There's a lot to like about the Sand Castle Inn. The staff at both check-in and check-out were friendly and helpful, and the location is ideal--close to Monterey but far enough away to avoid the crowds and tourist congestion. The room looked exactly as pictured and was spotlessly clean, with a very comfortable bed and quality linens. I especially appreciated the small details: a quiet mini fridge (rare!), no overpowering carpet or chemical odors, strong A/C, and reliably hot water. Traveling with a dog can be hit or miss, but they accommodated us with a quiet second-floor room toward the end of the building, which made a big difference. Parking was easy, and having an excellent Italian restaurant next door was a bonus. A few minor drawbacks: there's a food truck behind the building near the Legion of Honor that created a noticeable fish smell outside (though it never made its way into the room), the plantation blinds. while nicer than curtains, let in a bit of light, and there isn't much greenery nearby for dog walking. Overall, this is a clean, comfortable, and well-run property with great hospitality. It's affordable, conveniently located near Highway 1 and local attractions, and offers excellent value for the price. It's hard to beat what you get here at this price point. read more

Older property, well and thoughtfully maintained. May well have changed owners since these other reviews were posted. Nice tech features: HDMI aux hookup for the TV, good WiFi, coded door locks. A dozen EV charging stations being installed. Laminate floors. Plantation blinds on the windows instead of dumb curtains. Very friendly staff. We would definitely book there again. read more

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Affordable, Clean and super comfy beds!! If you just need a clean, safe and comfy place to lay your head after a full day of exploring Monterey this is the place for you. read more

Clean motel that's located near Costco! They do allow pets for an additional $40/night. It's a busy strip but fairly quiet in the evening. We would return since it's affordable. read more

Hotel is as good as can be expected and as portrayed, but know this before you choose. CONS: The room is infiltrated with parking lot lights thru the shutters on the windows. Bring your sleep blindfold if you need full darkness to sleep. There is also a night light in the sink area that is too bright to even cover w a towel, it still shows through. It's also quite noisy w traffic and hearing water run from upstairs room. Seagulls are pretty loud in early am. Sheets are 100% microfiber polyester, which is awful hot for sleeping and feels bad for your energy biofield , leading to restless sleeping. PROS: The hard surface flooring looks new and is pleasant and avoids the issue of carpet absorbing smells and feeling dirty underfoot. The room & bathroom are updated , very clean, nice to the eye and pretty textiles. There is a personal Keurig, ours didn't work well but I got my coffee at reception just fine. Finally I really love being able to open the door and be outside, and the windows open, not the case at every hotel! The front desk young man at ck in was super kind and welcoming. But bc I'm discerning about the fabrics I sleep on and not happy about all the light at night, I still wouldn't stay here again. read more

We use to live in PG, needed to come back on family business.. Looking for a place for two nights, close to the 1, and found Sand Castle, glad we did..The only negative issue is the neighborhood, not seedy but not great either..Other then that, which is of course important, the hotel was nice, clean & the staff very accommodating..We'll be going back in a few months & we'll stay there again.. read more

Sand Castle Inn - Out our patio.. - Hotels Near Me - Seaside, California

Black mold in room on all windows and in bathroom. Front desk didn't seem bothered by it. Refused refund and said it was black paint but sent housekeeping in right away to clean it when we left. The pillows are so big it hurts to sleep with them also. The black out drapes and actually wooden shutters that are nowhere near black out. read more

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Sand Castle Inn Seaside Monterey-staff are courteous & response to any problems quickly. The room is small but clean which include the sleeping are, restroom, refrigerator& microwave. Will come back again next year. The location is great & safe. read more

Clean rooms, fresh coastal atmosphere has a mini fridge & tv, lit vanity & adjustable blinds, complementary soap, lotion, conditioner, shampoo, shower gel. Clean beds & towels! Worth the low prices! read more

Sand Castle Inn - Bathroom! Shiny floors, clean and organized, smells good - Hotels Near Me - Seaside, California

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Great location if you have an event at Seaside High School. It is not the Ritz but the value is there for what they charge. read more

