The Monarch Hotel was chosen for it's good location and decent enough prices. Sadly, this was a pretty bad mistake. When we got settled in the room, I being the geek that I am, immediately went to turn on the internet. No luck. Called to the front desk and was told that it was down for maintenance and would be back the next day. Cool, no biggie, I can handle a day with no internet. Next morning, still no internet and the desk clerk said hopefully by noon. We get back from that day's festivities and we still don't have access. It is then that we are finally told that the internet was notoriously intermittent and if we didn't have it, we most likely would not be able to access it at all. This is no good. Not only do we really like having internet access, we kinda require it too. Poor desk clerk tries to help us out but really doesn't have the power to do anything and apparently the management is out and unreachable. We wait around for a couple of hours to see if management comes back, but no luck, so we check out and go find a hotel that actually provides what is promised. The next day I received an email saying that management would get in touch with me shortly. Yeah, a week and a half later, no phone call, no email and certainly no apology. I'm just not a fan of not being provided services promised and then being blatantly lied to about it. Also, the vending machine selection was crap, which just added insult to injury. The room was adequate and no one actively attempted to light me on fire, but that's about all I can say. read more

Our 3 days here at this monarch resort was a dirty Room . We have stayed here for many years and this year , we found the bathroom with hair swept In the corner . Tub not draining and most of all the coffee pot at the sink . Hand washing and teeth brushing takes place. Overall renovation is needed And better quality room cleaning. Laundry is sent out but the sheets were gritty feeling . Maybe next year we will consider to stay or not at our traditional Monarch resort in Pacific Grove Ca. read more

Really enjoyed our stay! Hotel is located in a quiet neighborhood about half a mile from the coastline and one mile from most area restaurants/shops (if you love to walk, it's a beautiful 2 miles to the Monterey Bay Aquarium/Cannery Row). PG was not as crowded as Carmel or Monterey. Room (2 double beds, no fireplace) was very spacious, with a microwave and small fridge. Basic toiletries (FYI, no lotion, and BYO conditioner if, like me, you have unruly hair; those 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner combos don't work for me!). Plenty of free self-parking. Nice breakfast offerings (eggs/yogurt/fruit/bagels/muffins/oatmeal/juice/coffee). Breakfast room is small, so we just took everything back to our room. Balcony could have used a power wash, and the screen door was not attached (nbd, hubby fixed it). Front desk staff was friendly and extremely helpful (shout out to Josephine for going above and beyond!). It's a little expensive, but that's expected for the area. Would definitely stay again if in the vicinity! read more

Monarch Resort - Big space between balcony door and bed. - Hotels Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Just a hotel. Not a resort. Not all rooms with fireplace. Pictures deceiving on booking.com. Not a resort. Bed was comfortable. Spacious bathroom. Thought we were getting a suite and another room. We reserved two rooms for 3nights. We received a room with fireplace and king bed and balcony. Other one had two queen bed No fireplace, No balcony. Very disappointed as it was a special time getaway. Breakfast was take and go to room. Room very small. Tried calling the hotel directly for reservations 5 or more times. No answer. read more

i cannot get anyone to answer the telephone for the past 4 hours, that is the only reason I gave it a 1 star. Please answer your telephone ASAP. When I finally reached a Manager at another number i told her I have been trying for fours hours to cancel my reservation due to my wife's illness. My reservations were for Thursday July 22 and 23rd and todays date is July 19th. I was told that there is a $160.00 cancellation which I feel is excessive. She would not budge on the fee even though I thought I gave them enough time. Shame on me for not reading some of the below comments about this place as I would never of made reservations. I was told that if I come back within 30 days I can get a nights stay. I live in S.Cal and cannot drive 500 miles for one night . . I just received an email update from Monarch and they will waive my cancellation fee. They are doing the right thing and we appreciate that. read more

