Bahia Resort in San Diego, CA

Upon calling the hotel for a reservation Deonte was our contact for the hotel. Deonte was nothing more than polite, courteous and very much accommodating. I needed to make two reservations and he helped me with both. We are looking forward to our stay at this hotel real soon! Deonte truly exceeded my expectation on making our reservations. This will be our first time here at Bahia resort and my family is going to have the best time, my kids love staying at hotels and with the way Deonte helped us and told us more about the resort. I think we are going to have the best time!

This was my first time staying at this hotel and the hotel was amazing from the restaurant Dockside-1953 to the rooms and the staff it was picture perfect. I had a nice bayfront suite right out to the water. Dionte in reservations was extremely nice and I look forward to staying here again.

I’ve been visiting the Bahia since I was a high schooler in the mid ‘70’s skateboarding around their parking lot and enjoying the boardwalk, sailing in Mission Bay, and Belmont Park (especially the roller coaster, which has only claimed a few lives since it was built 😆). Seriously though, this place is magic. Whatever you want from your San Diego experience, take it from someone who grew up there and visits all the time for family and friends. Their management is excellent. Stefan is an amazing general manager, and he will probably email you personally prior to your visit. The rest of the staff is also amazing. The grounds, options for water sports, the seals on property, bay-front and beachfront exploring, other great dining and on-site activities, you name it, this historic hotel, which has had a number of upgrades and remodels over the years, always feels like home.

I had a very lovely stay, the rooms were clean and staff were absolutely friendly. The restaurant Dockside 1953 was extremely good. Deonte in room reservations was very informative on things to do in the area. I will be coming here more often.

We recently stayed at this resort and had a generally good experience, though there were a few areas for improvement. The Pros: - The resort grounds are exceptional, with well-maintained landscaping and a picturesque bayfront location. - The beach area is lovely, with plenty of comfortable lounge chairs. - Both the pool and hot tub were large and accommodated many guests. - Our suite was spacious, giving us plenty of room to spread out. - The on-site airstream café was a convenient spot for grab-and-go coffee and breakfast, and having it available was a great perk. However, it’s quite popular in the morning, so be prepared for a 15–20-minute wait before getting your order (even if it is just a muffin and coffee). - The hotel is just a quick 7-minute walk to Mission Beach and is conveniently located near major roads, making it easy to reach various attractions. Most of our destinations were only a 20-minute drive away. Plus, its proximity to the airport was an added bonus! - The staff was consistently friendly, professional, and clearly took pride in their work. Special shout-out to Seth for the helpful guidance! You can tell that all of the employees were doing their best with what they had to work with. The Mid: - The furniture in the rooms is very dated, and minor maintenance issues were noticeable. For example, we had to adjust the toilet handle for it to work properly. - While the beds were comfortable, our bedroom had a faint urine smell when the bedroom door was closed, suggesting a possible mattress issue. - Our original room had a broken door lock, requiring a room change at check-in. This left us wondering if our original room might have been nicer. - Housekeeping service was inconsistent. They didn’t change over our rooms until after 5:00 p.m., and one night they missed our room entirely. While they did send someone after we called the second time, they only brought some of what we needed, requiring an extra trip to the front desk. We would have been happy to go to the front desk to get all of the items with the first phone call if we knew it would take 4 hours and 2 calls to only receive half of the items. - This resort is very family-friendly, which means lots of small children in the pool and even the hot tub. The hot tub seats ~30, but was consistently full when we were there (hours 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.). I was surprised how many kids, especially toddlers, were in the hot tub. Those looking for a quieter experience may want to consider another option. The Poor: - Room views vary significantly. Some have gorgeous bay views, while others—like ours—overlook a street where unhoused individuals live in their cars. The plight of the unhoused is not unique to San Diego, and while this isn’t the resort’s fault, it did impact our ability to use our balcony. This made the price feel a bit steep compared to rooms with better views. When booking, I would suggest you opt for a room facing West or ask about what you will see/experience from your balcony. Would I Stay Here Again? Possibly, but with a different room selection. The resort’s amenities were good and the outdoor setting (aside from our room) was wonderful, but the dated rooms and maintenance issues detracted from the experience. Most importantly, I’d want to ensure a bay view room to fully enjoy the stay.