Looked for a place to book because I had Juneteenth off work and decided to take Friday off and make it a Juneteenth staycation getaway not too far from home. The handful of cute inn/motor home vibe places I wanted steps from the beach were all booked up, so I did a Hail Mary and relied on Yelp to find this place. There are 2 yelp profiles for this place, assumably because they just updated it about 3 years ago so the profile with lower reviews isn't an accurate depiction of this place. 1. Booking - Easy peasy. I found this place and went to the direct link off yelp to their basic looking web site and entered my card info. No charges or holds as said on Yelp, until the day I checked in. 3 nights for $506.40 - no deposits or holds. Got a confirmation email once I paid when I got there, but a confirmation email once I booked would've been helpful to know that I actually booked it. Got a text reminder the day before and day off asking for my ETA, which was at 21:00. Service was friendly. The reviewer elsewhere on Yelp that commented on the Indian woman's command of the English language is clearly racist, because she's fluent and her accent is nothing short of straight Californian so I was pleased. She also informed us of the wifi info behind our door upon check-in. Would've been nice if they started up the AC or fan before we got there so it wouldn't be so stuffy once we got in. Will update once we check out but wanted to document initial impressions. 2. Room - Basic, clean, tastefully decorated. Updated for sure. Has what you need: mini fridge, glass door standing shower with decent (not great) water pressure and updated system. I liked that the shower head is detachable and is magnetic to reattach for those who don't want to rinse hair but want to wash off from neck down. Dispenser in shower has a decent supply of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Both sides of bed have outlet but only one side has USB ports for charging. Mini fridge, no microwave, metal rack no closet with 2 hangers. We used the rack for holding the pack of bottled waters I brought for the trip. No need to hang anything because we weren't here for any formal event but I can see that as a possible issue. There's a flatscreen TV, though I don't watch TV. My first of 2 gripes here is the lack of towels. You get for the single room 2 bath towels, 4 face towels and 1 hand towel to share. You don't even get your own hand towel I guess. No mat to step out of the shower on, which to me, is a liability for the schmucks who can slip and fall out of the shower. And I'm alluding to my next door neighbors, which I'll get to in a sec. 3. Noise Level - this is where I want to knock another star off but won't because the only way you can control the ilk of clientele is pricing. It's off the street so you can hear cars which isn't a big deal to me but the raspy bitch (henceforth "RB" for short) next door is a downer. 4:30AM and I hear a voice in the distance say she's "going to call the sheriff." Then I hear a voice so close she could be outside my room respond, "Go ahead, call the sheriff", as she went on her hoarse, three-minute phallic, expletive laden diatribe. Initially I thought she was in a drunken stupor as to be expected at 4:30AM, but soon realized her annunciation of every syllable with such lucid clarity was indeed that of someone straight cray, which to me, is far scarier. Not sure if she is in the same room as the 2 guys with heavy southern accents but wouldn't be surprised. I turned to the bf, apologizing for booking a room with the RB next door. Bless him, he pats my hand and gently responds with loving words, "it's okay, there will always be a raspy bitch." I'll see if I can get another towel later for the shower floor but so far, not bad if you don't care to shell out $$$ for the ritz if your goal is to explore the area and not be in your room for anything more than sleep. read more

Calafia Inn - I gather this steep fine on face towels is an attempt to avoid this place being used as a place of business for wayward trollops - Hotels Near Me - San Clemente, California

See all

We stayed for two nights and will definitely stay again. The hotel was very clean, and the bed was comfortable. Nothing fancy but was very cute and beach themed. Joyce was very nice and helpful. read more

Classic beachy motel, nicely updated and impeccably clean (so you might want to ignore older reviews). They had everything you might need, either in the room or in an available kitchen. The proprietors were friendly and helpful. I usually stay at higher end places, but I would definitely stay here again. The only improvement I might make is adding a couple more pillows to the beds. read more

