Porto Vista Hotel

Great view of the ocean. Friendly staff.
Clean and spacious room. Bed was comfortable. Slept well. Enjoyed my stay.

Awesome view from our city view queen room wit very large balcony. Nice and clean with staff that was extremely friendly and helpful. You can’t beat the location you can walk to everything!

I honestly am not disappointed. Just before coming I read other reviews. None of the comments were about the cleanliness. And to me that is utmost importance. I am so glad that the room was spacious and CLEAN. WE just got here. I saw if we checked in with Unilocal we got a free upgrade. We already booked a king with balcony. Now we have a king suite with balcony. Winning!!!
Anthony at the front desk was very friendly. I called ahead of time to see about an early check in. He told us to come on down our room was ready at 7:30 am. When we got there at 11:30 check in was a breeze.

Don’t let the pictures fool you! I paid almost $ 400 for 2 nights in a run down motel that was made to look like a luxurious hotel. Sure there’s a restaurant where you can over look the ocean and there’s a place on the roof where you have a nice view of the beach but this place is garbage.
The man at the front desk with 90s style faux hawk looked and talked to us like he hated his job and was bothered by having to do it.
The room was small and run down.
Want to park? You’re gonna be charged $ 25 a night. Think you can park on the street? Wrong, there is no parking.
The elevator wasn’t working on several occasions.
Our AC started leaking the 1^st night. The 2^nd night it started pouring water around 3:30 am, about 10 minutes after we decided to turn it off because we didn’t ask for the waterfall feature in our room, it started making a loud noise like it was going to explode. It woke the people up in the room next to us and they banged on our wall.
After that terrifying experience we couldn’t go back to sleep for a while and had to drive 5 ½ hours home a few hours after it happened.

Didn’t have high expectations because of past reviews. I think 2013 reviews reported bed bugs (pre renovation). Could not book any other hotel bc all were taken due to a local conference. So we took a chance. Overall it was clean, and a sigh of relief that it had the basics. I will summarize it for you as follows:
Good:
1. Clean, basic room. We were in room with double bed. Sheets were clean.
2. Has microwave and fridge.
3. Location amazing– close to everything and cute little Italy with Saturday farmers market.
4. Love the Glassdoor restaurant on 4 th floor. Good staff, warm personality. Nice views and décor.
5. Free shuttle to and from Airport (7 am– 8 pm only though).
6. Cleaning lady and front staff were nice.
7. No bugs. Sigh of relief.
8. Really really close to airport.
Bad:
1. Not fancy on inside– you can tell based on paint job and wall paper etc.
2. Motel style– and our room was facing the garage/​cars– not a great view.
3. Bathroom and soaps etc basic– nothing fancy.
4. Bath towels clean but not soft and fluffy.
5. Bed hard, got a little back pain.
6. Got stuck in elevator with a group of people– no compensation for my fear and concern.
7. Bathroom light blew out on last night there. We were too tired at night to ask them to come to replace it.
Overall it’s a basic room. Not a place to spend the day in the room to relax. It’s a place to crash and get out to the city and explore. We spent most of day out of the hotel sightseeing. It did the job.

The staff is very nice and the lobby is nice, but that’s not why I go to a hotel. The photos are very deceiving. Our queen room was tiny, stuffy, and unpleasant. We had the windows open and still woke up with a sore throat – there was just no circulation in the room. It really was like a cheap college spring break motel 6 when you go beyond the lobby (don’t be deceived by the modern restaurant). For $ 165/​night – I know that’s not a lot these days – but id expect my hotel to at least be like a Day’s Inn.

I have so many mixed feelings about this. We stayed here for Unilocal Spring Break and I booked the room on Hotwire for $ 108 a night.
It’s in a great location — you can walk to lots of restaurants and it’s in lovely Little Italy. When you check in on Unilocal you are offered a free room upgrade. Check in was really slow but we were given vouchers for a free breakfast buffet which I didn’t expect as a Hotwire guest. You can bring your dog for $ 25 a day, so we brought our little one.
There is ONE elevator and it is so slow and small and also has this annoying thing where the buttons don’t light up when you hit your floor — so several times the elevator just went right by our stop because you can’t tell if you’ve «hit it» or not.
The room was smallish and really really dark. Especially the bathroom. It is very hard to do makeup in that bathroom. They do have a fold out makeup mirror but it would be so helpful if that was a lighted mirror. The rooms definitely need more lighting.
You pretty much have to valet and it’s $ 25 a day, but unlimited in and out so that’s good and the valet staff was very efficient and fast.
We were given a handicapped room for some reason with two small beds. But the shower was actually nice and had good water pressure and temperature. And our room had a fridge and microwave. The towels are postage-​stamp sized but they give you plenty of ‘em. There is absolutely no counter space in the bathroom whatsoever and with two women in a room, that’s a hassle. Trying to get ready in the morning required a lot of creativity.
Free WiFi is always good. And if you need a quick coffee in the morning, just head up to the restaurant and they’ll let you grab a cup to go from the buffet area.
On our first day the AC in our room stopped working, so I picked up the phone to call the front desk. The phone didn’t work either. So I had to call on my cell phone. But they did send a maintenance guy pretty quickly to fix the issue with the AC. The phone in the room never worked.
Would I stay here again? Probably. I liked a lot of things about this place and found the staff really helpful and friendly. I didn’t think the rooms were that comfortable and that elevator situation was awful — but we did get to meet a lot of other guests as we all stood around waiting for it to arrive or being crammed into the tiny space together. The location was perfect for our needs. I do recommend bringing a lighted makeup mirror if you have one — I am not kidding about how dark the rooms are.
There are some pretty awesome views from the restaurant, so definitely check that out… and they have a good happy hour too. It’s not a bad choice, especially if you snag a deal on Hotwire. We felt like we got what we paid for. A-​OK as we say on the Unilocal