Older/independent hotel chains in popular areas can be tricky to select and to review. But I would return to the Monarch. It is in a great location, a little bit off the main drag of Pacific Grove. The staff is helpful, responsive, and very nice (maybe a little too nice, lol, I was like ok thanks we're just trying to get to our room). There are many rooms, a pool and sauna, and parking wasn't a pain. I am sure there are better and worse placed that have similar ratings and prices, but I feel lucky that we stayed here with our last minute plans on a pretty busy summer weekend. We checked in late, around 9pm and as soon as we got to our room the toilet was not working. The "plug" in the tank would not hold a seal so it couldn't fill with water. The front desk employee came and checked it out and called the plumber within 10 minutes of us checking in. They had it fixed within the hour. Before they knew it was going to be fixed the front desk employee had offered us a new room just in case but by the time we came back from dinner all was well and we stayed in our original room. The beds were comfortable and although the linens were nothing to write home about, I was satisfied. The fireplace in the room was an excellent amenity. The patio was a nice size and you could see the ocean from our room. We didn't get to enjoy the grounds much, but the whole building is quite large and has lots of indoor planters/atriums. read more

My wife and I came to Monterey and stayed here for a weekend "babymoon" before the birth of our son Oliver. We ended up leaving after one night because we simply could not relax at this place. Curtains were slashed, we were woken up in the night repeatedly by conversations outside the hotel, and there were brown bedbug-like stains on the uncovered mattress (we steam-cleaned everything when we got home). Finally, when we checked out of the hotel after only one night, we asked the woman at the front desk if the second night that we booked could be refunded. We were pleasantly surprised when she said yes...only we never received the refund. When we called to inquire, we were told that refunds aren't granted for online bookings. The false promise put the cherry on top of this stay. read more

Very disappointed! Stayed one night then decided to extend for another night... The front desk charged my card for 2 nights instead of the additional 1 and also noticed and additional $50 fee. I called in to ask why and they lady informed me that my room smelled heavily of marijuana which is false!!!! What a way to treat a paying customer by accusing them and charging their card without contacting them. The thing is on that additional night I could hear so many complaints in the hallway about smoke and other customers transferring Rooms. I didn't think much of it because the rooms all have fire places with dura logs in them of course it smells like smoke! I gonna guess because we didn't complain they assumed it was our room and charged me. I will no longer be staying at this location or recommending it. I was a local regular! read more

To call this a "resort" is kind of laughable. It's really just a glorified motel. I'll list pros and cons. Pros: Good location. Heated pool and jacuzzi. Late check out. Shower head and temperature good. Cons: Although Booking.com said the Queen rooms had a fireplace, ours did not. The receptionist told me that you have to pay extra to upgrade. Not sure if that was Bookings fault or theirs, but it was a bit disappointing. Wifi was TERRIBLE. Our room was huge, but for no reason. The TV and furniture were too small for the space, which made it less cozy and more.... strange. Pillows hurt husband's neck. Neutral: Bed Continental Breakfast IMHO There are better places to stay. read more

Photos are deceiving, outdated NOT a resort, just a hotel. Ewww not worth the money.... Wish we could've left.

This is no resort. During our 1-night stay on 5/11/22, there was no ironing board, so I went to the front desk. The clerk had to come verify for himself there was no ironing board in our closet, and he came back a while later with one. I'd never leave a 1 star rating for just that. However, when my friend started ironing her blouse, the iron left rusty, brown residue on her blouse, permanently staining it. And the next morning when I went to make coffee, the switch on the coffee pot was broken, so it was impossible to make coffee and the free breakfast wasn't open yet -- I had to wait an hour. Do yourself a favor and stay elsewhere. read more

What was best about this quite moderately priced Inn was the kindness and outstanding service from the staff--so helpful and considerate, (especially Leslie, Rick and Celeste at the Front Desk). The Inn is next to the famous Monarch Butterfly Preserve, and within walking distance to the Ocean. Lots of deer, birds, and other wildlife nearby. The balconies, fireplaces, heated outdoor pool, hot tub, and spa were great, (except that there was an occasional slight odor of a gas leak and/or pesticide by the pool, and in a couple of the halls, which I hope can be fixed by the next time we visit). The complimentary Breakfasts were delicious. Our room was spotlessly clean. The staff is fantastic. We hope to go back many times in the future. Joan and Barbara M read more

