We Handled the Handlery in San Diego, California
Written: Jul 15 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean, decent amenities, nice staff, great location
Cons: The room was small.
The Bottom Line: This was a great hotel for my kids and me. We felt safe, it was clean and had we had more time we would have made use of the amenities.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Handlery Hotel & Resort (The) |
We spent some time in California during our 3-month cross country trip. My two daughters met us there and I stayed with them in each hotel. The first one was the Handlery Hotel & Resort in San Diego.
Information:
Handlery is located at 950 Hotel Circle North which is considered the Mission Valley area of San Diego. This is an excellent location. I felt safe and it is close to the airport (5 miles) and attractions such as Sea World (2 miles), Tijuana, Mexico (20 miles) and the San Diego Zoo (3 miles). You can reach them at 800-843-4343. Handlery also has a location in San Francisco. We booked this hotel on www.priceline.com and got a fantastic price- $55.00!
When I checked in there was one man being helped so I just waited a few minutes when another clerk came out to help me. He was extremely nice. He made it very easy for me. Since on priceline rooms can’t be requested I was at his mercy to give me the type of room I wanted. He was able to do that – no smoking with 2 double beds- with no questions.
The hotel appears a bit fancier than it actually is. The large lobby sign is what you see as you drive in. The lobby area is circular and two stories so I didn’t notice at first that the rooms were in separate buildings. What I saw was a circular drive with a valet. The lobby is not ostentatious- there are no chandeliers or marble statues- although there is a pretty fountain outside. The lobby is simple with nice tile and comfortable couches. A large round skylight brightens the area which is much nicer and larger than a Days Inn or Holiday Inn Express.
To the right of check-in were a bar and an area where one can watch television or just sit and relax. The restaurants and conference rooms are in this building. There is then a breezeway to a round building which is just one story. This houses the fitness room with hotel rooms surrounding an outdoor pool and whirlpool. There is also a gift shop in this area. This is all considered Building one.
There is an $8.00 a day parking lot that opens with a validated key, though we didn’t have a car. When my husband dropped us off I figured we would be walking from the lobby to building 3. It is just a 2 minute walk but I asked the parking lot attendant, who was also very nice and he told me that the first 20 minutes is free and it was. If my husband had overextended his stay it would only have cost $1.00 for the first hour.
There are 217 newly decorated guestrooms, including five one-bedroom suites with views of the pool and beautifully landscaped grounds or golf course.
The room:
The bulk of the rooms are in 3 buildings. These are long narrow shaped buildings that redeem themselves with an indoor corridor. Soda machines are outside the building which normally I wouldn’t like. This area felt so safe though that I didn’t mind.
The room was small. Granted I am sure we got the bottom of the line for that price. In spite of it being small for one night it was very functional. When I went in the first time after I checked in and before I got my kids, new carpeting was being put down. When I came back later it had been finished.
The room’s beds were doubles and small but decorated nicely. The bedspread matched the curtain which went the length of the room. There wasn’t much room to hold a lot of furniture. We found a table with 2 chairs which acted also as a desk. A coffee maker with coffee was on the table. The furniture was functional and inexpensive. When I went to open the armoire I though it was going to tip! It housed a television, drawers and much to my surprise a refrigerator.
I always note the closet in my hotel reviews because I feel that open closets are unnecessary and say a lot about a room. Our closet was closed with a double sized sliding mirrored door. The usual iron/board was in the closet. The bathroom was clean and simply done but nicely done. Little touches like thick towels that were folded nicely make me happy. I also found the usual shampoos and soaps.
I got the feeling it was a quiet night. There was an attached door so luckily no one was partying in that room because my sense was that I would have been up all night listening to them!
The amenities:
You can get your hair done or have a massage from 8:00AM to 9:00PM by licensed professionals. Appointments are required. The Spa offers various types of massages such as a foot massage using reflexology, hot compresses and moisturizes for $45 for ½ hour; the head to toe massage using natural cleansers, herbal toners, hydrating mask and hot compresses takes 1 ½ hours and costs $105 and the Ultimate Relaxation Special is an aromatherapy body wrap, full body and facial massage which takes 2 hours and costs $140.
The swimming pool is heated and though I didn’t use it the pool is hard to miss. It isn’t huge but it is a decent size. There is nothing fancy about it – again a functional, decent clean pool and pool area. I didn’t have time to use the fitness room but I peaked in quickly and it looked adequate. I noted an array of cardiovascular equipment and would have had the room to myself had I felt like using it.
There are 15 meeting rooms so the Handlery can accommodate groups from 10 to 400 people for conferences, private parties or a wedding. Their new Terrace Garden which looks like a nice place for a wedding can hold up to 400 guests!
Postcards American Bistro looked like a casual, relaxed restaurant to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or a drink in their lounge. We ate out but of course I just checked out all the amenities so I could give you an idea of what the Handlery has to offer.
Jo’s final thoughts:
This was a great deal. You’ll find dozens of hotels in the hotel circle area so you really have many from which to pick. I wouldn’t’ want to pay a high price for the Handlery but if you want to be in this area many hotels will be much more than the standard $129 a night for this room.
I found the staff to be very nice, the room to be clean and functional and our stay to be very pleasant.
This review is part of my series of our 3-month cross country journey this summer. Other reviews are:
Applebee's in Ohio
Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky
Bella Notte This is a restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky.
Buckstaff Bathhouse This is in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Bicentennial Mall State Park in Nashville, TN
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN
Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN
Graceland in Memphis, TN
Taste of Thai a San Diego restaurant
Recommended:
Yes
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