La Pensione Hotel San Diego
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606 W. Date St. San Diego, California, United States, 92101, 800-232-4683;-619-236-8000
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Travel Blogs by Travelers Who Stayed at the La Pensione Hotel San Diego
Bus, Breakfast, Dash, Zoo
So....the previous night I frantically tried to figure out where we needed to pick up what bus...the "free wifi" was non-existant as I tried to hold a weak piggyback connection on some neighbor's network. But we were able to get up and follow my handwritten directions to the bus stop that would take us on our very first public bus ride. Getting to the correct bus stop was our first priority, and I was terrified that I wouldn't get it right. Luckily, it was early on a Sunday morning, so the wa...
San Diego, California, United States 2olives
Pacific Beach and Sea World
Trolley to Bus in Old Town, to Pacific Beach, sandal feet dirty, great finds on the beach, cold Seaworld Day. Great day! Back to gaslamp rock bottom Brewey, met 4 fingered man watched baseball.
San Diego, California, United States 2olives
Little Italy
Flying into San Diego is a trip - the plane looks like it may land on the roof of someone's house as you descend. The airport is tiny and very close to downtown. We caught a cab to La Pensione Hotel and marvelled as we arrived about 10 minutes later. A neon archway announces your arrival at night. After a brief, unexplained bout of bad feelings from the jackass who checked us in (apparently, arriving early really ****** him off) we made it into our room. It was super tiny, but clean and cute....
San Diego, California, United States 2olives
San Diego
We got here much later than we anticipated. The drive here was good after we got started, weather was great, we used out windows for a good while. We traveled on Route 66, but the only interesting part was fairly close to Seligman and we could have made better time on the interstate. Our GPS malfunctioned and we spent some time working on that, then we spent too much time looking for the hotel, which was hiding in plain sight. Our room is too cute, there is no room to move around but it's rea...
San Diego, California, United States donabaker
San Diego - Goodbye To Mainland USA!
Well we've reached our final day in Mainland USA! We've spent the last few days driving from the Grand Canyon to Yuma in southern Arizona and then onto San Diego. The temperature in Yuma was around 35 degrees C which is one of the hottest temps we've experienced so far. San Diego is a bit cooler, but still nice and sunny. We've spent the last couple of days in San Diego checking out some of the sights. Yesterday we went to see the USS Midway, which is an aircraft carrier that has been turned ...
San Diego, California, United States karenandbobby
Historical Traveler Reviews of La Pensione Hotel San Diego
La Pensione is a wonderful hotel
from gayleg
I stayed at La Pensione Hotel for five nights. My room was very comfortable, the hotel staff was courteous and helpful at all times, the view from my room was wonderful and the proximity to the Trolley and the harbor was a great advantage. A most satisfactory experience.
The hotel dog, Penny, was a real treat. She is charming and well-behaved. I highly recommend this hotel.
The hotel dog, Penny, was a real treat. She is charming and well-behaved. I highly recommend this hotel.
Great time in San Diego !
from A TripAdvisor Member
We returned last week from two weeks in S.D - a great place with lots to do.We stayed at La Pensione and were not disappointed! The room was big enough - certainly on par with European budget hotels - & with the ceiling fan on it was fairly cool.We had a 3rd floor room with a balcony overlooking India St which we shared with two other rooms & it was nice to go out there for the sun and fresh air.It was very clean & all the staff were really friendly and helpful.I admit that it is quite a noisy location (which we expected) mainly due to church bells (a nice kind of noise!) the dustbin men & the airport,but as we wanted to stay in a proper neighbourhood (& Little Italy is a great one!) & be close to downtown S.D,the trolley etc, being woken up a little early was no real problem & for the price I don't think you would get a much better deal elsewhere.As for one of the previous reviews which mentioned a dog running around reception, well I doubt you could find a more cute dog on the West coast! I would certainly stay there again.
I liked it.
from A TripAdvisor Member
Although some of the negative statements of the reviews are accurate, I enjoyed La Pensione. The room was nice, although small and hot, and the price was great. I really loved the neighborhood of Little Italy and had a great chicken parmigiana dinner at a restaurant down the street (as well as the wonderful cafe italia every morning at the coffee shop next to the hotel). The trolley was conveniently located two blocks from the hotel and downtown San Diego was easily within walking distance. The only real problem was the noise from the horn of the trolley every morning, the garbage truck across the street on some mornings, and sometimes the planes and the street noise. Otherwise, I had a good time.
Horrid Beyond Belief
from StuartSoTraveled
I knew the rooms were small and not air-conditioned. That was OK as I was only going to stay for 1 night. However, the noise was so incredible and the light outside was so bright (as you needed to keep the window & curtain) open for ventilation), I could not sleep. Worse, when the Little Italy water main broke - leaving the hotel sans water for the whole night and morning - the staff did nothing to give guests relief - either bottled water to wash up, drink or flush the toilets. The desk staff was terrible giving information, not offering any help or financial aid (like "Here's a few dollars off your bill to go have breakfast somewhere and wash up". On checking out, the highly non-service-oriented desk clerk screamed at several of the guests checking out when they suggested that a few dollars off the bill (or some bottled water) would have been in order. She refused to contact any manager when requested to do so and called a female guest a "*****". My advice - spend a few bucks more and stay at (what has to be the better-managed) Super 8 Motel across the street.
