Dolphin Motel

Passing through San Diego and couldn’t find a decent price on a hotel/​motel and hostels were booked… stumbled upon this place. $ 60 for one night, heater worked decently but I’m a baby so the guy at the front desk offered me a space heater and extra blankets. Room was clean, shower was hot and they had free breakfast. muffins, juice, coffee and bananas. Last but not least the guy at the front desk basically printed a novel for us (insurance for Mexico). Thanks again, we really appreciate it. Awesome place.

This cozy little motel has the simple things you need at a great price.
When my boyfriend and I went to check in, the guy at the counter was extremely nice and friendly. He made us feel very welcome and even recommend a few places to go check out while visiting San Diego. Upon leaving to go to our room, he had us pick out a drink for each of us from the mini fridge… how nice!
The room itself is very clean and simple. There is a white bed in the middle of the room, a little mini fridge, tv and a little night stand with a lamp on either side. It also has an air conditioner.
The bathroom is simple. Sink, toilet and shower. Stocked with plenty of TP, towels and three soaps. More than enough for my one night stay.
In the morning they provide you with a continental breakfast from 6am-​11am.
All in all, this is a great little find! Since during my stay here I plan on being out as late as possible and only using the room for a few hours of sleep, I don’t need a super fancy room, which makes this place perfect for me.
I highly recommend this place.

My husband and I stayed here to run a half marathon over a weekend. We were pleasantly surprised by the location, the hospitality, and the cleanliness of the room. The room was simple, yet functional. Although it lacks many amenities that the big hotels have, it makes up for it with its price, and its location. The staff was very pleasant, and very helpful which we greatly appreciate it. Our stay at the dolphin was definitely a positive experience!

We found this great little place on Unilocal,and found it to be better than the ratings. The staff was extremely pleasant, the rooms were comfortable and very clean, and the location was great also. We enjoyed having breakfast out on the patio in the morning and watching the fishermen across the street. The muffins were good and the coffee pot was always full. Cant say enough about how accommodating the staff was.

Cool little swank hotel by the bay. Great price and really nice staff. Cant beat the location in the heart of the harbor district… Love the name. The Dolphin Hotel… Thankz and its sure great to be back in Califonia!

This is an interesting place to stay. The place is basic. Very basic but we were blown away by the professionalism and kindness. They keep offering help and were so grateful we chose to stay there. There are brand name hotels all around them but at a cost of 50 to 75 more a night. I am a Hilton kind of guy so I felt like I was down grading. All we wanted was a room to sleep in. This is not a resort but a basic motel room. If you want a clean place and kind people with no frills. This is the place.

Wow wow! Cannot beat it for the price! Went for a week end trip to SD.
Stayed at this hotel for one night, everything is perfect:
— Located in the Harbor Bay, near all the points of interest (Balboa, Point Loma, Old Town,…)!
— The atmosphere: cosy but old school look, you feel at home immediately!
— The rooms for sure: comfy, quiet and super clean! Can’t ask for more for that price!
— The free continental breakfast: delicious fresh muffins (all you can eat), juices, milk, bananas & coffee!
— Super friendly staff: asked for nothing and got a plan + tips to go all around the town! Superb!

Clean fresh room with mini fridge. They provide free water, shampoo, toothbrush, breakfast. Neighborhood is quiet, chill and safe.

The staff was very polite and handled business professionally.
They also offered free coffee and oj in the morning.
If you’re looking for a nice place to sleep in, this place a great option.

Okay so outside atmosphere looks like your beach front surfer hang out spot to have a place to stay during vacation. The place looks great! Albeit the rooms a tad small the simplicity in them makes the room feel easy and just a place to lay your head to rest. Love the fact the ac works that’s always a plus and also glad to see everything works in the room. Downside no phone to dial front desk or microwave to re heat meals. Not any thing big but some might find it mandatory. Overall customer service A+ front desk gentleman was nice and so far the place has been comfortable since we came on in. Hoping to enjoy the harbor some and check out the views. Lastly, I will add their is a microwave in the patio for all customers who checked in to use. If you’re in town this snazzy little place is great! Plus they give complimentary water bottles for you when you leave, sweet!

