-size or 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Skyline Corner Studio Balcony Rooms with King Bed have a corner location giving wider views of San Diego, a balcony, and 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Curadero (vibrant Mexican street food and cocktails, daily breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour). Level Four Pool Deck and Lounge (summertime bar serving light bites, cocktails, and music). Arriba Room (hang-out lounge above Curadero, with vintage arcade games, foosball and pool tables) Evening wine hour. Morning coffee and tea service. Heated rooftop infinity pool. 24-hour fitness centre. In-room spa services*. Kimpton-bespoke bikes (first come, first served). WiFi*. ‘Forgot It? We’ve Got It’ service (essential travel items, from chargers to straighteners). 24-hour room service*. Concierge service. Laundry/dry cleaning service*. Valet parking $53 plus tax per night (payable locally, subject to change. Discounts for hybrid cars).

*Denotes local charge

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (899)
  • Very good (481)
  • Average (220)
  • Poor (87)
  • Terrible (56)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Good property, challenging location

May 18, 2022 rlisicki Fort Myers, Florida

The Hotel is a bit dated and rooms could stand some updates to carpets, lighting. Lighting in bathroom is especially challenging. We booked a skyline view room and exterior patio, view was very nice. Hotel staff were all very friendly, check in and check out were very efficient and the valet staff were great for parking/car retrieval. I'd likely… Read more
The Hotel is a bit dated and rooms could stand some updates to carpets, lighting. Lighting in bathroom is especially challenging. We booked a skyline view room and exterior patio, view was very nice. Hotel staff were all very friendly, check in and check out were very efficient and the valet staff were great for parking/car retrieval. I'd likely give this a 3.5 if I could, or a 4 for another area. Fifth Ave has really changed over the past two years, many restaurants are closed, homelessness is seemingly everywhere, foul odors, public defecations, used syringes, loud boom box music. I could go on and on, there seems to be very limited presence from LEA and the Gaslamp area is not an area we'd stay again nor is it one I'd recommend to others, until the City of San Diego addresses the issues it's an avoid for us. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Ok if you are into the city/downtown feel.

May 17, 2022 AviationSightseer Las Vegas, Nevada

Meh. Pillows were flat and not very comfortable. Parking was expensive. Pool was not open and was under construction. They were very pet friendly and that was why I chose this place, but there was no pet relief area. Too many homeless all around the hotel. I woke up feeling like I was in Seattle, not San Diego. The benedict breakfast was amazing,… Read more
Meh. Pillows were flat and not very comfortable. Parking was expensive. Pool was not open and was under construction. They were very pet friendly and that was why I chose this place, but there was no pet relief area. Too many homeless all around the hotel. I woke up feeling like I was in Seattle, not San Diego. The benedict breakfast was amazing, but the potatoes were too large (chocking hazard) and salty. Next time I will just stay closer to the beach. One perk was it was very close to a CVS and a Ross if you needed something. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Dated room - looked nothing like what’s advertised

May 14, 2022 JulsR24 San Francisco, California

My family and I were shocked when we entered our room (1 king bed on the 14th floor). The room was dated and looked nothing like what’s advertised on their site or Instagram. The room had a small 30” TV (not mounted on the wall) that looked completely out of place — it was likely circa 2000. We’ve stayed at other Kimpton properties and this was… Read more
My family and I were shocked when we entered our room (1 king bed on the 14th floor). The room was dated and looked nothing like what’s advertised on their site or Instagram. The room had a small 30” TV (not mounted on the wall) that looked completely out of place — it was likely circa 2000. We’ve stayed at other Kimpton properties and this was far from the higher-end/luxe experience we were expecting. The room was not “trendy” or “modern”nor were the amenities. There was a dirty shoe print on the tufted head board (with a visible shoe tread) and a layer of dust on the countertops and cabinet shelves. If we ever find ourselves in San Diego again, we will absolutely be staying elsewhere. We definitely expected more from a Kimpton property. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating I really liked this hotel

Apr 26, 2022 Kasia R

I stayed 3 nights and loved it. The room is small but very well distributed. The staff were so friendly and helpful. My room wasn’t set up correctly by my company but they went out of their way to fix it. The restaurant was wonderful. The only slightly annoying thing is that my key kept on getting dis activated and so I would get to the 16th… Read more
I stayed 3 nights and loved it. The room is small but very well distributed. The staff were so friendly and helpful. My room wasn’t set up correctly by my company but they went out of their way to fix it. The restaurant was wonderful. The only slightly annoying thing is that my key kept on getting dis activated and so I would get to the 16th floor, only to have to go down back to reception. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Disappointing

Apr 21, 2022 Claire S Mansfield, United Kingdom

We stayed two night in this hotel at the beginning of our West Coast road trip. We had high hopes from the beautiful picture and information given on the website. Sadly none of this information told us that the bar and restaurant were closed, the receipt in lobby was undergoing renovation work. The pool deck area was clearly also being redone and… Read more
We stayed two night in this hotel at the beginning of our West Coast road trip. We had high hopes from the beautiful picture and information given on the website. Sadly none of this information told us that the bar and restaurant were closed, the receipt in lobby was undergoing renovation work. The pool deck area was clearly also being redone and was quite cramped. You have a $10 per night f&b credit, but the restaurant/ba is now a makeshift affair with very little on offer - and we paid nearly $10 for two cans of coke! Good location in the Gas Lamp Quarter with plenty of restaurants nearby and a teeny minute walk to the marina and Seaport Village. The room was nicely appointed but filthy. There are hard floors and the whole room had a grimy gritty layer of dirt and dust over it. The bedside tables and dresser were dirty on top - something sticky and funky all over the bedside clock radio. See photo of face cloth we used to wipe surfaces down (tables and counter tops not the floor - this would have needed a whole heap of cloths to wipe!) the bathroom was nice but the sliding door was frosted glass meaning that when someone paid a visit in the night, the light shine into the room and woke the other partner up! Would we stay here again - probably not. Too many issue. Not happy. Read less