I want to make these few points: 1. - ALL of the bad reviews are from BEFORE this place was remodeled. I feel so sorry for the family that owns this and takes such good, loving care of the property and rooms. If you are looking for a 5 star hotel, then stay at a 5 star hotel. But if you want a safe and clean place at a really good price, this is my recommendation. 2. - In response to a former comment on here: If a family lives at the property it does not mean they are cheap. It means they are here and available to help their guests. I stayed here and the owner was so nice over the phone while booking it, that I added a second room for my daughter and son-in-law to come stay. A motel usually provides really bad amenities (soap, etc). But this place is special. I mean, when is the last time you stayed at a motel and they provided you will all kinds of wonderful samples like Elderberry Gummies for your health? And guess what? Nothing is a problem. They are here to take care of us. If you are looking for safe and clean accommodations at a more than fair price, personalized by people who enjoy you staying with them? Then THIS is the place for you! We will all be back for sure! Best, Chef Marian read more

hellhole. Never again . Rudest owners ever. They tried to cheat us with a $300 deposit... yet everyone else paid $100 Go elsewhere. read more

We had such a great experience here this weekend. The staff went above and beyond for a couple of requests we asked for to help with our schedule. They were so sweet. The personal service makes this boutique "mom & pop" inn feel like home. Many thanks. read more

DO NOT STAY HERE! You'd have better comfort and safety for a similar price point at a Motel 6, don't let the cute aesthetics fool you. There was NO DEADBOLT on the front door of my room, the flimsy handle lock just pushes in and twists, didn't have a reinforcement chain or anything, and I'm not even 100% sure the door actually closed all the way. My room was right on the street, so this is absolutely unacceptable! If it weren't for the fact that I needed a cheap room on an hours notice I wouldn't have even considered this place for that detail alone. The supposedly included WiFi does not work at all. The walls are paper thin. The shower has black mold all over the place and the floors were covered in black grime that came off onto the floor towel just after stepping onto it with wet feet! The toilet doesn't flush unless you hold the handle down the entire time, and even then it's weak. There were towels provided, but you might as well have used toilet paper to dry yourself. The heater is just sad. The only upsides to the condition of the room were that I didn't find any bugs and the decor was pretty cute (but obviously a distraction). I knew this wasn't going to be a stay at the Hilton going into this, BUT PUT A FREAKING SECURE AND FUNCTIONAL LOCK ON ALL OF YOUR DOORS. AND CLEAN THE EFFING PLACE. That is an absolute MUST in the hotel industry; the owner must be an idiot if he thinks that's okay! read more

Calafia Inn - Good to know they clean the place!!! /s - Hotels Near Me - San Clemente, California

See all

Very clean, let us check in early for a small fee, super friendly owners which unfortunately is hard to find these days. Would definitely stay again! read more

A little dated- but overall was an enjoyable stay for the weekend. The staff are friendly. One of the other guests had a loud dog that would constantly bark which was annoying especially in the early morning hours . For being so close to the beach & affordable it is a good option to stay here . read more

Super cute stay here! Unfortunately the bathroom window is screwed open and the screen is barely attached. I'm a little worried of some animal or even a person coming through in the night. The door locks, the air conditioner works well, and the lamps here work great. The shower was very tricky to operate and didn't have a wide range of temperatures. read more

Calafia Inn - Interior of room - Hotels Near Me - San Clemente, California

See all

I read the reviews, good and bad, but like with most places, I wanted to give this place a try. We stayed here only for one night and were completely satisfied. From the time I spoke with Joyce over the phone when reserving the room, to check-in, to our departure, she and Dave were very polite. She mentioned to me that they've been renovating the rooms. To my relief, especially with this heat, I noticed all rooms had an a.c. unit. Someone previously posted that there were only ceiling fans. Also, I don't know if they had carpet before, but she said the rooms have new flooring. Which is actually nice since tile floors are a lot cleaner than smelly, stained (of who knows what) carpet. The manager said, the next few things to be replaced are the mattresses and doors that use the room key to open. Most travelers do this anyways, but make sure to bring your own toiletries. My hubby forgot his shampoo and had to use theirs. Their items could be upgraded a bit, but that's no biggy. Our room had a nice, large flat screen, a larger than usual fridge with freezer. No microwave, hair-dryer, iron or board. I don't know if you could call request that? We didn't need it anyways. Overall, I would definitely stay here again. I hope that our next experience will be this nice :) read more

See all

I had a bad experience at another hotel (was given a dirty room) and tried to stay here last minute. It was 10pm, I called ahead before showing up. An Indian couple answered the phone and said yes have availability. When I arrived this was just one person no pets or kids. The Indian couple asked me 4 times in a row "do you have guests with you" I stated no not this trip it's just one person. They asked 3 more times if I had guests coming late because they have cameras and they will know. The 5th and 6th time the Indian woman (maybe 45 years old) started to raise her voice at me. I said I'm not interested in staying here. I don't know if you guys speak English or not. It's very late I don't have any guests coming tonight and I told you that. I also told you that on the phone. Save yourself a headache and do not stop here. read more

