We were thrilled to be back at Marina Cortez. Love Becki and staff. We hated to leave but sailed on after a few days up to SB. Couldn't ask for more! We'll be back!! Kudos to the staff!! read more

By far the WORST marina in San Diego. They make your experience a nightmare and every boat in owner walks on glass (instead of water) fearful daily that their rights of enjoyment will be suddenly stripped away on the whim of the Dock Master, Mike. I was docked there for 1 1/2 years, and in that time saw a minimum of 5 contracted liveaboards (all there prior to Mike's employment) kicked out without warning. One was docked across from me, had been "friends" with Mike in the past, and woke up one morning with a 30 day notice to move 2 boats! Another was an older lady, late 70s, that had been there 12 years or more before Mike - And she was removed because he "did not want someone dying in his docks." - quoted verbatim. She had nowhere to go and thankfully the dock master extender her stay an extra month - such a kind heart. My theory is he was kicking people out in order to free up transient spots for boujie boats to pocket money for himself. Communication is terrible, they closed the dock deli - and never reopened another for the last year I was there. They over charge for "ammenities" of one small pool that is constantly infested with ducks and gym locker showers. I came to the dock one time and discovered He had plugged another boat into my electrical booth - and refused to reimburse. Prices also went up without warning. My e-bike (locked) was almost stolen off of my car in the parking lot but "nothing was seen" on camera. Other marinas are 1/3 the cost, have Dock Masters that care about their clientele and tenants, and don't go on power trip rampages disregarding the quality of lives of paying customers following ALL guidelines. *Go to Driscoll Marina in MBAY - they have secured parking, a great bar with live music, and Jesse is a GREAT dock master that looks out for people. read more

Hands down worst marina in San Diego; stay far away. Office and staff have ignored all formal communication from both me and my attorney. When I arrive, calmly asking for a hard copy of my end of contract (after 8 years a tenant here), this is how dockmaster Michael Hallmark finds it professionally appropriate to handle a request of documentation; after they filed an illegal lien based on fraudulent information, claiming the vessel that I live on daily is somehow "abandoned". They've also removed all of my access to the marina to access my belongings or feed my cat onboard. The marina has a history of illegal lien sales of tenant boats. Don't ignore this warning unless you want to deal with month after month of nightmare after nightmare with this marina. Rampant drug use throughout the marina. Harbor police here weekly. Not to mention putting up razor wire to keep the kids out that would fish from the dock. read more

This Marina with out a doubt has the worst management around. The dock master (Mike) is rude and arrogant. He makes guests feel like he is doing g everyone a favor by staying there. The facilities are sad. 7 toilets (Mens and women s) for 500 slips. Guest have to pay for parking. read more

If you don't want free parking for your guests, this is the place. If you don't want easy parking for slip owners, this is the place. If you want derelict boats galore, this is the place. If you want overstuffed trash containers, this is the place. If you don't want an used oil receptacle, this is the place. If you want fisherman cleaning fish on the docks, this is the place. Other than that, it's great!! read more

The owner Mike is really rude in my opinion and really unprofessional if you ask me I wouldn't recommend this marina at all because they say WiFi is included but it's definitely not included so don't waste your time at all on this marina read more

Had my 41' sailboat here for almost a year. We loved the place. Great people and staff. They are building a new deli and have an awesome event center up stairs. Highly recommend this place read more

Please know that I have made it a point to only post positive YELP reviews. That is until now. We have been at Marina Cortez for 10+ years. We submitted our 30 day lease termination notice June 1, 2019 in person at the marina office. We were assured that the management would contact us on Monday (2 days later) with details of move-out, deposit refund and key return. No contact was made. We were at Marina Cortez both yesterday (Saturday) & today (Sunday). Due to the now public pay parking, there were no spots available in the main parking lot. We went in the office today, and the same woman who received our termination letter last week was lackadaisical and hesitant to help us. She said that there is always turnover at marinas and showed us a folder an inch thick of recent termination notices at Marina Cortez. Our monthly lease was raised March 2019 +$70 and now again +$35 effective July 2019. Rationale offers weak justification. The parking is now public pay which means our guests must pay for parking. And as I mentioned, parking lot is full without spots for boat owners. The new deli has limited offerings and no beer or wine license. The trash overflow is an eye sore and a disgust. The teak docks are poorly maintained, uneven surface and unstable at slips. We are very pleased to find a welcoming marina close by with plenty of free parking, no additional charge for electricity, free WiFi, an exceptional Deli, spa jacuzzi AND 15% less monthly lease. We are looking forward to joining a boating community that values our patronage. Contrary to their attempt to convince us that our satisfaction is of utmost importance, Marina Cortez has deteriorated their customer service and minimized their respect for boaters leasing slips at their locale. I recommend due diligence to stay away from Marina Cortez. read more

