Carmel Wayfarer Inn

This place was very disappointing. We went with another family and we both had gross rooms. They weren’t just in need of updating, they were dirty. Our room smelled like bleach that was trying to cover up another smell. Our friends had hair in their bed — in the sheets. Long, wild, dark hair. Their towels had hairs stuck in them. The lady at the front desk was offended when they told her and she demanded to see the hair. Then reluctantly and rudely ordered new sheets for their room. We couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Since posting my review I’ve heard from several other people saying their stay here was horrendous. If you have any questions about the truth of my posting please email me. I will be pleased to send you photos of the extremely poor quality of the room. If you can envision the type of place drug dealers and prostitutes would call home… it couldn’t be any worse than than the Carmel Wayfarer Inn. Lots of wonderful places to choose from in Carmel. Don’t ruin your Carmel stay by booking here.

We just arrived back from our weekend in Carmel, and I must say I couldn’t wait to get home and write my review. My husband and I have traveled through many countries and have stayed at all kinds of hotels and B&Bs, but of all the places Wayfarer Inn is beneath any standard you might have for a place to sleep.
We booked our room via
, which was easy and expedient. We arrived a little after 3:00 PM just in time for our check in. Diane, if I remember her name right, was pleasant and welcoming. She gave us our key and showed us all the possible places where we could park and eat. Parking is limited, but this is really not in their power to fix since the city of Carmel has strict laws regarding new building. However we had no issues finding parking right by the hotel.
We were given room #7, a king size bed and in a closet a day bed with a trundle. We are not very picky but believe me when I say that this place should be closed down for the lack of cleanliness. The carpets have not been cleaned in 20 years, the walls have not been painted in 50 years, and the windows not since they built the place.
As I said before, we are the easiest people to please but when it comes to cleanliness we expect the minimal possible. We literally forbade our six year old son to walk without his shoes or slippers on that miserable carpet. The bedding… What can I say… I have rags in my cleaning closet that are in better shape that their bedding. The towels… Not much better than the rags I use to clean my house. The bathtub, toilet, and sink were relatively clean, but to help myself from throwing up I wouldn’t take out my UV light to scan for body fluids on the walls or floor. The towels were placed on a bamboo rack that has seen better days since it was dusty and just plain ugly. Goodwill would have probably thrown it directly in their dumpster if it was donated to them. The furniture was minimal and in deep need of a good scrub. We were fortunate to find a mini fridge in our room, essential when you need to keep some water on hand since the bathroom water seems a bit shady.
There is no air conditioning in the room, only a standing fan that had one inch of dust piled up on its blades. The heating was provided by the built in gas fireplace which worked fine, but it was very noisy every time it turned on. The mattresses were impossible to sleep on, not just for their lack of comfort, but also for the noise they made every time one turned in bed. We don’t care much about the TV, but even Motel 6 has updated theirs since the turn of the century.
Now about the breakfast. I would suggest to the owners to eliminate it altogether. Yesterday, we managed to get ourselves downstairs right at 8:00am so we didn’t have to wait in line to use the waffle maker. It takes about three minutes to make a waffle, so if you do the math for all the guests that may be on the premises, it would most likely take a good hour if there are only 20 guests. Besides the waffles you have a choice between white or wheat toast, plain oatmeal, and Cheerios cereal. If you add up the cost of all the food they offer for breakfast, I would be surprised if it is above ten dollars for the entire cohort of guests. The waffle mixture is prepared in the adjacent kitchen, and poured into little plastic cups for guests to make their own waffle. The bread is the cheapest bread you can find at the dollar store. There is butter and some jam in a dish for everyone to use. Breakfast is served between 8:00 and 9:30. Today I came down around 9:10 and was lucky enough to find a piece of bread and a bit of coffee at the bottom of the carafe. My husband and son had to wait in line for 20 minutes until they were able to make the last waffle. The lady working in the office, who I believe is the owner, came to check on the status of things, but did not bother to make more waffle mix, or coffee for that matter. A young mom with her baby arrived about 9:25 and tried to make a waffle for herself, but no luck since the lady said she was getting ready to close. The mom tried to get some milk, but none was provided. I won’t even mention how rude this lady was towards some guests that were ready to leave but missed the memo on cleaning the dishes after eating. Yes, you better take your dishes in the kitchen after eating otherwise you will be scolded in front of all the guests. As I said before, we are not picky and for the most part we could care less whether or not breakfast was included, but I would much rather not have breakfast included than to have to wait in line for a waffle or a piece of toast. Oh, I almost forgot, tips are encouraged, since there is a tip jar right next to the sign that tells you to put your dishes in the sink when you are finished.
Well, now let me tell you the positives of this place. The courtyard is quite charming and the inn is within walking distance of Ocean street.