This place is a bloody nightmare! The deceiving pictures they show on their website are miss leading enough to get fined by the FTC for false advertising. With an overwhelming stench of curry the moment I opened the office door I knew I was in trouble. If people actually live at their horrific motel it's a guarantee they're cheap. You're probably thinking what's wrong with this place? I'm not sure where to start but here we go... Upon arriving you really get to see this place and you realize how ghetto it is. There are a few ghetto motels in this area but this is by far the worst one we have been to in San Clemente. Even though I had pre-paid for my room the first thing the guy did when I walked in the office was bill my credit card $50 before I even saw the room. Pissed me off! I Pre-paid for my stay and they charge me a $50 deposit on a motel room that couldn't of had more than $20 worth of value in it? They should've paid "me" $50 for staying here to cover the PTSD and counseling I'm going to need!!!! The rooms are the size of jail cells. They have no ice machine. They have no soda machine. The toilet leaked constantly and flushed every 30 minutes. We had 30 stuffed trash bags just outside our bathroom window in back of our room. This seemed pervertedly strange considering every time my girlfriend took a shower the owner seemed to have to drop a trash bag off behind the bathroom window. Hmmmmmm? Don't plan on getting any rest because it sounds like a preschool out front of your room because the owners children scream all day out front. The broken washing machine is still outside of room 12 that a previous disgruntled customer mentioned from over three weeks ago. They don't have microwaves in the rooms just a smelly disgusting community broken down $29 piece of Walmart crap for you to try to heat something in. There are no phones in the rooms. Why they say The Inn "at Califia beach" is beyond me because the ocean is nowhere in sight, only a road in front of it that sounds like the 5 freeway. They supply two towels that are stained with blood and other various things that I wouldn't even dry my pets off with. By the way, I asked for an extra towel and the guy looked at me like I wanted his first born child or something. Remember... "Cheap". They refused to take the plastic cover off of the Low budget mattress which causes you to sweat and stick to the bed when you're trying to sleep. Needless to say after two nights on this mattress I've already made an appointment with my chiropractor because my sciatica is on fire. Cheap! The room was filthy and it turned my feet black whenever I walked on it with bare feet. There were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and dirt caked on the baseboards of every inch of the room. The blanket on the bed had not been washed in a month or more. We had a useless table and chairs that were actually slotted lounge chairs (totally uncomfortable and for outside use) it looked like they grabbed them from a garage sale with a "for free" sign on them. CHEAP!!!!! We both were being bitten by all sorts of insects which I hope to God were not bedbugs. Because of how filthy this room was my girlfriend is suffering massive allergy reactions which leads me to believe that there is a black mold issue. My room was so disgustingly filthy I was flabbergasted when I saw a stained old envelope that in borderline illegible writing said "tips for maids". I thought to myself tips? Here's a tip, rent a bulldozer and mow this ghetto pathetic excuse for a motel to the ground and build a real motel. As I was so shocked at how horrible this place I read a little history on it. In 2010 there was a surfing competition of which Nike sponsored and refurbished this entire hotel for the competitors and filming purposes. In eight years of laziness these fools have let this place turn into a rat hole. My advice is pay the $30 or $40 more per night and stay at a legitimate motel because you'll regret staying at this cockroach den. Normally when you visit a quaint beach town and stay at a motel you're upset when you have to leave. At the Califia inn at the beach you can't wait to get out. Just be sure you get your $50 deposit refunded because I'm sure they'll keep it if you don't demand them to take it off the day you leave. We tried getting our money back in the beginning of our stay to no avail so we unfortunately had to stick it out. How can they call this place an "Inn" when you can't wait to get "Out". Avoid this place like the plague!!!! read more