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Wost customer service at this marina. The lady in the office acts completely entitled! Although she works as a secretary in an office. The staff are less than honest and will not communicate with you. We needed to park and had a parking pass and were totally given a very difficult time . They talked to us saw us again and then behind out back as soon as we walked a ay stuck a sticker on out vehicle that they were going to tow us. you have to have a parking pass to even get into the parking lot, the attendants came over to ask us where we were going and never bothered to ask us or notify us about anything they were doing they had plenty of opportunity to tell us we needed to go to the office for permission or anything . we found out after we confronted them about the sticker they placed for towing on out car that we should go to the office. Then dealing with the most snobby lady i have ever met behind a desk . Worst customer service i have delt with ever. This lady in the office also accused us of being dishonest. When she herself could not justify why they never communicated with us what we needed to do. Even with a pass to get into the parking lot. She was completely one of the wosrt most entitled people who called names and without justification that i have ever met in my many travels. If they would have just spoke to us told us what they needed and been honest with us from the start i would not be writing this review. What a horrible experience a guest , i would think twice before paying for a space here and having a guest with the proper pass come to visit. read more

This is a good place to try out deep sea fishing, your almost guaranteed to catch something in the summer months. read more

Marina Cortez - Marinas Near Me - San Diego, California

The ratings depend on what you're looking for in a marina. If you need a place to keep your boat, go sailing/fishing and back, but don't plan on spending the night or socializing at the marina, this place is pretty good. 4**** Docks in good shape, they're going to upgrade to keycard locks soon, and Carol is awesome. If you want a place to handout for a weekend...not so good. The amenities are so-so. The deli is clean and good food but unpredictable hours. The bathrooms are in good shape, but are often gross because people are pigs. Pool area is clean and maintained, but hardly used. Sam is grouchy, but that doesn't bother me. He keeps people who don't belong out of the parking lot...what's wrong with that? Some of the docks are one step above a homeless encampment. I like to call it a floating hobo camp. Lots of derelict boats, people who don't officially live aboard, but you know...wink-wink..are always at the marina. For a social/weekend type of marina, 2**. read more

Terrible Marina the parking lot is always overflowing with trash there's no spa or WiFi the new management is on a war path after everyone. Beware. They may seem nice at first but they will eventually turn on you. Customer service is not their mission. "We can always put another boat there" is what they say. The 5 star ratings are from people that work there and they are having 1 star reviews like this removed. And Molly, the management is lying to you about why people are leaving. You're nice but very naive ;) read more

This is the worst marina in town as far as customer service goes. Sam the violent security guard terrorized the tenants for years. Stole my paint gun right of the dock and ruined several parts I had drying in the process. You could complain but the marina did nothing about it. They have been grossly negligent in dealing with problems, fights etc. that Sam instigated for years. Three major construction projects impacted owner access over the last eight years and ALL of them went way over the original time estimates. The quality of the work done on the building and the parking lots was poor. The key card access that was supposed to go into place last May has STILL not been completed. I am aware of at least two boats that were illegally sold or given away by either the Marina or it's Staff. No Marshall's Service, No Auction. Just a fake Bill of Sale I would Assume. Some other boats were allegedly taken to Zuniga Jetty and dumped illegally. It seems the marina wanted the slips back but didn't want to go through the time, effort and expense of hiring someone to do it legally until recently. Many times the boats were worth less than the procedure so this may have seemed like a cost effective solution until now. The Restrooms and showers here make you wish you were at a gas station. There is absolutely no pride of ownership at all. New Manager introduced himself by trespassing on my boat while I was gone. When I called him out on it he denied the whole thing but multiple people saw him. read more

This is a TERRIFIC MARINA !! Been there about 15 years and this is the BEST OF THE BEST !!! The bathrooms are always super clean, docks not cluttered, rules are in place and enforced, as they should be to run smoothly. A TOP NOTCH business with a very caring staff !!! ANY negative reviews, are only from those that want to retaliate. Sad that people have to bash others for their own wrong doings. THANK YOU MARINA CORTEZ for making our stay with you sooo fun and accommodating !!!!!! read more

I enjoyed being at the Marina Cortez! I was so happy to meet Becki and the staff. They were all so friendly and made sure I felt right at home. Looking forward to coming back on my next trip to SD!! read more

