Carlsbad by the Sea Hotel

United States , San Diego - CA
CARLSBAD, 850 Palomar Airport Road
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100 reviews shown

6/10

Pleasant

09 May 2026

Angela

This day was beautiful. Some area was closed off due to construction. The spa was not hot. I don’t think it was working and also we got a balcony, but it was no smoking allowed on the balcony nor anywhere on the property. You have to smoke all the way in the parking lot

8/10

Excellent

07 May 2026

ANN Margaret

Convenient location

10/10

Exceptional

07 May 2026

DAVID

Very welcoming staff and nice room overall would recommend

8/10

Excellent

05 May 2026

Josué

Lobby was under construction but everything else was great, window was like stucked, but everything clean, great view to the pool, gardens were perfect! Pool seemed to be super clean.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

04 May 2026

Kenneth

Hotel was under construction remodel; otherwise, it would have been all 5 stars. Lobby was relocated to room 119 during the remodel. Room we were in was freshly remodeled but missing some baseboard trim behind door and headboard trim. Pool clean and spa working but jets took a minute to start up and could have used a skimming on the top. Roof of lobby canopy needed to be reshingled.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 May 2026

Elba Patricia

Very nice Staff, parking good

6/10

Pleasant

03 May 2026

Christian

It was all good until it was time to go to bed.
Our room was rather cold when we arrived so we turned the ac to 74 and left to go eat dinner.
When we got back it was about 65°.
Then I turned it to 78°. And made sure it was on heat and not cool.
As we were shivering in bed attempting to try to sleep, our room was a humble 54°.
I kid you not.
Am I just stupid and can’t work a hotel room a/c. I doubt it but man did I feel like it. I what a brutal way to sleep while having a small cold to begin with.
Other than that no complaints.
Did not expect to end up in a blizzard while trying to sleep.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

03 May 2026

Robert

The front desk was located in a guest room down the hall from where it should have been. The room itself felt old and the shower door wouldn’t stay closed. We needed to dry some clothes we had spilled water on and paid for the dryer but it never dried the clothes even after passing for 2 cycles.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

02 May 2026

Norma

I've stayed many times and I always come back. The staff is amazing and helpful. The rooms are comfortable; it's a nice place to stay with family. I recommend this place.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

02 May 2026

sheri

The room was clean and well maintained. There was a little construction going on but it didn't really affect anything. Loved the balcony as well. I would definitely stay there again.

Partner

2/10

Poor

29 Apr 2026

Scott and Pamela

We didn't stay; it was so horrible.

8/10

Excellent

28 Apr 2026

adrian

Seems like the property is undergoing renovations and we were put in a newly renovated room, our room looked modern and clean, best part about this hotel is the location, 1 minute walk to the windmill food hall, plenty of good food stalls and we tried about half of them, 5 minute walk to the Carlsbad outlets, add another 5 minutes and your at the famous flower fields. I only wish it wasn’t rainy and cold bcuz the pool area looked good. 24 hour snack and water at the lobby. We ended up just walking to see the sights. Only one major issue was that our AC stopped working, they attempted to have maintenance fix it but it was a building wide problem, lucky it was cold and rainy so I didn’t have to switch rooms, this property is great for families and kids. Our 2 queen room was plenty spacious with a nice patio with courtyard view. There happened to be a weeding at the flower fields and some guest along with the bride and groom stayed on property. They took nice pictures in the garden. Will definitely book and stay again maybe when it’s hotter to utilize the pool.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Apr 2026

Gilbert

It’s was good don’t have a problem just the condition of the hotel it’s bad I have been here almost every year with my family and it’s condition are bad now and getting worse

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

19 Apr 2026

Kathaline

Rooms were not labeled, had to ask when they finically came they just labeled with blue tape , mini fridge inside room did not work no hand soap for restroom was available either and room door did not complete close from bottom so the draft was incredibly loud

Family

6/10

Pleasant

19 Apr 2026

Lenee

This property is under construction. There is no fitness room as stated online, jacuzzi was broken. It was a bit disappointing since we had travelled with our children and we also expected to workout while away from home. Room was nice with hardwood flooring but not properly done in some areas like paint dust all over and seems like the workers hired for the remodel werent very experienced. Overall, i wouldnt go back.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

17 Apr 2026

Caryl

Clean hotel and very close to everything.

