Portola Plaza Hotel Reviews

Beautiful architecture. Regular attention in front desk. Regular hygiene.

Looking for a reasonable deal in Monterey? Look no further than the Portola Hotel. Centrally located, adequately staffed, it's one of the best hotels in Monterey for the value.

Best location in Monterey! Huge, clean rooms; great fitness center and pool/hot tub, awesome food options and shops downstairs. Huge variety of spa treatments to choose from if that's your thing. About a 2 minute walk to the warf and about 20 minutes or so to the aquarium. Parking only $20 a day in the self parking garage. I would absolutely stay again.
They are doing construction currently though so I would recommend starting in the main building as the other side is a bit nosey from about 9-5 right now. If I started in the room more it would have been an issue... Otherwise A++

It's a huge complex; decor a bit dated but room is comfortable (though could use a few more easily accessible power outlets). Omelettes at breakfast were great and the WiFi worked well.

A centrally located, friendly and nice hotel in Monterey w good conference facilities.

Nice shops in the area, the wharf is a short walk, and night entertainment is also a short walk.

Close to the avenue. Good staff. Yet, no air-condition, not enough 'Continental breakfast', outdated furnitures and stuff... not sure will come back again. They have to renovate themselves immediately.

This a great hotel with amazing service. The one thing that put a damper on our stay was that our hotel keys kept getting demagnetized and our rooms were not in the main building so it took some time to get back and forth to get new keys, which sucks when you're tired and just want to lay down and the kids are exhausted and the bay is crying.

Traveled with Women's Council of Realtors. Great location in Monterey.

This is a nice hotel right next to Fishermans Warf and many other shops and restaurants. Parking and breakfast aren t free and the ocean is too far to hear it or sit by it with a drink at the hotel. Next time I might look at hotels right on the water in the Cannery Row area. Overall this hotel did a good job though.

Check out the breakfast buffet with endless mimosas, and an omelette bar!

First- rate accommodations and food right in downtown Monterey.

Great location and staff is very friendly. They even give free cookies at check-in

Based on the valet service alone, it's fantastic. They are the first and last people you see and they are extremely professional and it makes a difference on your stay at a hotel. Fredo is always very polite and sweet to my little girl and me. She always looks for him!

Excellent hotel, very good location, ideal to know Monterrey in 1 or 2 days of stay. A beautiful city

Everything was great. 20 uS $ for the parking garage was the only negative. The designated jogging track including wildlife was a real experience. We felt very comfortable.

Nice rooms, close to the shore and other shops like Starbucks and Walgreens

At arrival we entered our room: it was beautiful, perfect size, perfect position perfect light and temperature. But the blinders were slide out of trail, so we called the reception and after the handyman came up to verify the problem they moved us to another room. This was terribly hot, dark in a bad position, without the air conditioning (!), missing nightstand and probably some other flaws . We went to ask for another room, mainly because of the air conditioning: we found out many others had the same problem. The only other options they could offer us was a double room, so I spent my staying in Monterey with my partner sleeping in separate beds... the hotel itself is very sweet and the location is beautiful. But all those issues were too much to handle, and the staff was acting like the issue they caused was nothing much, they were not able to offer us a real solution not a refunding. I will try some other place for the next time I will be in Monterey!

Hotel is located right in front marina. Very nice place.

Good service, but the room kinda smelled like cheese

Beautiful setting. Close to beach and wharf. Fantastic ocean views

Loved our room. Really nice bedroom and bathroom. We got a king room with balcony in facing the courtyard.

The hotel is nice and classy and right on Fishermans Wharf, on the waterfront and the pier

Liked the entree/lobby area. Rooms were specious and clean. Bathroom not suited for tall people.

Great bar service and food. Decent location with walkable options. Rooms extremely dated and unremarkable. 1 power outlet on one side of the bed to serve entire living area (another in bathroom). Only one lightswitch. No AC, heating only, tower fan provided. Given that this makes you open the sliding balcony door for air, there's also no screen. This setup might work if you are facing the water and likely to get a sea breeze but an interior room facing the courtyard / atrium is a very unremarkable concrete view and less air flow. Bring power strips and extension cords if you have any sort of electronics requiring power. You may experience a long walk from self parking to the hotel lobby and depending on your room location you might have a very long walk in my instance four hallways worth to elevator. Verdict: Not a great value for room costs, I would not stay for leisure unless major (way over due) room renovation was done.