WARNING/ BEWARE Sold our boat and the new buyer wanted the slip and went into office and did application and paid for the slip. We then went into office to discuss the deposit and last months rent return and were told that we must give 30 day notice. REALLY ?? COLLECTING TWO RENTS ON THE SAME BOAT FOR THE SAME MONTH. I didnt understand as 30 day notices are only to protect landlords from immediate vacancy where they loose rent revenue. When asked they would not respond except to say "go get a lawyer" I called two other marinas to ask how they handeled this type of situation and both said they waive the 30 day notice when a buyer pays and takes over slip. We tried to get contact of marina manager or owner and was told that was not available. We then pushed forward as only the dockmaster Mike was in charge. He continued to tell us to get a lawyer and used the F-WORD at me. INCREDIBLE DISRESPECT He had also confronted my wife before and I tried to make contact with a manager via email about that and no response I was told by the office that I should have collected rent from the buyer, yet that would, as far as I could tell, be a form of sub leasing which is not allowed in the contract. At 70 years old I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYONE IN CUSTOMER RELATION USE THE F-WORD AT ME, The other reviews I believe represent the problems of the marina especially the boats that are piled high with junk and obivious unseaworthy condition. BOTTOM LINE YOULL NEVER BE ABLE TO CONTACT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF HIRING PEOPLE THAT USE PROFANITY AT CUSTOMERS. read more

Perhaps three stars is a little harsh; but we were looking for a live-aboard slip and it looked like it might be possible. This is a nice Marina! Looks well kept.... The person that worked with us on the weekend, seemed to offer a glimmer of hope; very nice person all and all. The next day and tgen talking to the management woman she was curt and negative, about liveaboards in general. Said they wouldn't consider taking on any more livaboards; even if there was space! Just a little disappointed with that attitude. Anyway, we won't be docking our 47 footer there..... read more

Wow, so you Jeannie V. and Robby Hickethier, had a fight and this is the owner's fault? It's more your personal fault and pretty much your a disgruntled XXXXX-GIRLFRIEND!!! You need to stop slandering the good people who are making it better for us Marina Cortez folks who pay our slip fee's and don't disturb the public. You Jeannie V. need to stay away Marina Cortez and stop these stupid immature innuendoes!!!!!!!!!! Grow-up & MOVE ON!!!!!!!! read more

Would give no stars if I could it use to be a nice place until the new manager mike got hired there he is just a complete bully rude and harasses people who have been at this marina for a long time. He harasses tenants who are disabled but yet have paid their rent on time since the moment they got slip but yet there are others who don't pay rent who break rules and have broken the lease on many things but doesnt bother them. He even harasses the elder people who live here very rude person and in your face you try talking to him and unless you agree with him or do what he says he just walks away. I would not recommend this place to anyone they even chased the nice deli owner Lynn away she was wonderful and had been there a long time. Please people spread the word to fellow boaters do not go here they will cheat you out of your money. read more

Great place to keep your boat. Centrally located. Easy bike ride to downtown or Liberty Station. Nice people, contrary to other reviews this marina has no security gates to the parking lot but they do have Sam. It is his job to control or alow access to park on private property. I have seen many people park, remove their luggage and jump on an airport shuttle bus who are not marina guests. If you can't get along with Sam you are either abusing you privilege or you are disrespectful to someone trying to do their job. read more

Decent price for slips and the new docks are fabulous. Carol in the office is very helpful and accommodating. Access to San Diego bay and open water is perfect and is the reason I am there. Across the street you have the best view of the SD skyline, but not from the marina. I would have given a 4 star rating if the pool area were a bit nicer. White plastic chairs (that need power washing or replacing) really bring down the potential of this being a great meeting place for marina tenants. Would love to see more potlucks and community events like I have seen at other marinas. Overall, it's a great place to keep your boat safe and accessible. UPDATE 4-25-10: New pool furniture - ahhh, bright white plastic chairs and tables. Not upscale, but looks so much better now. Thanks, Marina Cortez. read more

I'm torn between a two and a three. The staff are great. The marina was rebuilt along with the docks recently. The good - the pool was rebuilt, as were the lockers and docks. It is no longer the "ghetto" marina, but along with the improvements comes a big hike in prices. The bad - The docks are wood, so they are noisy. The finger docks between the slips are very, very narrow. When you step off the boat, the dock bobs up and down. The slips are the narrowest I've seen for a 35 foot slip. With the currents in the harbor, it can be very difficult to get in and out of the slips without hitting the sides. My boat is 10' beam and it only has about 6" on either side. You really feel packed in like sardines at this marina. The gates only have a key system, not a key card system, so security is not the best. The airport is way busier than it has been in the past, so it is noisier than it used to be. There is no cable hookup - if you want high-speed internet or cable tv you are out of luck. They provide wireless, but with all those boats and being next to the airport, it is pretty much useless for anything more than email. How they could rebuild all the docks and not provide cable hookup - claiming to be a high-end marina - major brain-fart. read more

