On the beach

Reviews of Diamond Head Inn

2.5 out of 5
Diamond Head Inn
605 Diamond St, San Diego, CA

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 187 out of 494 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 142 out of 494 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 71 out of 494 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 55 out of 494 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 39 out of 494 reviews" "

8.0/10

Cleanliness

7.8/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Nathalie

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Angela

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We were upgraded to an ocean view room with a balcony for our honeymoon and it was perfect!! We will definitely be coming back. Perfect location easy access to everything.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2024
Response from Jim on Mar 27, 2024
Congratulations to you two! We are happy you chose to stay with us for your honeymoon and look forward to seeing you again.

6/10 Okay

Joanne, Mississauga

Traveled with family
Disliked: Staff & service
It did not indicate anywhere in the booking that I would need to check in at another hotel down the street. There was no one at the hotel except a note on the door with directions to the other hotel. The facilities were ok. Limited parking. I had an unpleasant incident upon check out with a very confrontational cleaning staff. I did share my feedback at the reception which they were apologetic but it was uncalled for.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Jim on Mar 27, 2024
I am very sorry for the incident involving my cleaning staff. I am not sure what this was, but there is never a reason for something like that. After reading your message, I did check the Expedia site and our instructions are not listed on where to check in. Unfortunately, this had been missed as the other sites do give those directions. We certainly do not want to inconvenience our guests while checking in, so thank you for mentioning this. We do hope you will consider us again.

4/10 Poor

Alexandra

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is not safe. The doors are hard to shut and are questionable. Someone tried using a paper clip to get into my room.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from Jim on Mar 27, 2024
I am very sorry your door needed adjustments. However, our lock system is very new and very difficult to bypass. As locks go, we have ensured a very safe product. Thank you for trying us.

4/10 Poor

Jeanette

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The staff were great, but check-in was a bit of a hassle. You have to check in at another hotel two blocks away before getting your room. There didn't seem to be any available parking spots so that might be something to consider. If you're walking, especially at night, it's not ideal because the streets between the hotels are poorly lit. The first room we got had a broken AC and a strange smell. We called the front desk, but because maintenance wasn't available, we were given the option to change rooms. However we had to walk back to the first hotel to get the keys. The new room was fine though, quiet and everything worked.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Jim on Mar 6, 2024
We do apologize for the a/c issue and if parking cannot be found there, we always offer complimentary parking at our two other properties. Thank you for staying with us.

10/10 Excellent

Trevor

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Superb property and clean. Very convenient location
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024
Response from Jim on Mar 6, 2024
Thank you for your nice words and great review. We hope to see you again soon.

8/10 Good

Noel Joe

Traveled with family and small children
Homeless people on motor homes in the area
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Jim on Feb 8, 2024
Unfortunately, sometimes the beach parking area across from us can get RVs at times. The good news is that there is strret sweeping almost every night so the vehicles should not remain the entire night. We hope you enjoyed your ocean view room, and we thank you for staying with us!

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It’s on the beach
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Jim on Feb 8, 2024
Almost right on! We thank you for your awesome review! And, we do hope you will choose to stay with us again soon.

8/10 Good

Anthony

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice clean place parking can be a challange would stay again
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Jim on Jan 18, 2024
Please remember that we always offer complimentary parking at our two sister properties as well. We look forward to your next stay, and thank you very much for your great review!

2/10 Terrible

Lynne, Middleton

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Bicycles stolen from parking lot. No security cameras on premises.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Jim on Jan 18, 2024
I am very sorry that your bikes were taken. Unfortunately, leaving bikes outside at the beach is never a good idea. Thank you very much for trying us. And, if you ever decide to choose to stay with us again, we strongly recommend keeping your bikes with you in your guestroom.

10/10 Excellent

Colin

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Jim on Jan 18, 2024
Thank you very much for your excellent review! We look forward to your next visit with us.

4/10 Poor

Collin, Vernon

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We liked the property because it was close to the beach. The room was refreshing. We did not like the fact that after viewing the continental breakfast on Expedia it did not exist. The only compensation was to come up and grab a piece of fruit at the office two blocks away. The front end staff wanted me to take a picture of the Expedia photo of the wonderful looking breakfast to report it. I find that very odd as they could go into the Expedia app and see for themselves and make the changes. The overcharged me and the dispute to under review right now. And finally, the bathroom faucet was faulty, a repairman was sent to fix it, and it broke again shortly there after.
Response from Jim on Jan 2, 2024
We really appreciate your comments and especially for choosing to stay withy us. We are making adjustments to our sites regarding the breakfast or fruit. I do apologize for that person's reaction and thank you for letting me know. We do hope you will try us again knowing the breakfast will only consist of fruits and in-room coffee and tea.