This is a really cute and well-​priced motel located right across from the harbor. It’s about 10 – 15 minutes from the Gaslamp and downtown which is nice because the whole place was definitely on the quieter side. It’s small, but not cramped and the one bed room featured a TV, mini fridge & an AC unit. The entire motel receives free wifi.
The bathroom is well kept; no stains in the shower or the toilet, and they keep it well stocked with soap and an assortment of towels. There is a small closet with hangers provided for you and all the rooms are non smoking. There is a smoking area downstairs in the entryway of the courtyard with ashtrays provided for you. All of the rooms seem to face the harbor, and the second floor overlooks it. You can also watch the seagulls flap around in their pool:).
The man at the front desk when we checked in was very welcoming and more than accomodating (we took a day trip from Ventura and it turned into an overnight trip) — you can buy toothbrushes, toothpaste or mouthwash at the front desk for a very reasonable price, I’m talking under a dollar. They provide a free Continental breakfast in the courtyard from 6am to checkout at 11am.
This place was great, and we’ll definitely be using this spot for any future trips to San Diego. I only recommend that you bring your own pillows — while theirs are nice they are not firm enough. Awesome stay.

I’m extremely impressed with this place, extremely clean and quiet. Literally right across the street from the bay and it’s one of the cheapest places I’ve stayed out here in along time. Bathroom was very nice, shower was immaculate and the room had a mini fridge. There really was nothing to complain about, I’ll definitely be a repeat customer for the foreseeable future!

Got exited by good reviews and nice location across the street from harbor.
Place is literally creepy. Security cameras and owner who record and journal log your every move like soviet KGB agent.
After prepaying days in advance were asked to leave an hour later after a black AA friend visited us.
When we didn’t respond to the old man knocking on the door, he literally unlocked the door with his own key and stood there until we left. No refund was issued and we were lied to with creepy nonsense excuses

We flew into San Diego, traveled down to Mexico, and returned to San Diego to fly home. On both ends of our trip, we stayed overnight at the Dolphin Motel thanks to other Unilocalers. We essentially just needed a place to lay our heads at the beginning and end of our trip and planned to stay in the gaslamp district, but decided to save some money and spend it down in Mexico. The Dolphin Motel was able to help us with that. After reading other reviews, we requested room 28 which is at the end corner facing the harbor. It also has a «reserved/​private» balcony. On our 2^nd stay, the room wasn’t available (nor were any harbor view rooms), so we stayed in the other building, which was totally fine with us.
The rates were significantly cheaper here than the majority of surrounding motels. Although there is no pool and amenities are fairly absent (no iron, no hairdresser, and no shampoo/​conditioner in the room, but you can get them in the lobby), it was totally worth it for the price.
Another motive for us staying here was the free breakfast (muffins, yogurt, bananas, OJ) and free parking.

Room rates for Memorial Day weekend is always high, especially for a destination like San Diego. However, I was convinced on finding a reasonable rate as I already plotted several local foodie destinations to visit. I called to ask for a quote — $ 88 a night was very reasonable compared to the $ 150 or $ 200 a night many other competitors were offering. So I went ahead and booked two nights for 2.
Upon arrival, Tom check-​ed us in and even gave us a binder with featuring some local attractions to visit. He even allowed us to take it up to our room to peruse.
The room is certainly an intimate one; however, it’s clean and it had all the essentials for visitors to enjoy– A mini fridge to store all my delicious left-​overs, a flat screen tv with all cable channels tacked onto the wall, and complimentary wi-​fi. Additionally. breakfast featuring trader joes orange juice, costco muffins, bananas, and yogurt, were available for patrons to enjoy. And of course you can’t forget about the million-​dollar view of the harbor from your window :)
If you’re looking for an affordable place to rest this is definitely a 5 star budget option. Support Small Businesses and way to go Dolphin Motel!

«Location Location Location». One of the nicest vacations I have taken was based out of this budget friendly motel. The staff here are welcoming and accommodating. The rooms although small are very neat and clean. We frequent San Diego and love to run in every direction. This is the place to do it from. Highly recommended if you are looking for a comfortable quality bed and clean room on a budget.

Pros: nice staff, clean rooms, easy to find, free continental breakfast, excellent price, across the street from the harbor (great place to walk), cheap little snack bar and toiletry selection in the lobby, TV has a lot of channels, nice little courtyard
Cons: parking lot is a little difficult to get out of, rooms pretty small, walls thin, bed not the most comfortable
Highly recommend this place.

