Name: The Sands By The Sea
Address: 9355 Hearst Drive, San Simeon, 93452, US

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2026

Kelly

I was given an upgrade to one of the rooms Caviler. It was very nice

Self

4/10

Poor

21 Jul 2026

Stefanie

The rooms pictured online are not anywhere close to what they are in person. The hotel is run down and a two star hotel at best. I think a Motel 6 is better kept this hotel.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jul 2026

Ricardo

Nice view of the sea

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2026

Joshua

Fantastic location — better than most other options — despite being relatively inexpensive.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2026

sarah

Great staff

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

13 Jul 2026

Donald

My overall stay was pleasant.

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jul 2026

Maria

they offer only coffee no breakfast, but did have a great restaurant on the property that opened early at 7:00am
Parking was good, next time I will select a beach view

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2026

Patricia

My favorite economy hotel in San Simeon! Dog friendly is very nice. Beautiful property have been staying there over 15 years now!
Thank you Sands for a wonderful get away.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2026

Megan

Here’s the thing… this place is perfect for what I wanted! On the beach. Cheap. An actual bed I can sleep on. That’s my criteria and this did that!
There were cons, depending on your getaway. Our bathroom door barely shut, and definitely didn’t lock. There were cosmetics issues. But nothing worth counting down stars in my opinion. This is NOT an area you come to tan on the beach- it’s WINDY. This property has 2 pools, and they do a good job building the sides to block wind, while still keeping it pretty and not blocking your view. I loved the fire pits and giant games. I will 100% be back!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2026

Cristina

This was our second stay when passing thru San Simeon , such a wonderful affordable place to stop at for the night or more. We especially enjoy the location which is almost on the shore, easy parking, and love our evening walks around the grounds. Hospitality was great , only thing is that breakfast ended too early for us. We’ll be back😊.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

10 Jul 2026

Tammy

Rooms were very worn down. Needs new carpet/floors, needs new furniture. None of the drawers or cabinet doors would stay shut. I had to put pieces of cardboard wedged, to keep them shut. Fridge cabinet was obviously ruined by water. The wardrobe cabinet was very smelly. Upstairs walkways had green outdoor/golf looking stuff and was coming up. The place looked terrible but very friendly staff at the front office. Not enough parking.

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

09 Jul 2026

Mark

Carpet was dirty

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jul 2026

Pragyee

Loved my stay there. Beautiful location and view. Awesome staff specially the front desk Lady-evening shift. Super sweet and helpful.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jul 2026

Solomiia

Good place

8/10

Excellent

07 Jul 2026

Jessica

We loved the activities for the family, like chess, fire pits, cornhole, and checkers. The room was clean. I would definitely stay here again.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jul 2026

Estrellita

The place is right on the beach which was nice. The rooms were ok. The location made up for it.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

06 Jul 2026

Maricel

This is our 2nd stay here and the first time was fine. But this stay is disappointing. We were in room 144 and the room is dirty. There is rust on the metal moldings, rust on the tissue paper holder on the wall (and it is empty by the way), old furniture, dirty curtain and a non working thermostat. Thank God we stayed only for 1 night. We will hoose a different hotel next time.

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

06 Jul 2026

Jennifer

The hotel didn’t have any air conditioning, which was not mentioned on the website. The room was 80 degrees when we arrived and didn’t cool down much even with windows and doors open. We would not have booked here had we known that.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2026

Paul

I only went for one night and thought breakfast was included in the price (how it was listed) but was for purchase only. Little disappointed.