Unfortunately there is not an option to give this place zero stars. We stayed 07/24-31/2021 My family arrived at this "resort" for what was supposed to be a special occasion. Upon arriving we were informed that the rooms we had booked (almost 4 months in advance) were unavailable, and were DOWNGRADED to double queen rooms rather than double king. Even though our stay was for a week, we made do. We did not even complain when the mini fridge fell over from the cabinet being broken, when we found used medicine cups under the bed amongst other trash, over the vomit smell whose source couldn't be traced, when our key cards continuously stopped working, or when we found that our second story window and screen were broken rendering the window unsafe because of young guests in our party. It would be nearly impossible to recount every detail that made this stay horrendous so I will highlight a few that stand out: My 3 year old son was screamed at by Belinda, the current manager, for being too loud in the pool. The problem is my son was not making any noise, it was another child who was not being supervised by an adult. Upon respectfully informing Belinda that the child being loud was not mine, she informed me that I am legally responsible for him being the only adult in the pool area. WHAT?!- this was night one. While the encounter was upsetting, it pales in comparison to their safety and hygiene standards. On the second to last day of our stay, we called the front desk (for awhile since they don't pick up) requesting a plunger. My niece happened to be in the hall as the employee brought the plunger, and witnessed him rubbing the business end of it along the staircase and hallway railing- yes the place we put our hands. We immediately brought it to staffs attention, and were horrified to see the same man working the next day. Belinda claimed that they were short staffed so because the employee ADMITTED what he had done they kept him on. They also attempted to counter my concerns stating I must not be too concerned with cleanliness given the state of my room, and that housekeeping had to spend an hour so I could incur a cleaning charge. I returned to my room to see what possibly could have taken an hour, only to find the same crumbs on the floor and dirty sheets on the bed. I called management up to see the supposed one hour cleaning job and demanded the before photos they claimed to have. Of course they could not produce any, and housekeeping called management out right in front of me that they never ever stated it took an hour, not even half an hour. This is important because the staff attempted to bully and manipulate me with a potential fraudulent charge rather than remedy the situation. This would be horrifying without the current state of our world,but in a time when safety and hygiene are critical- unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that staff handles complaints by name calling- no Belinda, I am not a "con artist" as you inappropriately called me during what I was hoping would be a constructive conversation. Not even sure how that term could be applied since we paid our bill in full and were not offered any compensation for any of the issues. Numerous times I attempted to reach Diane, the owner. To date I have not received a response to my multiple calls or email. Also, be careful with the elevators. They do not reflexively open as they should. I'm guessing because the latest posted inspection is from 2019. Anyway, if you are lucky enough to find yourself in pacific grove I sincerely hope you have better luck than finding yourself here. read more

A "resort" it aint. It's just a sleepy, neighborhood hotel with a small, outdoor pool and hot tub. The only other distinguishing feature was the back hallway, contained skylights and some indoor plants (oddly, the plants looked fake, but weren't) The overall look and decor was VERY dated, but clean. Hallways, elevators and stairwells smelled weird. Despite thin walls, the rooms themselves were very standard, except for one very squeaky bed, which I had to repair myself. Wi-fi was included, but only worked some of the time, and only near the window. (This seemed perfectly adequate and normal to the staff.) Even my daughters, usually happy with any hotel, were aware of the low-end feel of this place. One asked me, "Does this hotel have bed bugs?" at the moment we were all trying to fall asleep. I immediately answered "no," but her question kept me uneasy and awake for a good 20 minutes. The continental breakfast (offered in a dedicated guest room near the front door) was fine; Way too much reliance on sweet pastries, but they offered coffee, OJ, cereal and toast as well. On the plus side, the Monarch was relatively inexpensive for the area, and one of the only places still available on a busy weekend. But next time I will try harder to find another spot. read more

Great location (away from the hustle and bustle, but close enough to walk or bike to civilization), and considering the price, I'd say my experience here at the Monarch is going swimmingly. I had some issues with the wifi in one of the rooms (219) and my macbook air doesn't have an ethernet port, so the women at the front desk kindly upgraded us to a different room once I had tested the wifi signal in there. It's an older building, so it was understandable that some of the rooms might not have the best signal reception, but they reset the routers and took my troubleshooting suggestions seriously (sidebar: OH MY GOD, I love it when people trust me when it comes to computers. Like, just because I wear makeup doesn't mean I don't know my sh*t, k thanks.). read more

Friendly easy check-in. Clean, but VERY old facility, including furniture, tv's remotes and rooms. Our $214. charge for a simple Queen room on the 2nd floor seemed high, but most hotels in this area require a 2 night minimum, so this was the best we could find for a one night stay. They did have a Continental Breakfast and a nice size pool. read more