See all

This place is horrible. The owners are the rudest people I have ever seen run a business in San Clemente. My friend checked in here today from out of town and the hotel was completely empty. They charge $160.00 for a tiny room . There is no microwave or coffee maker. There was only a small towel in the room. When I got off work I came to visit my childhood friend here and welcome them back home to town. As we were getting in my vehicle to go grab a bite to eat, the owner came out screaming at us saying that if we leave and come back they will call the cops for being a nuisance. I had just got there! I was in shock. She said they were trying to sleep and the owners got up and worked early assuming we didn't work? I was thinking "well so do we " not quite understanding what her point and anger was for.. She was a completely angry ,aggressive ,rude and loud mouthed lady. We couldn't believe what was happening and were like huh? What has just happened here? We were not loud , we were simply talking and laughing while getting into my vehicle. I have never seen anyone give this kind of treatment to their customers. She treated us like we were some loud drunken hoodlums. To spend that kind of money and be treated so poorly is frustrating. Next time we will stay within our towns people and culture. Today this place is almost completely empty except for another room. To be told we were a problem for checking in to our room room and later leaving to go get food at 9:00 pm is crazy. To even be told we can't go in and out even for our first time. Crazy! The place is dirty and pretty much just an empty room with a bed, dresser, and tv. Shame on us for pulling in and even considering such a arm pit. Don't waste your money. Not an enjoyable experience at all. Don't waste your money because the place is a complete trashy dump and the owners are miserable unhappy people who can't stand white people. read more

I purchased a Living Social deal to stay at this Inn / Motel. I purchased a 2-night stay for $78.00 which is a deal that cannot be beat. With my room purchase came a bottle of wine that I told the staff to give to someone else who might drink it. I love San Clemente and it's accessibility to local surfing spots (i.e. Trestles, T-Street, Cottons, San Clemente Pier & of course San-O). The Inn at Calafia Beach is conveniently located to all the above mentioned surfing spots and I did my best to hit several, several times!!! I arrived and checked in with no problems. The staff on site is friendly, knowledgeable about the local community, restaurants and of course surfing spots. As for the Inn itself I found it to be nice. The Inn is wrapped around a little parking lot with a gazebo located in the middle which contains a BBQ for guests. In front of the gazebo is a little lounge chair area where guests can relax and take in some sun while you people watch. I was given the keys to room #9 which had an interesting vibe. Each room has its own little vibe and décor which I found quite nice. I walked into my room and found the only source of air circulation to be a ceiling fan. Lucky for me I read the reviews for this place prior to arriving and discovered none of the rooms had A/C. I am a meticulous planner and brought a tower fan that turns any room into one that feels like the A/C is working and boy is I glad that I did. The day of my arrival was the start of the massive heat wave & San Diego wildfire's and I needed that fan in my room. Even with the Wildfire's in the area I opened my front window & the rear bathroom window and I was fine=) I found the room to be nice. I found the room to be clean. I found the bed to comfortable. This place is no way shape or form is the Ritz but for $78.00 for 2-nights I wasn't expecting that either. I had everything I needed, a place to store my surfboard, a place to shower w/ hot water, a place to sleep, a cold refrigerator, free Wi-Fi, an alarm clock for dawn patrol wakeup hours and a flat screen TV that had ESPN & HBO=) During my visit I ventured out of my room several times just to mingle and talk with the other guests staying at the Inn and everyone had the same chilled beach vibe. Everyone seemed to have a story about surfing in the area for years and some gave me some tips on spots only locals know about. The Inn at Calafia Beach is located within walking distance of several restaurants, a Ralph's supermarket, several surf shops, several coffee house and of course the World Famous Pedro's Taco's (if you surf the area you know Pedro's). This Inn is easily accessible to the 5 freeway and only a short distance away from San Diego. I found my time here to be relaxing, peaceful & quiet and so glad that I purchased this deal. If and when I see another deal for this Inn I would without a doubt stay here again, I think this time around I would plan my visit around it being a little cooler outside though=) read more

See all

I could go on and on about how poorly maintained this place is but life is too short, so I'll keep this relatively short. This place could be really nice but it seems like the owners don't really care about hospitality or cleanliness. The pictures are misleading about the size of the rooms, they are TINY. I can't recommend this place to anyone. See attached pictures. read more

See all

I needed to stay somewhere with my two dogs while they were tenting my apartment for termites. The thing is, I had to bring my dogs and I'm a remote worker. Lots of deal breakers. The rate was so good, I didn't believe it. So I drove down, went to the office, and talked to Dave. Dave was really kind and gave me a great room. He showed me the room, where I could park, and where I could take the dogs out to potty. Joyce was also really nice and accommodating. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The room was basic, but that's all I needed. It was new, clean, and I felt comfortable and welcome. read more

