Booked a three night stay from Sunday to Wednesday in July 2008. Overall, it was a good stay.

Location can't be beat. It's within three blocks of the Convention Centre, the orange line of the trolley system, and Petco Park. The major restaurants of Gaslamp are within 2 blocks. It's also only a $10 taxi ride from the airport and about a $10 ride to the zoo.

Staff at front desk were friendly and helpful. Bell desk was hit and miss as they were rushing to get to the people using valet parking. A major perk was that they enabled me to store my bags there for one extra day beyond my stay. I couldn't get the hotel for one extra night because of Comic Con so I stayed with a friend in Sorrento. I left my bags at the Solamar and picked them up the next afternoon before going to the airport.

I requested a room away from the pool and found that this was already the case. My room preference of two double beds was accommodated also. My only criticism of the 10th floor room was that it was quite noisy due to the hotel's ventilation fan. Maintenance said that all 10th floor rooms were noisier due to the ventilation fan. I found it a bit distracting when we were relaxing in our room but it wasn't distracting enough to disturb sleep.

We went off site for most food and beverage, with the exception of a nightcap at JSix on Monday night. Service and the house red wines were very disappointing.

My wife and I stayed here for a week and had a very good experience. Based on some of the other reviews about the noise level at the pool, we requested a "quiet room" and were placed on the top floor(10th) on the opposite side of the building. We spent several days and evenings at the pool but avoided the weekend and the wild scene on those days. This worked out perfectly.

The room and hotel itself were very clean and had a nice decor. The staff was friendly and helpful.

The best part is the location. The hotel is within walking distance of many, many attractions, restaurants, bars, shops and galleries. Even the walk to the zoo and back was manageable. We also went to two Padres games at Petco Park, which is literally one block from the hotel.

We would definitely stay here again on a return trip to San Diego. Just request a quiet room and avoid the pool on the weekend if you're not into the party scene.

My wife and i booked our stay here through hotwire at a great price (well, i think so) of $139 per night. I had already been warned by previous reviews about the parking costs and as expected it was $32 (plus tips) to park here. Therefore, i completely ignored the car park and parked at the enclosed multi story car park about 100 metres along the road. There were a choice of two car parks and i parked from approx 6pm to 10am the following days and it cost me $8 per night - a much better deal!

The reception staff were very friendly and they offer complimentary tea/coffee in an hour slot in the morning and wine between 5-6pm in the evening.

The rooms were very clean and funky. They weren't huge in size but the decor was pretty fun and the tiger skin print dressing gowns a nice touch! Our room overlooked the pool/bar area and couldn't really hear any noise when inside the room and we enjoyed an evening drinking by the fire in this area.

The massive plus to this hotel is the location. The gaslamp is full of bars and restaurants and the hotel is in the heart of this area.

Overall - an excellent choice for a young couple but not the ideal choice for a family.

Hotel Solamar is located in the Party district of San Diego (Gas Lamp district). The Hotel is very clean and the staff and service there are excellent. The rooms are nice but a tad small. There is not much drawer or closet space for your clothes especially if there is more than 2 people staying in one room. The beds are very comfortable. The Pool is very small, you won't be swimming in this pool its there just to cool off . This Hotel is not a small kid family hotel, due to its location and the parties that go on there Thursday to Sunday.... Overall I like this hotel but if I come back I think I will check the other hotels out. The biggest gottcha at the Hotel is that if you want to park at the hotel there is a charge of $32.00 a day! (ouch). Parking in the Gas Lamp Distirct is pretty tough but there are paid parking lots.