Check-in and out was a breeze. We had a guaranteed 1st floor room, because I was recovering from surgery and couldn't climb stairs. We liked that parking was right in front of our room. Our room was right next to the laundry, which wouldn't have been a problem except that a pipe burst late at night and people were freaking out, trying to stem the flow of water, banging on the door and other things in that room. It sounded like they were IN our room with us! We peeked out a few times to ask them to please keep the noise down, and they did for a few minutes, but then it was back to the noise. Other than that the room and bed were comfortable and clean. The TV channels were great! We also really liked the mini-fridge that had an actual freezer compartment!!! Sad thing is I left my hand magnifying mirror when we left. So sad about that. I'm not sure if we'd stay here again in the future? Maybe if we were guaranteed a room away from the laundry. It was actually really convenient to Monterrey, Carmel and Big Sur. Saved a lot of money staying here versus there. So maybe. read more

This is a nice quaint little Boutique Hotel. The trend that most Motels upgrade to and not be reminded of the 20th Century. At first glance you think "eh, it's all right and it's just for the weekend". But really, they have done a lot of interior upgrades. Upgrades, but not near a true 5 Star Designer and Contractor Upgrade with true thought and completion. I also had to remind my 3rd oldest daughter NOT TO BE ANTHONY MELICHIORRI!!! She loves that show. So what I mean is this and you can refer to my pics. The design look is no where Motel like even the sheets. The furnishing is new, feels updated with the current times of design. But the full size mirrors in my room and my daughter's room. Well let's just say that they are crooked and covering an electric outlet. My bathroom and my daughter's have mold and street soot around the windows and the window cover tint. My bathroom, the ventilation fan cover was off and dangling. The shower heads hasn't been cleaned as you can see calcium build up and when it's on sprays every where. I also found it odd that the overflow drain in the sink is just below the faucet. And the faucet sink just doesn't blend in the new design. The flooring between the room and bathroom well, they could have used a T strip aka transition strip to prevent someone's foot, toes, heel, shoe sole anything related to feet or shoes from being being caught or worse trip and onto the toilet or towards the sink. That is a safety issue. But the carpets are new and some areas are frayed. The doorway and bathroom windows could use sound insulation. You can hear traffic on La Salle at all times of the day. All times of the day. My room TV tends to shut off after randomly and was also blamed for playing tricks. The Xfinity box is balancing on top of the TV and the TV has like two wooded "end caps" to cover the flat screen or prevent theft. Our rooms have a Petite Mini Fridge with a freezer, Microwave, Iron and Ironing Board. The shelving unit that houses the fridge could use a cleaning in the back. To minimize dust. Queen beds are comfortable, sheets are clean and the frame is modernize. Pillows are comfortable but are of twin bed design and not of a Queen Size. But there are six pillows albeit twin size. Crown moulding makes the room feel luxurious. The base boards are of similar design. The wall mounted night lamps sitting above the night stands has USB Charging Ports and that also includes the outlet. There are no Alarm clocks and that is a sign of the times that more and more people are using their Smart Phones like I am right now drafting this review. The main windows has shutters which is a good touch and not that drabby tasteless curtains that even some of the Branded Hotels uses. The AC/Heating unit appears old and could use maybe a facelift or color update. It's powerful and functional. Doesn't have any weird smell as it's being used so I assume they change the filters often. Will I stay here again? Sure. It's a budget Boutique Hotel with Continental Breakfast. The minor faults I can live with for a week. Two maybe pushing it. Surrounded by local malls in walking and short driving distances. If they make some minor fixes and the housekeeping staff points this out. This Boutique Hotel could a hidden jewel. Till then and next time, Enjoy the Moment!! read more

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Horrible experience. Bed was broken on the headboard. Weird hairs in the shower. Nasty Cheeto color stains on the wall. Handle hanging off the drawer. Husband and I could not sleep all night and ended up leaving in the middle of the night. Gross. read more

It was fine. Our bed was broken, they fixed it our second night, didn't give us a discount or any other type of apology honestly. Bathroom didn't feel clean but beds did, thank god. We stayed above the office and they have a ring doorbell that rings after hours that kept waking me up. Definitely ask for a different room if you are a light sleeper. Our bathroom somehow locked from the inside and when staff came to unlock, wasn't the friendliest. If I was traveling alone as a woman, I would NOT stay here. The hotel staff entered our room on our second night without our permission and the lock on the door could easily be locked in. I didn't feel safe but the area itself felt safe, so there's that. I wouldn't stay here again but it's fine in a pinch. read more

Cheap price, clean smell and I'd stay there again. Not fancy but totally decent stay if your not a frou-frou person. Beds have double mattress protection so I liked that as I'm phobic of creepy crawlies in tourist areas read more