I’v never experienced such blaitant disrespect by hotel staff and manager ever in my life. I was treated so horribly that I rebooked my SD stay to another hotel even though I had paid in full and had a room I didn’t check into here. I didn’t even have the chance to step out of my vehicle before the «manager» Bernard stated he was going to «evict me from the property»…
Me: 10+ years in the hotel industry as a front desk manager and a valet manager for many 4 and 5 Diamond properties in the Orange County area. Now, graduate student at USC working on a doctorate degree in the medical field…
Context: I arrived Saturday (4÷30÷2016) around 4pm to check into my room only to be greeted by a valet who approached me with a terrible attitude who within 2 seconds said I can valet or back my car up and park on the street. Now I know hotels, Iv worked and managed employees in many AAA 4 and 5 Diamond properties so Im no stranger to paid parking and «valet only» hotels. I explained to the valet that I was a «guest» at his hotel and that he was treating me terribly. I apparently angered him by questioning his attitude toward me and asking questions about the parking so I asked for a manager to come outside and assist me. The valet walked inside the hotel lobby and briefed the manager Bernard about the «problem» I had with valet parking my car so when the manager showed up he approached my passenger car window and started spouting off about the «valet only» situation. I informed him that I am a guest thats checking-​in, I know how the parking works, I have no problem with paid parking, these were not the issues at hand. He made NO attempt to listen to my concern about the negative treatment, in fact, he did the opposite… he proceeded to tell me that I can back my car up and park on the street and that if I keep asking questions about my negative experience he was going to «evict me from the property.» According to Bernard, the «manager,» my questions were «aggressive» and I was causing them problems so even though I hadn’t left my vehicle yet, I hadn’t stepped foot into the hotel, and haven’t received one bit of kindness, hospitality, guest service etc. I was now being threatened by the manager to be «EVICTED» from the property. At this point I was dumbfounded by the incompetence of the staff and manager Bernard, I had been more disrespected than any other time in my life so I chose to leave the hotel and book another hotel despite the fact I had paid in full for a room I hadn’t stepped foot in. I was willing to pay $ 300 for another hotel just to never see those staff members again. I contacted HotelsTonight to inform them to never work with this hotel again and I hope you fellow travelers make every attempt to stay away from this property. Their staff and managers don’t know what the terms «Hospitality» or «Guest Service» mean and they are only there to collect a paycheck.

