My wife and I arrived at this hotel immediately af...

My wife and I arrived at this hotel immediately after flying in from Philadelphia to begin a one-week vacation in San Diego and Palm Springs. I had reserved my room on the Embassy Suites website, choosing a bay view room with balcony, at extra cost. I also paid extra to request a high floor. But when I checked-in at the hotel, they seemed to have no knowledge of the balcony or the high floor. I had to argue with them, to try to get something I thought was already a sure thing. After 15 minutes of unpleasant wrangling with the staff, I finally got the room I wanted. But this initial experience was a very bad way to start a vacation. After that mess, things got much better. Our suite was excellent. There is a door you can close between the two rooms of the suite, enhancing privacy if needed. The rooms were spacious and loaded with all the bells and whistles: fridge, microwave, kitchen, 2 sinks, 2 TVs, in-room coffee, a good-sized balcony and a terrific view of San Diego Harbor. The free breakfast was outstanding, including the made-to-order omelettes and eggs. The hotel's breakfast room is very large and this main public room is used for a variety of events. The late afternoon happy hour (free wine, beer and cocktails!) was very popular, although we did not attend because we were usually outside sightseeing during that time of day. We just noticed what a great time everybody was having. I enjoyed using the outdoor hot tub, but did not use the indoor pool. The Embassy Suites concept, where the hotel has a gigantic atrium in the middle, is an old concept, but this hotel does not feel terribly out of date, and there is a nice sociability created by the breakfast and happy hour, which take place in the atrium each day. The hotel is in good condition. The location is great in terms of the waterfront, but not great in terms of fun neighborhoods to explore on foot. Near this hotel there are nice places to walk to, including large shopping centers and the waterfront promenade, but there is no funky neighborhood nearby with sidewalk cafes. We wanted the water views, so we chose this hotel. The hotel has plenty of conveniences: there is a well-stocked convenience store/ sandwich shop in the building, and a Baskin & Robbins store and a Dunkin Donuts, and a gift shop for souvenirs. Our room was an excellent value considering we got a fabulous view from the 10th floor balcony of our suite, all for about $245/ night including tax and fees. Based on my extensive travel experience, this is a very low price, when you get all these amenities. We greatly enjoyed staying here, after the bad experience that greeted us.