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

17 Apr 2026

Griselda

I came home with roaches in my belongings. Rooms are not maintained nor cleaned daily. The front desk at check in informs you to call for room cleaning. The phone in the rooms do not work. The bathrooms are not throughly cleaned. Possibly pink mold. For a three day/ two night stay was provided ONE opened toilet paper roll. No additional ones located in room. Had to call front desk from my personal phone to request additional toilet paper due to the room
Phone not functioning. The pictures don’t properly display what the property looks like. Google this property before booking

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

16 Apr 2026

Josefina

The staff was very accomodating with our request.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

16 Apr 2026

Victor

Great

8/10

Excellent

15 Apr 2026

Corrine

Walls are thin. We could hear the people above us walking.

2/10

Poor

15 Apr 2026

Wendy

Need to update the amenities on this site and hotel site. No shuttle service, website states as of September 22, no year. Misleading

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

14 Apr 2026

Denise

It was overall a wonderful stay. It was hectic at times with the mattress changes in various rooms in our area, but still such a beautiful location. Our room was right outside the pool.

It was very convenient to have the freeway entrance, outlets, restaurants and convenience stores so close by. More over, it's wonderful how all staff interacted with were very helpful.

I would definitely stay there again!

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

14 Apr 2026

Celia

N/A

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2026

Jeffrey

Three nights and we didn't ask for the room to be serviced, so I don't know about that. But it was a great stay.

6/10

Pleasant

13 Apr 2026

Kristopher

Small no frills basic rooms seems more like a motel then a hotel. More like an upscale motel 6 to be honest

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Anjela G.

Comfy poolside room clean and felt safe 5 min from the Carlsbad cliff ocean view

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Desiree

Love how close it is to everything and the renovated rooms.

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

12 Apr 2026

Liz

While checkin is lovely and the female front desk worker was lovely, it was downhill from there. Long story short- at 530am there was a homeless/drugged up beligerent man BANGING on doors and cursing and yelling. By the time the front desk answered, they said they had already called the police. I huddled in my childrens bed while they whimpered and covered their ears while a crazy person banged on our door.

Obviously, we didnt go back to sleep. After that, i couldnt not see everything irritating about the hotel. The walls that were so thin we could hear our neighbors talking. No peep holes or security door. One hot cup and only decaf coffee. The room AC we couldnt get to stay on and wete hot all night.

The worst part was we never heard anything from the hotel. No \"hey are you guys ok?\" No \"the police are here and its all clear\" not a peep. They still charged us a $20 \"amenity\" fee. Wow.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Michael

This property is being remodeled currently so for us it was noisy and messy. We did get a new remodeled room which was nice and the pool is awesome.You are in walking distance to restaurants, outlets , flower fields which was great.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

12 Apr 2026

Brooke

WONDERFUL STAFF BUT the walls may have been actually made of paper they were so paper thin, I could actually put my foot under the door separating the rooms, and I could see through to the outside from the sides and under of the front door. The staff was amazing from check in through the stay. There was an incident involving an extremely intoxicated man and the staff handled it great. But until the property itself is actually maintained with proper doors and walls (that I could hear entire conversations, like not even muffled, and even said goodbye to our neighbors through the walls), I would never stay here again even if you paid me. It is too bad because the property itself is in a great location, has potential to be really cute, again, STAFF WAS AMAZING, but even without the incident of the crazy person, the fact that you can see through the doors to the outside, could stick my foot through to the other room, and walls so thin I could hear the person actually breathing, I won’t stay again.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

10 Apr 2026

Rick

Old an worn

Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Apr 2026

Yolanda

The location was perfect, across the street from restaurants and the Outlets. The room however did not look clean (swept). There was dust and hairs on the hardwood floor.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

06 Apr 2026

Kelly

I knew the hotel was close to the highway but wasn’t prepared for how loud the road noise was even in the room with the doors closed. We were told no other rooms were available, (and discovered our room phone was non-functional when trying to call the office). We also had loud neighbors with poor soundproofing between the rooms and a large group hanging out loudly in the courtyard at midnight. So, bring earplugs if you’re a light sleeper. Book a pool view room as those are set further back from the highway. My kid enjoyed the pool, and the Windmill Food Hall was convenient next door.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

06 Apr 2026

sandy

The hotel is going through some remodeling/renovations that affected our stay. One of the rooms that I reserved had fixtures missing such as the door plate, which

10/10

Exceptional

06 Apr 2026

Nougnith

always great staying here ! only downfall is they don’t offer shuttle to LegoLand anymore !

