Best Western Island Palms Hotel & Marina

If you like marinas, you will love this location

Very nice hotel and the friendliest staff. Room was very clean. Beautiful park across the street and a wonderful marina behind the hotel. Would definitely stay here again.

Perfect for our family of 5

We have three small children, ages 10,8, and 5 and brought them to San Diego to see Legoland and the zoo. We were surprised at how convenient the hotel was to all the sites in the area. It is beautifully situated between the bay and the marina. The suite was perfect for our stay (5 nights) with a small kitchen and living room. We loved the heated pool and hot tub and jumped in each evening after our day of sightseeing.

Nice Hotel

My wife and I stayed here just one night because we were leaving on a cruise the next day. But the staff was very nice and we ate breakfast at their restaurant and that was good and affordable. The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. We took a walk and sat by one of their pools but we didn’t get in but the pool and the area around the pool was kept very clean. When we arrived at the airport we called the hotel to have them send a shuttle and the shuttle was there within ten minutes. We also had the shuttle take us to the cruise ship the next day at no extra fee. We will stay here again.

Island Palms

This is a great hotel located on Shelter Island about 10 minutes from the airport.The room was clean, staff was friendly, and the area is close to all the great hot spots that San Diego has to offer. My family has stayed here many times in the past and will definitely be staying here in the future. We love everything about this hotel and the surrounding area and I highly recommend it.

hotel dining

When it takes over two hours for dinner something is wrong. Also to charge five dollars to split a dinner for seniors is not right.

Nice hotel for price

It was a great deal for an overnight in the San DIego area. Never been to Shelter Island, but it proved to be a nice quiet location. Too far from downtown for my preference, although the view of the skyline at night was impressive.

can’t wait to go back

The hotel had a beautiful view of the harbor it was very clean and peacful. Hotel staff was very nice and helpful. my family and i had a perfect vacation. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

the hotel room has two mini frig. and a microwave inside the room if you have kids like i do take some snacks.

Quaint Hotel

What a gem this hotel was! I was so impressed with the cleanliness of the room and the grounds. The location was also fantastic!

Oct. 2009

We will return. Great location. Food was very good at the hotel. Staff very nice. Highly recommend it.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Do the Trolley tour on your first day there and then go back to revisit areas.

worked well for me

i upgraded to the new "casa marina" building. the room was large and very comfortable with a deck overlooking the marina (the other side would have been more interesting but less private). the only food i had here was a snack at the bar so i cannot speak to the quality of the restaraunt. i liked the quiet location. it is nice walking along the water on both sides of the hotel. free parking adds greatly to the value as it is rare in s.d. the pools and hot tubs were not large but very nice and very clean. i agree with others who have written, the walls are thin in this building and you can hear doors slamming very early and very late on a busy weekend.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

i recommend happy hour 4-7 (just 1/4 mile down the street) 1/2 price drinks and what i would call "small plates" of surprisingly wonderful food, also 1/2 price. works as a meal for one with a small appetite. live bands start here at 8.

Absolutely

This was our second stay at the Island Palms and it was better than the first. The rooms are fabulous with incredible views. Service was pleasant and courteous. This is a great value, especially considering what you get. This beats hotel circle anyday. This is worth the effort to make the reservation.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Take advantage of the complimentary bikes and take a ride along San Diego Bay.

great location

great location - close to sea world, gaslamp, old town, beaches within walking distance to parks, fishing pier and marina free parking con - small rooms

fantastic hotel on s.d.’s bay

hotel was very accommadating when we asked to change rooms(at no cost). central local near yachting , oceanside area, close to everything.clean and effecient, could use some updating in lobby. only negative is the restaraunt food was nothing special, but adequate.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

lots of great restaraunts amnd coffee bars nearby in downtown area. good people watching area

Way better then the name

I decided to go cheap for our trip to san diego so I went best western (expecting cheap motel feeling) We got there and were amazed!! It had an awesome porch, great views, the bed was so comfortable, large rooms. Super friendly staff!! I would choose this hotel everytime Im in san diego. Oh and a great location as to being able to get to gas lamp, cruise terminals, airport, zoo, etc.