It is okay, nothing amazing, good bed, plenty of hot water, tv might need an upgrade and the carpet needs a steam cleaning, but overall the place is just right for the price. Close to many restaurants and not far from downtown Monterrey. read more

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Wow this place is a hidden gem! Came here 10/6 (fri) night and the price, room and location was great! Everything is new and everything was clean! Room 204. The shower was clean and the soaps are even made in usa! Theres a window inside the bathroom too which I like. The weather was perfect and didnt have to turn anything on. Free parking without any trouble finding a spot. I would definitely come here again! You can buy the monterey bay aquarium here which you get 2 day visits for the price of one. No brekkie but thats no big deal. Theres some pizza/ pasta place in the same lot and it has great reviews but didnt have time to go. read more

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It's a family run small motel. They seem to be on top of maintenance and the room was excellent for an old motel. The cleaning staff was always on site and although the people running the place wasn't exactly friendly, they do a good job of keeping the place clean and tidy. Checking in and out was easy and fast. I did enjoy staying here for the entire duration of car week and for the location (a couple of events were happening within walking distance) the price was excellent. read more

For the price this is a 5 star motel. Clean, safe, and easy parking - you really can't ask for much more from a room that costs less than $100/night room and is so close to the beach. read more

I came here the beginning of June for the Spartan race in Monterey, and it was perfect for what I needed. The in-room refrigerator and microwave worked without any problems. The room itself was clean, and housekeeping did a great job each day that I stayed. Also, there is an outdoor washer. I didn't need to use it, but it was nice to have as an option. The hotel is conveniently located within walking distance to several restaurants, and I definitely felt safe walking in the early evening in the neighborhood. If I am ever in the area again, I would definitely stay here. read more

Sand Castle Inn is my family's new go-to place to stay when visiting Monterey. Located in Seaside, it's worth staying a little farther out vs staying at a place closer to Cannery Row that have nasty rooms and a high price. It seemed that they newly renovated their rooms: new fixtures and furniture. Our stay felt clean, which was all I can ask for. There was also a door that led to a small balcony with a view of Costco across the street lol. read more

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I've been staying here when I come up to the peninsula for work... Fair pricing on a room, pretty clean and the owners are on site running the daily operations and are very accommodating. Recently stayed in room 202 that has a king size bed and is a larger room than rooms with queens in them. 202 has its own deck on the fremont Ave side but unfortunately the only view is the Costco store lol, plus it can get windy and cool quick. I used the deck to put a little propane Coleman stove and cooked breakfast and dinner... Also stayed in room 219 which is a queen room. This room is down at the end furthest from the office. My recommendation to the owners is to put a door sweep in the door as the wind blows trash and dirt in. read more

PLOP! That's the sound of me flopping on the bed when I walked in. It wasn't just the 2-hour drive to begin a much-needed getaway with my hunny. The room was inviting, the bed was begging to be laid upon, so . . . PLOP! I'd read about the area, and it's actually not that bad (or maybe I'm accustomed to East Oakland). There are numerous motels within half a mile of the northern Fremont Street exit off Highway 1, and the Sand Castle looks comparable to them, in some ways better. It's a better approach from the north, starts to get sketchy further south on Del Monte. But the property itself is well taken care of. So are the rooms. They're like Motel 6, but with several plusses: Flat-screen TV on the wall. Refrigerator/freezer. Hair dryer. Complimentary internet access. Complimentary breakfast, but it's popular, so get there early. No pool, but Monterey usually doesn't have swimmable weather anyway. A hot tub would be nice, though, if they can fit one in. Location: very good. Again, within half a mile of Highway 1. Within walking distance of the essentials: Tarjay, Save Mart, Dollar Tree, Ross, Wing Stop. Beach access is less than a mile away. And the peninsula area is small enough that you can drive anywhere within a few minutes. And between adventures, you PLOP! Now for the caveats. The Sand Castle is not for those who would say "Seaside? EW!" It's also not for those who say "Near car repair shops? EW!" Fine then, go to Pacific Grove or Carmel; to each their own. For those who book a hotel room to only sleep in, and are careful about how much they pay for that, I join the masses in saying that the Sand Castle is one of the better motels in the area. So put in your reservation, and . . . PLOP! read more

Sand Castle Inn - The Sand Castle Inn welcomes you to a neat, clean, and scrubbed bathroom. - Hotels Near Me - Seaside, California