Really great accomodations and service. Only missed out on the 5th star because it's not directly on the water. In most other towns this would be a 5 star rating from me for sure.

Beautiful hotel - great rooms in a great location! 5 star luxury!

Beautiful hotel. Great location, 2 mins from the wharf. Room was lovely and modern and clean. Would stay here again

We had a wonderful weekend in Monterey. All the staff members from front desk to valet. Smiles everywhere and everything was handled effortlessly. Our weekend was the 28th and 29th of Sept. Our room was spotless. Beds were very comfortable and the rugs are clean. I wore white socks and they were still white when I left. That alone shows me how clean these rooms are. We are planning another stay here in November and can't wait. The Wharf and Trails are a few walking steps away. We also had breakfast and dinner at Jack's as well. So memorable.

Well, the only thing that I did not like is that the rooms and the pool are far away but everything else is very good

Shrimp cocktail and Pina colada and it's happy hour, Mmmmm good

I go there for Peter Bs. It can be a little pricey but has a good atmosphere.

Nicely updated/beautiful common areas. Room was clean and cozy. The staff was nice. Conveniently located within close proximity to fisherman's wharf and cannery row. The only drawback was that the food was way over priced for what it was. Don't pay 4star prices for 2star meals.

The hotel appeared to be under construction everywhere. But the staff was nice and friendly.
However, it was 92 degrees and they did not tell us that the majority of THEIR HOTEL ROOMS HAVE NO AIR CONDITIONING!!! BE FOREWARNED. When I asked about it, since I had numerous conversations with them to arrange two rooms they told me- "Oh everyone knows we don't have air conditioned rooms." They have only three rooms with air and it took them over an hour to get them ready for us. Terrible!

Very nice Hotel with quaint shops nearby. The Front Desk was very helpful and addressed my questions promptly and were quick to ensure our satisfaction

When one visits the Portola year after year and sees the same employees, you know they are happy staff. Of course, I ask anyways - and all staff I ve talked to agree this is a good employer, along with an appreciation they have for their co-workers. In turn, every employee we come across at Portola has been extremely friendly and helpful. I don t think I ve ever had a request denied since visiting in 2011. If anything, when I have a dilemma, the staff try to help troubleshoot. Valet parked your car but you need your umbrellas? No need to run out to the car. The valet will offer to let you borrow a few golf size ones. Checking in early because you arrived in town sooner than expected? No need to look for a waiting area at a near by restaurant with all your luggage in tow. They will give you the first available room right then and usually there is no wait time. Otherwise, they will call you when ready. Run out of coffee or tea at 2 am? Cleaning staff is off but security staff will run some up to your room. Not to mention the nice sized fresh baked, warm cookies you receive at the front desk. On your way checking out, a senior valet staff will remind you of the highways to take for the quickest route home (even without having to ask).

Hotel is under construction so it is loud. It is not a nice place. "4 star" is laughable. It is old and run down. Be advised this is a pet friendly hotel popular with families with small children. It is advertised as a luxury hotel. Not the case. It is an older hotel close to fisherman's wharf. Not a quiet relaxing place to stay.

I love the service ,the location ,and the convenience of the Portola.
I brought my bicycle and the valet
was able to store it safely when I was not using it. Space thanks for a great time I'll be back soon

We were there for a jazz festival that happens each year in early March. There are now eight stages for listening to any of a single piano to a big dance band. Most groups are from three to six people, playing jazz of one sort or another. Did you know that the original spelling of 'jazz' was jass? Know why they changed it?

Really good hotel, nice location, clean rooms. Don't drink the bottled water in the rooms as it turns out it's not free and it isn't clearly stated that it is 10$. Parking isn't free!

often mention

Kimmy W
3/5
3 minutes ago on Google
We originally booked online then cancelled when we discovered we could not use our gift cards for payment. We called the hotel and were informed they would match the price and booked direct with them instead I was grateful for that. After seeing their normal asking nightly rate for the accommodation we reserved, I honestly thought their prices did not justify the room accommodation, we reserved a Harborview King room. The toilet was constantly leaking, shower curtain was falling apart, the paint finishes in the bathroom were sloppy and we could hear the drunk guests next door loud and slamming their door constantly with people coming in and out and a $20- parking fee for the night! Most upscale hotels we've stayed at comped or covered parking. The staff was friendly and we liked the locality and convenience of being walking distance to the wharf. Other then the location and convenience to being close to everything it was just an ok experience. We've stayed at nicer hotels for about the same price.

pleasant staff... they even give you cookies when you check-in and check-out.

