Encinitas Motels

My wife and I wanted to get away for a few days and stay close to the beach. We chose the Moonlight Beach Motel based on the reviews. PROS: Excellent location!!! Within a few minutes walk of Moonlight Beach, probably one of the nicest beach areas on the North San Diego Coast. Also within easy walking distance of many shops and restaurants, as well as the train station. We actually took a day trip by the Coaster to Old Town San Diego. Our room was recently renovated, very spacious and clean. It actually had two king beds, a first for me, and they were comfortable. We were on the 2nd floor and had a nice partial view of the ocean and beach from our balcony. The shower had nice pressure and hot water. The TV was new and the WiFi worked fine. There is a small fridge inside one of the dressers. It was very quiet while we were there. There are BBQ grills outside facing the beach that we didn't use. There is plenty of parking. CONS: The outside of the motel is average looking, not a big deal. The office is very small and located within the property. They provide coffee and packaged Danishes but no continental breakfast, also not a big deal. We were told that there is no early check-in, and emailed as well. We did arrive two hours early and did double check this policy, and the front desk clerk confirmed. If the room is ready, I don't know why one can't check in early. Though the rooms were newly renovated, they seemed unfinished. Our bathroom did not have baseboards or a shelf in the shower for shampoo, soap, and other accessories. There was no shelf in the closet. There was an iron and board, but no hairdryer. My understanding is that there is no ice machine or laundry room, though that did not matter to us. Housekeeping was an issue. We stayed two nights. After our first night, we left in the morning and did not return until about 3 pm. The room had not been cleaned. About 20 minutes later there was a knock on the door and it was the housekeeper. She asked us if we needed anything. I said more towels and to have the bathroom cleaned. We could make our own bed. She took away the old towels and provided new ones, and that was it. A quick inspection revealed that she had not cleaned the sink or toilet, or emptied the trash. I wonder what she would have done if we were not in the room. I had read a review that said some of the housekeepers did a great job and others tried to get away with the bare minimum. We experienced the latter. We did enjoy our trip to Encinitas and our stay at the Moonlight Beach Motel. The location can't be beat and the price, at least for this time of year, was reasonable. Expect clean, spacious, no-frills accommodations and if your room is on the 2nd or 3rd floor enjoy the ocean views. Should we decide to return to Encinitas for a vacation we would stay here again.