Unbelievably bad. Unless you cant tell the difference between «charming» and dirty, poorly maintained and shoddy you will regret booking here. Sold as 2 bedrooms, one King and one with 2 twin beds, we got a closet with a trundle bed. No matress pad on trundles. Gauze thin sheets. Furniture handles, shutters broken. Dead bugs on floor of bathroom. You get the picture. Avoid at all costs.

This place was so disappointing! Everything needs to be updated the comforter had stains on it. The people who run the breakfast are lazy I ate my breakfast I looked around to see where I should put my dishes there was no sign so I left it on my table thinking the workers were going to clean up as I was exiting the guy sitting, relaxing, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper says «Excuse me miss could you clean up your table and put your dish in the kitchen» pure laziness ! Too many great choices in Carmel to choose this place!

$ 871.00=sub standard accommodations. Outdated everything, horrible bedding and bed! No screens on windows, ketchup sized shampoo packets, towels that feel like scouring pads, cracks that were either not patched or patched badly in all walls, dirty carpet, breakfast was cereal or waffles (no protein) and toilet plugged easily to which the rude lady at the desk asked if I plunged it! I politely replied NO but please have that handled while I’m gone. Which they did. Parking is a joke. Only about 5 spots. I would NOT recommend staying here! If I could give a negative star I would.

Old –every thing about the room and the hotel.
Tired looking– furniture and carpet
Broken– fireplace not working, bathroom fan runs like a train.
Out of date– linen, equipment, paint, carpet etc.
Noisy– garbage trucks in the morning made me think for a moment I was back in Manhattan.
No privacy — you can hear all your neighbors TV or talking.
Great location– which is true for every building in Carmel since this is such a small town.
Very pleasant gentleman at the front desk John.

This was the worst place we have ever stayed. And, very pricy at $ 392. per night from Expedia. Holes in wall. Chunks out of bathtub. Gross linens, torn and faded. Spots in old carpet and stained furniture. Probably original bathroom from the 40’s or 50’s. Bathroom flooring very dirty and old. Poor paint job all over, painted over fixtures and dribbles everywhere. Grouchy registration dest personel. And the lady from the kitchen yelled at a couple for not bussing their breakfast dishes. It doesn’t even deserve 1 star.

THIS IS THE WORST HOTEL I’VE EVER PATRONIZED.
I should have known when I called at 4pm to tell the hotel management that I’d be in a bit late. There was no answer for the phone and no answering machine. When we arrived, we found multiple envelopes taped to the door of the office with names on them and room numbers. The keys were inside. I opened our room and was met with the smell of my grandparents motorhome. I walked into a room straight out of the seventies. Other than the small flat-​screen television (?25in), there was nothing even remotely new.
The room appears to never have been updated. There was paint flaking off the walls and a very old wrinkled and stained carpet. The bathroom had rusting fixtures and was very cramped. The mattress is something you’d find behind a dumpster in downtown Oakland. I swear, I’ve never seen a more worn out mattress. The springs creaked with every movement.
When I examined the pillows, my pillow case had a blood stain. The pillows were 2 inches thick and had no compressibility. Very difficult to sleep on.
My wife told me that I’m not allowed to book the hotels any more for our trips.
Do yourself a favor. STAY ANYWHERE BUT HERE. This place needs to be gutted and re-​done.

Nice place. Spacious rooms and bathrooms. Good breakfast as contintal styles go.
Location is a small hike from the ocean and parking on the street requires you to be aware of the local ordinances.
All in all a good place to stay.