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stove, fridge and microwave along with kitchen make the difference. Get more than an average hotel room, put your wetsuit on in your room walk 40 m and paddle out.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Jim on Jan 2, 2024
I think you checked out prior to the big waves hitting the coast last week. We want to thank you for choosing to stay with us and for your great review and comments. And, we look forward to your next stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

K

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Jim on Jan 2, 2024
Thank you for your fantastic review and for choosing to stay with us. We'll see you again!

2/10 Terrible

Paul

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Downhill
I used to love this place but it’s gone downhill. First room, the door didn’t work, it could be forced open. Second room had people in it, potentially squatters. We got charged twice. They reversed one charge, but it took almost a week, so we didn’t have access to those funds on our trip. This used to be my favorite spot in PB when visiting San Diego, so I’m definitely bummed.
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Jim on Jan 2, 2024
We are very sorry for the mixup and for the lock. Our locks are less than one year old and have been functioning almost perfectly since the changeover. We do hope you will consider us again the next time and will contact me directly. We of course want to retain you as one of our guests and hope to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Jim on Dec 15, 2023
Thank you for your excellent review and for choosing to stay with us. We look forward to seeing you again. Happy Holidays!

10/10 Excellent

Kimberly, Carlisle

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Just steps away from beach access and beach sidewalk on one, just around the corner to several dining options (maybe 1-2 blocks to Duck Dive, Oscar's, Taco Surf, Drift Cafe) Room was clean, felt secure. Currently office is located 1 block north, but easy to park and walk 1 block to check in.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Jim on Dec 15, 2023
These are some of the many nice choices there are to eat and relax in the local area. It sounds like you had a nice time while staying with us. We do hope you choose to stay with us again. Thank you very much for your great review. And, Happy Holidays!

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent property close to main beach - steps down to beach less than 200m away. Room was clean and modern, equipped with everything needed for a short or longer stay. Reception for the Inn is actually at PB hotel just a block or so north. Would recommend!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 22, 2023
Thank you for your nice comments and for your excellent review. We hope you will choose to stay with us again soon.

4/10 Poor

Carrie

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Not as expected
No parking, 2 towels, 2 pillows, smallest tv ever, no front desk, no ice machine, no 9ne around to ask for extra pillows and towels
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
Thank you for trying us. It is true that we do not have a front desk open at this property. But, we are always available at our sister property for any request you may have. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this had caused.

2/10 Terrible

Veronica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
We do thank you for trying us, and we especially apologize for your overall experience. Perhaps you will consider us again.

6/10 Okay

Juan

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No Main Office At Hotel
My overall stay was ok. I can't believe that this Inn does not have an office on site and walking to another hotel site to check in is not convenient at all! Tha parking is horrible, only like 5 spots reserved for the Inn. The traffic of people late at night and early in the morning is also not great when you are trying to get some sleep. The beach parking lot right across the street closes at 12a.m. so there will be people up that late passing by the rooms and making noise. Although the room I received as an upgrade was nice, the ability to get rest was not good at all.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
We do appreciate your comments and do apologize for the office closure. We always offer complimentary parking at our sister properties in the case there are no spaces available. We do hope you will consider us again.

6/10 Okay

Micaela

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The location itself was nice because it was right by the beach. The beds were uncomfortable, super springy only 2 pillows. Lights outside are on and shine through shutters at night. Constant yelling and screaming at night/morning. If no parking was available on property you had to park at a ‘sister’ property.
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
We do always offer complimentary parking at our sister properties, and do realize that doesn't always work. We are very sorry for your experience while staying with us and do thank you for choosing to try us.

10/10 Excellent

Ronald

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
Thank you very much for your excellent review and we hope to see you again soon!

8/10 Good

Ignacio

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very big, nice for long stays. The only things I didn't like: AC units are a little noisy, and wifi sucks. It is fast but only 2 devices and disconnects after inactivity and you have to login again with user and password everytime. The other thing is a little complicated but were able to solve is parking.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
It sounds like you did work around the parking. Please remember that we always offer complimentary parking. We are still working on WiFi improvements. Hopefully, there will be no need to login again after it times out. Also, please note that we do not have an actual limit for devices, it's just our pases indicate two devices. If needed, you just ask for an additional pass. We hope to see you again.

