The Dolphin Inn

What People are saying

A hidden gem

Bensonsteve03 on 16/09/2017 05:19

Not many travellers would get here but we stayed for one night on our trip South from San Francisco to LA. Virtually half way down and perfect for a stop-over without being too rushed. Beautiful quiet town and a cosy room close enough to walk to the water and pier. Don't expect to get Wi-Fi here but not everyone relies on it. Nice memories of this place.

Plumbing not working, horrible customer service

MaiaCybelle on 31/08/2017 00:09

My husband and I stayed 3 nights in Cabin #18. Upon arrival we were a bit confused as the hotel was in complete disarray. It looked abandoned from the outside. There was trash, flooring boxes, mattresses, construction rubbish strewn about everywhere on the property. The room was clean and had a renovated bathroom, however there was no closet, nor hook to hang our clothes. We ended up having to hang them from a window frame. Also, there was no iron, no tissues and no hairdryer in our room. The mini fridge looked new, however only the freezer worked. The fridge setting was on the coldest and our milk was room temperature the next day. We ended up rotating ice packs we had on us to keep our food cold. It was quite a disappointment considering we were paying $125 per night.

Our first night we noticed gurgling sounds coming from the bathroom drains. When we woke up the next morning our toilet wouldn't flush and the shower didn't drain. We told reception about the problem and they said, "It's newly renovated there should be no problems. We cannot get to it until later today." Not "I'm terribly sorry I will get to it immediately." We thought it was a bit odd that they did not apologize. We said that we were ok with them taking care of it later in the day as we would be out all day. We returned back to the hotel that night only to find that our toilet was still not working. We went to sleep and in the morning explained that the toilet was still not working and even worse, smelly sewage was backing up into our shower. They gave us a key for room #5 to shower and use it's bathroom. Guess what? The toilet didn't work in room #5 either! Finally they gave us a key to room #6 and at least the toilet and shower worked there. This was our final day. We checked out that morning and my husband inquired if they could discount our stay due to the fact that we did not have a working toilet or shower for 2 of the 3 nights. The woman at reception was very rude and suggested she discount the room by $30. WHAT? My husband pushed and explained that this was not reasonable compensation and after much back and forth he gave up and she apparently credited us $40. What terrible customer service!

We left our van parked for the day and then returned at about 4:30pm to load up our motorcycles into our van. I had to use the restroom badly as we had been riding for many miles. I went into the hotel reception office, explained that we had checked out earlier that morning and asked to use their restroom. The woman behind the desk answered deadpan "No, you cannot use a restroom. We do not have one for the public and we cannot give you keys to a room as then we would have to remake the room after you used the toilet." WHAT? They don't have a restroom for their guests to use? By this time I was very upset as I really had to go to the bathroom badly and I told the woman behind the desk that we had had the worst experience staying with them as our bathroom was not functional and that them not allowing me to use their bathroom was an added offense and that I was going to report them. (I will report them to the BBB). I stormed out down the street to look for a bathroom somewhere and at that point a very nice lady who was a hotel guest overheard me and called to me across the parking lot that I could use the bathroom in her room. Thank goodness otherwise I thought I was going to have an emergency. After the horrible customer service we received I cannot believe this place is still in business. Do not stay at the Dolphin Inn. It's a horrible establishment.

a very nice place

stephenkI6735PQ on 20/05/2017 16:39

I stayed there for 3 days with my 2 little dogs...what a peaceful place!! Very clean, very nice people working there!! A comfy place by the ocean. I highly recommend it! Close to restaurants and a block from the grocery store.

Girlfriend Birthday Weekend Getaway

Colleen M on 07/05/2017 18:27

Only hotel in town under $500 a night with a vacancy. We took the gamble.

Funky motel that desperately needs some remodeling or at least repairs. Overall, it's not as bad as we thought it would be.

The young woman at the front desk was really nice and super accommodating.

The room was not so dirty that we couldn't disinfect enough to feel comfortable. I carry my can of Lysol spray in my suitcase for such occasions.

From the photos, my friend and I knew to bring our own pillows and comforter so we could strip down the beds to the bottom sheets.

The bathroom was clean enough, but the shower door would not stay closed while showering.

Idiot neighboring guests were loud coming in and leaving, but other than that it was quiet. We called the nice girl at the the front desk to go quiet them down and she tried.

We left the tag on the door so the cleaners would not come in and touch our stuff. God forbid anything would get put on the floor while they "clean".

But then we realized we didn't have towels. The nice girl at the front desk brought us fresh towels and more TP. She wasn't familiar with being tipped.

So, if it's the last place in town, or the only place in your budget, it could be worse depending on your personal OCD level.

Cayucos and the coast made the trip fun and magical. We had a blast!

Quaint and Quiet

Greg H on 18/10/2016 18:22

I was pleased with the room size and HOT water in the shower!! The location was Perfect! The staff was pleasant to work with and overall a really nice place to stay! The Sea Shanty was excellent Dining option that we could walk to for Dinner