I stayed here for a weekend recently. I thought it was a great hotel for the price. The motel is located in Seaside just 1/2 mile from the ocean. You can't see the ocean and it's not easy to get there so it's not "right on the ocean". However it's close to a lot of great things. Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, Marina are all within a 15 minute drive. It's located between some busy streets in a pretty run down business area. It looks like it's trying to come back. There are many auto dealers down the way. It's close to big box stores like Target, Costco and World Market. The room is a pretty typical motel room. There's a bed, a desk, a dresser, a closet area, a sink and a bathroom. The bathroom has an inset tube and curved shower rod so it's easy to get in and out and feels like there is a lot of room. The bathroom light was not very bright which made showering weird. You really have to adapt to it. There was no carpeting, only hardwood floors. A large TV hung on the wall. The bed was ok but seemed old and not very comfortable. Everything was clean. It came with a fridge/microwave combo. The reception area is small but nice and clean. The service was friendly enough. The continental breakfast consists of cereal and milk, danish, bread, juice and make your own waffles. This place has free wi-fi. It's not the fastest but it's enough to browse the internet. The worst part was that on the day of check out I was awoken by the cleaning service at 9am. I was tired and wanted to sleep but couldn't get back to sleep. I didn't have the DND sign out but I thought this wouldn't be a problem before check out time. Overall, I thought this was a great place for the price. read more

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Very friendly. clean, nice rooms. Pet friendly. Very reasonably priced. Our second room even had a balcony. The only reason I'm giving it four stars instead of five is because there's no elevator to the second floor. Other than that, for the price it can't be beat. Would stay again. read more

Been staying here every time we come to town for events etc etc about once a week . We stayed today but they didn't stock up on towels , they only had one clean one , we didn't bother to ask for more because we didn't want to make a big fuzz about it . Next morning came and We left , then received a phone call that we were going to get charged $50 for towels because they thought we took them SMH , they literally didn't stock up on . Most unprofessional thing I've ever dealt with at any hotel . Careful if you stay here . You might get charged for Bull . Make sure to check the owner very UNPROFESSIONAL, make sure everything is stocked up before they try to charge you for things you don't take. read more

Room 222, above office. I was skeptical about this place. I was upset that my boss had booked this place because of the low rating. Pulled up, property appear to be decent. Obviously it wasn't a luxurious hotel, but it also wasn't a prostitute looking ran down property. Checked in efficiently. No issues. Gentleman was courteous, professional, clear, and thankful for our services. Price was high, but it's car week, what do you expect. Even the ran down Motel 6 in Salinas was overpriced. Walked into the room, beds were clean, floor and carpet upgraded and clean, cable television, nice view, with a balcony, bathroom clean and large, few large mirrors, and most importantly, comfortable beds. This place look nothing like some of the pictures, obviously they did some renovations and upgrades. Considering the day and week it is, I would say the stay is reasonable. I would recommend and return. NOTE , Not sure if all the rooms are upgraded and renovated. read more

Sand Castle Inn - Room 222 - Hotels Near Me - Seaside, California

Really enjoyed this place. It's been recently remodeled and the room was beautiful and the bathroom was huge. They allow dogs ($30 per day) and are located within a couple of blocks of some nice cafes. There is a nice pizza place next door. I was kind of dreading a motel stay but I'd stay here again in a heartbeat. read more

Exemplary service! My daughter left her stuffy in the hotel room and didn't realize it until we got home. The staff was so sympathetic and quickly shipped it to our home. They went above and beyond. For the rate, the hotel was clean and spacious. We brought our dog and got the end room which was nice. Seaside is much cheaper than Monterey and is a 10 minute drive to the aquarium..well worth the money you save. read more

Sand Castle Inn - Daughter's Stuffy - Hotels Near Me - Seaside, California

Mold on the bathroom walls and shower, and a VERY mysterious stain on the upholstery of a room chair. Don't let the modern furnishing efforts deceive you. It is decent for the price as many others have rated. But it is so overdue for a cleaning. And the smell of mold is very apparent when you first walk in, so while you can't open the windows, you're either forced to breathe it or keep the entrance slightly open and latched at the top. Water pressure from the shower head was pitiful, and even at the highest setting never got hot. Decent, but it's no Marriott. You get what you pay for. read more

The overall three star rating feels about right. Unfortunately, budget friendly options are hard to come by in this area.yktt