8/10 Good

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Amenities
Really cute place. Clean, close to beach, and priced fairly. The website claims a heated pool and laundry on-site, however that's not true. You have to walk about 1.5 blocks away to their other hotel to access these. To check-in you'd have to go to their other place to do that as well. The Diamond Head Inn is a small, no amenities inn. No big deal if you simply want close access to the beach and shops. I'll be back for sure :)
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 1, 2023
Thank you for you comments and for staying with us. I just searched the Expedia site for the amenities and could not locate the wording for on-site. I know I had the on-site wording removed a while back because it is a shared amenity and not on-site like you said. We always appreciate your feedback and definitely look forward to your next stay with us.

8/10 Good

Nikki

Traveled with partner, Traveled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The gal at the front desk was super friendly and helpful. The hotel is steps from the ocean. However, be mindful walking around the area at night. On a busy night, I can see how parking could be a struggle.. also, our bathroom had a strong moldy smell, and our toilet got backed up pretty quick. We didn’t call for a fix because the front desk staff is down the street at a sister hotel. That could’ve been our mistake based on an assumption. I’d definitely stay here again.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 1, 2023
Thank you for staying with us. If you have an issue during alomsot any time of the day until about 10:00 PM, our service should be fairly quick. We are sorry for the inconvenience this created. We do look forward to your next visit.

10/10 Excellent

Sandra

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 1, 2023
Thank you very much for your excellent review! We hope to see you again very soon!

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Location, Location, Location!
Postive: Great location and plenty of room inside. Includes refrigerator, microwave and 2-burner stove. Clean except for the floor a little dirty. Negative: Dated, no breakfast included, and parking spaces limited. Had to keep calling partner hotel to get alternate IDs and Passwords in order to get connected to WiFi. Worst part: had to walk a block & a half to check in at a partner hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Oct 18, 2023
Thank you very much for your comments and for choosing to stay with us. We do apologize for the lobby being closed and for the inconvenience. We have just rewired our location with fiber optic cabling and are working towards a much upgraded WiFi system to go with it. We do not normally have issues, but we do have a demand for more speed. We hope you will decide to try us again the next time you are in the PB area.

8/10 Good

James

Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
Thank you very much for staying with us and for your nice review as well. We do hope to see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Traci

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Jim on Nov 20, 2023
Thank you for leaving a great review! And, we look forward to your next stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Oct 18, 2023
Thank you very much for your fantastic review! We'll see you again!

6/10 Okay

Allison

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service
Pros: beach access, price, walkability Cons: check in process (total nightmare, we were sent away for an hour while the manager waited to talk to Expedia on the phone), staff availability and helpfulness, many items nonfunctional (lights, damaged AC, etc), items left there from previous tenant (dirty towels, trash), main office was not located in the building and that was never communicated to us, no confirmation email (when I mentioned that during checkin, the front desk worker said “oh yeah, we don’t do check ins”)
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Oct 18, 2023
I am truly sorry for your entire experience while staying with us. We have been having issues with confirmations from our own website and have been working at getting that link repaired. I do apologize for the cleanliness issues as well and have met with my housekeeping staff in regard to this specifically. Thank you for trying us. We do hope you will consider us again. If so, please let me know you are coming.

10/10 Excellent

Leah

Business traveler, Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Definitely worth it
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Jim on Oct 18, 2023
We appreciate your great review and welcome you back anytime!

10/10 Excellent

Alma

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Jim on Oct 18, 2023
Thank you very much for your excellent review! We look forward to your next stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

Alma

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Had an excellent stay. Easy to get to.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Jim on Oct 3, 2023
We are very happy to hear that your stay was excellent! We look forward to your next stay with us and thank you for your awesome review!

2/10 Terrible

Marcos

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Hot not AC working
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 25, 2023
We apologize for the a/c not working. Until four years ago, there was never a/c at our property. Thank you for trying us.

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 25, 2023
Thank you for your excellent review. We look forward to your next stay with us!

4/10 Poor

Carol

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 25, 2023
We are sorry your experince whild staying with us was not what you were expecting. Thank you very much for trying us.

4/10 Poor

Shaynte

Traveled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Poor upgrades. Location was okay because it wa son the beach. Mildew/mold smell was very strong in the hotel.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 4, 2023
I am very sorry for the room. We just had that room carpet cleaned and unfortunately left a smell behind. We do hope you will consider us again.