As a live-aboard resident of Marina Cortez for over 16 years, I can attest that the worst reviews on this site (including the ones removed) were written by people who have been kicked out of the marina. They got behind on their slip fees or were unable to follow the simple rules and regulations expected of them as a boat owner, so they were asked to leave. The truth is - they want to blame everybody else for their bad behavior, so take that into consideration... Here's a more balanced review - Overall, the marina is a safe, comfortable and convenient place to keep a boat. Recently, there have been management changes which is a definite improvement. The accommodations are fine and the employees are friendly. They do their best to keep everyone happy (not an easy job!) and do a good job maintaining the property. That said, there is always room for improvement which is the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars. Most of my concerns aren't the responsibility of the marina, but the boat owners. The majority of my neighbors are great and really care about their environment, but there's a small group who forget to return their dock carts (without garbage in them), or pick up their dog poop, or recycle their trash. It's these little things that can make a big difference in the overall impression of Marina Cortez. read more

My favorite marina in San Diego!!!!! Lots of staff changes and improvements being made in the last year. Can't wait for the new restaurant!!!!! Love the staff from the maintenance crew to the owner. The only complaints I have heard are from those that have been understandably asked to leave after a long period of not paying rent or illegal boat activity. I believe the staff is doing all they can to make this a top notch marina and keep it running as a high quality establishment. read more

Marina Cortez is a nice clean Marina in a great location! In the past five years I have had my boat in a few Southern California marinas and we always enjoy coming back here. It is centrally located between downtown San Diego and Liberty Station with many nice restaurants within walking distance. The office staff is great here! The facility is cleaned everyday. Highly recommended! read more

Marina Cortez is a clean and wonderful place to dock your Boat. The office people are GREAT! accommodating. My girlfriend refers to it as a small Amsterdam The facilities are top notch, the dock workers are friendly and helpful. I suggest this Marina but hurry before the docks are all taken read more

Not sure what the negative reviews are for. This marina is great! The staff is very helpful and attentive and the location is amazing.

San Diego's Marina Cortez, located across the road from the San Diego airport on beautiful Harbor Island enjoys panoramic views of the bay and the San Diego city skyline. read more

I am writing to alert you to the fact that I had two interactions today with extremely rude men at your facility. I am appalled at the way I was spoken to, and I am going to follow up when I leave here and go back home. I am a guest at a hotel on this island, and although I am not one of the wealthy clientele of the so-called high-class society, I am a civilized, well-educated and well-traveled person. I have been all over the world, and I have never encountered such behavior. An older man was extremely violent and confrontational earlier today and I had to call the police. I intend to follow up with a formal complaint next week. When I walked by this evening simply to inquire about the name of the location, another man in the laundry room was ready to start a fight and was going to call the "authorities" for some unknown reason. I do not know what type of a place is run here, but it certainly does not measure up to any of the claims on their website. I will be investigating this and finding out from other people if they have had this same experience. This island has hotels and restaurants that welcome people from all walks of life, but this little slice of private property seems to be in a dimension of its own. They should put up signs to warn non-members to come near the area at their own risk. I am very upset and disgusted by what took place today and I will be in touch. I do not recommend it at all. From a hotel guest in the vicinity read more

Keep my boat here for three months while preparing to head down to the Sea of Cortez. The pool, bathrooms, and slips are well kept and the location is great. Carol put up with the constant stream of packages that got delivered for me. Definitely a great, reasonably priced (by SOCa terms) marina. read more

The Marina is in a great location and although the pool and laundry are a bit small, Carol, the office manager makes this a top choice. She is friendly helpful and funny. read more

We had our 35' sailboat at Marina Cortez for just under 16 years. Prior to that, we had our 19' West Wight Potter on a side tie at same marina. The marina was ideally located near many restaurants and delis, and when company came, we put them up in hotels near the docks. The staff do their jobs; Sam kept riff-raff out of the property and guarded the parking lot for tenants only. He was also a wealth of information about service personnel to have work done on your boat. Carol was always courteous and efficient. We never had any concerns or issues about misappropriated deposits or rent fees. The remodeling of the docks and restrooms took a while but was worth it. Dog poop on the docks cannot be monitored by the marina staff 100% of the time -- it is the dog owners who must step up to the plate and clean up after their pet. We always wished for a bigger laundry facility, but it was adequate. Same for the pool. We have been out of boating since 2016, but recently purchased a power boat and hope to berth it at Marina Cortez. For the money, it is a well run and clean looking marina and you simply can't beat the location, including for ocean access for your boat. read more