I am writing this review the day after staying overnight at the Dolphin Motel. First, I want to say this is actually the second time I stayed here. I will tell you not much has changed and that is a good thing.
It’s a simple motel with a great price and a million-​dollar view. Everything is clean and comfy. The breakfast is nice and satisfying. The experience is exceptional from check-​in-​to check-​out.
Overall, I recommend the Dolphin Motel highly. If your looking for a safe, comfortable stay with a cheap price and great view, this place is for you! With the money you’ve saved staying here, I very highly recommend checking out Miguel’s Mexican Food just down the street. Excellent food and great service. Win-​win all the way!!!

I want to start off by saying this place is dirt cheap. You won’t find a cheaper place to stay in this area without bed bugs or rude people.
Pros:
Right on the harbor
Nice part of town
Nicest staff I have ever experienced
Free WiFi
Free parking
Free breakfast
Clean
Fridge in the room
Super cheap
Cons:
Thin walls
Small
Some imperfect finishings
Overall this isn’t the nicest looking motel you will find but it is the best bang for the buck and has outstanding customer service. I cannot emphasize how caring the staff is and how helpful they are. We asked the front desk guy if he could recommend a good restaurant and he was nice enough to pull up some options on his computer and then offered to write down the driving directions. In the morning we were leaving on our bikes and the staff asked if we wanted waters and snacks to take with us. When we checked out we were asked about our stay and if they’re was anything they could have done to make it better. Then they gave us more water for the road.
Love the service!!!

The Dolphin was just what we needed for the last two nights of our epic San Diego/​Vegas vacation. The funds were running low, we were exhausted from walking around Vegas, and we just wanted to chill in an affordable little «mom and pop» while we enjoyed a couple of more days in sunny SD. The Dolphin definitely fit the bill. It sits in the Point Loma area among bigger name hotels (in fact, it’s right between a Ramada and a Comfort Inn); the building was clearly built in a different era, but that’s part of its charm. The family that owns the Dolphin takes obvious pride in their property, and have managed to keep it up well without losing its kitsch or venturing into the territory of becoming a trendy/​boutique hotel.
We first checked in at the front desk and were greeted by Thomas, who gave us a couple of free sodas and a set of room keys (yes, actual keys). He was very welcoming and accommodating. We proceeded to our room, yes it was tiny but had everything we needed — there was a queen bed, small closet, ¾ bathroom, and lots of storage. And best of all it was impeccably clean, with a crisp white-​on-​white color scheme, plenty of towels, and a flat-​screen TV on the wall. We were tired so we sat on the little porch outside of our room and enjoyed a pizza, some beer, and a game of cards before we turned in. The next morning we enjoyed their continental breakfast, again on the patio, and chatted with their super nice housekeeper, Judy, who talked about what a great family this is to work for. We even met the owner, who asked how our stay was — always nice to have a personal touch.
Of the six hotels we stayed in on this trip, the Dolphin was the only one with wi-​fi that actually worked! They also had free parking, and were in a safe neighborhood yet only a few minutes drive from everywhere (including Stone Brewing World at Liberty Station, and the awesome Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle — two of our favorite stops on the trip). For more traditional fare, there is a Denny’s and a couple of fast food places up the street.

Nous avons choisi le Dolphin motel principalement en raison des excellentes critiques à son égard. C’était notre première visite à San Diego.
Dans l’ensemble, nous avons bien apprécié l’endroit.
Point positif:
— Emplacement plutôt calme.
— À proximité des transports en commun.
— Accueil et service chaleureux.
— Stationnement gratuit.
— Propreté des chambres et des lieux en général.
— WiFi rapide et gratuit.
Points négatifs:
— Un peu trop cher. Né payez pas plus de 90 $/​nuit. Le confort des chambres est rudimentaire.
— Déjeuner inclus? Il n’y a que café, jus d’orange, yogourts et muffins (Style Costco).
— Plutôt éloigné. Voiture presqu’indispensable. Exemple, comptez près d’une heure pour vous rendre à Mission Beach en transport en commun et les autobus cessent de fonctionner tôt.