10/10 Excellent

Sandra

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I was very impressed by this hotel and I am so glad that I booked it. I especially would like to say thank you to the girl who checked me in, Vavila, she made it a very pleasant experience and gave me a wonderful room. =) I definitely would like to stay here again. It can be a little hard to find parking, like some people are writing in their reviews, but the staff where you check in at the sister hotel did their best to help and they have more parking at the two sister hotels which are both a short walk away. Street parking is possible too. The location is perfect, right by the beach and walkable. They are pet friendly but be aware that they do charge an extra fee. I can recommend this hotel.
Response from Jim on Sep 4, 2023
We really appreciate your nice and informative comments and are very glad you decided to give us a try. We look forward to your next stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

Ryan

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 4, 2023
Thank you very much for your comment and your fantastic review! We'll see you again.

8/10 Good

Patricia

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It was wonderful how close we were to eating and the beach. Wish the a/c unit wasn’t so loud (had three speeds but only one speed worked). More than one towel and one pillow per guest would have been nice.
Response from Jim on Sep 1, 2023
I am very sorry about the linens. Our standard it much more than what you received. We do hope to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Try it you’ll like it.
The balcony room facing the ocean was worth the money. Sit on the balcony and watch the show pass by. The kitchenette was convenient. Only drawback was parking. Be prepared to have to park off property and walk.
Balcony view
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 1, 2023
Thank you for the great review and comments. We do offer complimentary parking at our two sister properties. Nice pic as well! We'll see you again.

8/10 Good

Lori

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 1, 2023
Thank you very much for your nice review. We hope you will choose to stay with us again the next time.

2/10 Terrible

danny

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 1, 2023
I am very sorry for your experience while staying with us. Thank you very much for staying with us.

4/10 Poor

Lance

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Ewwww. I knew I was in trouble when I arrived to find no place to park and and hand written sign stuck on a dirty window instructing me to go to another hotel to check in. The other hotel, The PB Surfside Inn, was a horrible hotel I had stayed at about a year ago and demanded my money back it was so gross. Employees were nice, but it’s obvious the management does not care at all about their properties. Dirty and gross. Cigarettes and filthy hallways greet you as you exit your room. Horrible parking situation and the check in process was a pain in the ass. The positives; it’s right on the beach. Will never stay at this or any of their properties again. Much better options for the same price. I left a night early as I just didn’t want to stay there another night.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Jim on Aug 2, 2023
I am very sorry for your experience while staying with us. Parking has always been an issue, ans that's why we have also always offered complimentary parking at both of our sister properties. We absolutely do care about our property, as it was fully renovated two years ago. We will finally be able to reopen our lobby this moth and we do apologize for the inconvenience of checking in at our sister property. Thank you for your comments.

8/10 Good

Mrs. Debra

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
They need to use liquid plumber in the bathroom sink, they need a new microwave, they need 2 burners that actually work.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Jim on Jul 31, 2023
Thank you for your comments. I am very sorry the burners were not functioning, and will change out the microwave. We hope to see you again!

4/10 Poor

John

Traveled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The highlight of this property is the close proximity to the beach. If this is the biggest priority for you and you want something that is (relatively) affordable, this could be the place for you. Otherwise, be warned that the office is not on-site so you have to walk a block north to check in, parking is horrible so you will, once again, have to park a block or two away, and the room, my room at least, was clean but, to put it nicely, unconventional. The hair dryer was in the bedroom dresser drawer, I had to stand on top of the bed to turn the AC on and off, and one of the few windows that would open properly looked out to a dumpster and a homeless person. It looks like they recently remodeled so they are on the right track but definitely temper your expectations and know what you are getting into.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Jim on Jul 27, 2023
Thank you for trying us. Yes, we have recently renovated and because of the layout of the bathroom, we have a few rooms with hair dryers in the bedroom dresser. We are very sorry for the inconvenience. The other issues are being addressed and I do hope most of them have already been taken care of. Thank you again for your review.

10/10 Excellent

Kendall, Apache Junction

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location. Only gripe is when I informed 2 office clerks that someone was parking taking two spots (when parking is already scarce) they just shrugged and took no action.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Jim on Jul 27, 2023
I am very sorry for their reaction to your concern. Parking is scarce, so we normally only allow one car per guest room. The exception would be when we are slower, and if they have more than one room. Thank you very much for your excellent review and we look forward to your next stay!

6/10 Okay

shawna

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Jim on Sep 1, 2023
We hope you will consider staying with us again. Thank you for trying us.