8/10

Excellent

03 Jul 2026

Gerry

Amazing Views and verypeaceful

Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2026

Wynette

Location was fabulous, fun fire pits in the evening and oversized chess and checkers and other yard games were a nice touch. Dinner was surprisingly delicious in spite of the price… I’d say it’s worth it to splurge a little on dinner. The wine selection was top motch

Pet

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2026

Arlene

The property location was fantastic and wonderful for enjoying the beach.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2026

Carinne

Great location, beds were comfy and the staff were very friendly.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jun 2026

Laura

Amazing views, fire pits, games, heated pool. Rooms are okay, staff was very helpful.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jun 2026

Lauren

Great place to stay with kids. Outdoor games and right on the ocean

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jun 2026

William

Stay was fine. Weather happened to

6/10

Pleasant

29 Jun 2026

Christopher

Pet friendly, the room was just ok, the bed was comfortable, the location is perfect

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

29 Jun 2026

Judith

The overhead fan which was necessary to keep air flow in the room (since we were on the ground floor and didnt feel safe keeping the window open) squeaked all night until I couldn't stand it anymore. The carpet had many stains and some of the furniture looked like it came out of someone's basement. A plus was the hotel's close proximity to the beach and a place to grab a bite to eat.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jun 2026

Sonya

Amazing every time peaceful and love social interaction with people

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2026

Tarnjit

Amazing Stay great access to beach with amazing atmosphere with firepits and games along the beach.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

28 Jun 2026

Dmitrii

Room window was dirty, furniture was. Office chair has the tattered surface.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

26 Jun 2026

Chloe

Location was easy to find right off of the highway. Our room was a good size, it was not new, but it was clean. The beds were comfortable and true queens. We could hear the ocean from our room, although we could not see it. The games and fire pits near the Bluffs were fantastic. Cookies in the lobby were a great touch. We had parking right outside of our room. No elevators. Easy to walk down stairs to get to the actual beach. There was a restaurant on site, although we did not actually eat there. Beautiful tied pools during our early morning walk. We drove to Cambria for dinner.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

26 Jun 2026

Jess

A very run-down, poorly maintained property. Windows so dirty, you couldn't even see through to the terrible view of the parking lot (which is maybe a good thing?) We were told they would be cleaned, but it never happened during our multi-day stay. No suitcase rack - had to use the rickety ironing board. Scratchy old towels. Disgusting carpet in room and grungy grout in shower. We were not expecting five-star for the price, but this was barely one-star, and definitely not worth the price paid.

Good lobby coffee from the restaurant next door.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

25 Jun 2026

bill

The hotel is a budget type facility, but is owned by an adjoining property. You have access to all the amenities of the adjoining property. So the pools, outdoor seating, exercise room and fire pits are at the adjoining property not the Sands.
Pros:
Clean
Friendly staff
Adjoining property amenities
By the ocean/beach

Cons:
Dated property
Worn looking

Our room was extremely hot, the heater was not on, this was the ambient temperature of the room. There was no was no air conditioner, only a ceiling fan but it did not cool down the room enough. We opened the window, but it was limited because of a screw stop. So it did not open enough to cool room down. We addressed it to the staff who was helpful. They even gave us another small fan to use. The thermostat in the room was at 86 degrees and outside was between 68 - 71 degrees. Even with the window open and both fans we could not get the room temperature below than 82 degrees.

This is a pet friendly hotel and so other guests brought their dogs. Now, the policy was that you cannot leave dogs alone in the room. Well there was no way to enforce this since there was no person on staff at the hotel itself. So at 7am, dog parents went out and we had 2 dogs barking and yelping non stop. I understand this is not the hotel's issue, but it did ruin the stay.
We ended up leaving a day earlier since this was supposed to be a relaxing quiet get away for us.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Jun 2026

Eddy

Ok

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jun 2026

Jordan

Great

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

22 Jun 2026

Kaylean

I was disappointed with this property. I'm not sure how it was rated 8+. The carpet was filthy and stained. The bathroom floor showed signs of stained mold, the shower door was corroded, and the paint was peeling. The pictures in the ad were off the sister prorerty. This hotel sits by the street with zero view. Lastly, the walls are paper thin.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jun 2026

Peter

Great I will definitely come back

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jun 2026

Richard

Our stay was really great. We enjoyed ourselves, wished we could have stayedlonger.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jun 2026