My husband and I just returned from our vacation to Monterey County, and we are so happy that we stayed at the Monarch. I can definitely see how some travelers may be looking for something a little more ritzy. But for us, this place was absolutely perfect. Just as a background, we are two 24 year olds on a budget, and we spent most of our time around town, not in our hotel room. When we were looking for a hotel, we wanted a clean place with a reasonable price tag, free parking and breakfast, a nice pool and jacuzzi, cable, wi-fi, and a scenic, walkable location. The Monarch offered all of these amenities to us and more. The heated pool, jacuzzi, and dry sauna were just what the doctor ordered after a day of biking around Asilomar State Beach, which is minutes from the hotel. In the other direction, the small town of Pacific Grove offers lots of cute shops, restaurants and coffee shops, and even a little movie theater. Pacific Grove is the place to be! Breakfast is pretty simple. There is juice, coffee, oatmeal, cereal, bagels, pastries, and hard-boiled eggs. The girls who ran the front desk were friendly and helpful. Cannery Row is a mile away, and Old Fisherman's Wharf is two miles away. Both are easy to walk, ride or drive to. Oh, and if you are a AAA member or catch a good deal online, you can bag a room for a GOOD rate. read more

First of all, upon check in, the room the room was filthy. Hair all in the sinks, on the linen and the tables. There was no staff to rectify the situation, the gentleman working the front desk was alone on the property. Also the day we tried to check in, we where told that check in was at 4:00 pm; but when I checked out, early, because I couldn't take another moment, Ms. Laura was allowing people to check in at 12:30. The nightmare continued with checkout, first Laura tells me that I can't be refunded because I paid with cash, INCORRECT. I was instructed to come back after 3:30, to speak with Pierce. Pierce, of course was z no were to be found. After, a horrible exchange I was finally given a partial refund for the days I didn't stay. So, thank you Monarch Resort for ruining my vacation. The manager, Pierce is a jerk, and the clerk Laura is pitiful and/ or stupid. read more

NOTICE: This review is based solely on my experiences via the phone, with booking and reservations. On a Thursday night I attempted around 7:30/8:00pm to contact The Monarch Resort to make a reservation for a room for the upcoming Saturday. I friendly woman answered the phone, she took down my information and informed me that should would then call me back. I waited until 10am the next morning and still no phone call back. So I called a second time, this woman assured me that the person the night before probably couldn't locate the "reservation book". She told me she would locate it and then give me a call back before 3pm. Please keep in mind it is now Friday and I need a room for Saturday. I waited and waited, 430pm rolls around and still no call. I call AGAIN, another woman answers, tells me sorry and asks for all my information. She inquires the dates I'm staying, room size, how many people, etc...then proceeds to tell me she will call me back! No ma'am you will not....I asked her if there was any way she could just find out if there was a room available or not, and book it then. She put me on hold for 5 minutes, then the phone began to ring again, as if I were calling them. She picks up I tell her I'm still waiting on the room, and she AGAIN tells me she will call me later. I said FORGET IT! I mean seriously, you boast about how great it is at this place on your website, the beautiful rooms, and so on. But I can't even get a damn room there! Let alone someone who can even answer the question if there are any available. Worst service ever. Oh by the way, once I arrived in Monterey on Saturday as I was walking through the Aquarium around 3pm someone called me from there asking me if I was interested in room still. HA! Yeah right..... read more

Worst hotel experience of my life! I had no sleep! The heater banged, and cracked all night long. I called the front desk multiple times to no avail. No one ever answered the phone. I finally resorted to turning off the heater, and then freezing. In the morning, I tried the front desk again to explain that there was no soap, no bath mat, and that the water would not drain from the shower, leaving one to stand in a foot of water. So, of course, I didn't take a shower for fear of having water pour over the bathtub onto the floor. I simply checked out ASAP. I explained the situation upon check out, and was told the owner would contact me, and refund my payment. She was in "Carmel!" SURE.....there has been no contact. With all the lovely hotel options available in the Monterey Bay Area, do not go to this one. read more