Great tropical feel and location on Shelter Island, San Diego

My wife and I stayed at the Island Palms for 4 days, 3 nights and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Great location, very relaxing and quiet during the latter part of September. We were sometimes the only ones at poolside. We liked the pool in the older section for it’s tranquil, serene ambiance. Tiki torches are lit at night giving it a balmy polynesian flair. The tropical plants and palm trees make you feel like your at some exotic locale. Both pools have a great marina view with the Pt. Loma hills in the distance. Our room was in the newer section of the resort, the Casa Del Mar building, which had a bay view and I enjoyed watching the ships go by from the balcony. We really enjoyed taking walks along the shoreline which has fire-pits, a small sandy beach, also picnic tables and grass. One night we walked over to the Bali Hai restaurant for dinner, which was very good - the views of the San Diego cityscape at night are incredible. Be sure to reserve a table by the window, very romantic. The hotel has free parking, which is nice, plus free bikes to use to run around Shelter Island. Overall we would go back again, it’s a great value for the money and the room was clean, acceptable and quiet and all the staff pleasant. The weather was also fantastic when we were there, never went above 85 degrees during the day with clear blue skies and slight breezes, typical San Diego weather which is why we love it there.

Right next to the water!

This place is perfect for a nice little getaway. They had everything we needed and more. Looks better in person then in the pictures.

I am ready to go back and I would stay here again

Place was in a great location. Staff was wonderful. Room was fabulous. Excercise room can use a little help but everything else was really nice.

Traveler's tip on dining

There are several really nice choices within walking distance. Everything from Subway to 5 stars.

A few minuses...

The hotel staff members were friendly and very good(particularly a waitress in the restaurant). There were just a few minor issues. The first night I found both my bedside lamps with no working light bulb. Also, there were 2 or 3 large cockroaches that showed up that night. (I never saw them again, but I slept with the bathroom light on every night.) The toilet inefficiently flushed and was very loud.

Very good hotel

It’s a very good hotel to rest, quite place, beautiful view (ocean view room), excellent service and near (5 miles)of local attractions as Sea World, San Diego Zoo, downtown. Good restaurants near by and very comfortable rooms.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Make the reservations in Expedia before you go there. We booked for 2 nights in Expedia but we wanted to stay one more night. The rate the hotel offered for that aditional night was almost 150% of the rate we payed in Expedia. So I recommend to book all your vacations here and save some money.

Very relaxing hotel

I ESPECIALLY LIKED THAT THE ROOM HAD A DOOR GOING OUT INTO THE HALLWAY AND ANOTHER DOOR GOING OUT TO THE PATIO W/CHAIRS OVERLOOKING THE WATER. I THINK THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART. STAFF EXTREMELY NICE AND WOULD DEFINETLY STAY THERE AGAIN AS WELL AS RECOMMEND IT TO OTHER PEOPLE.

The best!

My husband and I recently stayed at the Island Palms over Labor Day weekend and were thoroughly impressed with the staff, the cleanliness and the comfort of the hotel and its amenities. The pool/hot tub area was always clean and had fresh towels available poolside. We were upgraded to a Junior Queen room which was huge and incredibly comfortable. We spent most of our days at Pacific Beach, so rather than dealing with the parking headache that is well known in that area during peak times, we brought our bikes with us and biked over to PB, La Jolla and surrounding areas. It was a great way to see the Beach strip and the biking attitude is very mellow. If you don’t want to bike over the big hill, drive to Ocean Beach and then bike along the boardwalk. I would highly recommend this hotel, great price for the value, you won’t be disappointed!

Great experience.

We had booked the standard room, but were upgraded to a top floor marina view because it was our wedding anniversary. The staff were all friendly and helpful, excellent service, nice clean hotel, lovely room with gorgeous view, great price... i highly recommend this hotel.

Traveler's tip on dining

We found two great restaurants nearby. BALI HAI - Hawaiian cuisine with amazing panoramic views of the marina, and OLD VENICE - romantic little Italian restaurant, cozy with twinkle lights and good music.

Most beautiful room I’ve ever stayed in.

This stay was for our wedding night before we flew off on our honeymoon. It was a beautiful room in their new Casa Marina building. They put us on the second floor with a patio and view. The bathroom alone was gorgeous! Big screen tv and great beds. We also ordered room service that night which was delicious and reasonably priced. In the morning, we took a stroll along the water and had a great breakfast at their Blue Wave Bar and Grill (where their room service food comes from). Delicious breakfast! If I had known how lovely the room would be, I probably would have stayed another night and brought my bathing suit, too. I would definitely recommend this hotel in this location!!!

Lovely Location, pleasant rooms

Likes: Wonderful pool and tiki bar. Location on Shelter Island is very pretty. Lots of dining options close by. Big Screen LCD TV! Each room has an outdoor patio. Feels like a vacation resort while still in the city. Dislikes: Marina foot traffic (not bad, but noticable) Summary: Our family of four had a lovely stay at this hotel. It would be our first choice for a future visit to San Diego.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Sea World is expensive, but totally worth it. Shop online for tickets beforehand to save yourself up to 50%. Legoland is OK, but really pale in comparison to Sea World.

Will Definitely Stay Again

Every aspect of this hotel is first rate. The rooms, the staff, the location, all made this a wonderful experience