See all

Wasn't sure what to expect, read the reviews, some good, some bad. This was my experience. Simply said, I love it! It's cozy, nicely decorated & most of all, clean. The staff is friendly and the little courtyard area is a nice place to relax. You can hear the traffic, but I didn't find it too much of a bother. Well...that was my experience anyway. read more

Calafia Inn - Gem - Hotels Near Me - San Clemente, California

See all

Cons- No lights. Actually. No lights. So just three lamps which give out a glow at best. Towels. we had to beg for more towels. For four people. We originally had two. In a four person room. Plus the towels were the size of face cloths. We had a superior room which had two double beds. Two couples. And we were only allowed ONE KEY. so we had to be together at all times or disturb each other at all times. The shower SOAKED the entire tiny bathroom with a very weak, broken old shower head. It just... spat out a tiny pith of lukewarm water. Awful. We decided not to have our room serviced in between our two nights. Due to the fact that we saw other rooms being cleaned. And by cleaned, I mean, the beds were being sprayed with AIR FRESHENER. Absolutely disgusting. I choked just from the outside. WORST OF ALL. upon getting home, I have been charged an extra amount because of how we left the room??!!! WHAT. apparently left dirty towels. According to an email. If you don't want us to leave trash in our room, perhaps have a recycling unit. Just because we shared a six pack in the room over the weekend and placed them in the bin when empty... YOU ARE A MOTEL IN A BEACH TOWN. PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING THROUGH AND ARE MOSTLY ON VACATION. Having worked in hospitality for 16 years, I have to say I am appalled. I would NEVER leave a hotel room in such disarray to be charged an additional amount. Totally offended. The cheapest place in town, and in a great location. But try not to use the towels or have a drink. Laughable. read more

This inn was emaculant With Nike redid it for the Hurley surf contest. It has gone so downhill do you not stay at this place this place is filthy COVID-19 is going on right now and I spilled something on the floor and I ended up cleaning the whole room it was disgusting if I was ever to get Covid it would be at the inn at at Calafia Beach. I ended up going out trying to find disinfectant spray last night at 11 o'clock at night everything was closed ended up having to buy a six dollar bottle of scrubbing bubbles to ensure my safety in this hotel room. That's after driving three hours. He did nothing to compensate me nothing he told me I should've gone and found another place don't stay here this is the worst place ever!!!!!!' read more

This not a 5 Star Hotel with the stuffy she-she atmosphere, pillowtop mattresses and marble bathrooms! This is a kickback, relaxed 50's Beachy Motel with a great staff! From Dana (who runs the place) to the ladies who clean the rooms; they all seem happy to have you there! And it is Sincere! My family enjoyed our stay there this past weekend and plan on going back and staying in the Zen room this time! I am still recovering from all the red in the Shag room. read more

This place is a hidden gem! My boyfriend and I stayed last weekend and it was pure relaxation. We booked the Shag Room, which based on Dana's description and other reviews, sounded like it would be a kitschy treat. It did not disappoint! We arrived late so Dana was nice enough to have everything in place for a self check-in. When we arrived, I noticed there was a fire pit and tables in the courtyard for people to cook and hang out; we didn't use it but it looked pretty fun. The Shag room was very cool. It had red walls, shag carpet, and lots of kitschy decor such as a huge painting of two dogs that looked over the bed. If this is too much flair for you, I believe there is a Zen room and others that are simpler. Also, in the Shag room, there was a small bonus room that had a bed in it. When Dana described it to me on the phone as small, she wasn't kidding. It is simply a full size bed in a room - that's all; nothing else will fit in there. Just in case you are inviting friends or family to stay with you, let them know! It's comfortable but it's not a separate bedroom; it's simply another bed in a room with a door for privacy. It cannot go unsaid how thoughtful she was to put a bottle of champagne in the fridge and a restaurant gift card in our room, which was part of our reservation package. It was very romantic and the restaurant Beachfire was amazing! I noticed there were board games you could borrow from their office, which is always good fun. I loved how CLEAN the place was. The bathroom and bedroom were spotless. I was very surprised since we didn't expect it from an inn/motel. As other reviews stated, they do not have air conditioning, but the ocean breeze was cool and there was an overhead fan. I felt very comfortable in the room! My only quip is the shower head's water pressure in our bathroom was kind of sharp and old fashion, but it wasn't that big of a deal. The calafia beach is a 15 minute walk (you can also drive), and there are nearby restaurants and cafes you can walk to. Also, there is a 7-Eleven that is almost across the street. This is a fun weekend getaway and it was so relaxing. We drove down to Del Mar street where there are a lot of cute shops and restaurants. Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano are also close places to drive to. I would definitely recommend staying here! Reasonably priced and very comfortable! read more