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

05 Apr 2026

nathaniel

The staff was friendly and welcoming, and the room itself was a decent size for the area. The price felt about $20 higher than expected, but the location is excellent — close to food, the mall, and right across from the flower fields.

My main issue was the lack of communication on either Hotel.com or the Hotel's own website about ongoing renovations and construction. There was constant noise throughout the day, including talking, banging, and spray‑painting that started around 7:45am and continued until the late afternoon. Coming back to the room after being out all day and still hearing construction noise was frustrating. A heads‑up about the renovations would have made a big difference.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2026

Eudina

Staff are really nice and most especially debbue the who did work grave yard shift. She is very entertaining and very helpful.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2026

Marisela

Wonderful customer service

4/10

Poor

04 Apr 2026

Jon

The pool was dirty, with sand in it. Staffing wasn't very friendly, had to request maid service 4 times with the front desk to get one to show up. The hotel is very desperate for maintenance throughout the property. The room rate was very high compared to the condition, cleaniness and amenities offered.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

04 Apr 2026

Olivia

It’s in a cute spot with some great places to eat. Disappointed seeing the laundry station with the towels thrown all over the asphalt and ground. Housekeeping never showed up, even when scheduling it ahead. Staff that was present was very kind. Rooms were fine but not very clean.

6/10

Pleasant

03 Apr 2026

Vicky

Property is under construction so we were woken up by hammering. My room was completely open when I arrived my kids were woken up early due to hammering and drilling

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2026

Geraldine

Parking feels safe. Staff are friendly.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Apr 2026

Jaime

The hotel area was overall perfect.
The room needs work done. Nails were hanging out from the face boards and the locks on the sliding door wasn’t working. Other than that my family enjoyed the pool and the room.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

02 Apr 2026

Lisa

Hotel was in great location. Windmill food Court was great!
There was a lot of construction going on, rooms were nicely updated. We had staff issues. We were promised, after first night, that we could have ajoining rooms. But when we checked on change, I was still in old room and the room promised was given to someone else. I moved to closer room but unable to have ajoining room as was promised by 2 staff members. We had a 4 year old and the convience of adjoing rooms would have greatly improved our stay!

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2026

Cassie

Pool was great weather was too chilly to fully enjoy. Property was under renovation while we visited but staff was friendly and clean. Was close to Legoland which is what we were looking for, not a great walking path but managable. Close to food and stores.

8/10

Excellent

01 Apr 2026

Angela

Hotel was under construction, they started working early in the morning so we were woke up early but other than that it was a good stay. Great price for the location and staff was great, outdoor pool was nice.

10/10

Exceptional

31 Mar 2026

Mari -Jenea

Very convenient property and staff is nice. We love the food court, it’s only 6 min from Lego land and six min from the beach. Second year staying here for spring break

10/10

Exceptional

31 Mar 2026

Adrian

Walking distance to Legoland with kids. Pool area nice to cool down easy access to hotel rooms.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2026

Luis

Staff has been the best it’s been in years. I’ve been coming to this hotel over the last 5 years. And most recently just the staff alone made it better. Thank you.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

30 Mar 2026

Katherine

Pool area was nice, hotel under construction so that made it more noisy.

8/10

Excellent

30 Mar 2026

Caren

Parking lot is safe. The property very convenient .

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2026

Joyce

The hotel is getting a much needed face lift. The sliding glass door frames are rusted and need replacing. They are challenging to open and close. The interior room had been recently redone and most of the choices were commensurate with a three star hotel. Someone made the efficient but annoying decision to have the air conditioner condensation line drip into the one and only sink making use of the sink entertaining.
The staff was polite, responsive and helpful making the overall experience better

