Burlington Hotel

Staying at the historic and restored Burlington Inn was a thrill and delight. I slept in the Ethel room, tastefully appointed, refurbished and historically preserved reflecting the opulence of the «1830’s» Victorian Era. The private bathroom was spacious and newly remodeled in a tasteful period fashion and sparkling clean. The bed was comfortable and provided a restful night. Since the building does not possess central heating, a space heater in my room with a fire place digital display provided controlled comfort and ambiance. The room had a spacious closet and antique chest of drawers. The building is close to the railroad tracks, so if you are a light sleeper ear plugs are advised. I did not find it disturbing though as the windows had been replaced and the black out Victorian reproduction window shades provided sound proofing as well.
We dined at the adjoining Bull Valley Roadhouse and enjoyed a superb three course dinner and unique pre-​prohibition cocktails. Just another plus!
The Inn and Roadhouse are a tucked away jewel in Contra Costa County. I will return again, when I am able to sped an entire weekend exploring the hidden treasures offed within this quaint rustic town.

I’ve been wanting to stay at the Burlington for years. Heard some past reports of less than stellar amenities. My experience was different, I very much liked my stay. I gave them five stars as I admire funky, cozy, charming hotels. If you’re expecting a Sheraton-​like experience, look else where. If you’re looking for a charming, historical, cozy place to stay with a gracious staff, this would be the place. Thank you, Burlington!

I have been staying in The Burlington for decades. Lemme tell you what I know. A man who came to Port Costs, and bought up a lot of land and property back when it was a gay artists’ gathering, died a few years back. He left much of what he had to his niece. He had not paid taxes on a bunch of stuff for years and years. So his niece inherits the hotel, the Warehouse Café and some land (this is what I’ve been told by people who work and live here. Additionally I grew up in a nearby town) Anyhow, so this hotel used to be a place where you’d lay your booze-​filled head at night after imbibing, heavily, at the Warehouse Café. The rooms were $ 35 a night, and you got what you paid for. The mattresses were hard and springs sometimes jabbed your sides. The bathrooms were pretty atrocious, and more than once when I went there were holes in the floor of the bathroom, and you could see clean through to the floor below. The rooms smelled dingy, dusty and moldy, BUT they were so damn charming! Although the wallpaper was peeling the antiques were authentic. The décor was a mixture of 1870s and 1970s. There were raucous parties happening there ALL THE TIME! More than once after the bar closed a band would begin playing music loud and wild in the hallways of the hotel, sometimes playing until 3 or 4am. I’d seen knives sticking out of walls and heard crying, laughter and singing! It felt like you were in the brothel it once had been:) I loved it! Even though I’d wake up sore all over, dehydrated and sometimes confused, it was the best. Now I understand that the new owner had to figure out how to deal with her uncle’s debt, and so has teamed with the new owners of the Bull Valley Roadhouse (boy I’ve got some stories about that place too) in order to not lose what she did not yet have to sell off (to a dentist in Palo Alto! So weird) Id like to clarify that this review is for the CURRENT hotel. The mattresses are just as hard, the smells haven’t gone away, the bathrooms aren’t a treat, and the price has multiplied FIVE times! I get it that business owners have to stay up with the times, but for crying out loud! The price would be easier to swallow if they had not become total prudes about the hotel either. They basically scold you like a child while checking in to let you know that you can NOT have a good time in their hotel! You can have a quiet time, and you can sleep. If you, dear reader, have not been to Port Costa you may not know that the only things to do in the town are eat and drink booze. I don’t know why someone would stay in the hotel other than to avoid a DUI after having a glorious time at the Warehouse. I’m still going to spend more nights at the hotel because I’m still a fan of drinking at the Warehouse. I just miss the good old days.

This place is a trip.
Super run down. Squishy mattress, cheap linens’ flimsy comforter. Place is held together with string and sealing wax.
Still, oddly charming. Complimentary coffee and pound cake in attached café was amazing.

