Hotel review: The Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay

A big thanks to the Portola Hotel & Spa for hosting our stay so that we could write this detailed review of our experience.

In mid-summer, I traveled to Sonoma County on a work trip with Wells Fargo and Expedia to learn about their new OneKey credit card. Wells Fargo put me up in the swanky Montage Healdsburg and it was so nice, I had to share it with my family, especially after seeing my kids on FaceTime, who kept begging me to come home or to come join me.

By day two of my trip, with the kids still begging to be with me, I asked my wife if she and the kids wanted to fly up to meet me for the last night. I cashed in some American miles so they could fly nonstop from LAX on Alaska Airlines (a Oneworld partner) to Santa Rosa (STS), which is just 13 miles from the hotel.

To get home, we decided to do something we’d never done before. We drove down the beautiful California coast. From Sonoma County, we spent three nights at Cavallo Point in Sausalito and then drove 2.5 hours to Monterey.

Besides the airport, I’d never been to Monterey before and I really wanted my kids to experience the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is regarded as one of the best aquariums in the world.

One of my travel industry friends recommended we stay at the Portola Hotel & Spa and so we did. Here’s why we loved the hotel:

1. Location
One of the best things about the Portola Hotel & Spa is its location. It’s in downtown Monterrey and connected to the Convention Center so it’s perfect for business travelers. But it’s also perfect for leisure travelers like us for a number of reasons. There are plenty of restaurants and shops right outside the hotel, including a Starbucks across the street, which my wife appreciated, and a Trader Joe’s half a mile down the road.

The hotel is just a four-minute walk to Fisherman’s Wharf, which is a destination in itself.

Between the hotel and Fisherman’s Wharf is a marina with sea lions that our kids loved to watch. There’s also a beach where you can get an even better view just a few hundred yards away.

And we all loved that there’s a free trolley that stops right in front of the hotel every 15 minutes. Not only is it a fun ride that our kids loved but it makes a few stops in town …

… including Cannery Row …

… and the Monterey Aquarium, making it a free and very easy way to get around.

2. Valet service
When we arrived at the hotel, there were plenty of valet to help us with our bags and park the car. The valet parking fee at the Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay is $27 per day, plus applicable taxes. The hotel also offers self-parking for $22 per day, with in and out privileges.

3. Beautiful lobby
When you walk into the hotel, the first thing you’ll see is the impressive lobby, if you can call it that. It’s a sprawling space filled with trees beneath a soaring skylight ceiling. There’s lots of seating and it’s a modern, welcoming space.

4. Excellent restaurant and a craft brewery
Right in the lobby is the hotel’s main restaurant, Jacks Monterey, which has California-inspired cuisine made from local, sustainable ingredients. The food is good and thankfully, not ridiculously overpriced.

The first night, I ordered a pizza ($20) to take back to the room and it was delicious. The next morning, I had the Huevos Rancheros ($18) in the dining room with my brother who had the same and he said it was the best he’d ever had.

Near Jacks Monterey is Peter B’s Brewpub, a craft brewery that serves seasonal pub food and has a pet-friendly patio with fire pits. We didn’t eat there but it’s nice to have some solid dining options on property for those times when you want good food quickly.

5. Our room
Our room was a Studio King, which, at 450 square feet, was spacious for our family of four. There was a large king-size bed and a pull-out sofa. My wife loved some of the design details like the coastal-inspired mural on the wall behind the bed …

… and the black and white basketweave tile in shower in the bathroom.

Our room also had a small patio with seating for two, smooth sliding doors that don’t make any noise to disturb your neighbor, which I always appreciate, and screens so you can keep the door open and enjoy a cool coastal breeze.

6. Reusable water bottles and have refilling stations
Hotel guests are given reusable water bottles (the one pictured above is my son’s, not the one from the hotel) and there are refilling stations on each floor.

7. The Portola Pirate Program
The Portola hotel is family-friendly and guests with little ones are sure to appreciate the hotel’s pirate program, which offers seasonal, pirate-themed activities around the hotel for kids between the ages of three and 12.

8. Pool
The hotel has an outdoor plunge pool and a Jacuzzi surrounded by a lush landscape. The pool area is open daily from 7am to 10pm for hotel and spa guests. There’s also a spa but I didn’t get to check it out since we were too busy sightseeing. Check out the full spa menu and amenities here.

9. Gym
I really have no excuse for not using the fitness center because it’s open 24 hours a day. The photo above was taken by my brother who is eight years older than me and got up early to squeeze in a workout.

10. Text messaging
I love that you can message the Front Desk Team during your stay by texting (866) 938-6909. That’s a great service for a hotel to provide.

Overall, the only thing wrong with our stay at the Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay was that it was too short. Next time, hopefully we can stay longer to enjoy the hotel and everything Monterey has to offer, instead of just passing through.

KEEP READING:

–The family-friendly California attraction you’ve never heard of but need to visit
–5 family-friendly California road trip ideas from Los Angeles
–The 10 most Instagrammable tourist attractions in California
–California road trip: Los Angeles to San Francisco and must-visit stops along the way
–Our first family trip to Legoland and The Castle Hotel

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