This was a last-minute trip, and since we had never been to Pismo Beach, we were excited to visit. I booked The Tides Oceanview Inn and Cottages through Expedia for about $550 for two nights, choosing a “Partial Ocean View” room based on the reviews.
Before arriving, I called the hotel and spoke with Denise, the manager. I explained that it was our first visit and that we were celebrating our anniversary. She was very brief and dismissive and never mentioned that the hotel is next to a freeway or that we would be assigned Room 203, one of the rooms closest to the road. I even told her I wasn't getting a good vibe about the Hotel. Unfortunately, my concerns were justified. Room 203 had extremely loud road noise and a bad disinfectant smell. The “Partial Ocean View” was also misleading—the room primarily faced the parking lot, and we had to step outside and look to the side to see the ocean.
When I asked Jesus at the front desk for help, he said the hotel was fully booked and nothing could be done. He also said, “My manager has noted that she spoke to you,” which I found very condescending. Expedia tried to help relocate us but said the manager needed to approve a refund. Jesus said no manager was available until Monday, when we were already scheduled to leave. There were also no closets or hangers. When I asked for a chair, Jesus offered a plastic bathroom shower stool for our clean clothes. Overall, our anniversary stay was extremely disappointing, couldn't wait to leave.