Find the Cheap Cardiff-by-the-Sea Hotels

Tired…tired…tired… the hotel is really tired. It is a shame, because it has great character. A lot of your experience will depend on the room you are assigned. We were first given the “Lattice” room. 104. It is dark, feels closed in and the tub did not drain well. The bathroom smelled of sewer. The gentleman who checked us in on our arrival date was slow and cranky. The following day we asked to move to a different room. The staff that day (especially Andrew) was very nice and for an extra 30.00 they moved us to the Country French room. 106. What a difference! Although the bathroom still had a slight sewer smell, the room had better light and even a little bit of an ocean view. It is unfortunate that whoever owns the hotel is not maintaining it or keeping it up to date. The rates are reasonable for the location but, as they say, “you get what you pay for.” I read in other reviews that the hotel was being renovated, but I saw no signs of it. Old wallpaper, old carpet, old fixtures, old… just old. Upstairs deck is nice for sunset though. And having parking was a real benefit! If I need a cheaper place to stay near the ocean I would go back, but I would be very specific about which room I reserved. Lots of stairs to negotiate for the upper level rooms, just FYI.

Really good hotel! Not in the city; it's out away from San Diego. It's about 1/2 hour to 45 min to drive to parts of San Diego. There is parking at the hotel, but they charge for parking???? The only way to get to this hotel (for most) is by driving a car and parking it there. They seem to be taking advantage of customers to charge for the parking. Hotel was clean and had breakfast. Safe location.

This place is going down hill. I stayed here a few years back and now they just are letting it rot and yelling at there customers. I’ve never had an employee yell at my mom over a room problem. The bathroom smells bad and u get charged a fee if they smell smoke in your room and I was calling to let them know people are smoking in the property because it’s coming into my room and the lady told me to figure it out myself.

My wife and I wanted to get away for a few days and stay close to the beach. We chose the Moonlight Beach Motel based on the reviews. PROS: Excellent location!!! Within a few minutes walk of Moonlight Beach, probably one of the nicest beach areas on the North San Diego Coast. Also within easy walking distance of many shops and restaurants, as well as the train station. We actually took a day trip by the Coaster to Old Town San Diego. Our room was recently renovated, very spacious and clean. It actually had two king beds, a first for me, and they were comfortable. We were on the 2nd floor and had a nice partial view of the ocean and beach from our balcony. The shower had nice pressure and hot water. The TV was new and the WiFi worked fine. There is a small fridge inside one of the dressers. It was very quiet while we were there. There are BBQ grills outside facing the beach that we didn't use. There is plenty of parking. CONS: The outside of the motel is average looking, not a big deal. The office is very small and located within the property. They provide coffee and packaged Danishes but no continental breakfast, also not a big deal. We were told that there is no early check-in, and emailed as well. We did arrive two hours early and did double check this policy, and the front desk clerk confirmed. If the room is ready, I don't know why one can't check in early. Though the rooms were newly renovated, they seemed unfinished. Our bathroom did not have baseboards or a shelf in the shower for shampoo, soap, and other accessories. There was no shelf in the closet. There was an iron and board, but no hairdryer. My understanding is that there is no ice machine or laundry room, though that did not matter to us. Housekeeping was an issue. We stayed two nights. After our first night, we left in the morning and did not return until about 3 pm. The room had not been cleaned. About 20 minutes later there was a knock on the door and it was the housekeeper. She asked us if we needed anything. I said more towels and to have the bathroom cleaned. We could make our own bed. She took away the old towels and provided new ones, and that was it. A quick inspection revealed that she had not cleaned the sink or toilet, or emptied the trash. I wonder what she would have done if we were not in the room. I had read a review that said some of the housekeepers did a great job and others tried to get away with the bare minimum. We experienced the latter. We did enjoy our trip to Encinitas and our stay at the Moonlight Beach Motel. The location can't be beat and the price, at least for this time of year, was reasonable. Expect clean, spacious, no-frills accommodations and if your room is on the 2nd or 3rd floor enjoy the ocean views. Should we decide to return to Encinitas for a vacation we would stay here again.

For the price and location along with having decent amenities this hotel was a good deal and I had no complaints. Ample parking below the building, very close to the beach, nice coffee shops and yoga studio, and easy access from the main road . Beds were comfortable enough and the room was clean. It’s not a five star hotel , but for a business trip it for the bill just fine

From check in to check out everyone was extremely helpful and friendly. I would highly recommend this hotel. The front desk, housekeeping even the bistro staff were all friendly and personable. They made us feel very welcomed and made us look forward to coming back.

The surrounding environment is better, quieter, facilities, cleanliness, etc. are in line with the needs. Struggling from Legoland

Excellent location, 1 bedroom UNIT has 2 full bathrooms, sleeps 4 if you use cound/sofa bed. 2 large TVs. living/dining area. Well-equipped kitchen. VERY comfortable king size bed. QUIET, clam, . NEAR EVERYTHING”. ocean, shopping, grocery stores, gas stations,