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2026

Morgan

Parking was great. Room was clean. Great easy in and out place to stay

Partner

4/10

Poor

29 Mar 2026

Albert

I called the hotel at 2pm to ask what time check in was at the gentleman that answered
Stated that it was at 4 pm he then took my number and said be would call as soon as the room was ready.he never called. Went to the hotel at 4 pm to check in and the rooms were still not ready. We rented a hotel so we can shower and change to get ready for a wedding we were attending at the Hilton across the freeway that started at 5pm so we just had to go to the restroom of a gas station to change and freshen up after our 7 hour car ride. So then I came back at 8 pm to check in. When I pulled up to the lobby it was under construction and there were very little visible sign showing were to check in. I then informed the manager about the inconvenience and she stated she would waive the $13 resort fee but she never did. Never staying here ever again to top it off after checking in my room and bringing my luggage in I found the room was dirty. At that point I didn’t feel like saying anything I just wanted to be in a room due to the eventful night I was having. On top of the closet I found a pack of cigarettes and a box of soda pop(empty) and a note with a phone number apologizing for hitting someone car. At check out I informed the front desk and she didn’t know what to do with the information I gave her.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Mar 2026

Iris

Easy check in and Parking, beautiful pool and pretty grounds in a great location, across the street from the Flower Farm!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Mar 2026

Melanie

My family and I spent the day at LegoLand and decided to book Carlsbad By The Sea for a short stay-cation.
The main lobby is currently under construction but the temporary lobby was easy to find via signs. The receptionist was warm, kind, and professional. Check-in was very simple!
Our room was clean and the beds were comfortable. Our 3 year old especially enjoyed the heated pool and jacuzzi. We were able to walk across the parking lot to the Windmill food hall, where we had many dining options. The hotel is also located across the street from Carlsbad Outlets and right by the freeway.
Overall, great location, great pricing, courteous staff, CLEAN room. Highly recommend!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Mar 2026

Jaymi

Great hotel and so close to the flower fields 🌺

10/10

Exceptional

26 Mar 2026

Lindsey

Nice and clean hotel

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2026

christopher

Great location with ample
Places to eat and shop for! Walking distance to flower fields and Costco!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2026

Andrea Adame

Walking distance to restaurants and outlets.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2026

Pavani

We had an issue with our room and staff was great in taking care if us especially Lisa, she amazing at what she does. We will return with our family this summer.

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2026

Georgia

Very friendly, clean room, undergoing rehab but not annoying...nicely redone room....quiet....had patio room looking at pool area, easily open slider and go out to grass to walk pup, or thru security to pool ...price very reasonable,, location super across from Outlet Mall, or walk nextdoor to food court in Windmill....or just a block f down around to numerous upscale restaurants....beach and Carlsbad Village, great areas, very close... property bought out 2023 and will just get better....would stay again..

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2026

Ricardo

The gentleman at the front desk when we checked in was super nice! Great customer service! We were there for 2 days and did not want to leave!

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2026

Adriana

There was a problem with one of our rooms the first night but they were all full. The next day they had moved us to another room and even had them ready early. The staff were really nice and offered a good service. Will stay there again.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2026

ERNALITA

The room is clean and the staff are friendly.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

24 Mar 2026

Aurelio

Site was partially under construction, breakfast was sub par compared to other similar locations. Outdoor patio was unkept. Other than that location is amazing. With in walking distance to a bunch of eateries and shopping. Very short drive to the beach.

Partner

4/10

Poor

24 Mar 2026

Sabrina

There was construction being done in the lobby area to much noise so did not stay

8/10

Excellent

24 Mar 2026

Desarae C.

The food mall was the best thing for us during our stay. The pool did not have many pool towels ready had to use room towels and there was spider webs inside and outside of our room. The staff was friendly & on top of getting us our amenities in a timely manner. Would stay here again. Very close to legoland, Costco and a mall within walking distance.

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

23 Mar 2026

Miles

The rooms are older and you can hear the rooms around you. Loud traffic really close to the freeway. Everything else was great! Right by the flower fields!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Mar 2026

sandy

The staff was very nice.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

22 Mar 2026

John E.

2/10

Poor

21 Mar 2026

DANELLE

the room was not clean including the floor and bathroom. overall not enjoyable. the a/c knocked all night unable to sleep. the staff was nice and the pool was okay. we checked out early because we couldn’t stay more than the few hours we had to the first night after driving 6 hours. don’t recommend staying here even if the location is convenient to legoland.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

21 Mar 2026

Clean rooms, pool was nice and clean, there’s a hot tub.

No breakfast nothing fancy, but decent if you need a cheap place for 1 night or 2.

