Creekside Inn

Girl at front desk was very nice. But disappointed in the room. Curtains are old, furniture out dated. Both beds were beyond hard. Shower has no real pressure. Patch work in bath and walls of room very poor. Bath lighting fixture had major dust build up. And the one and only window was to dirty, appears never cleaned. Overall for $ 144.00 not impressed. Room 15. Sorry but some work and refurbishing is needed. Oh and the outside grounds are nice and pleasing to the eyes.

I’m so sad to post this! We have ALWAYS endorsed Creekside Inn but after this weekend, I have to report things have changed… dramatically. I hope the Owner does review this and seriously considers making a few changes…
First off, we’ve ALWAYS stayed on the top floors overlooking the creek side. That being said… since then, we’ve added to our brood. We now have 4 in our family as opposed to a party of 3.
We took pity on our future neighbors and requested the bottom floor. After explaining to the host/​hostess at Creekside why we would prefer the bottom floor, Suite 2 was mentioned. The way it was explained to me was «it has a room section and a living room section… and it comes with a fold out sofa bed…». Well, they forgot to mention a few things.
1. The room, sits right next to the office. It also has a very leaky, dripping hose bit outside the room where water is pooling. Dare I ask about the mold issue? Anyhow, you can hear the «drip drip drip» outside… all night.
2. The carpet, RIGHT AS YOU ENTER the room, is faded (most likely from the drip drip drip…) and catches the door so you have to «push» with body weight.
3. The room, must not be offered regularly as, there were cobwebs hanging from the ceilings and windows and brackets to the curtains. Did I mention the dead pill bugs?
4. The bathroom, was so small and tight, you have to walk sideways if you are an average man of todays standards… and there is no bath tub (even if this is considered a «honeymoon suite»…you’d want a bathtub? Or if you want to market this as a «family unit»…). Even more odd… when you run the sink, there is a sound of rushing water outside the bathroom window… I’ve checked 4 times. Waited for neighbors to turn on water and no rush sound… odd right? Someone is watering the yard exactly 3 seconds after I shut off water off at sink?
5. I don’t think this units carpet has seen a carpet cleaner in a very, very long time. Forget about the sofa…
6. When you go on a vacation, you run around all day and you come BACK to your room to sleep right? In a nice, comfortable, cozy bed… and room… well, the «bedroom’s» mattress was so noisy and bouncy… I almost fell out when my husband «flipped». I tried the «sofa bed» but, as soon as I sat on it, I noticed quite a few springs are missing. After my «visual» inspection, I was correct. Some of the springs were not even hooked to the frame. It was too late to contact the desk so, I just curled up on the thing next to my daughter. Baby was in a sleeper in the bedroom with dad. :(The noise from this bed and the sofa bed… my gosh… sounded like a squeaky brake pad… UGH! Needless to say, I did not sleep more than 1 hour in 2 days… and I still have an infant to care for… UGH!
7. NOTE!!!: DO NOT BOOK THIS ROOM! EVER! Unless they post pictures of a complete remodel! WORST room of the establishment!
8. My daughter LOVED Creekside… after this visit, she said «I don’t want to come back to this place next time. I’m sad to see it functioning below my great memories of Creekside…»
9. We love Cambria and support ALL of their businesses… and VERY well I might add… just this time around… we preferred NOT to be in our stuffy, dark, noisy, dusty, little room.
On a positive note, the room offers a fridge and a fireplace. The fireplace cover, needs to be cleaned. The «dust film» on the inside of the cover, hindered the enjoyment of the fire in the morning and night. The fridge, needs to be defrosted. However, functioned well.
I’m so incredibly saddened by the service provided by the host/​hostess over the phone. I wish they had just explained to us that the room is really for a couple and explained that there is no tub. We would have booked a normal room instead.
They were nice enough to tell us that we could try another establishment, if we were unhappy the day we arrived. Knowing full well, all rooms were booked. I am so sad, to hear this is the way they choose to resolve… what would have been lifetime supporters. Just sad… left a bad taste in my mouth.
Room rate: $ 150/​night