WTF.. Seriously?! I am completely baffled by the 4 and 5 star reviews this place got. Let me start out by saying I wasn't expecting the Ritz, I knew perfectly well that it was going to be a funky budget hotel for surfers to crash. I mean, that was the reason we were there. But I wasn't totally prepared for this experience. If you don't want to read the whole thing, just skip to the bottom and know it only got one star because I couldn't give it less than that. When we arrived at 2:30pm to check in, the room wasn't ready even though I called about an hour prior to confirm our reservation. When we got there were told to come back in an hour or so and it would be ready. We spent some time hanging out at the pier and having dinner and came back later in the evening. It was all downhill from there.. We booked the room through zozi but the woman wasn't sure how much to charge us, because other social living deals still require you to pay tax. She told us "we can figure that out later" and pointed us to room 12. She couldn't find the key to the room, but said it was open and she would bring it over as soon as she found it. Considering what the room looked (and smelled) like when we went in, I'm glad they "got it ready" for us because I can't imagine what it would have looked like before that. The room we got was far from "amazing" as other people have left in their reviews. There were only two lights in the whole room, which I suppose was a good thing because it made the other problems less noticeable. What sort of problems you ask? Well, the old school wall heater had a thermostat beside it that was missing the cover so you couldn't really set it for a specific temperature, you just had to guess and tip the plastic switch one way or the other. The other wall in the mystery nook/closet space had some holes and odd black marks on the wall, we couldn't figure out what from. There was no trash can and no remote for the TV (although the TV was pretty new) which sat beside a dented half sized fridge. There was a table and two wicker(?) chairs that had seen much better days. The bathroom window was broken, with a big hole in the glass. Despite all that, we decided to make the best of it since it was getting late and we were all pretty tired. We started to settle in and someone knocked on the door. The person at the door was surprised it wasn't who they expected, apologized, and left. About 30 mins later, another person came by and was equally confused that the previous resident wasn't there. I think you can see where this is going... The last visitor came by around 10:30pm. A little after 9am the following morning, we were woken up by yet another person knocking on the door. Since we were now up, might as well get going. The toilet had a difficult time flushing (took a few times) and we noticed was leaking water on the floor. I figured I'd take a shower and try to wash off the grime from the last 12 hours. Just as I was about to step into the shower, I noticed there was about 3 inches of water in it clearly backed up from the toilet. That was it, I couldn't take any more. We packed up and left, even though we already paid for two nights. Yelp has never led us astray like this before. Maybe they have some secret rooms for people that pay more, or they had people padding their reviews. Maybe they just recently changed buildings with another hotel that was the one that got the good reviews. All I know is I won't be staying here again. read more

We LOVED this motel...key word ...motel. I think so many reviews are from people who are not aware of the difference and the culture of a beach motel. Dana was amazing...upgrading us to the Zen room...which after sharing some personal information with her she felt we needed this room and she was right! Walked in seeing Buddha and lovely artwork. Bed was sturdy and firm so perfect for my back. The bed is low but my husband I got a giggle out of getting out of it compared to our extremely high bed at home. Let's put it this way...our cat has stairs to get up it. So we welcomed the change. Shower had a wonderful power. Only thing I can suggest is some shelves in the bathroom maybe for toiletries. But very nice tile and loved the sink. Towels were abundant. LOVED having a refrigerator in the room! We felt at home that night, grilling chicken and making rice on the community BBQ and I made breakfast the next morning as well. Pleasantly surprised to see a stove top as well as the grill. Husband and I sat outside the first night all by ourselves looking at the stars and just slowing down from the rat race. This is definitely someplace we will visit again and again. Thank you Dana for such a treat. This really is a diamond in San Clemente and if you stay here on the first Sunday of the month you can catch the artwork street fair from the locals. We had no idea about this but were pleasantly surprised! Restaurants are close by with wonderful cuisine. We suggest OC Tavern (two doors down), Blue Danube and Fisherman's. OC for the fun opportunity to enjoy great sandwiches and horseracing...where you can actually bet! Blue Danube for wonderful food and the restaurant is made out of the city's old jail and Fisherman's for the food, the sunset and the best sourdough bread. Please check with restaurants as we noticed many are closed on Mondays. Another hidden gem...Casa Romantica. My favorite part of visiting San Clemente. Wonderful artwork, gardens and history. $5 donation per person. Enjoy your stay at the quirky little place I wish I could call home! Thank you again Dana. You made our weekend! Can't wait to see you again. Oh! And loved your ice buckets! read more

