This hotel seems to think it's a big chain, for all the right reasons. The staff at the front desk are all dressed in Porto Vista-branded outfits, professional, attractive and helpful. The hotel seems like an older hotel that was recently renovated and bought by new owners, who've added some hip touches, color schemes and outdoor lounging, and rebranded it the Porto Vista hotel. Now, this is what it seems- though this is just my opinion from staying there and not facts on the hotel. It has a rooftop lounge area that was closed during our May stay (weather wasn't ideal) but still open to check out and walk around. We enjoyed the rooftop views of the skyline, too. Speaking of weather, it has outdoor corridors which never proved a problem on our trip. It actually was nice since you get that nice San Diego breeze and it made it feel more neat like a beachfront hotel, even though we were several blocks from the coast. It also has an outside gathering area in the center courtyard of the hotel with a few outdoor sofas, tables, etc. that look they were furnished by CB2 and that make it ideal for a group gathering- maybe 10-15 friends sitting around, having a drink, chilling only steps from their rooms. Ok- for the rooms- they were average hotel size, maybe a little on the smaller side, with the sink and vanity separate from the comode/shower area (with a door for privacy). My room and my girlfriend's were a little different so they may have different layouts. My room did not have cups in there, but a quick late-night call to the front desk had a gentleman bring some right up. That was a nice surprise since I was just hoping they had some downstairs; I could go down and get them myself. The room was clean with no smells of smoke or mold (my big things). The extra nice touch was Terra Green (I think that's spelled right) bath products in the room. I had been given a few samples by a friend and really liked them. I had never seen them in a hotel before, so that was a nice touch. Ask housekeeping for extras! Our rooms had HBO and a premium channels; a nice touch. As far as deals, you may find a deal once in a while on Groupon, too. The breakfast, while not included with our rate, was good and filling, It's in a hip casual restaurant called The Glass Door with nice views on a higher floor, with both indoor seating and outdoor "breakfast bar/high top-style" seating available. All the chairs are silver and the wait staff is young and friendly. It does lack a certain amount of "warmth" in the restaurant, mainly because of the use of concrete and silver and chrome chairs and tables but that is not necessarily a negative depending on what you are looking for. The hotel also has a bar for drinks that we did not check out. There is an airport shuttle that is around ten dollars or so per person and was a nice alternative to a cab. What we did since we were flying out that afternoon is we stored our luggage with the front desk, returned our rental car and then hopped a cab to Balboa park. Just as an FYI that Park is great! It's like the Central Park of the West lol! While you can stroll through the park and find a bench or layout a blanket near the fountains, there are also science museums, art exhibits, a photographic museum, casual eateries, the San Diego Zoo, and more on the Park premises. We spent a few hours grabbing a bite and lounging by the fountains, not wanting our trip to end in a few hours. We could have easily spent the day there. Afterwards we hopped a cab back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage and off to the airport. The location of the hotel is great and it's within WALKING distance (even with heels, says my girlfriend) to Little Italy! We were only there at night where we got to eat at a great restaurant down there, but imagine it's probably neat to stroll during the day. The Little Italy section of town is neat and quite safe. Oh, and yes- there is Valet Parking at the the hotel, too. Helpful if you want to walk or cab around the city, or take public transit but still have your car available on demand. Valet is prompt and helpful, too. Great location, helpful staff, and slightly more hip than your standard motel vibe add up to a great value for the price. In fact, my girlfriend said if we go back to San Diego in a few years (neat city), she'd like to stay there again and look back on our trip from 2012. While the gaslamp area and the waterfront area seem like a good location for hotels, too- we would consider Porto Vista hotel again- as long as the weather, and of course price, are right. Enjoy San Diego!!
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