We booked the Blue Whale last minute as an exchange from our timeshare. Upon arriving, it was raining and we parked our Hummer in the front area unknown were to check in because all the parking was marked with #'s. We were greeted by a lady who seemed to ask us too many questions about who we were & if we are "owners" & that we "needed" to move our vehicle. We found out how to ck in without the office open and moved in to our parking space related to our "condo" stay. It was an upstairs unit that was a cute little place for the location and view of the beach. The unit was equipped with all the needs for our stay. The studio had a murphy bed that needed some mattress improvement. Saturday morning we found a note put on our H2 vehicle about the measurement requirements / parking space (which we were within requirements), and if we did not comply our first offense would be $50 and second offense would be a tow away! We liked the place but felt like the people who owned their units were being too watchful and unwelcoming to us. We continued our stay for 2 days and then decided to leave. I would come back to stay because it is a delightful beach location to stay but maybe come in a different vehicle & be prepared to ignore the other tenants if they repeat their unwelcoming watchful eye. read more

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Love this place. Be prepared it isn't 5 star living, but there is everything you need to enjoy a beach stay. It is literally on the beach. Weather is always beautiful. There are amazing restaurants & so many fun opportunities to experience. Everything is in walking distance too! There are only 13 units. Although the cleanliness of the kitchen could be a little better & the box fan that needs cleaning, maybe even some larger towels; we brought a lot our own stuff so we didn't need to really worry about those items. All in all, one of the best locations in Oceanside for an incredible price. read more

The Blue Whale - Oceanside - Hotels Near Me - Oceanside, California

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I have owned a timeshare at The Blue Whale since the mid 80's. This is a magical place. I would say to those who post a negative review because they didn't like or didn't understand the governing rules to simply go elsewhere. read more

So relaxing and perfectly placed on the strand. My stress level reduced by half withthe sound of the waves. Tasteful decor and restful.

We booked a room for a week, but the bed was so bad and the room so musty that we decided to check into another hotel and use it to go to the beach. (The location is fabulous). We left the key in the room, figuring we'd use the lock box to get back in. The manager decided we'd checked out, even though we'd paid for a week, and locked us out of the room. When we asked for the key, he insisted we'd vacated the premises, and our reservation was canceled. We were going to let a friend use the room since I didn't want to sleep there, but he insisted that was against the rules and threatened to "fine us" $1000.00 The manager was rude, belligerent, and unreasonable. Stay there at your peril. read more

This location is Perfect for a Mellow, laid-back Beach Vacation. Away from the Hectic, Party Atmosphere on the South End of The Strand. The only Down side, cheap amenities, sub-par housekeeping standards, and lack of consistency between units! IE. It a Holiday Weekend, all units full, one BBQ hasn't worked for the past 11 days we've been here, AND the other one has one faulty burner! Don't even get me started on the cleaning standards! Could be SOOO Much better if management opened their eyes and listened to the guest concern instead of pretending they have it under control. Very plain to see. read more

Stayed here through an exchange with RCI. Had a one bedroom unit. Highlights: - Wifi was good - Staff was very nice - Property is small bit nice - Location is close to Oceanside Pier - 10 min walk - Walking distance to a large number and variety of restaurants - Unit well maintained - On the strand, steps from the beach. - Quiet, clean beach. - Two outside grills were nice for cooking dinner. - Like all of the SD coast you see homeless people but not that many and they were not an issue or even close to the property. They were closer to the crowded pier. If you like small more intimate properties and not the hugh mega resort then this place is for read more

Was a bit worried after reading prior reviews and all BS! Great place, great guests and the manager a good guy. We stayed in #3 1 bedroom and loved the place. Large room full kitchen big bathroom lots of ventilation but unfortunately we are here now and its HOT, no AC, typical of beach housing. For those reading this our weather this week was around 90 degrees every day very unusual. Still great, sweet BBQ area lounge chairs eating tables beach 20 feet away We got lucky on getting a timeshare here. The beach this last weekend was crowded but the people who were there all friendly, respectable and overall really nice people. We were offered so much food and drinks from all around us so love the facility, love the area. read more

Avoid this place! Management is very shady. They tried to charge us $300 for a cleaning fee after we spent over and hour cleaning and the place looked nice! 3 months later and we're still dealing with this headache with our credit card company. As you can see from other reviews on yelp, the management is bad here. I would avoid it just because of that. Other issues: No wifi Homeless people coming right up to your door and harassing me and my kids (the guy was super high) - this happens because you're so close to the public beach. It sounds nice, but it's not. Loud music playing until after kids bedtime - again because you're so close to the public beach. No maid service all week long - you change your own sheets I would only recommend that you stay here if you're a bad person and you hate small children and dogs. There's just so many better options in Oceanside and Carlsbad. Avoid this one! read more

I spent 4 days here with the family and we all had a blast. The ladie that check us in was real sweet. Her name is Marcia and she makes you feel at home. She always has a warm smile and quick to help you with whatever you need. Even the housekeeping staff was real good. Nice and friendly also. But there was one guy working the desk he was a little uptight. That was kind of a downer :( The Blue Whale provides beach towels,chairs,sand toys,board games, and movies (vhs & dvd). All rooms have cable and they do provide internet. The room we had was a one bed room. It came with a roll-away bed and a fold out couch. A one bedroom here could sleep 5 persons. There is also a small kitchen that comes with a frig and a stove. Also it's just steps away from the beach. You can here the waves crashing at night.....oh they also have two bbq's. Heads up: They only provide one parking space for you. So if you bring more then one car you will have to park a few blocks away from the resort. They will give you a parking pass so you can park on the street. Also the city will only let you park in the same spot no more then 72 hr. read more