I am really not sure how this place has so many stars. I bought a Living Social deal, but not before I looked at Yelp and other sites. Methinks they pad the reviews by having friends or others review. We stayed in a really grungy room--I think the shag room. The carpet was not clean, evident by the fact I wouldn't let my kids take their socks off and they were BLACK by the end of the night. The furniture (bed and chair) were broken. There was hair in the towels. The trash was never taken out. The owner and his friends partied the two nights we were there in the little seating area in the parking lot. Don't get me wrong, Collin (the owner/manager) and Rose (the cleaning lady) were WAY nice (hence the two, instead of one star), but I wouldn't stay here again. It was probably really nice a couple years ago when it was redone, but it hasn't been maintained well. read more

This place is such a hidden gem! Close to the beach, restaurants, and shopping. The owners were so sweet and accommodating. I arrived with my mom and 7 year old son and we had 2 rooms. We got 2 rooms next to each other, and they knew my kiddo and I would be sleeping together so they gave us a king size bed. They also let us borrow a boogie board during our stay. Clean cute rooms with comfortable beds and just what you need for a short stay. We will be back! read more

Calafia Inn - Hotels Near Me - San Clemente, California

See all

We bought this deal on living social a week ago thinking it would be a nice, quaint place to go. Unfortunately, the room we got (room 4) was beyond horrible * no a/c * broken walls * the most disgusting bathroom I've ever seen * stains and bed bugs on the bed * The shower didn't work either. My girlfriend and I couldn't even stay one night! We left. I called living social the next morning, told them how horrible the room was and got a full refund. Anyone that bought it from living social beware of this place. read more

See all

Spent memorial weekend here. Great value. I'm a stickler for super clean rooms (having spent years at a boutique hotel). The first thing I check in a room is the bathroom. This bathroom was super clean.. no hair, tiles were clean.. I was happy. Large LCD in our room which was nice. Room was large enough to fit our 2 bikes inside. Although there are racks outside. There's an awesome communal picnic area with a grill, sink, microwave, pots/pans, and silverware. We actually used this on Sat to grill up some kebobs. Dana - the manager is great. She's friendly, accomodating and you can tell she really cares about the place. TIP: we rode our bikes everywhere! Its 10 min to Calafia beach and 10 min to downtown and the pier. read more

Place has a whole new vibe after being taken over by Nike for a few months. It's back to being a motel now, but many of the upgrades carried over. Embraces it's older style, but with some modern additions like LCD TVs and free wireless. Good place to hang out with a large open area in the middle with a BBQ, firepit and bike rack. read more

I love this place!! It's so reasonable at the beach. We always get the suite with 2 bedrooms. They are be eri flexible with early check in. We stay here 3 or 4 times a year. It's an older beach type hotel, but very clean. read more

Just to start, the photos here on yelp do little to no justice as to how amazingly cool and quaint this place is. My wife and I spent the weekend here for our anniversary, in the 'Zen Room' and were absolutely enthralled by the attention to details the owner Dana has given to it! She was beyond accommodating going as far as to helping with setup to surprise my wife :) Will be returning for sure! read more

We were going to Orange County to visit with a friend and watch a show at the OC Tavern. To alleviate costs of a taxi or risk drinking/driving to and from Laguna, we opted to get a hotel room in walking distance. The reviews on Yelp made me choose this one, though the husband was leaning towards the Travelodge. At first, my husband thought it looked sketchy. In the end, it was a pretty cool experience. ROOMS: We made a reservation for a room to accommodate 3 people and were upgraded upon arrival to a cute room that had a Japanese vibe to it; I guess its called the Zen Room. The room was actually two part, with a little room in the back with a bad and the front room including a bed, a couch, a mini fridge, and the TV. There was a bathroom as well, which was little and sufficient. I'll upload pics eventually. THE GROUNDS: There is a fire pit in the center of the grounds (with the cars and then the rooms surrounding it) and we enjoyed sitting outside of it. There is also a microwave and bbq available. It's a little messy in there and I did throw some food in the microwave at the end of the evening. SERVICE: The guy at the front desk was pretty cool, though he had this snake that threw the husband and me off a bit. Later, we got to chatting with him and he was really nice and even gave us tickets for free admission to the show we were well prepared to pay for at the tavern that night. Bottom Line - Yes, it is a surf shack style motel and not the Ritz. For the price we paid, it was well worth it and I am glad we didn't end up at the Travelodge. I'd return here for convenience on another occasion. read more