Patricia

Clean room and parking

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2026

Sharon

We only stayed one night during a long road-trip and arrived late but we were very happy with our brief stay. Check-in was quick & we were delighted to be given a room with an ocean view and to find it extremely comfortable & clean. Also delighted to then relax outside in front of a fire & star gaze & watch the waves breaking beneath the hotel’s little bluff. We enjoyed a healthy filling breakfast in the hotel restaurant the next morning and a little daylight stroll before heading on our way. The hotel staff were all helpful & welcoming.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jun 2026

Julio

The hotel was on the beach however there was no mentioned that the property of the hotel was on higher elevation therefore there is a straight drop to the beach where people cannot swim. The AC didn’t work however since it’s california we were able to sleep with the windows open which was a better deal anyways. We were able to enjoy the sounds of the waves while we slept. Not bad for a stay but some furniture pieces do need to get updated.

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

15 Jun 2026

Troy

Needs a lot of updating carpet was filthy. Furniture was falling apart. We didn’t wanna walk on the floors, dirty, and falling apart.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jun 2026

David

The room was old and musty, and the office chair looked like it had been pulled from a dumpster. The toilet was tiny—basically toddler‑sized. I’m 5'10\" and 185 lbs, and it couldn’t have been more than 15 inches off the ground. The bathtub was actually taller than the toilet. Even the bathroom lights needed five minutes to warm up. The window screen didn’t even fit properly, like the whole room was thrown together with whatever parts they had lying around.

But I will say this: it was quiet, and the outdoor amenities were great. They had fire pits, cornhole, and chess right by the beach, which was genuinely enjoyable. The room itself, though… not so much.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jun 2026

Abraham

Very decent, clean, comfortable, safe place to stay. The good: room was clean, everything was relatively new (except the chair for the desk, which was falling apart). The bathroom was newer, Formica counter, ceramic and fiberglass floor and walls, not granite and marble, like you might find at an urban 3+ star hotel, but completely ok for me. Bed, pillow and blankets were comfortable. Plenty of outlets by the bed, nice little clock with usb power. In room coffee (the teabag-type single serving machine). They have a lawn by the ocean with fire pits and huge chess pieces. Free cookies at check in.

The bad: this region seldom needs AC, but my room was 79 when I checked in, and I had to remove the device preventing me from opening the window more than a crack to let the cool air in from outside. Desk chair was totally falling apart. Check in was at the neighboring hotel, not a big deal but slightly inconvenient.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jun 2026

Emily

Loved the walkable views!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2026

Nita

It was really clean, just perfect for a weekend trip

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2026

Alina

Amazing cozy place, especially for this price! The staff is super nice and friendly, absolutely loved the ocean in the back with fire pits! Loved that it’s dog friendly too!

Pet

6/10

Pleasant

09 Jun 2026

Susan

I#

Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2026

Morag

Amazing view,

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2026

julie

we had to check in at the cavalier. everything was fine except the carpet in room needs cleaning and the toilet is very low

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

05 Jun 2026

Jose

Clean and quite

Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Jun 2026

MariaElena

The rooms were clean. It would have been nice to have coffee pods available. It was a little confusing because two properties are managed (at the time we stayed) by one hotel office, which was next door. That meant looking to find who to speak to about any concerns that might have come up.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

02 Jun 2026

Sherry

It was a clean room. No frills, just basic for a one night stay.

Partner

4/10

Poor

01 Jun 2026

Maria

The room was old and outdated. One pillow had pet hair on it, the blanket was yellowed, one of the sheers on the window was missing, the microwave has seen better days (3 of the buttons didn't work), the silicone around the shower door was gross, and the office chair was peeling. Clearly I missed reading the reviews on this place.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2026

Krishnamurthy

Clean room and concept of being next to beach

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

29 May 2026

Adam

The hotel is run down. They don’t have A/C but they do have a ceiling fan. Since we were next to the beach I thought it would be ok just open a window and get a good breeze. Wrong. You cannot open the window more than a quarter open due to safety locks. The room got super hot, you cannot open feel the difference from outside to inside. We had to have our door open to let some cool air in. Other people had to do the same. I like that pets were free and you are walking distance from the beach but you pay in room comfort

Pet

10/10

Exceptional

28 May 2026

Ericka

loved the bon fire and views

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

28 May 2026

Jonathan

Great scenic place to stay. Only complaint would be the very outdated rooms.