Not quite sure why so many negative reviews. I understand everyone has a seperate experience, however I think some of these are just a little too picky.
First off, this was my 3^rd visit to the hotel. Decided to come back, even though on my last visit I did have a not so great experience. The last visit, the AC did not work. Then the mirror above the sink fell off while I was gone and shattered to pieces and damaged some of my items I had. The front desk offered to put me in another room but it was too much hassle to move all my stuff so housekeeping just came and cleaned up… It would have been nice to receive something else for the potential hazard of broken glass everywhere, but it is what it is. I am not someone to take advantage of a situation and try to get free things.
So, you would think after that visit I would not have came back, but I believe in giving everything another shot.
So, was coming down to SD to see a friend. Went onto my trusted
and hotel tonight app and was about to book when I remembered that this hotel’s website actually has some better deals when you book mobile. So because of the convenience of this location, I booked it. I called the front desk to get a good floor and Christian was very helpful and accomodating to me. I reserved the king with balcony ($ 152 for the night, which included breakfast).
When I arrived at hotel, I was warmly greeted. From the valet parking attendant to the front desk people. I checked in with a breeze.
Proceeded up to my room on the 5^th floor. Well, It was a good room but looked out the window and just felt like I wanted a better view so decided to splurge a little.
Went back down and the gentleman changed my room with no problem. I upgraded to the King bay view suite ($ 192 a night)
Went up to room and loved it! I was placed in the Harbor suite. It was very spacious with a seperate living room and wet bar. It had a balcony from the living room to the bedroom with a table and chairs. The view… BEAUTIFUL. you can see the water and city view. Whether day or night, it was perfection. You are only 3 stories up but feel higher and just high enough where you don’t get too much noice. Once the windows are shut, you don’t hear any street noise.
It was clean and well kept and stocked. This is a perfect room for a group of people actually. And if you were to get a room like this in Gaslamp, you would pay at least $ 300-​$ 400 a night). The bathroom is large and has a seperate shower aside from the bath/​shower. The only thing was the door did not slide closed all the way so I had to keep a sandal in the side to keep it closed.
The bed and pillows were comfy and clean and smelled good. This suite has 2 T. Vs, a couch, dining table with chairs and additonal comfy chair in living room. The couch is big and comfy as well. The wetbar has a sink, coffee maker, ice bucket, refrigerator and microwave. There is also an iron with ironing board (but iron was not working).
Now the real only negative about the room was we were directly under their restaraunt, so lots of foot traffic and moving around of tables in the early mornings. That and the AC froze up in middle of the night and was dripping water.
Now, to the restaurant, the Glass Door.
The views are killer, the bartenders are friendly and do not skimp on their drinks. The breakfast they offer in the morning is tasty and fresh. It is clean and well kept and stocked.
The grounds itself are fine. There is some stuff they should do like maybe renovate the inside of the elevators. There is writing on the inside and looks old. Maybe some upgrading of the walls in the hallways and some paint. But people need to keep in mind, this is not a 5 star resort.LoL. you are actually getting a good rate here, in a fabulous location with good service. The hotel is modern and you can tell they do their best to upkeep. If you call on a problem, they will have someone there right away.
I see lots of people complaining here about parking. Well, $ 25 valet with in and out privelages in cheap in relativity to what other places charge and it is convenient and fast. I actually was lucky enough to park outside and just watched the street signs. I did not have to pay. Just keep a look out.
I actually ended up staying a second night because of my experience and the room itself with it’s views.
All in all, I highly recommed this place to anyone who wants a convenient place to stay who does not want a Motel 6 yet they don’t want the hefty pricetag of a Omni hotel or something. You are really in a great location here and close proximity to everything. You can’t beat their Glass Door restaurant/​bar on site either. If you book a normal 2 queen room, you will be in the middle with no views. Just a room. My tip is to pay a little extra and enjoy a city view or suite. It is worth it.
I will definitely be coming back my next trip.
So, book a stay here and enjoy Little Italy and San Diego.

DJ the event planner was great, best wedding ever. The cuisine by chef Dorian was to die for.

I purchased the room for v day before getting to read the reviews … I was scared I was going to walk into some American horror story bed bug situation. I didn’t .it was chill. Yeah there was no view and the hotel was old but it wasn’t horrible. It was clean. The bathroom was spotless… It was fine I would stay there again. I tore the entire bed apart looking for bugs and found nothing … It sucks that u have to pick up room service but whatever… The bar on the 4^th floor was nice. I loved the view I will post a pic … And the food was good. All in all I couldn’t ask for a better v day vaca.

I stayed here for the 2016 Crssd festival and I was very glad I did!
It is very close to the Water front so that was a plus. The place isn’t as good as how they portray themselves and I would usually give them a 3 for that but the staff was very nice.
I also got a free upgrade in my king bed so I basically got the same bed but with a bigger room.
Also we got complimentary breakfast for 2 days which was very nice! We ate their restaurant on top the hotel and it had a nice view of the harbor/​little Italy.
One down side is that it’s valet parking for $ 25 a night. When I checked out it was the Sunday morning of the 2^nd day of the festival and they said I could leave my car till later that night after the festival was done which was a nice plus!

Noisy and Filthy
Definitely not a family friendly hotel
The guests are young 2o Somethings that act like they are at a frat house party
Noise, screaming and yelling are horrendous
The rooms are not as advertised
In the photos.
Beware!
Find so where else to stay

Came here with the girls I guess we were having one of those spontaneous moment.
Amazing weekend. The prices were great and we loved the room. We had no complaints at all. The restaurant has an amazing view of the bay area.
Two free breakfasts, um winning. It’s the typical eggs and bacon, carbons… Nothing fancy but um hello free.99
Located in Little Italy. I would come back
Excellent customer service

I was a bit confused as to why this was such a low rating. It was not perfect, but I did use a Groupon for a great rate! And a free bottle of wine.
Hotel = perfect location!!!
Hot breakfast (free) = amazing!
Rooms = decent! No complaints, weird lamps but nothing to frown at
Parking = ok, little pricey for Valet but my Groupon allowed a discount
I would like to see if the future they will honor a Groupon rate because I would love to go back
The water pressure was a little low
The Glass Door bar and restaurant = perfect!!! Great views! The rooftop also has a great lounging area with amazing views and a place to relax!
IMO this is a hidden gem.
Our room was on the 4^th floor and I recommend!
I really can’t believe someone said «lipstick on a pig» it is not that bad! Maybe if they compare it to the Manchester Hyatt.

