Great little hotel at a reasonable price

I stayed at the Lamplighter Inn while attending a conference at San Diego State about a mile away. I had probably the smallest room in the place, a queen right above the breakfast room. The room was clean with new furnishings and carpet. There is free wireless Internet access that worked like a charm. The cable TV is full cable, not just a few channels like you get at some hotels. You can make your own waffles in the breakfast rooms and they also have bagels, fruit, and cereal.

The one problem I had was when my room key expired a day early and the manager greeted me by name as I walked in the lobby (he remembered it from checkin) and took care of the problem. Other than that, I had no complaints and would stay there again.

While it's close to SDSU it's not particularly convenient for people who are only going to the zoo, Sea World, or Balboa Park. So if you're a tourist keep that in mind.

Very surprised...

We stayed at the BW for a week in 06/2006. The rooms are in the process of being remodeled and we had one that was already done. Very clean and neat. The staff was friendly enough, not too much interaction with them besides check in and out. The pool was clean and big enough for us (with very small children). The only drawback was that they allow pets - I guess in any rooms. This created a problem on the last two days of our stay when the guests in the room next to us would leave their dog in the room by itself while they would go out (at a very early hour in the morning), thus leaving it to bark incessantly for at least an hour. And when I say incessantly, I mean it. I had to call the front desk about that. Maybe they should put pet owners all in one area. Somebody else with a yappy dog maybe wouldn't mind another yappy dog. It was definitely an issue when trying to get a baby to sleep. Other than that, I would definitely stay at this hotel again. I felt safe and it was the perfect location to our friend and the sites we wanted to visit.

Good place to stay but the beds were Not comfotable - great breakfast though

We stayed for two nights. Everything was good except for the beds. They were uncomfortable. When you pay for a hotel I would assume that what you're really paying for is a good night's rest. I didn't quite get that unfortunately. Although I have to say that everything else was good. The location was perfect for us since our purpose was to see San Diego State University. The campus was just a few blocks from the hotel. There were two Starbucks in the area and one was a drive through which was pretty cool. There's also a shopping mall (Grossmont Shopping Mall) two exits away (grossmont). It seems like this hotel's been around for quite sometime. Carpets are kinda grungy, walls are thin, etc. I have to say though that the staff was VERY friendly and VERY helpful. I was shocked with the continental breakfast. It was awesome! The nights that we stayed there was not that quiet for us. There were kids running and jumping around either next door or up above us and they were really loud. Good thing I carry ear plugs. It's good...for the money that you pay for. I would like to give it a neutral/average rating, but the bed... very important.

For the money very good accomodations

We stayed at the Lamplighter Inn & Suites in San Diego for a week from Dec 25 to Jan 1. The room was a family suite consisting of two rooms, a full size fridge and stove. We were very happy with the accomodation as it was clean and the staff was very helpful. The free breakfast was very good with the standard fare as well as waffles. The location was very handy to SDSU as well as area golf courses. There were sufficient restaurants in the area (not really walking distance but close by). We especially enjoyed the Woodstock pizza joint. All in all we had a great week at this hotel. The only concern we had were the beds. They were just OK. The total cost for the week including taxes was very reasonable at $595.

Urine smells abound

The smell of urine as walking up the steps should have been a clue as to what was in store. As I arrived at the second floor the smell got even worse and urine trails could be seen on the walkway floor. Overall property had a dirty look to it, with a food tray and an ashtray full of cigarette butts left out in the open for over a day. The sheets on the beds had stains on them and when I turned on the A/C unit it blew in the smell of urine so bad that I had to spray cologne on the vents to overcome it, it appeared that it was common practice for some to urinate on the outside A/C units. If you own a big vehicle good luck parking in the smallish lot as the majority of spots are marked "compact". Would not recommend other than if it was the only hotel available and you had no choice, personally I would rather drive another 10-15 miles and stay elsewhere.

Nice place to stay!

It is a small hotel. 15 minute drive to Sea World and 10 minutes to Old Town.

It has a small pool but it has a deep end, 3-8 ft deep.

The rooms are large and very clean.The bathroom was spotless literally not 1 single water spot on any of the fixtures. It has a living area with a sofa bed.The rooms have a small fridge and a microwave. Alot of fast food and sit down restaurants near by and a Ralphs market a few blocks away.

The continental breakfast was great.They have the pastries, bagels, toast, cereal, coffee, hot chocolate,etc., hard boiled eggs and a station to make your own waffles.

They have an AAA discount which saves you about 10%.

I would definately stay at this hotel again.

Sweet

We only stayed for one night but it was a good stay. The room was clean and large. The continental breakfast was good. The night was quite. The pool was nice. The service was good. Short drive to San Deigo Zoo (15 min approx). The area seemed nice. Close drive to grocery/pharmacy store. We were happy with the stay.

Nice rooms but have extended stayers

Good and clean rooms. Every works..Good size room also. The only potential problem is some extended stay travelers. Quick and professional check in and out. .

Life by the FREEWAY

If you are looking to experience, what life is like by a freeway, then this is for you. I was here in early Feb. 2005. You can hear every car that drives by. I even requested a room in the back, away from the street. But was given a room near the pool.Secondly, the walls are as thin as ice. I could hear the people next door to me talk. One of them was sick, cuzz they kept coughing all night.

That night, I went down to the lobby to make a request. I found out that you had to be buzzed in. Then there was a locked screen door, that prevents you from getting within 10 feet of the front counter.

In the morning, I saw a guy changing his oil in the parking lot.

The only good thing about this place, was that the room was clean and a decent size. Nothing was broken or falling apart. The sheets were clean, and there were no bugs. The pool was clean and nice. And they gave you free muffins and juice in the morning.

I would not stay here again, unless I had a room way, way in the back. Or if I was a construction worker, and I was used to all the noise.

Lots of room

Stayed at the Lamplighter Inn for one week in Nov. of 2003. The hotels location is not particularly suited for San Diego attractions, but it is near San Digo State. The mini-suite(which is their lowest priced room, I believe) is two rooms. There is a large wall to wall arch that separates the sleeping area from the 'living room'. The 'living room' has a sofa and stuffed chair along with a desk and a built in refrigerator and micro wave. There is free local calling so I was able to access the internet with no charge. The bed was very comfortable (medium firm) and there was a large dressing area as well as separate bath and toilet area. There was a nice heated swimming pool that I took advantage of and while the air was cool, the pool was very nice (probably 80 degrees). The continental breakfast was standard fare with cereal, bagels, juice, coffee and assorted sweets. There was a good breakfast place a short walk down the street that was inexpensive and filling (The Daily Grinds). There are lots of drug stores, pizza places, markets, etc. all within very short walking distances which was very convenient and a large Medthodist church across the street. The staff was very friendly and very helpful. One night there was a loud group that they asked to leave and didn't allow them to extend their stay. We will certainly use this hotel again and would recommend it highly.