No shuttle service to legoland

2/10

Poor

19 Mar 2026

Jimmy

Why I gave one star due to the facts is the room water issues. Either is a super cold or a steamy hot water. It’s not safe for my two young kids to shower either they’re getting sick or getting burn. I called the front desk and the maintenance gentleman came up to our room and couldn’t solved the problem. Unfortunately I have to returned the room keys within less than two hours since checked in. The staff were great and friendly. Unfortunately they’re full booked from what I been told from the front desk staff and this is happening on the weekday (Thursday 03/18/2026).

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

18 Mar 2026

Rebekah

Overall, it was ok. Good for t

10/10

Exceptional

18 Mar 2026

Michelle

Clean room with good food within walking distance!

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

18 Mar 2026

Christina

The hotel was under refurbishment which is much needed. The interior of the room was updated and cleanly, but when asked for our room to be cleaned on day 2 at 9AM, they said they could not. The third day we were able to get our room cleaned when I called at 7AM to get on the list. They don't supply enough soaps/shampoo, the bottles are tiny for any one person let alone 2+. They forgot to put more shampoo, etc. when they cleaned the room. I assumed their housekeeping dept was short staffed. The pool and hot tub were nice amenities and very family friendly atmosphere. We loved the location close to food, the outlet mall, and Legoland. They ran out of towels by the pool, but remedied the situation. Dog friendly as well. We loved having a back door entrance into the scenic courtyard as the front of the hotel faces parking lot. Plenty of parking and free parking that was easy access which is nice in California near the coast.

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

17 Mar 2026

Fouad

NO WATER. CONSTRUCTION NOISE. RECEPTIONIST WAS RUDE

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2026

Adrienne

Outside of building was a little deceiving but room and grounds were perfect.

6/10

Pleasant

16 Mar 2026

Yoana

Not going to lie I was little disappointed about my stay. The lobby was under construction. Hotel was outdated and the worst pool and jacuzzi was not clean. I would not stay here again.

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2026

Ruben

The room was clean and beautiful. We enjoyed our stay! Were able to walk to the flower fields and outlets that are across the street from the hotel. The staff were so nice and kind.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Mar 2026

Gerald

Great stay. Great service

2/10

Poor

15 Mar 2026

Luis

6/10

Pleasant

14 Mar 2026

Stanley

Needs a refresh, but a great location.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Mar 2026

Brenda

Staff was great and helpful. Low rating because the pool was not the cleanest and the rooms are not soundproof, we were able to hear the guests in the other rooms almost clearly. The location is good if you want to be close to the outlets.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

12 Mar 2026

Kelcey

Bugs in the room and definitely a filter on the property photos.

2/10

Poor

11 Mar 2026

Karen

This is the second time we stay here and it is absolutely our last! First time wasn’t the best experience either but the location is great. We stayed here a second time hoping it would be better and it happened to be worse! They did renovations to the hotel which was nice. But sometime through the night the water stops working! We were not able to shower, wash hands or the basic need of using the bathroom!!!! We have children, we can’t ask them to hold it in!

Do not waste your money here, not even for the convenience of having things near you! Book somewhere else!

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

10 Mar 2026

Boyd and Linne

Property under renovation! Staff very helpful!

8/10

Excellent

09 Mar 2026

Janie

The room was good for price, value, and location. Late check out was a definite added benefit and over all friendly staff that accommodated needs with solid solution options. Would stay again.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2026

Tabitha

Check is was easy, room was ready and clean. Close to the places we wanted to be at.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

08 Mar 2026

CARRI

The staff was very welcoming to my service dog, Hazel. The room is aged but seems they’re currently doing renovations. I’ll definitely stay here again.

8/10

Excellent

08 Mar 2026

Liza

Pet friendly, safe easy parking, great staff, wonderful pool and hot tub.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Mar 2026

Mareta

Our stay was great! The kids loved the pool area and the room was clean upon check in. There were some renovations being done in the office area so the new office area was still accommodating.

The only downside was that the laundry room was not in working order. The washers worked fine but the dryers did not have any heat in them so our clothes had to be taken off site near the airport for drying, after multiple times of trying to dry our loads. I didn't know the hotel went through a third party so by the time i had to go to the airport, i was told by staff that someone could've came to fix it.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

04 Mar 2026

Rosemary

The hotel lobby is under construction so not so welcoming. The staff was efficient.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

01 Mar 2026

Austin Daniel

Saw some weird said on the head board looked suspicious otherwise it was a nice place and the windmill hall was amazing