Slowly making my way to San Francisco where I shall then really splurge on a nice hotel, but I knew the Creekside would be low budget, however a fridge and microwave in the rooms would have been great especially for families. The bed was so so, but it was very quiet at night and early morning. I did hear the turkeys and cows this morning but that was cool…

We had what we thought were «reservations» for the Creekside Inn in Cambria for a Friday and Saturday night. I had called the Creekside Inn the previous Thursday morning and spoke to a woman who told me they had one room left and even explained it had a balcony. I gave her my credit card number to hold the room but stupidly didn’t get a confirmation number. When we arrived at 930pm after a long day of hiking in Big Sur, the office was closed and the emergency number to call did not patch through to anyone. We had to ask someone who was staying there to use their room phone to try the extension. The overnight grounds keeper we got in touch with didn’t have us listed but stated there were no vacancies, but one blank on his list. That room had the dead bolt engaged so someone was staying there. Another name on the list hadn’t checked in yet but didn’t match the name on the envelope on the office door with their keys either. Basically nothing made sense. The grounds keeper tried phoning the manager to figure things out and eventually got through to him after like 20 minutes. The manager basically told us we were sol. The grounds keeper at least was very nice and tried to help us phone other motels in the area but everything was booked. We eventually, miraculously found a room in the nearby Cambria Pines Lodge, but only because the employee went above and beyond to call some late arrivals to see if they had changed their mind.

The rooms are old and in need of updating/​remodel but the price isn’t bad, the rooms are clean and we loved sitting on the balcony and listening to the birds and frogs. We will definitely be coming back.

So disappointed in this hotel. As you first enter the «deluxe“room there was a big stain on the carpet. As we opened the screen door it immediately fell off the frame. Called for assistance and the handyman couldn’t seem to get it to stay on track. Also the sliding glass door would not lock. The safe wasn’t working, and the tv pixelated continually. Other then that and another half dozen cleanliness issues, dirty soap left in shower, etc. I would not recommend this place… termite droppings too!

I highly recommend the Creekside Inn in Cambria! While the hotel rooms are old and in need of updating/​remodel, the price, location and the very lovely staff and delicious fresh baked pastries, fresh fruit and coffee in the morning make up for it! If you’re planning on visiting the beach and/​or Hearst Castle and not staying in your room long, this is a great economical choice!
I especially appreciated the help of the owner, Tim. Unfortunately we got locked out of our room late in the evening. At first I was frustrated because I couldn’t get anyone to answer the emergency phone number, but I was able to call the owner, Tim. He arrived within five minutes to let us into our room and we certainly appreciated this fast and reliable service. Thanks Tim and staff! We will be back!

Dog Friendly !
First I have to say that customer service goes a long, long way with me. Tim and Sheerin are the nicest people ever.
No, the hotel is not the Ritz Carlton. It is a dog friendly, older place that is updated as the owner’s budget allows. Let’s face it people, we have been in a economic depression for a few years now and Cambria is a tourist dollar town. So do not expect a 5 star hotel.
That being said the room was adequate size, the bed was comfortable and clean. This review is a little over due but I stayed here with my dog for a couple of nights and she liked the place just fine. I walked to the little dog park area that is next door so my dog could do her business so it was conveniently located as well.

Truly disappointing…
Our room smelled like a rotting corpse (seriously, it was bad). Had to freshen with our own air freshener.
Doors had stains on them on the inside.
TV is about 17″ big but sits inside a center that could easily house a 45″ one. There were no movie channels like HBO/​Showtime.
WiFi connection was as slow as a three legged turtle that would occasionally take a nap and provide you with no service at all.
Toilet plunger had feces remains all over it. It really was outstanding to see that.
Faucet handle would pop off when used.
There is no microwave or fridge (so bring your own), although we weren’t told we’d have one in the room.
Beds are uncomfortable and you’ll spend quite awhile stretching and popping your back throughout your day once you get out of it.
Vending machine wasn’t accepting dollar bills.
The heater looked so uncleaned that we were afraid to turn it on.
Staff was nice, that was about the only plus.
If you need a place to stay in Cambria on the cheap and don’t want to sleep in your car or pitch a tent somewhere, then stay here. Just don’t expect anything of value.