Yes, you do get what you pay for, unfortunately. We chose the Wayfarer because it was conveniently located and what we thought was a good price for where it was. i have to say, i would definitely look into other options next time.
Diane at the front desk was courteous, informative, and helpful. We arrived before the official check-​in time, but she found out that our room was ready and gave us the keys. She took the time to point out places to eat, etc., on the map. She did point out that the hotel was one of the oldest in Carmel so to judge it accordingly.
The door to our room was literally on the sidewalk. If you open the shutters, everyone walking by on the sidewalk can see in. It was the same for our bathroom window; a bit disconcerting. It did not feel like the most secure place so at least a safe would have been appreciated but no such luck.
The towels were very thin. It is one thing for the property to be old. It is another for things to be unmaintained or not clean. And if the towels have to be old and thin, they should at least leave no doubt that they are clean, as should the rest of the room. Not the case.
It is nice to have breakfast included, but in a charming place like Carmel, i think it needs to be at least a little nicer than toast, package bagels, packaged oatmeal, now-​too-​common bake-​your-​own waffles, weak coffee. No fruit or anything freshly baked. If it’s not going to be at least a little special, best to not charge for breakfast and let us try one of the many breakfast places or coffee/​bakery spots in town.
We usually come to Carmel on the spur of the moment to escape the heat of the valley, but if the Wayfarer is the only place available, i think we’ll just sweat it out at home!

To much money for such poor conditions! Also no parking except for 5 – 6 spots. Recommend anywhere else! Last resort only. Next time Hilton or Marriott! However a nice courtyard and coastal feel

This is the absolute worst place with service I have ever stayed!!! When I get home I will be writing a full review. You are better off staying at a Motel 6!!! Dirty, old beds with see through sheets, divets in the mattresses, rude woman at the front desk, rusty and dirty bathroom …
I will go in in a full review later.
Ok…3 days later, I will finish my review: FALSE ADVERTISING!
There wasn’t much of a choice for Memorial day weekend but the pictures and reviews weren’t awful so I booked it. I really should have dug deeper into reviews. The first man we met working the desk, John, was nice and polite. That is the only nice thing I can say about this place.
There was a cute patio with lots of pretty plants and flowers to enjoy your complimentary wine from 4 – 6 every night with a fire place… but we were told it had been broken for a while and didn’t work. Then when we went back to get a 2^nd glass or wine we were told that we were only allowed one but they would let us have two this time (by an older woman who was working the office). The room had dents in the walls, dips in the floors, FILTHY carpets, dirty bed spread to go with the see through sheets with holes in them AND a Motel 6 style blanket. I literally grabbed by beach blanket out of my car to lay with because I was disgusted. The shelf in the bathroom was dusty, rusted, and blocked half the 11×13 inch sized mirror. There were rotted out spots in the tub, and tiny 3 inch packets of shampoo, conditioner, lotion (a little bigger than a ketchup packet). The clock in our room didn’t work. The TV was maybe 19 inches, if that, and no options to rent movies (basic of the basic).
Then one evening we were walking back to our room after dinner (maybe 7pm? it was still daylight) and were laughing as we were walking up the stairs to the patio when the woman working the desk came running out hushing us and telling us to be quiet (same woman who told us we were allotted one glass of wine during the 2 hour complimentary wine happy hour). I almost lost it. I asked her where she has been for the past few nights when other guests had been yelling down the hallways at 11pm? Oh that’s right… no one works the desk after 8 pm. She darted back into the office and ignored me and my guests. When one of my party went in the office to address how rude she was she completely ignored him.
I was so disappointed that I actually let it put a damper on my husband’s 50^th birthday trip! I paid $ 399 for a Sat night and for that I expected a whole lot more than this :(
Thank God for great food and wine in Carmel… it helped take the sting out of this lousy place.

So disappointed for $ 580 a night! It was a great location, outside patio was old but charming (why I gave an extra star.) Our room was such a let down! We got a Suite but that was a king bed w/​a twin off to the side. Hard time opening the door, it was SO outdated and smelled musty and mildewy!!! The frig was a portable plugged into the corner. Breakfast in the morning was also a let down, watered down coffee and not appealing choices. The only positive is that we had a room for the night, the towels seem to have been updated and we had a place to park my car over night. With as much as they charge, they should spend some extra money updating the rooms without losing the charm of a 100 yr old bldg. Will never stay here again.