The Burlington Hotel is a hidden treasure and one that I would gladly return to rediscover. The ambience and setting are not your standard bay area outing which is a good thing if you seek an authentic experience. The hotel is steeped in the past, perhaps even haunted if you are so inclined. The staff are very welcoming and friendly. Nice touches to the décor and fixtures keep one engaged and interested. My stay involved an overnight in the King Suite which is a large and spacious room with a very comfortable mattress and bedding. No TV is a plus. The restaurant next door makes dining convenient and I found the mussels and french fries delicious and well paired with the beer on tap. For those looking for peace and quiet, the passing trains and adjoining carpark may not provide an uninterrupted night’s sleep. Overall, I would recommend it to those seeking to experience something different and not wanting to travel far to find it. If you plan to go there, have fun and enjoy a hike the next day at Briones.

Stayed here on a Friday night. Check in is between 4pm and 8pm, they only accept credit cards NO CASH! Port Costa is a small, charming, old town with pretty water views and a surprisingly fun night life on the weekends. There is a nice bar/​restaurant next door and another more casual/​lively bar across the street. The Burlington Hotel is unique in itself and is different then many «hotels» I have ever stayed at before. The building has a lot of interesting history and the décor truly takes you back in time. Because the building is old the walls are thin, making it easy to hear your neighbors conversations and doors opening/​closing. During the weekends there is sometimes a live band downstairs in the lobby/​check-​in area which starts around 9pm. If you go to bed early then I highly recommend accepting the ear plugs, you’ll know what I mean when you check in ;) The next morning after our stay we were able to go downstairs to the kitchen and get a complementary pastry and beverage. I must say the kitchen was lovely. The freshly squeezed orange juice and homemade pound cake were so amazing I wanted seconds. The coffee was great as well, they grind up the coffee beans in front of you, making your cup of joe the old fashioned way. Overall, The Burlington Hotel will offer anyone an unforgettable experience, This place is truly one on a kind and a great escape from the modern world.

I stayed here in 2000 and it smelled so musty. Plus I got a very ominous feeling, I didn’t sleep all night… I think it may be haunted. Plus I also think it really used to be a bordello like I read about on some other sites. Not only that but it as just terrible

We have stayed here before. We know to bring tp (they don’t always have it) we bring our own towels. I used to live in town and we love this area. We were back in town for one night, had dinner reservations with friends in another town so of course wanted to stay in our old stomping grounds. Check in time is 4:00. Ok it would be close, we had to change clothes and meet friends In another town at 5:00. No one was in the hotel to check us in. There were many people waiting to check in. Went to the Bull Valley to inquire (no help) Wtf if I don’t show up you want to charge me! We left at 4:25 and had to get hotel in the town we were meeting friends. I’m told there is an affiliation between the Bull Valley and this place now. If that’s the case the guy at the Bull Valley handled it very poorly. No apologies no seeing if he can help NOTHING. What a waste of our time!

The Burlington Hotel is definitely a work in progress. The owners have been renovating it 1 room at a time for a couple of years now. So if you are a person who is unwilling to live with this fact you may have a difficult time staying here. Nevertheless, I was looking for an «off the beaten path» place to stay and this is where I ended up.
I stayed on the 3^rd floor in the Wilma room, and was impressed with the 180-​degree view of the bay. The owners of the hotel were so kind and accommodating to me. Their philosophy here is to stay the night, get some R&R, eat good food and soak it in! And that is exactly what I did. What better place to marinate your brain on the tranquil beauty of the Carquinez Straight than a stay at the Burlington Hotel.
The gentle mornings at the Burlington Hotel will start with delicious pour over coffee and a scrumptious piece of warm corn bread with fresh honey. One of the owner’s is a beekeeper and harvests his own honey. Initially Mr. Flewell began with selling his fresh honey on the first floor of the Burlington Hotel and it became so popular that the owner asked him to help run things… and this is how the business partnership began. Both owners have been renovating the 19 room victorian hotel every since, and they still can and sell the homemade honey!
Final note:
The rooms do not have obtrusive flat screen TVs & there is no WiFi at this hotel. These accommodations are available at the bar across the street and the restaurant next door. Additionally, they do not accept cash for payment, which I thought was unusual. In other words if you don’t have a credit card you will not be able to stay here. (Minus 1-​star,) other than that you should check it out!

