Lisa O

Mother and daughter trip up the California coast. First two nights we stayed @ The Portola Hotel & Spa. The location was perfect! Close to The Aquarium, Cannery Row, lots of shopping. Although the hotel is pretty its a bit tired and in need of a revamping. Jacks restaurant located in the hotel in particular was strange. Menu was more of an appetizer menu.
The room was perfectly situated above an Italian coffee and restaurant café. The pool was small, but had a tropical feel to it. The grounds and soft scape were well maintained. It was worth it to find P.F. Chang’s, we ordered curb side pickup and ate in our room. The beds were sublime.
Soft sheets, cool breeze drifting into the room. Great vantage point to view the people milling about. Not once did I encounter any staff member or valet that didn’t love their job! They took excellent care of us! This fact alone made up for the age of the hotel. Would highly recommend this hotel. The big bonus is that they are a pet friendly hotel! I’m a construction specialist and would recommend reducing the size of Jacks restaurant to half, and the other half should be all exterior fire pits and cabanas with the existing tie back ceiling to floor drapes. Who doesn’t love sitting at a fire pit enjoying a lite snack and a great bottle of wine. It would really bring the people in, even if they weren’t staying at Portola. Lastly, the location can’t be beat!