We got the hotel online. The hotel location is good and that’s why we reserved it.
When we got there, (king room, ocean view). The pillows smelled. My wife went down to politely ask to get new sheets.
The front desk lady was very aggressive. Later she brought a set of sheets handed to us said we had to change it yourselves.
When I pulled off the pillow casing, noticed all but one pillow had yellow stains. Took the three pillows to the font desk. She grabbed them immediately and refused to provide replacements. Meanwhile, my wife came to the office with a towel with red-​stains on them. She grabbed the towel and told us we need to leave the office now. She took the evidence very fast to the back room so we could not take pictures.
We went out and I called
to get a refund (½ hour after we had checked in). They couldn’t do much since the hotel owner was «unavailable» to take a call and approve the refund.
agent also asked them to provide clean pillows and towels for us. The staff refused.
We ended up having to go to target and buy a couple of pillows so we can sleep (all other hotels in the location were sold out).
The next day, I saw the owner, and he became very aggressive, essentially suggesting that we had made all the mess with yellow stained pillow and red stained towel.
Do yourself a favor and go to another hotel. Read their reviews on other sites online as well. I wish I had.

Front desk lady named Diane was incredibly rude. Not satisfied with the room or service period.

I wish there was negative stars! This place is horrible I don’t know who writes the good reviews everything is old and dirty! It’s not just dirty it’s disgusting :(we paid 400 $ for 2 nights and motel 6 in much better than this place :(so sad we saved to do this vacation for months and we got such bad service :(Expedia did not help at all the reviews were all lies, I’ve attached photos they had. Loose wires ! I have a toddler and she was always near it to touch it. When we told the manger he said he could change put room but the second one was worse than first! please don’t go here !

When I read the bad reviews I thought they were talking about another place. I couldn’t wait to leave a great rating. Denise (Sorry if I misspelled her name) was very, very nice to us, she told every place we need to go. Our room is perfect! we’re three people in one room that have separate beds with one door you can close!
If you want to stay the night in a charming, old (yet, I couldn’t find the imperfections they told about or I didn’t care cause it’s part of the charm) affordable hotel, you should definitely come here! If you don’t like to see old furniture I recommend the Sheraton ;)
Anyway, parking it’s pretty easy to find, there’s no limit parking around the corner.
I can’t wait to come again!

Couldn’t even check in to this place the front desk woman was so rude and horrible. Is she for real??? I called to book, she asked me to hold which is totally fine but then I have to wait and listen to her talking and laughing with people for about 10 mins. I hang up, call back, and she was super rude to me.
I seriously wouldn’t stay here if it was free of charge! When I called back and told her I had just called, she shouted at me that the ‘line was breaking up’ and hung up on me!!! Ha! Then I read these reviews and am really happy I didn’t stay here.

This is probably the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Having previously worked in the hospitality industry, this place is a disgrace. Let me just rattle off a list of reasons why you should NOT stay here:
–The employees talk smack about the guests behind their back. When someone came in to say their shower was broken, they were given a key to go to another room. When they left, the two employees (who I believe were the owners) said «they must have broken the handle by pushing too hard» — blaming the guest!
–Blotchy paint on the walls
–Stained carpets
–Cracks in windows so you can never fully close it
–The front desk said we had to take a «fun plank» to get to our room. My friends and I called it the «Plank of Tetanus» given it being wirey and rusted
–Bird poop all over the windows
–Breakfast of cheerios and a waffle maker
–Wine and Cheese — with the cheese being blocks of cheese you get from a cheese platter at the local grocery store
–Shampoo and Conditioner in packets made in China because the hotel is too cheap to afford bottles
–Beds that felt dirty with uncleaned blankets
–A room that looked like they just threw in 2 king size beds so they could charge a higher rate
We paid $ 580/​night for this crap hole. Just a bit of TLC would go a long way with this place but evidently the owners don’t care. So tragic — they have a great location but a hotel like this should not be running. Try a bed and breakfast or any other hotel!