This place is like a Tootsie Pop, Cheery on the outside, and dreary within. We wanted to like this place, and looked for anything we could hang our expectations on but there was nothing.
Open your room and you’re greeted by complex smells. There’s the long ago party scent, kind of a wine in the rug aroma, blended with a note of not completely burned propane from the ancient wall heater.
Then there are the sights, which are better not seen. Fortunately the dim fluorescent lights make the stained carpets look a little bit nicer, however I do suggest turning off the lights completely before throwing back the bed covers so you won’t see the velour blanket worn with holes (see photo).
In the bath you’ll find a nice wooden handle plunger next to the toilet, scuffed walls with countless patches and layers of paint, weird spots on the shower curtain. We’re not great detectives, but we could easily tell that the last guest was probably male with short brown hair – judging by what was left in the tub and on the sink.
The toiletries are all in a wall dispenser in the shower (which is actually a no-​waste environmentally conscientious way to dispense shampoo ect.). At the sink you will find a White Marble Complexion bar soap wrapped in a towel by the sink, it’s hypoallergenic and about as cheap as you can get. The plug on the hair dryer was covered in grime. The bath door knob was sticky.
Ahhhh, but you ask how are the beds? When it comes down to it, really what matters most is that good night sleep. Reading other reviews there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on bed comfort. We can confirm the those who mentioned feeling the bed springs were spot on. Ouch.
To be fair we’ve only been in the room less than an hour. It might get better, but it might not. The wall heater is making these loud banging popping noises and our eyes are stinging from whatever it’s putting out in addition to heat. Being good Unilocalers we wanted to get this review out just in case we didn’t survive the night.
So what do you get for your off season, upstairs balcony room, which set you back $ 100? Other than a learning experience, and a fun Unilocal review, not much.
(Note: we added an extra star because the front desk was nice enough and the exterior really does look cute-​quaint)

We finally decided to take a small three day trip with the family. We haven’t done this in over five years
Decided to take the kids to Hearst Castle.
Booked online for a two queen room. The reviews seemed to favor it well.
The hotel is cute as a button. Very clean and the cute balcony is sweet with a table and two chairs to relax and have a glass of wine.
Walking distance to downtown Cambria shops, plenty of cafés and food establishments.
Front desk was very friendly.
There are only a few things that would make this Inn a real jewel.
1. No Mini fridge. No where to place food and drinks purchased at local establishments.
2. No Microwave. Would have been awesome to warm up goodies for the kids in the morning.
3. Total absence of Comfortable beds! I don’t understand the reviews about comfy beds? Maybe if you prefer sleeping on rocks! You lay down on these beds and you can literally hear and feel the springs under you. No give. My husband has health issues (MS) and he could not sleep and neither could any of us! Not good on his health.
If they would invest in decent beds, this place would be five star. (Can you say Tax right off guys?)
To their defense they did give us extra blankets to put under us for extra padding but, alas it was of no use. :(
So while I love this cute little place, all we mostly want to do at any Inn or hotel is what? Sleep!!! Sadly, sleeping on rocks doesn’t equate to a good nights sleep.