Port Costa is a dead end road.
At the end of the road is a parking lot, a bar and the Burlington.
Port Costa is a dead end road with a parking lot, a bar and a hotel.
It was sort of hard to get a reservation for the hotel. I called and left a message. The answering machine said they would call back on the next shift but they didn’t call back until Saturday morning. So it took a full 5 days for them to get back to me. At the same time I tried to book on Air B&B. The request expired as the did not respond to the request in a 24 hour period. We were starting to think the place was closed or that they just didn’t want any business.
They did finally get back to us and we booked a room that was on the second floor facing the water. It didn’t have it’s own bathroom but the place was fairly dead so it was like we had our own bathroom anyways. In the morning they have a café with fresh pastries, good coffee and bacon.
The wall paper is peeling of the walls. The carpet is worn thru on the stairs.
The place is seriously in disrepair. it’s dirty, it’s old and its totally charming.
On a Saturday night /​Sunday morning after 2AM when all the drunks disappear the dead end street is as quite as graveyard. Its a nice sort of quite.

The town is amazing and the hotel is much cleaner than it used to be but the service was horrible. The owner is very rude, it was difficult to make a reservation and apparently hotel guests can’t mingle with each other without breaking the two person to room rule, even before quiet time. We were asked to leave without a warning or even being allowed enough time to grab our things.

I can’t tell you how enjoyable my trip to The Burlington at Port Costa was, but a bitch is still gonna try…
CHARACTER trumps charm (WTF IS CHARM? Doris Day in the lobby? and I LOVE Doris Day)
You are getting ambience here, and plenty of it. The new management is doing the best they can, it’s obvious, and that is a lot… I loved it the minute I saw it. You are getting Old California here and go get you some… it’s an old place. grasp that thought and go with it, you’ll be more than happy if you let it be what it is… history and full of character. I stayed in Victoria… all new bedding, luxurious did i say luxurious? yes i did say luxurious duvet six pillows, great sheets! a bay window over water and the train tracks and a dirt parking lot… helpful staff, I mean I just LOVED IT… creaky stairs, antiques… I will be there again before the year is out, it’s THE PLACE for a rainy weekend with bed and books and good eats and drinking establishments… and it would work 100% if you were alone or with someone… this visit it was tank top warm weather and lovely… safe as can be… so ANY weather, this is a retreat, mid week or weekend
my only «thing-​gey» is i didn’t get to have the hot chocolate which is famous… but the flip side is they opened for just me for the night, so how good a trade off is that! now i get to look forward to my next visit and the hot chocolate… and about them bees… i love bees and honey…
call, reserve, go… park when you get there, and get back in your car when you leave days later…

Perhaps I should only give 4 stars because the carpeting is, interesting (to be kind) and it could use some paint here and there and a few other upgrades, but what it lacks in a perfect veneer, it more than makes up for in charm and character! I had anticipated needing to use earplugs both because it is such an old building I thought I’d hear other guests, but also because of the Warehouse across the street which attracts bikers (hogs) by the dozen. I was so pleasantly surprised that aside from occasional noises which frankly one hears when inside the confines of their own home, it was amazingly peaceful. I’ve stayed 4 times at the Burlington and gotten a great nights sleep each time.
Port Costa is a quirky but a well hidden gem. Between the excellent food next door at the Bull Valley Roadhouse, the aforementioned Warehouse with something like 300 different beers and The Burlington where you step back into the past, it’s a great «staycation» destination for bayareans. What I love most about The Burlington? No TV, no Wifi, no phone, just a beautiful venue to let your imagination wander and slip away to a more relaxed, quiet, relaxing time. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be there on a night when the hotel’s truly charming manageress Cherie has booked free live music performed in the lobby. And of course on weekend mornings you can’t miss with homemade cornbread with locally produced honey, biscuits or coffee cake, or the coffee or hot cocoa with ganache, and bacon. Enjoy!

