Surfbreak Hotel

While spending Christmas down in Orange County to visit family, my husband, and I needed a place to stay with our two dogs. It's quite hard to find a decent hotel that will allow dogs without being a rundown mess.

Fortunately, we found Surfbreak hotel. It was located a close distance from the family we were visiting and the price did not break the bank. The room itself was clean and modern. The linens were clean and so was the floor. We did not run into any issues with noise or partying. The bed was large and comfortable, and there was ample space for our dogs to sprawl out on the floor.

The only qualm is the parking situation can be a little tight but other than that, it was exactly what we were looking for and exactly what we needed in a place to stay. I appreciate hotels like this that allow us to bring our dogs and would gladly return.

I usually review food but I had to give credit where credit is due- the service here was so great! The staff looked genuinely happy with the work that they do and expressed genuine care about their guests' experience, that energy was so awesome. Additionally, the rooms were cute, simple, and clean. My stay here made my short visit to San Clemente very memorable! I recommended!

Surprised to see negative reviews of this cute beach hotel. Everything from the beginning to end was great for us! Called early to see if we could arrange for an earlier check in and were told 1:30 versus 3:00 which was super helpful for our travel plans. Front desk situation was quick and efficient. Staff super friendly. Elevator on premises which was great since we had luggage. Room was cute and well decorated. Beds comfy. Lots of extras in room (waters, makeup remover wipes, Clorox wipes). Would absolutely recommend and stay here again!

So nice in here. I liked this hotel a ton. Would definitely recommend! I was treated well.

Lady at front desk was extremely nice and wonderful but the policy rule was not great. If you are over the age of 18 but under the age of 21; they will ask for a double deposit amount than they originally asked for.

I've stayed here a couple times in the past few years and loved every visit. However, this last time was not so pleasant. The room had an unpleasant oder and was not clean at all. The towels were not clean and the floors had not been cleaned prior to checking in. It appears after 2020 they have not kept up with the cleanliness of the rooms. Super disappointed since this was my go to spot when visiting the area.

The decor is updated but that's about it. The pillows were incredibly dirty, the sheets had red marks on it that looked like blood and the coffee maker/Keurig was moldy.
Asked the front desk for a spoon and they said they don't supply anything.
Went across the street to the donut shop for hot water.

Hours on websites like google mention they are open until 11:30 but are only open till 10pm. "Stevie Joe" and I'm not too sure if that's her real name or not, was very rude over the phone. She was constantly cutting me off and her tone was very harsh. The only thing that was okay about this hotel was how pretty the room looked. Otherwise, the room floor was sticky like they sprayed Febreze everywhere and let it settle on the ground. We were literally slipping with our shoes on. The sheets also looked like they hadn't been washed, I found hair on the bed as well as in the shower on the wall. It was just gross. It looked like they really didn't clean anything up from the previous guest.

Please be careful, if you book an ocean view suite be aware this means there is a possibility you may see the ocean from your balcony or window if you are luck and stand at the right angle. This being my first California experience. I wanted to ocean view and elected to pay more for the experience. I was disappointed when I found this resort's definition of ocean view.

First of all, when we arrived, there was no one at the front desk to check us in, so we waited approximately 10 minutes before I called the hotel's phone number. A gentleman answered (it must have been a cell phone because you could tell he was in the car), he did not apologize for the inconvenience, all he said was "hold on. I'll be there in a minute" which I felt was rude and unprofessional. But that wasn't what upset me. We ended up waiting another 20 minutes, so THIRTY MINUTES total from the time we got to the hotel, to the time he arrived. Mind you, this was not an odd time--it was around 3:00 in the afternoon. When the gentleman finally arrived, he did not apologize, nor try to explain where he was or why he kept us waiting. Unacceptable.

But it gets worse.

He finally checked us in, gave us the door code to our room, and explained how to get there, but when we got up to our room, it was not ready. The cleaning ladies told us it would be another 20-30 minutes, but we could leave our bags there if we wanted to go eat or something and come back. We did just that, but when we got back, our door was left wide open. Thankfully our bags were not stolen but I just don't understand why they would leave the door open, knowing all our belongings were inside.

Also, while we were walking down the hallway, one of the closets (where cleaning supplies are kept) was open and there were 805 beer bottles all over the shelves. Some empty, some half drank, but there were at least 6 of them visible to us as we walked by.

The cherry on top of this whole experience was the dirty, disgusting room we stayed in. Looking back, I should have taken pictures but 4 of our bath towels had dirt and makeup on them. And our sheets had blood stains on them. There was trash under the bed, the floor in the bathroom was sticky, and the mini fridge had crumbs and spilled liquid on the shelves.

I tried to voice my concerns upon checkout, but surprise, surprise, there was no one in the office/lobby to speak to. I hate to leave such a negative review, but I have never, in my life, stayed at a more disgusting hotel/experienced such poor customer service.

Needless to say, we will not be returning to the Surfbreak Hotel in San Clemente.