Blech. Not impressed.
I picked up this hotel for like $ 75 on Priceline, and I pulled up on a Saturday evening to check in. There’s no place to leave your car while you check in, so I had to pull into valet and block some other cars while they figured out where to put me.
Check-​in was quick but pretty unfriendly. The wifi code wasn’t offered to me, so I had to call down to get it.
The room itself was fine. Small, but fine. The problem was that right outside my door is the parking garage that the valet guys were using, so it was really noisy. Not just cars, but valet guys yelling back and forth.
The heating & A/​C in my room was really old, and didn’t work that well. I had the heat on and the room just never heated up to where I wanted it. Slept terrible because of it.
Since I stayed on a Saturday night, I was able to find street parking (eventually) since Sunday is free. But otherwise their valet is $ 25/​night. Geez! There’s a $ 10 overnight lot down the street on Juniper, I think.
It wasn’t my worst hotel stay ever, but I was definitely underwhelmed.

It’s in a great area but this hotel is old and in need of repair. The front door does not seal well and you can see light coming in from outside, plus hear noise.
*update*
The hotel had charged us a $ 30 fee for a late check out (1:20pm) but after I went to check out of our second room they reversed the late check out fee. Thank you Porto Vista

Well somebody here called this place «Overpriced Motel»… Totally agree!!! We spent our anniversary night here… unfortunately! :/​I don’t even know how to start:
1.) The «view» of our room was the underground parking lot of the hotel…
2.) We were charged $ 25 for parking at the hotel valet (even though our room was pretty much the part of the parking lot)
3.) Rotten door frame at the bathroom
4.) Spider in the corner of the bathroom
5.) Small amount of shower gel and conditioner… no shampoo, cheap tissues
6.) Vending machine did not work, just took our money
7.) Hotel shuttle shuts down at 7 pm so you either walk downtown or pay for taxi if you want to have a drink… even though you just paid $ 25 for parking
…
8.) This is not a «Boutique hotel», and not even has modern designed rooms
It doesn’t worth this high price! Do not waste your time and money on this place!!! :(

For a last minute Hotel Tonight booking, Porto Vista was about as good as it got for under $ 175 a night. Not sure if I would consider this a «deal», but it certainly wasn’t the worst hotel experience ever.
Location is by far the best thing going for this particular hotel. In the heart of Little Italy, there’s shopping, bars and restaurants within a short distance. Very short, like «why are you taking a cab when it takes less than five minutes to walk», distance. Good for meeting up with friends or loved ones who live in San Diego.
Rooms themselves are also not too bad. Clean, plush carpets. Spacious bathrooms. TV with 20+ channels, including HBO. Comfy bed, clean sheets. There’s even an option to upgrade your room via Unilocal Check In offer, if there’s an upgrade available. Translation: Your room stays pretty much the same, but there’s a small balcony. Probably don’t go out there, as the view leaves much to be desired and it’s loud at night.
Why 3-​stars? Definitely not worth the price. Though it was a busy Saturday night in Ron Burgundy’s town, this hotel was definitely NOT $ 175/​night awesome. This is essentially a motel-​turned-​mid-​level hotel. Doors face outside, hallways are pretty sad… From the outside, it’s kinda scary. Staff, though very nice, seems stressed out all the time. No pool. The elevators are slow as heck. The whole place could use some TLC.
Was it a safe place? Yep. Would I recommend it to a friend? Maybe, if the rate was a little lower. Overall, A-​OK, but not a luxurious experience. Definitely 3-​stars.

This is a motor lodge, not a fine hotel. In general that works for me, but it is awfully dirty and though I’ve stayed here half a dozen times, it will take an effort to get over some of the more disgusting things I saw in my suite this last trip.
The staff are great and the location is great but, oh, my, it can be awfully filthy.

Cet hôtel a l’avantage d’être bien placé, pas trop loin du centre de San Diego, d’avoir une jolie vu sur la baie depuis le toit, endroit que je vous recommande pour prendre un cocktail. Autre avantage la présence d’un parking avec voiturier si vous êtes motorisé.
Ce n’est pas un hôtel pour toutes les bourses mais il reste très abordable et de plutôt bonne qualité