Very nice hotel. Comfortable, clean, nice meeting rooms.

I love staying at the Portola Hotel because not only is it gorgeous inside and out, but the staff are friendly, you get a delicious cookie at Check-in and you have easy walking distance to some amazing restaurants, the wharf and cannery row! There also is the awesome farmers market that is held on Tuesday evenings right outside the entrance down the street of the hotel. This will always be my go to hotel when I visit Monterey!

Went to the RM Auction hosted at the portola hotel and spa and it is very easy to get to close to everything. The auction was a lot of fun too.

A good place to stay , no fancy but great location.

Very nice rooms. The hotel is a little unique in the pattern

Weak shower water pressure disappointing. Otherwise good place for a conference.

Reliable WiFi a huge plus. Friendly staff. Close proximity to attraction.

Beautiful place to be any time of year. Can't wait for the new remodel to be done

Very friendly staff nice rooms. However, double beds are too small for 2 people. Also, some rooms a noisy from outside bar.

Nice location. Included amenities are minimal though. Different buildings for room lost its unique value earlier on.

The hotels very nice and clean and the workers are friendly. Down side is that my room was next to the road and side walk and it was loud. The water was not consistent. It goes hot to cold real fast and there not much you can do about it. But other than that we have been happy with everything else.

Good rooms with a great location. No breakfast included but there are lots of nearby places to eat so it works out.

The hotel is well located for the tourist attractions and restaurants. The lobby is nice and the check-in experience was fine. However, on getting the lift up to the upper floors the experience is somewhat different. Seemingly endless soulless corridors with dirty plates outside rooms on the carpets (which the staff just walked past - some dirty crockery was sitting next to the ice machine on floor 3 for the 24 hours we were there).
Some of the rooms have a view, others do not. The $25 charge for self parking is high, particularly as this is really per day, so $50 if you are just staying 1 night. Would I return or recommend? No.

Friendly and helpful staff! The location is convenient for downtown Monterey and the hotel itself is very clean and well kept.

This place was ridiculously overpriced on top of that they placed us in a room with two beds when we only needed one. To make matters worse this hotel will do nothing to accommodate you if the guests around you keep you up all night like they did to us. We drove hours and spent a lot of money to stay at a hotel where management refused to reimburse us for a horrible night stay. We were treated very poorly and we will never ever return here again. Word of advice when considering this hotel look somewhere else!

By far one of the best hotel I have ever stayed.
The rooms are very nice and very comfortable.
I can even tell you how great the bed is.
Extremely quiet and very relaxing stay.
I can't wait to come back and stay again in this amazing five stars hotel.

Beautiful hotel! Conveniently next to a Peet's coffee and several places to go to brunch! Including a very fun coffee shop called Captain and stoker. Rooms were very nice, and seemed to be renovated recently. Pool area is great! Jacuzzi was perfect and hot! Also, very comfy beds, with lots of fluffy pillows. I would stay here again!

Great full service hotel with a great location. Walking distance from downtown, fisherman's wharf, and cannery row.

Great location but could afford to be updated and can be a little noisy if you are sensitive to it. However, the lobby layout is great and the staff is accommodating.

It was a very nice hotel the atmosphere was wonderful. Great experience

Very Nice location. Pet and family friendly. Close to the Wharf and most things in Monterey are either walkable or a short trip via a trolley. Slight confusion with our bill - staff were either very helpful or not at all - depending upon apparent experience/authority - rather typical.

Slept here for 2 hours before a fishing trip. No complaints.

Great outdoor ambiance. Close to downtown and to fishermans wharf. Clean rooms and great views!

We stayed there for two nights in room with view over the Portola Plaza. The room was big with a kingsize bed. The breakfast buffet was delicious with a huge choice. I really recommend this place.

This hotel was a bit run down. The furniture was chipped and outdated. The hallways were loud and over run with families and children. Our hotel room came with a plug-in fan to supplement the weak air conditioning. I suppose this hotel is fine if you are looking for a bargain, but, otherwise, don t expect much.

Stopped by to meet up with some friends staying overnight from out of town. Hotel was nice, and the staff friendly. Also, being in the heart of downtown Monterey, you are surrounded by shopping and dining options.