Ray & Carol’s Motel by the Sea

I went out to the Salton Sea for some peace and quiet. This was the perfect place. The owner, Gary is so friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The A/​C worked really well. Fresh coffee in the morning, and an incredible view from my patio. The T. V, well, I guess it worked. Didn’t watch it. I came to the Salton Sea to get away from that. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place. Highly recommended.

Great place to stay. We came in after Stagecoach around 1am. It was a quick check in. SUPER clean linens. Everything smelled like a clean load of laundry. We stayed in the wheelhouse room it was super cute with a nice balcony. Fresh coffee every morning. Prefect place to stay after a long day. It’s about a 40 minute drive from Indio but there’s absolutely no traffic going that way. We were very luck to have found them.

i stay here every time I go. The other place farther north (Sea and Sand i think?) is a little iffy but this place is consistently clean and everyone was super nice. Nothing fancy (just like the rest of the Sea, I read some negative reviews for out there and I’m just like… you’re in the middle of nowhere, you’re lucky there is running water), but clean and comfortable. I kind of like the old school vibe, it’s like going to grandma’s house. Im hoping I can get the room with the balcony this trip :) Walking distance to an ATV rental, a little diner, and of course the water. Perfect, and cheap.

The husband which I assume is «Ray» is extremely rude and disrespectful. I ended up getting kicked out by him, because I had spoken to his wife and she said there were vacancies and would move me to another quieter room. He said they were booked and that he will refund me for the additional day we had motel booked. When I followed him to get my money & he abruptly slams the «office» door in my face, where we had paid the previous night. I opened the door, and he tells me, «get out, this is my house». On top of all that I killed a giant spider, and left it on the table for him to see & he still said NO that he bug bombed the place! Just over all a waste of money & a bad experience that no one should go through! The furniture was sticky and dirty and the carpets are stained so bad. Good luck turning on your AC unit, it sounds like a truck. Stay away, especially if you have young kids.

Ray & Carol’s Motel is run by Roxan & Gary, a nice couple that are working hard at improving the Motel. It is nice as is but they are touching up the place with new paint etc. The place is run ‘Old School’ so I called and left a message to see if they had vacancy and Roxan texted and called me back. We got the room called ‘the Wheel House’ room upstairs with a porch over looking the Sea. It was very relaxing and beautiful view. Remember to bring cash to pay for the room. There is a restaurant down the road a mile and an AM/​PM gas station a couple miles away.
It was a nice clean place to stay.

My friend and i came across this gem by accident, when we were biking around Southern California. Gary is the owner, he’s the grandson of Ray and Carol and an excellent host. He made sure we were comfortable, even hosted a bonfire with his kids, and went out of his way to help us get ready for a long ride the next day. Stay here if you are visiting the area!

Found this place while researching places to stay for Coachella weekend 2. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. I had to add another room last minute and Gary was nice enough to accommodate my group of friends. It was a bit of a drive to Coachella music festival, but we went against traffic and it only took us 20 – 25 minutes each night. Rooms are spacious and clean. If I am ever in the area, I would stay here again.

After making my decision based on Unilocal reviews, I have decided that Ray & Carol’s ended up with 5 stars by virtue of a lack of options. It’s pretty shabby and run down — we had a pretty large room with two Queen beds — both were very uncomfortable. The bedding was old and quite shabby but mostly, I think, clean. I didn’t feel the need to get out a sleeping bag (like I did at Panamint Springs Resort).
There was a TV but service was spotty, at best. Amenities in the room were few — the toilet was dirty (on the outside of the bowl — eww! what color was that?).
There is a single coffee pot and microwave in a dirty breezeway — but if the room has a wet bar, why not put in a coffee maker and microwave or toaster oven? What’s the point of leaving in the counter/​cabinets and sink (and little table/​chairs) if it’s not functional?
Overall — it’s not a bad place to stop but not a great place. I wish we’d gone to Palm Springs or even Borrego instead.

Great hotel and friendly management. Its a great price and the AC blows cool in the summer months. No WiFi here and Cash Only, but the rooms are clean and worth the stay.

If you are looking for a luxury get away and being pampered hand and foot, you’re not going to find it here. Nor are you going to find cookie cutter resort rooms. What you will find is a clean, spacious comfortable room run by an incredibly friendly proprietor, at way better price than similar quality accommodations in Borrego Springs. Indeed you’re closer here to many outstanding desert attractions in the eastern part of Anza Borrego and Ocotillo Wells. And of course the West shore of the Salton Sea is only 5 — 10 minute walk from your door and I can attest to the fact that the sunrises are nothing short of Mind Boggling here at any time of year.
What moves me most about this place is the combination of uniqueness and quality of stay. The owner is passionate about the natural beauty of the region and the rooms all feature original and well composed photos of the local phenomena in particular the sea itself.
Next time I look for lodging in the East County deserts, Ray and Carol’s is the undisputed first choice.

I love the Salton Sea and Ray & Carol’s is where I’ll be staying from now on.
Located on the western shore of the sea, it’s a nice, clean and quiet spot.
There are only 4 rooms in the motel, so you’re guaranteed to have a quiet, comfortable night’s stay. The air conditioners work great, they have on-​site parking and only about a 15 minute drive to the Red Earth casino for late night eats or drinks.
Each room is uniquely decorated, includes 2 beds, a dinning table and bathroom.
My friends and I occupied 2 rooms, Captain’s Quarters and Wheel House. I was pleasantly surprised with the size of these rooms. They very comfortably housed us for the night.
I’ve seen some complaints on other sites about the TV’s lack of channels, etc. But, when you’re with great people, why would you turn on the TV. Better put, when you’re at the Salton Sea… why would you watch television… that place is magical. No television distraction is necessary!!!
I highly recommend staying at R & C’s when you find yourself on the west end. Call for reservations ahead of time… just in case.