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    Sand Hills Rest Area

    2.0 (29 reviews)
    InexpensiveRest Stops

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    Imperial sand dunes
    Arjan T.

    I just made a stop here to take some of photos of the Imperial Sand Dunes that are pretty spectacular in an otherworldly type of way. Please note that turning into this rest area will be from the left lane in both directions. It's located in the median strip between the opposing lanes on Interstate 8.

    Restrooms
    Betty W.

    Not even 1 star, but if you drink 3 cups of coffee and 2 bottles of water you can't be too picky in the middle of nowhere and believe you me this is in the middle of nowhere. It is located in the middle of the freeway so it can be accessed either west or east on highway 8. A step up from porta potties. No sinks in the rest rooms. Thankfully a sink in front of buildings that someone had left a container of hand soap at. No towels or dryer to dry hands. If you need to, stop. If you can wait a bit then do so.

    Sand Hills Rest Area
    Doug K.

    Sand Hills Rest Area is located on California I-8 exit 156 about 20 miles west of the Arizona border close to Grays Well Road. Situated between the east-west lanes of I-8, the entrance to the Rest Area in both directions is a left exit. Don't expect much. Sand Hills is a bare-bones Rest Area with no amenities. It's the wild west, so park wherever you like. For your convenience, until recently the best that Sand Hills offered was portable toilets. Bling! Enter the modern era with four hard-structure spacious toilet rooms. Don't be amazed. Instead of a small plastic box, you get a big brick box. The technology is the same, which means, there isn't any technology. The toilets empty into a lower container, which needs to be suctioned daily, you hope. There's no running water, no sinks, no mirrors. The stainless steel urinals are not much more than a hole in the floor. Note to the guys. If you go in there to empty your bladder, do your thing and get out. Resist the temptation to look over the toilet seat into the abyss. I repeat, do not look. Even if a cell phone is down there chirping plaintively, ignore it. Girls may feel the need to look before they sit down, but you have better things to do. Get back on the road.

    Jun C.

    Doug K. did an excellent review on this place... It is as barebones as you can get... the only thing I can add is that there is one sink with running water but there is no soap so u gotta bring your own... or use some sanitizer... There is plenty of dirt parking if you do need to stop and take a nap but since it's located in between both east- and west-bound, I don't feel exactly comfortable parking my car there... Yuma isn't too far away from here though.. probably about 10 miles east on the 8... so, if you don't feel comfortable droppin a deuce in a permanent port-a-potty type toilet, take a ride east for a few more minutes...

    Dune buggies racing down the hill...too cool!
    Katalina Q.

    Ahh...if you don't mind the smell of open pit toilets and have your own tp you'll love this place.

    Don't expect much!

    "When you have to go, you have to go!" ... and you better have that mentality walking into the restroom because it is definitely nothing special. The restrooms have a prison-like decor (not that I've been, but I have seen plenty of prison-reality TV shows recently). But, hey, it does the job if you can't hold it until Winterhaven or Yuma!!!

    Looking North from the rest area

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    5 years ago

    I tried to hold it until we got to Yuma. These are porta potties. Hot desert. Think about it.

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    9 years ago

    Bathrooms smell so bad kids wouldn't even use them. Some serious cleaning is needed.

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    11 years ago

    Gross. Nasty. Smelly. Only stop here if the imodium isnt working or you are about to explode. Yes, it's that bad.

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    San Felipe Marina Resort & Rv Park

    San Felipe Marina Resort & Rv Park

    (2 reviews)

    This hotel should be seriously checked why it says 4 stars! This is a fraud…read more From 4 stars this place has only pricing. The rest is no more than 1.5 stars. Apparently also "Spa" is a swimming pool. That's it. Which is constantly being cleaned till 10 am. So our kids would be just sitting in the room and waiting. No breakfast, no any kind of food service. Forget about it. Rooms are old. And for 4 stars and no kitchen services we did not even get a tiny fridge in our rooms. Clean yes. TV is old. We forgot to leave tips for a cleaning lady and they left us with no towels. We left towels on the floor. They picked them. But did not leave us any new towels. Nice no? Wifi is another story. We arrived during the week. Wifi was so weak. But on Saturday when more guests arrived they tuned it. So they did not care about us during the week at all. Beach is amazing but they don't dare to clean it. There are wood chairs, tables and umbrellas on the beach. Tables are dirty we had to clean our space each time. And chairs are so old I broke one trying to move it a bit. We regretted money spent the moment we arrived. But guess what. No refunds. So better go with Airbnb right away.