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if I could give this -10 I would. The manager, Larry is rude and an incredibly hostile man. I left for a day and intended to come back. I had a privacy sign hanging. Without asking, they went into my room to clean and assumed I left for good. Again, without calling me they took the lockbox off and I couldn't get it with 2 days left on my week. Larry was not willing to speak with me about my timeshare period, irrationally screamed at me, had the audacity to ask if I understand English. Him along with the other woman manager (not sure her name) were incredibly rude, disrespectful, non communicative, the worst customer service I've encountered at a timeshare/hotel. Please do not stay here to support his hostile behavior. As if his behavior wasn't bad enough, the room was dirty with no toilet paper or clean linens. Larry's behavior though was the grossest of all and no one should be screamed like that to. read more

Great place to stay. On the beach not crowded, Very CleanAnd staff is very helpful. Manager is terrific. read more

Location is good, but that's about it. Staff ("management"??) Is particularly Narly / unavailable. Room unpleasant...found weird bug in bed, left after 1 night read more

I am the daughter of a family that has had this timeshare for over 20 years. I have been coming here since I was born. I have been reading these reviews and many of them are bogus and ridiculous, rules are set in place for reason. Let's start with the WiFi situation, this place has had WiFi for MANY years, so I don't see why people are saying there wasn't any. Just look for it. Secondly, in my lifetime of coming here, never has there ever been a bug anywhere in the bed etc. Third of all, the crew here is caring and at the same time strict. The house keeping crew is amazing and they do come by every other morning to change sheets and get dirty towels, overall provide for you and what you need. Larry, the manager, does his job well. He has only ever been kind to us. This place is for someone or a family to get away from their house and be calm and peaceful. This is not a place for parties and for you not to watch your kids. I hate to have such negative comments on such a beautiful and well run beach resort. There is a lounging area in the front as well as 4 grills and a dumpster. Overall. I do recommend this place to everyone. read more

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the main manager was not there we had a young girl check us in and handle the week...she was rude to my 91 year old Mother...I complained on the survery to Larry the main manager and NOW he says I can't stay there when I have been staying there for years...NOT good...no violations no disrespect but a bad survery gets you off the grounds for good...Trying to complain via Attorney read more

We have been owners at this resort for 15+ years and I am very disappointed to have to write this bad review. We recently stayed here over Thanksgiving week and left after 4 days of our week trip. We have never been treated so horribly by an office manager and other office staff including the cleaning crew. When we arrived to check in at 2:30p the door was locked and we were told by the housekeeping people that the front desk was out to lunch for an hour. There were 3 other people there to check in as well. We all asked if there was anyone else to check us in? I had a 2 year old that had to go to the bathroom, and she said no that the girl was actually inside the office eating her lunch, Gloria, and wouldn't answer the door. So we all waited in the parking lot for over an hour. Then the same cleaning lady, Debora, went over and opened up the door and started checking us in. I couldn't believe it. I asked if we could put a baby gate on the opening of our patio to the street and she said yes. The next morning at 8am, some man who didn't give his name but now I know is the manager Larry, came banging on our door telling us to move the gate and we need to just watch our kids. I asked to be moved to another room where my child won't be hit by a car and he didn't even respond. We moved the gate so it was only on our side of the patio not obstructing the opening to the street and sure enough he came running back telling us this was our last warning, huh?? Or else?? The resort was pretty much empty and we had extras cars, so our neighbor said we could use her spot. The manager yelled at us and told us we would be towed if we didn't move the car. Even after we told him the person next door gave their spot to us. This really was the craziest experience I have ever had at a resort. These people had no common courtesy, they were very unaccommodating and rude. I am sorry to say this will be our last time we visit The Blue Whale. Will be an exchange only resort for us. SAD!! In addition: No Wifi Very Run down and outdated everything Front units are literally on the street and patio is not enclosed at all!! Only one parking spot per unit, other spots are a 15 min walk and have to pay daily. No TV in bedroom Neighbors told us there was a lot of theft from things left out on patio, bikes, sand toys, beach towels, etc. read more

Place is very nice. Beach is right across the street and views are to die for. I would of given it a much better rating, but with how the manager treated us and talked to me and my family I can't say if recommend this to anyone. He is rude, cuts you off while you attempt to have a conversation with him and makes you feel about 2 feet tall with how he talks to you. Larry - the manager - needs to treat you - the customer -with more respect and allow people to at least finish a sentence without cutting people off right away. We are here to have a vacation, not to have someone with a horrible aura and personality ruin it for us and/or add stress onto us. I really hope they replace them. read more

Cute place, had a lovely time. We had a one bedroom unit facing the ocean, nice service, and great time watching the interesting characters walk by. read more

My son and I stayed here a couple years ago when we went to Legoland. It is right on the beach. They had sand toys, towels and other things for guests to use. The unit was clean and well-maintained. My only complaints were: 1) no wifi; this would be a quick, simple fix and IMHO just common courtesy for hotel guests in this day and age; 2) only 1 parking spot per unit; this is not a concern for many guests but if you do have 2 cars the other spot will be a 5-10min walk away up a lot of stairs! read more