Partner

4/10

Poor

25 May 2026

Daniel

If you are looking for a room that smells like an old dog with carpet that has not been changed since the 1950s, this is your place. As an extra bonus, you can hear your neighbor's bed creeking all night long. Highly recommended.

Partner

4/10

Poor

24 May 2026

Eduardo

Beautiful location, but hotel is severely outdated. Rooms are stuffy, carpets look and feel sticky, and ceiling fan barely worked - which is kind of a big deal when there’s no AC in the room and the window only opens about 4 inches - I assume it’s a safety measure. We left and found a nice place in Cambria.

10/10

Exceptional

24 May 2026

Wendy

We enjoy this property. A lot of amenities and close proximity to the beach. Friendly staff.

Family

8/10

Excellent

24 May 2026

Fawzia

It was such a peaceful environment

10/10

Exceptional

21 May 2026

Brady

This is a great property! Staff is wonderful!! Great price for the location!!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 May 2026

Michael

Everything was perfect. And it's a great price on the weekdays

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 May 2026

Tania

Excellent stay !!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 May 2026

Tania

Excellent !!! Great staff, clean room, comfortable bed, a lot of parking and close to a lot of places, like the Hearst Castle, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, the Marine Elephants view point, Piedras Blancas, Cambria, San Luis Obispo, and surrounding areas.

Family

8/10

Excellent

17 May 2026

Alisa

Room was clean, the restaurant was good, the view was great

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2026

DARREN

Clean room great ocean view room service for breakfast was great

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

11 May 2026

Todd

It was nice.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2026

virendra

Clean room

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

09 May 2026

Bernice

I don't know. The parking was safe

4/10

Poor

08 May 2026

irene

Definitely didn't feel safe there were only two cars in parking lot and nobody at front desk .We needed to go next store to their sister building to check in and check out. Room had old musty rugs and no air conditioner just a ceiling fan. The only good thing was their location close to Herst Castle.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2026

Steve

Easy parking , everything is close by

Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 May 2026

Venancio

Views were great and staff friendly.

4/10

Poor

04 May 2026

Cynthia

This place is completely run down. The beds are the only thing that appear to be newer. Filthy carpet, chipped dirty tile and windows that are so fogged up you can't see out them. You have to check in at the neighboring hotel because they do not staff this one, The only plus is you can use the pools at the neighbor hotel.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

30 Apr 2026

Cheryl

There is really not a better hotel for the price in the Central Coast area. The staff is always exceptional, the property is beautiful (LOVE the fire pits!), and the restaurant is reasonable with a decent menu. Highly recommend!!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2026

Bruce

Rooms were a little tired but on the over all is was great. Awesome water pressure in shower. The fire pit was great in the evening

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2026

Laurel

Love staying at the sands by the sea/cavilier...
Very clean...quite...polite and helpful staff....the restaurant has a great menu and very nice wait staff...pools and hot tubs are great...nice beach access...the weather was great....close by Cambria and Hearst Castle...the wildlife was wonderful this trip...the zebras were out and grazing. Hwy 1 is open and the scenery was wonderful.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

27 Apr 2026

Mary

Location is the main perk. No one was around at the check in desk - had to go to another part of the property area and check in at another hotel, it seemed like? Room was mostly clean but the desk chair had big pieces of the pleather coming off in chunks. Something in the walls or right outside the room made a clanging noise every 10-15 seconds all night - just loud enough to be annoying. But there was no one at the check in desk to report anything to.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Apr 2026