    Well I had to wait a week and a half before deciding to write this review. Reason being that I…read morealready wrote a not so positive review of Encuentro and didn't want to seem snobbish. With that said, we rented the master suite at this "Resort & Spa", I added quotes as a warning to anyone who has stayed at an at best, mediocre resort and spa. We went for a family getaway and paid what I can literally say was a 4 star price for what I can only Describe as a 1.5 star locale. Seriously, we could have stayed at the Omni La Costa in Carlsbad (free plug, promise to review next time we stay since I now love Yelp!) This place was built in 1991 and I can almost guarantee has not been painted, nor updated since. Upon entering the suite which had one room with king size bed and bath, another room with two queen size beds and a bath , and a Queen sleeper sofa; we found that there was only a single 22 inch TV , nada más. One of the bathrooms reeked of backed up sewer. OK I get it, we are in Mexico, backed up sewer, it happens, it also occurs in he U.S. So back to the important issue; the TV. I decided to call the front desk and inform them that we could not find the TV remote. I picked up the old looking phone and dialed trusty old number "0", waited for a ring... NADA. Hmmm, try phone in room number two, NADA. I decided I would walk to the reception area and inform them of the remote and of the telephones. While at the front reception area, the phone must have rang a minimum of three times and no one answered which lead me to understand why it was so difficult to contact anyone in confirming our reservation, but that is a longer story. I was told that they knew the phones were non functioning and that I needed to use my cell phone. Why even have phones then, and they literally look like phones that belonged on the set of Mad Men in Don Draper's office. We also found that the electrical outlets on 2 of the 3 patios that came with the Master suite were non functional. A Positive to the visit; the coco locos and pina coladas we bought on the beautiful sandy beach. The vendors had ABSOLUTELY NO association with this dump. But worth mentioning that they were jamming! Plain and simple, place is really rundown, landscaping is about as pleasant the desert you will see driving into San Felipe. The indoor pool had a bunch of sand in it, which truly baffled us, the palm tree fronds haven't been trimmed since Billy Ray Cyrus had a mullet and well... THIS PLACE REALLY SUCKS! Stay at Pete's camp or find a VRBO.

    Best Western Plus Main Street Inn - Main hotel

    Best Western Plus Main Street Inn

    (41 reviews)

    $$

    The Best Western in Brawley used to be my go-to but I may be driving a little further out to stay…read moresomewhere nicer next time. Now check in was great. It was easy and the girl at the check in desk was great. Breakfast and the staff member who worked there were also great. And I will say the room was clean so cleaning crew was doing a good job because the issue was more maintenance than anything. The issue was that the room was so old and outdated and the non bed furniture in the room was pretty gross which is why the low score. As I said, all customer service was nice, the only exception was when we asked for 3 extra pillows but were told no, we had enough and only given 1. That did irritate me but I brushed it off (this was a few hours after check In, after we got back to our room after a funeral). We got the suite which is not in the hotel and is actually in a building near the hotel. It is a spacious room but it is sooo worn out. Pillars were rotting and peeling, the rug was dirty and the couch and chair with an ottoman were so disgusting, I was genuinely grossed out and didn't touch them. Additionally, the toilet had a hard time flushing and after leaving some water running in the sink while brushing my teeth, it clogged up a little. Overall, I will not stay here again.

    Decent hotel. Friendly staff. The bathroom was a little dirty and the room / amenities are old. The…read morebed was uncomfortable however and is the reason i chose to switch hotels. I felt safe, there are cameras and locked doors to get inside and there was always someone at the front desk. The hot breakfast bar was not the greatest but its free so cant complain.

    Hotel Lucerna - La terraza bar. Buenos antojitos. Como el hot dog

    Hotel Lucerna

    (67 reviews)

    $$

    I've stayed here several times now and it's always been great. The check in employees are always…read morefriendly and helpful. The rooms are spacious, clean, and the beds are comfortable. Room service is always on time and the food is delicious. Secure parking and security on the grounds.

    I stayed here for a week and I lo I absolutely loved my stay here! I booked one of the cabañas by…read morethe pool area, and I slept like a baby. From the moment you arrive, staff greets you warmly, takes care of valet parking, and helps with your luggage. Check-in was quick and easy, and the staff was always friendly and helpful. During the day, you can choose from three different restaurants. I didn't get a chance to try them all, but I did have breakfast. The food was okay, but the breakfast area is small with limited capacity. I ended up waiting about 40 minutes in the lobby before being seated. That was the only downside. In the evening, I invited some relatives, and we went to the bar. It's small and intimate, and that night they had a gentleman playing the piano. He even played a few of my favorite Luis Miguel songs, which created such an enjoyable atmosphere. Staff at the bar were attentive and made the experience even better. As for the room, it was spotless and very comfortable. Housekeeping did an excellent job, and anytime I needed something, staff responded right away. I've stayed at several hotels in Mexicali, and this one is by far my favorite when visiting family. I definitely look forward to returning!

    Sand Hills Rest Area - reststops - Updated May 2026

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