You can find better....
from tessaje
we just got back from a visit to san diego and stayed at the la pensione in little italy for one night. if you can picture a super 8 or motel 6 hotel with a quasi-european decor, you've got the picture.
although it looks cosmetically interesting at first glance, this is a very stripped down hotel in a noisy section of town. no air conditioning (ceiling fan only) means the windows stayed open for air, means the room was loud all night long, between people on the street and the planes overhead. very small room, no amenities. the plus is that the room was only $75/night, but for an extra $25 you could get a room that is more comfortable and relaxing. we would not go back.
although it looks cosmetically interesting at first glance, this is a very stripped down hotel in a noisy section of town. no air conditioning (ceiling fan only) means the windows stayed open for air, means the room was loud all night long, between people on the street and the planes overhead. very small room, no amenities. the plus is that the room was only $75/night, but for an extra $25 you could get a room that is more comfortable and relaxing. we would not go back.
Highly recommended!
from A TripAdvisor Member
My husband is a Marine stationed in San Diego at Coronado Naval Base, so we have stayed at many hotels in San Diego. La Pensione is the only hotel that we have returned to! The room was surprisingly small but once we got used to it it was more cozy than tiny. There wasn't a lot of extra furniture like bigger hotels but who really sits at the desk anyway? We didn't mind that we had to have the window open to cool off because the noise was festive. It is very modern (no garish floral prints) and very clean and the staff is very friendly and helpful. The price is nice too! It is located in a cute little neighborhood (Little Italy) with many great resturants within walking distance and ranging in price. The cafe downstairs is great for breakfast. The atmosphere of the hotel and the surrounding area was so much fun! We just loved it and are looking forward to returning again!
If you need rest, DON'T stay at this hotel.
from A TripAdvisor Member
Two HUGE problems with the hotel are noise and no air conditioning. The rooms are very small, but newly redone, and very nice and clean (first impression was good). The first room we were given was on the third of four floors, and had a "balcony" that when you opened the french doors, it was a narrow pathway with a high wall shared with two other rooms.
(The "city view" was a balcony wall!) The room was very hot and with no air and no windows, only the doors with no screens, there would have been no ventilation whatsoever. The management was nice enough to address our complaint and put us on the fourth floor with a beautiful city view (a real one this time) with two windows and a balcony door.
No problems, right? Wrong! The ceiling fan made an awful noise, the corner bar was noisy, the planes, trains, cars, heliocopters, motorcycles, sirens, voices, etc. all carried up to the room when you had the windows/door open (necessary to keep the room ventilated). It was a no-win situation because with the windows and door closed it was quiet, but, with no air conditioning, it was very hot and uncomfortable! Overall, it's a very nice hotel in a great location in Little Italy. However, if you want rest, do not stay at this hotel. Be forewarned, you get what you pay for!
(The "city view" was a balcony wall!) The room was very hot and with no air and no windows, only the doors with no screens, there would have been no ventilation whatsoever. The management was nice enough to address our complaint and put us on the fourth floor with a beautiful city view (a real one this time) with two windows and a balcony door.
No problems, right? Wrong! The ceiling fan made an awful noise, the corner bar was noisy, the planes, trains, cars, heliocopters, motorcycles, sirens, voices, etc. all carried up to the room when you had the windows/door open (necessary to keep the room ventilated). It was a no-win situation because with the windows and door closed it was quiet, but, with no air conditioning, it was very hot and uncomfortable! Overall, it's a very nice hotel in a great location in Little Italy. However, if you want rest, do not stay at this hotel. Be forewarned, you get what you pay for!
Nice rooms, great price
from A TripAdvisor Member
We loved La Pensione. Right in Little Italy above a great restaurant/cafe. Price was definitely right. The room wasn't large nor decked out with extra seating, a desk, etc., but it was definitely comfortable. Ours included a fridge, microwave, and sink in the entry.
We highly recommend it.
We highly recommend it.
FANTASTIC!
from A TripAdvisor Member
We needed a quiet vacation away from the heat of Arizona, buthad a limited budget. La Pensione got good reviews in travel books for SanDiego as a "best kept secret" and I couldn't agree more! It is avery nice hotel for people who are looking for affordability and location.It's located on the southern end of Little Italy. It's a couple of blocksaway from the trolley which (combined with the bus system) can get you toSea World, the zoo, Mexico, the airport, etc. We parked our car in thehotel's underground parking lot and didn't use it for the rest of our stay~ and we are not people who use or are at all used to using mass transit!Our room had a water view (about four blocks from the bay), but over a roofof another building. Still, it was nice to see the bay when you get up inthe morning! There's a nice cafe next door for breakfast. Across the streetis the Princess Pub which is loud and can get packed on the weekends. It'sa mid-priced pub with great British fish and chips. The beers are in the$5+ a glass range. Just a half block north is a great pizza place(Fillipis). Word of warning ~ there might be a line, it's good andinexpensive. A pizza and three beers came to about $20. The harbor and alldowntown sights are within walking distance, even for couch potatoes. Evengetting over to Coronado Beach for a day of sun was a walk/ferry/bus ride.La Pensione was very comfortable. The pillows were a little hard for ourliking, but next time, we'll bring our's from home. It's a small trade off.The hotel is clean and friendly. There were many Europeans staying therewho seemed to be regular visitors. The neighborhood is quiet at night evenwith the window opened. A minor complaint as of june 2003 is that there issome construction in the area. It's easy to get around but slightly takesaway from the quaint feel of the area. La Pensione is a fantastic deal. Wepaid $75 a night (it seems like a flat fee for any room). Just try to findanything better in downtown San Diego!
Hot, Tiny Room
from A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I stayed at La Pensione largely due to the positive reviews we had read. We were pleased with the friendliness of the staff, the room rate (which is very good, considering you are in downtown San Diego), and the overall cleanliness of the hotel. However, we were placed in one of their smaller hotel rooms, which couldn't have been larger than 100 s.f. (including the washroom). When we opened the window (there was no air conditioning), we were assaulted by the constant noise of arriving and departing commercial aircraft (the hotel is very close to the airport). As a result of the cramped hot quarters (you don't leave the window open if you want to get a good nights sleep), we left a day early to go to Santa Barbara.
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