No frills... seems like a bit of an older hotel, but not too bad at all. These hotels are dating each other in that some of them have LCD's(newer) and the old ones still have the old tube tv's Room was clean and neat, bed was a bit soft, but they left a duraflame log in the fireplace for us to use! that was pretty cool and a first. not too hard to find. read more

We stayed for 4 nights. The rooms are clean and spacious, with two separate vanity areas, which is very nice. A fireplace, fridge, and microwave were also in our room. The TV's are the old fashion box. But we did not come here to watch TV.The Bed is very comfortable. However bring your own Pillows. They only have the large king size very thick pillows. The breakfast buffet is adequate. Since there is a fridge, you can bring your own yogurt. If you have odor sensitivities , like I do, or are allergic to molds, request to stay up stairs. As the downstairs has indoor planters throughout, with lots of plants. But this does create some mold. Since each room has its own private balcony, you can enjoy the ocean breeze. We will stay here again, especially since we can get such rates on Priceline. read more

I feel like, for $160, they should try a liiiiiiittle harder. The rooms, save the TV, ate terribly dated not to mention dark. Really, really dark. There is a suspicious looking pillowcase on half the pillows, made out of the same type of taffeta or whatever that comprises the coverlet everyone always takes off the bed first thing. Ew. I could have forgiven all this if it weren't for the breakfast. The guy working it is... At best disinterested. And the options, well... Not even a waffle. Even motel 8 has waffles. Go somewhere else. Somewhere that works a little harder for all the money you paid. read more

We stayed here for the weekend and our experience was very disappointing. Upon our initial entrance into the room it seemed old, but clean and appeared to have all the necessities. There was a slight tear in the sheet but other than that everything seemed fine. Both nights we didn't sleep. The bed was not comfortable and we heard guests yelling and screaming at each other, stomping all around the hotel, plumbing through the walls and people having sex. We were up all night both nights we stayed. In addition to this, there is no air conditioner in the room. Instead there is only a heater so the temperature was not comfortable. read more

This place isn't bad because of the location. Breakfast every morning. The staff seems nice. Only thing is this place is very old. Run down. I noticed there is a broken light bulb, broken dresser and bird poop on the porch. read more

Beware. Be very careful of this hotel. Do not assume anything about this place. You may arrive and find out that the price has doubled without notice. Reason? There is an event in town that causes room prices to go up. I believe back in the day it was called "bait snd switch". It also requires three days to cancel your reservation. Doesn't matter that you are taken by ambulance to emergency room with heart attack and subsequent hospitalization, doctors voucher etc.... don't even ask. The slick owner will not give you a break even though they could have easily replaced the booking through booking.com. If you are willing to take a chance, go ahead. You have been warned. P.S. Since posting this review, the 200.00 overcharge was refunded. read more

Dump dump and more dump... the best thing about the place was the hot tub. For the price you pay it is dated and not that great. Hopefully someone will buy and renovate this place. read more

If you just need a clean place to sleep, this is it. Nothing fancy, very basic and a vending machine down the hall. I felt at $145 it was over priced. Desk staff very nice. Breakfast area set up in one of the hotel rooms - odd. Again if you just need the basics, it will work. read more

Four stars for the great value but it's definitely not fancy. In fact its a bit of a dump, but a clean one at least. And the rooms are large, if not maintained that well. Come here if you just need basic lodgings at a low price. You'll save $$$ over other glorified and overpriced motels around it. read more

I was charged for a room i didnt stay in when I cancelled in the time it was said i could for free. They said they would contact the owners and see if i could get a refund and never called back. read more

A very nice, quiet getaway. I came to play a few rounds of golf and ended up staying longer than I had planned. The hotel was really nice and iI love the beauty of the city. I would rank it up with one of the most pleasant stays to date. read more

I stayed here for 2 weeks and was happy with everything. They don't offer physical help with luggage etc but I was really happy with my room. It felt spacious and had a balcony. Lots of light from the sliding glass door. The whole time  I was there it was quiet. The front desk ladies were very nice and helpful. It was reasonably clean. As with most places I've stayed the fine points of cleaning were overlooked but not too bad. I would stay here again. read more