Leo

The host that helped us was new and was not familiar with the rooms. The first room was not acceptable but the host helped us get into a better room.
The room was clean.
Windows were dirty and the room smelled musty.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2026

Eliana

Every thing is good

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2026

Christina

Arrived on site and asked before check-in to be sure we had a room with the ocean view. I was upgraded for just a few more dollars. Arrived to the room and the one complaint is the air conditioning clearly does not work. Staff arrived shortly after to prep the fireplace. Another staff member checked in to see if we were good and gave us a fan. Later to my surprise, they came back to the room with a bucket of ice and champagne completely unexpected. The properties absolutely stunning!

4/10

Poor

22 Apr 2026

Kim

There were no wash clothes, the lights did not work, there was no trash can in the bathroom and the chair that you could use to sit at the desk looked like it was pulled out of the trash. Terrible.

6/10

Pleasant

20 Apr 2026

Hector

Muy bonitas vistas, un lugar muy tranquilo y con varias opsiones de entretenimiento.
No nos gustó que Le falta mucha limpieza en las habitaciones, las albercas y la mayoría de las instalaciones.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

20 Apr 2026

Aldo

Clean decent rooms with absolutely no view of the ocean. Staff was friendly and very helpful and tried to be accommodating with the very c***** room I got

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2026

Jimmy

Everything was excellent thank you

6/10

Pleasant

17 Apr 2026

ricardo

Not happy about the room not being cleaned. When I called the front office I was told that I needed to request for room service. But I was never told. It is shameful.

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

12 Apr 2026

frank

Room had a broken fridge was replaced when asked had water buildup entry to room , when we went to bed windowsill had a major leak it was raining all night water was pouring on heater called front desk several times no answer we just turned off heater to avoid fire

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Gary

Decent for the location

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Nick

Clean rooms nice staff

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2026

Alla

This hotel has a beautiful location and very comfortable beds. The staff were friendly and welcoming, always making sure we had everything we needed.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

05 Apr 2026

Johnny

The motel seems to have been purchased so the lobby is closed and you have to go to the neighboring property to check in. They do not service the room daily, (unless you request it every day)

Also, the shower is TINY. So if you bump the shower valve you can get either cold or scolding not water instantly.

You have to walk down a side street to get to the Jacuzzi, so wet use it.

The heat is a radiant strip along a wall so it took forever to heat the room.
Won't be back.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2026

Maricel

The room was clean and the staff are helpful. I love that there is a microwave and ref in the room. There are also multiple outlets to plug your devices and best of all, wifi is free!
We also love the hotel backyard with access to the beach and different games for family. Beautfiful spot to watch the sunset. We will definitely come back to this hotel!

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

04 Apr 2026

Pedro

Great staff ll

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2026

Lizette

Stayed one night on road trip, have stayed before..quick checkin…clean room…great access to beach ..restaurant is right next door, only complaint is air conditioner didn’t work?

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

01 Apr 2026

Laura

Ok

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2026

Heidy

This property is Amazing, especially if you have a pet, lots of space for a walk, baggies everywhere for the clean up. Try booking at the Cavalier the rooms are more up to date, at the Sands by the Sea is not well maintain:( the shower in room #233 was built for 5foot people my husband had a hard time showering, there was ZERO UPGRADES! As is a busy spring break week, so we managed and made the best of it. They have Fire pits to enjoy at night that is Super fun and warm. Make sure to eat before 9pm EVERYTHING CLOSES BY 9pm. Super close to the Hearts Castle.

Pet

10/10

Exceptional

31 Mar 2026

Teresa

Friendly and helpful staff. Restaurant conveniently located there. Room was spacious and comfortable. Pet friendly. Lovely property. The beach is in the back! Nice firepits are lit at sunset.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

30 Mar 2026

Pamela

Windows were filthy, desk chair just needs to be thrown away, and the wifi did ‘t really work. I got what I paid for. I did have a great dinner at the Cavalier, though.