Tropical getaway on San Diego...

Liked: The Catamaran is an icon in San Diego. It captures the feel of Hawaii with water features and lush tropical plants. The restaurant and bar are just great. It is right on the bay and has gorgeous views. We had an older room, but it was fine- clean and comfortable with a small kitchen. The grounds are extensive and the pool is great. Is the property showing its age?-Yes, but we loved that nothing much has changed at this hotel over its historic existence. The staff was friendly, helpful and efficient. We live in the San Diego area and this is a favorite staycation spot. Any recreational activity is available and you can walk everywhere. We get a little tired of the big box hotels with their huge fancy lobbies but small cookie cutter rooms. This is one of a kind!
Disliked: Our final bill included a $40 charge for a beach towel??? It is frustrating to have to call the hotel and request they remove the charge. We had to have the discussion with the billing department as to whether we checked it back in with an attendant. We had to explain that we checked out 4 towels from the machine using our room key and when we left the pool we placed them in an unattended bin (just like everyone else)- there was never an employee to check back with, nor a facility to recheck the towels through a machine. We even joked with other guests about how silly the process was.