This has been my favorite spot to stay in Monterey. Love the place and the facility. Been here many times before so decided to bring in my mother for two nights. We got 2 separate rooms. Her's was fine. Mine was not. The digital door key didn't work, so it was a HUGE INCONVENIENCE. They ended up having to fix the issue for 24 hours across ALL doors because their computerized card maker stopped working and could not assign room numbers to the magnetic key cards. I either had to keep the door open and have my mom watch it while I was outside or have them go upstairs with me to open it up for me. Just REALLY tired of this. Especially after 6 hour drive and had to watch them figure out what the problem is like I was some sort of their employee. Got a so called "Better Room upgrade", which didn't even have a WiFi internet signal. Had to get closer to main lobby to catch the signal. The morning before we are leaving they called in to say they fixed the cards, went downstairs again to get them, and STILL didn't work. At this point I didn't care anymore. Left the place, and they didn't offer any compensation. Also strangely enough, my mom got a more expensive room, which was the exact same cheaper room I've been to before. So it looks like they can just change the room names and prices as they wish... read more

Not a great deal for the money. Old motel, old decor... balcony sliding door and screen were both off the track. Drapery curtains were dirty and old with broken drapery hooks. Carpet was old. No air conditioning, only heat. Although staff were very nice, I won't be back. read more

My husband and I usually come to Pacific Grove /Monterey once a year and have our regular go to hotel. This year our trip was kinda last minute and the Monarch Resort was the only place left that had a room under $250 a night. Reviews said outdated, but clean so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived they couldn't find our reservation, luckily I had confirmation on my phone. Room would be ready in 30 minutes so when we came back there were 3 people working the desk, two who were trying to use one computer, we had to reiterate who we were and how long we were staying. We get our keys, which only work if you hold the door handle level because the handles are so old, and we are told we can park on the street and there are a flight of stairs that lead straight to our room. We pull our truck to the street unload and get to the stairs where there is a sign stating no access. We load back in the truck and pull around to the back of the bldg and use the elevator. When we get to our room we noti've a flight of stairs straight out our door that leads to the lobby one floor down! Why wouldn't she just point to the sea stairs and say your room is at the top??!! Room 230 sits right above the check in desk and it can be noisy! This morning at 8am I could hear two people, one sounded like an employee talking about The age of the bldg and how so much needs to get fixed. Our bathtub faucet leaks, the tub doesn't drain well and our black out curtain is barely hanging on. The room is spacious, decently clean though the carpet feels a little grimy, has a good size fridge and microwave, a duraflame log in the fireplace ready for use, good size pool and a relaxing but aged hot tub. We paid 120/night through a booking web site, so it was a great deal for the area but not sure we will stay here again. read more

The resort was decently priced. We had a small but beautiful view of the ocean. The only thing I was not happy with was the continental breakfast. The choices were decent but not great. But it was a hotel room turned breakfast room. It could only fit 3 small table. So if you were the 4th couple to walk in their isn't anywhere to sit. It was very small snd uncomfortable. We had to get our breakfast all together and take it to our room. read more

Booked and paid 4 months in advance but when arrived told they had given our room out. Made to stand in lobby while owners decided what to do. Paid for king bed room but received double beds with no refund. Reception was horrible. Attitude was very indifferent to us, they never apologized for error. Rugs were soiled, sliding door to balcony broken, bathroom dirty with hair on floor beside tub. read more

I booked at the last possible moment. (Didn't know until Thursday I was staying the weekend on the coast), so pricing might of been a little pricey but I was able to book through bookings.com for that Saturday. I arrived to check-in and I was told that the resort had over booked. They did me right in having a place to stay that was excellent, though a short drive from the resort itself. Extremely pleased with the accommodation and all the extra things Monarch did to make my stay the best. I do plan on booking with Monarch again, I hope that the next time I will be able to stay in the Pacific Grove area. read more

There is no night person here at the hotel my key did not work in the door I had to wait 30 minutes and I was soakings wet from sitting in the hot tube ( wasn't very hot either) for someone to come and let me in my room. It's a good thing they didn't lock there office either because my cell phone was dead I had to use there office phone. Over all day staff was nice but having know one at night is kinda weird. Funny part the lady who came and let me in wanted my I'd told her it was in my room here's my key she said no I need I D I couldn't believe it I was standing there in wet shorts what the hell did she think I have a water proof wallet !! read more

No AC. No working WiFi for days, despite being told a technician was coming. No working Ethernet at all. Meager continental breakfast. Foul smell in the hallways. read more