Clean and comfortable room in great condition, clean bathroom with a nice hot shower, no smells or odors either. Mattress felt new and firm. Good location near food and gas, Tesla n motorcycle dealership across the street. Costco and other shopping a short walk. And best of all very reasonably priced. Downside, No cups or drinking glasses in room. I would definitely stay there again. Stayed the night of May 5th, 2017 read more

Sand Castle Inn - Hotels Near Me - Seaside, California

The pillows were comfortable, the parking was easy, the inside was updated with nice tile in the bathroom, and the place was quiet... BUT... there was some trash and someone's old hair-tie on the carpet next to the bed, the shower-head piping was loose, room, the mattress was pretty old and springy/squeaky, and the chair had a big, weird stain on it. read more

Sand Castle Inn - Gotta remember to clean the ENTIRE room... even the corners. - Hotels Near Me - Seaside, California

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The hotel itself doesn't look amazing but it doesn't look bad if that makes sense. The check in process was super fast and easy. Location was great because everything was within walking distance. The room itself was nice enough. read more

I had a construction job in Monterey & the length of stay was minimum of 2 weeks. My secretary called the hotel direct to check on the best rate considering 2 rooms for 2 weeks, the owner called back with a great deal that saved me quite a bit of $$!! I mean really, who does that in today's world?? SO........the day before our scheduled "check in date" the job changed to the following week... The owner didn't charge any fee for date change!! We all know Hotels.com & any website would have charged! We arrived Saturday afternoon & when I checked in, I expressed my concern about my truck full of tools & didn't want to carry everything upstairs every night! The owner let me use a locked storage on site at no charge. That's customer service!!! Rooms were nice & clean.... I think we got the newer remodeled units. Would stay again if in the area... close to restaurants (some even walking distance). read more

This place was filthy . The staff were very friendly but way over worked. As the world is struggling with the current pandemic they took zero effort to protect their customers and their staff. No crowd control, filthy fire pit, the poor lady making americanos also had to make bloody Mary's and clean up and serve and make the food. She was there from early am to 11pm at night. No mask. Tables filthy. Nobody bussed our table for 45 minutes. Ridiculous! I called & no manager on duty! In addition to this, the table in my room had crumbs and water rings which shows they were not cleaning the rooms in between stays like they should. Extra gross since , again, protocols are more strict due to covid. I gave them 2 stars for the location as beach was awesome! read more

Got this off of Hotels.com and it was terrible. BED BUGS EVERYWHERE. Told the man something at the front desk and he just acted like he didn't know. Now I'm spraying my house because I'm still getting bit. Never again. read more

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If you're in a pinch (we were) it's a place to hang your hat. The good: it's clean and the grounds are taken care of. The bad:The bed is rock hard, the so called pet friendly costs an unfriendly 40/pet and they have a small disclaimer they will charge you 100/pet if you don't let them know you have a pet. I understand times are still a little edgy but the proprietor was unfriendly bordering on being a p.ick. 40.00+70.00 I could have stayed in Pacific Grove. Do your research. read more

Terrible hotel. Rooms have been recently remodeled.Doesnt do the motel justice when they charge for service dogs which is against the law. The owner of sand dollar also owns sand castle inn which is right around the corner and when I denied sand castles deposit for my service dogs, he wanted to charge me $500 for 2 days, called sand dollar and told the manager not to rent to me. How is that legal?? That's Monopoly. Also lots of drug and hooker trafficking here. Found dope bags in parking lot while walking my dogs. Terrible service. The manager onsite likes arguing about anything. Parking lot is littered with trash. Also was sitting in my car getting my things together when like 30 cops appear and want to search my vehicle and run my name? You've got to be kidding me right? Nope, then the motel wanted to say they don't want people like me here that has the cops called. I wasn't doing anything but minding my own business. I have 3 kids 2 are special needs and the other is sick. Sorry this is the events of 2 separate times. Thanks for reading, just warning you before you commit to these slums. read more

I wish I could review this at an even lower rating. My best friend and I were passing through the area and needed a place to stay with her cats. The website says that it is "pet friendly" as long as you are willing to pay a fee. Upon entering, the Front Desk Clerk was unfriendly and pretentious. He asked if we had pets and we said we did and would pay the fee. He asked if they were dogs, we told him that they were cats and he said we were not welcome to stay. We explained that we didn't have a place to stay and he said that was our problem. We would have understood, if there was any information about cats not being allowed on the website or even if he had been more friendly/accommodating. However, when we asked for suggestions he said "you're going to have to find them." I'm disappointed and will for sure never stay at the Sand Castle! read more