When planning a trip to the Burlington you can expect the following scene.
The occasional Amtrak gently passes by the dusty lot as the sun rises above the delta. When dawn warms to sunny afternoon, the quiet town comes to life. Neighbors chat as they pick up mail at the post office. Serious bicyclist ride into town wearing their spandex get-​ups and sip iced coffee outside the hotel’s café. Even if you’re a late sleeper, by now you would have had the most delicious corn bread made fresh that morning in the Beekeeper’s Café downstairs.
Bikers gather across the street as live music starts to play outside the Warehouse, sporting an impressive beer list (over 200 types of beer). If the scene is too rowdy for you you can walk the serene hills of the Carquinez strait. When you get good and hungry, you can have brunch on Sundays at the Bull Valley Roadhouse, or if staying a second night, a fabulous cocktail and dinner. Another bonus is the summer concerts held in the hotel’s lobby. A long list of quirky and unique acts that are true to the atmosphere of the hotel itself.
The Burlington Hotel celebrates its character as a rare place but without all the Disney-​fying expected of a tourist spot. Its seedy history, stories of ghost (I didn’t see any) and minor discomforts (not all rooms have a private bath, just a common one in the hallway) keeps it that way and makes the Burlington attractive to the adventurous traveler. However the love and attention given to the hotel by management makes it inviting to everyone.
This is a great place for couples who geek out on long drives and historical sites, or couples just looking for an out-​of-​the-​way staycation in the Bay Area.
If sharing a bathroom isn’t your thing, request the room named Ivy which has a nice remodeled bathroom.

My expectations for this place were pretty high. But it turns out that I completely underestimated how special this place is. Located about 100 yards from the Bay, or maybe it’s the delta here, this hotel has great views of the water and the train tracks. Sometimes you can see a container ship and an Amtrak speeding by at the same time, prompting one of our party to experience what he referred to as a «transporgasm.»
The setting: Port Costa is teency. Maybe 50 people. We saw about half of them and they all said hi and we’re super nice in general. There’s a biker bar across the street and while we were here, an annual rally, the red and white poker run, was taking place so there were about 300 Harleys in the gravel lot at the end of the street. Incredible. There were all sorts of clubs, including real live Hell’s Angels, Satan’s Sons, and Vixens. All the ones we talked to were super nice.
The hotel: Like many older hotels, this one used to be a bordello, or at least that’s what the Clamper plaque outside said. This is totally a Clamper kind of town. Anyway, it’s an old hotel, so it’s creaky and quirky. The bathrooms are mostly shared although some rooms have private bathrooms, and some of the bathrooms have been very recently updated and have showers wIth nice water pressure and really hot water. The rooms are magical and fun with odd old furniture, high ceilings, oh and great reading material lying around like Dubuffet monograph (1943 – 68). The rooms are super clean and the bed was really comfortable. I slept like a baby even with trains passing in the night. This, to me and our group of 8, and really most of my friends, is awesome. That said, I have friends and family who I know would be distracted by the quirks of the hotel to miss its glory and be so obsessed with the intermittent noise from train that they don’t notice the bay. Therefore, I would not recommend coming here to them or their ilk. Their complaints about minutia would just make me question the foundations of our relationships, so it’s best to just avoid that scenario altogether.
The café downstairs: The owners are beekeepers and make their own honey which they apply to homemade cornbread and pound cake, which is delicious. They brew their coffee one cup at a time (because who doesn’t at this point in this part of the world), and it is also delicious.
One last note, regarding the negative reviews here. I can’t speak about the ghost hunting thing or the previous management, but Cherie, who now manages the hotel, is so welcoming and on the ball, and made every effort to make sure we were comfortable and happy. It sounds like you used to be able to rage pretty hard at this hotel, and I can see being sad at losing a destination for your raging, but I personally was really happy for the midnight quiet hour and the non smoking rule. The people across the street at warehouse took it up to closing and seemed like they were a good time, so it appears raging is still an option over there, if only till two a.m. Anyway, I had a great sleep and my clothes did not smell like a hundred years of smoking.
Bottom line: this place is great, and I will be sad when it gets too popular, which is probably pretty soon.

Stayed another night at the Burlington! It was lovely. We stayed in Ivy which has it’s own very delightfully remodeled bathroom.
Highly recommend a trip to Port Costa — the hotel, Bull Valley Roadhouse and The Warehouse are awesome.

The Burlington is charming. We loved the atmosphere, and the hotel staff was simply delightful.
We got a cute room with a view of the Carquinez Strait, I woke up early to catch the gorgeous sunrise. The room’s name is Peggy, she’s $ 75/​night with a 10% hotel tax. There wasn’t a private washroom, but we didn’t mind wandering down the hall to the shared bathroom. The room was cozy, and I loved the vintage cookbooks,​and décor.
We enjoyed drinks across the street at the Warehouse (
)
And we had the most delicious dinner al fresco at the Bull Valley Roadhouse (
).
There wasn’t any street noise, or hotel craziness, just the occasional sound of a freight train. So awesome to be out of San Francisco (only a 30 miles drive from SF), to stay overnight at this quaint location.
We enjoyed the hotel’s «café fare» and coffee by-​the-​cup​,​in the sun-​drenched room the next morning.
All in all, a​comfortable, cozy hotel — I highly recommend it!