Not what I was expecting. The decor was cute but there is an Indian family running it. It is not pet friendly. Upon arrival I was charged almost 300 bucks more but I also wasn't expecting to deal with domestic abuse either. I paid it. Homeless camp out but I dig their stories so that's okay with me. Wasn't expecting the hole in the wall or all the damage, tv didn't work but one of the guys that works there is afraid of my 10 lb chihuahua. WiFi didn't work. Pay more, go somewhere else. read more

See all

If you don't want to stay in a typical hotel...too boring and stuffy? If you are looking for a funky kind of beach hotel - look no further! Let me start by saying that there is nothing good about perfection. If you live your life expecting to find a perfect car, perfect job or perfect significant other - you're in for a VERY rough time. Having said that - this place is funky and cool and I love it. It's anything but your typical hotel. It's definitely rough around the edges - our second "room" is roughly the size of the bed that it contains, there is a mystery "nook" next to our table, the fridge is up in the armoire, the door hits the toilet when you open the door..... There are a few shortcomings - there is no hairdrier for the wife, just a couple lights, you can reach a brick wall from the bathroom window..... However - I still like this place enough to give it 4 stars. read more

There are not enough wonderful things I can say about The Inn. First, the rooms are great, and inexpensive and imaginative. DH and I have been here several times and it is so close to the beach you can bike. Dana (who no longer works there) really made the place so accommodating. Most rooms have a different theme- find the one that fits the mood :) And while you are there, walk next door for the best food. read more

I Love this place! Not only the lowest price in town but the rooms are clean, colorful & fun! Located close to everything you may need! Brij, who works at the front desk is always kind and courteous and willing to go out of his way to help with anything you need! I am a San Clemente local and I come here to just get away for peace, quiet & fun! I highly recommend and I keep coming back! read more

This Inn looked so adorable on Expedia, but all of the photos are very outdated from when it was owned by other owners. The check in process was easy and fast. Owner was nice and was able to accommodate us with a ironing board. Our room was basically like 100 square feet. Air conditioning unit would turn off and on randomly, towels were stained and very very thin, and bed comforter was stained with bleach. This place could be cute if the owners actually took care of it. There are so many other hotels in the area for the same price that are way better. We left and stayed somewhere else on our last night. read more

Came here for a concert ( missing persons ) Stayed with my Brosef. It was clean, the folks in the office were extremely kind and welcoming and the price is right Will definitely stay here again thank you guys! read more

My boyfriend and I have been here several times and are never disappointed. We've only stayed in the Shag or Zen Room and both are fantastic. Cozy, comfortable and perfect. The rooms and property are clean and well maintained. Dana, the innkeeper is absolutely fantastic. She really makes you feel welcome and goes the extra mile. I highly recommend the Inn to anyone looking for a nice weekend get a way. While we've never stayed with our kids, both the Zen and Shag have a smaller room with a door that would be perfect for little ones. They boyfriend and I will be back again for sure! read more

We ended up booking a room here through Living Social. The pictures on the site did not match what the inn actually looked like at all. I was not expecting anything of high caliber because of the price, but I did expect what the pictures portrayed. The reality was that the room smelled probably due to a plumbing issue, the comforter was ripped and had reddish burgundy paint stains on it (I hope it was paint), my girlfriend and I got a rash from only laying on the bed for 15 minutes, the TV remote didn't work and the TV looked like it was about to collapse any minute, there wasn't a rod or hangers in the closet to hang up clothes, the bathroom window would not lock, and there were people at the hotel that were 2 rooms down, doing drugs and staring us down when we got into the hotel. Needless to say, we left within a half hour. Later, I spoke to the manager and she agreed to give us a refund but the owner did not approved it. I called Living Social and they also declined the refund since the owner of the inn did not approved of it. How can they expect me to pay for something that was wrongfully advertised and that was never used?! I called my bank to put a stop on the transaction and I am waiting on their response. Stay away from this place, its cheap for a reason. I have learned my lesson. read more