For the Café: I love old buildings, ghost towns, and all things semi-​creepy. The Burlington Hotel is all of that and it’s charming to boot! We didn’t stay there but we were able to have a snack before moving on to our next destination. The Cornbread with Honey was a treat and we paired it with some Earl Grey. The space is small so my guess is that this little café is for guests but they were happy to accommodate us.

I just got home from my overnight trip to the Burlington and I know that I will return.
The owner was really super friendly and upgraded my room when I checked in because there had been some cancellations. The rooms are named after dead whores, totally amazing. I stayed in Carmen, a super cute room in the third floor with a view of the water.
Rooms: This was part of a birthday party hotel take over. Each room is a little different in décor, furnishings and layout but all the rooms I saw were cute. The majority of the rooms don’t have a private bathroom. There are two shared bathrooms with showers on each floor. The rooms and shared bathrooms are clean enough. I did see some of the private bathrooms and they appear to be recently remodeled and look really nice. The rooms do not have a TV, ceiling fan or telephone but I wasn’t in my room much anyways. The bed was comfy and I slept well enough. The room was only $ 75. Total bargain.
Breakfast: The coffee is fresh by-​the-​cup and made to order. The OJ is also freshly squeezed fresh by-​the-​cup. There is also homemade pound cake, cornbread and bacon that smelled so good when it was cooking that I could smell it on the third floor. Coffee, pound cake and cornbread are complimentary but bacon costs. I’m not sure about the OJ.
Port Costa: Take the Pomona exit off the 80 until it dead ends and your there. Super easy to find and a very lovely little town. I did feel more like I was in a wild west ghost town than near SF. Total bonus in my book.
Ghosts: Supposedly this place is haunted. I didn’t get any weird vibes but I did consume my fair share of spirits. I vaguely remember getting up at 4am and heading to bathroom only to freak myself out because I realized that I was in a dark hallway of a purported haunted hotel and in my underwear. Ah beer!
Impressions: The hotel used to have a reputation as a bad party hotel and to some extent that remains. If this place was cleaned up it could an amazing B&B but it would also lose all its character that makes it so special. I don’t think this place is appropriate for kids because the only thing really to do is drink at the epic bar across the street [The Warehouse]. I can say that our party was super clean, quiet and sincerely enjoyed my visit to the Burlington.
I will be recommending the Burlington to my friends. It was definitely worth the trip and I would be thrilled to stay again.

What can I say that hasn’t been said prior?
I had looked forward to my «indoor camping» trip to the Burlington for months. I bought eviltrons (
) to scare my companions. I envisaged ghosts, biker gangs, and hipsters.
The Burlington DELIVERS.
You absolutely cannot get closer to turn of the century hotel recreation. No tv. No fan. Hot? Open a window. Cold? Close one. After midnight there’s some noise regulation… so it’s quiet as the grave, save for the occasional groan and creak of floorboards, sometimes from inside the goddamn room!
We met tons of great people next door at the Warehouse Café, who were staying as well, so we drank, laughed, smoked, ate steaks and shot pool until the wee hours… then went back to the Burlington. What had been tall, stately and brightly welcoming yellow, looked sickly, shadowy, rickety and menacing in the dim sodium vapor lights of the Café. We milled about out front, finishing drinks, smoking, showing how unafraid we were to climb the narrow, uneven, blood red carpeted stairs to the third floor rooms we had booked.
I found myself making sure the doors were locked… the window shades open… and still I felt a presence in the room with me. Bullshit, drunkie! Sack up and go to bed. So I did.
I really had hoped to see the floating torso in the bathroom… the shadowy tall man in the faded mirrors… or hear whispers in the darkness. Though had I, I’d have probably been paying for new sheets. No such luck.
There WAS free drip coffee and honey poundcake in the bakery downstairs in the morning. So that’s nice.