I stayed at the Creekside one time 3 years ago and it was a love-​hate thing…
What I loved were the incredibly quiet rooms and comfortable beds. I don’t recall sleeping in a bed EVER that was as comfortable as it was at the Creekside. As soon as you walk in, all the outside noise simply vanishes and as soon as you lay down on that heavenly mattress, you instantly drift into dreamland.
Combined with the morning fruits and grains, coffee and a pretty good vibe from the upstairs rooms, it really was something special.
What I hate is the management and desk staff who were extremely inflexible and difficult to work with in regards to my reservation. They’re obviously more concerned with grabbing your wallet than a repeat customer. I had booked my stay for 3 nights and wanted to change that to 2 nites. Unfortunately they said they would not do that, even though I had provided them with weeks of advance notice. Sadly they had my credit card number and were going to charge the full rate anyway, whether the room sat empty or was given to someone else or not. It was a huge PITA.
So for now I’ll just have to say: Farewell fair bed…

My husband and I recently came to Cambria for our second time. Our first time we stayed up the coast a little ways in San Simeon and the hotel was alright but we definitely wanted to stay closer into town which is when we found Creekside Inn.
The curb appeal on this hotel is fantastic which is what initially drew us in. It is a very cute, quaint, on the smaller side consisting of only 22 rooms, quiet and is just on the out-​skirt of town making it a quick walk into town. When I called to make reservations the staff was very polite and professional. We ended up booking a king bed room which was fair in price. We were arriving later than the office was open so they made it very accommodating by leaving the key for us and letting me know that we could come in, in the morning no problem to take care of the official check-​in. Again when checking in the staff was very polite and professional.
As for our room, we were happy with it. It wasn’t overly big but enough to be more than comfortable. From reading previous reviews, I was thinking the room was going to be a little more out dated than it truly was. Now, it wasn’t a complete remodeled updated room but it was decent and clean. We had a nice balcony with two chairs and a small table which was nice to sit on in the morning and drink coffee and the evening for a glass of wine.
I do have a few criticisms however; there is no small frig which would have been very handy. A place to put some drinks to keep cold for in our room in the evening (not just and ice bucket with ice) as well as a place to put left overs I would have brought back from eating out that I truly didn’t want to waste. The bed was disappointing… it was very uncomfortable and felt like I was sleeping on a cement slab. If the hotel would invest in some more comfortable beds and a small frig for the rooms then I would say the price for the room would be extremely fair.
Overall, I would have given 4 stars but the biggest draw back to the hotel is the bed. When I am on vacation a comfortable bed for a good nights sleep is a must have which is why I only gave 3 stars after all. I would stay again for sure but might try another place as well.

Nice, fairly small establishment. Quiet, clean. Not roomy, but just enough room. A good price for what you will get… the basics. Wifi, nice tv, decent bath, coffee maker, no frig or micro.
The staff are nice and helpful.

Quaint from the outside, and perfectly friendly proprietor, but inside, well… you get what you pay for. And we apparently paid enough for only an uncomfortable bed. tiny bathroom, and almost complete absence of amenities. Fine place to stay if your only concern is saving money while still having a roof over your head.

We have been to Cambria before and enjoy staying within walking distance of shops and restaurants. The Inns and motels on Moonstone Beach have the ocean right across the street and are priced accordingly, however only a very few room actually have views of the ocean and to get to town you have to drive.
The Creekside Inn is a small older establishment located at the East end of town close to a number of shops and restaurants. While a bit older and basic in amenities, it has been well maintained. We spent three nights there after having made our reservations online through their website. Our king room was clean and comfortable with a cute little balcony overlooking the creek that runs behind the property. You can tell that the owners are constantly reinvesting in the property. They have free WiFi an have upgraded to flat screen televisions. There are flowers and plant life everywhere which adds to the charm.
We were greeted by a very friendly couple and told that on the weekends they offer free fresh local pastries, fruit, coffee and juice in the mornings. The selection of pastries was very pleasing.
While this trip, we did not bring our dog, It should be noted that this is a pet friendly hotel.
The next time we visit Cambria we will probably stay here again.

We booked a room through Expedia and when we arrived we were told there was no rooms available. They were sold out. Despite having a confirmation # and reservation. Expedia is NOT at fault. They contacted the Inn and I received a call from the manager offering me a discount next time. Well, we live on the East Coast. Not that I would want to give them any business even if I was back in Cambria.
It was a Saturday night in a popular area of California. It took us over an hour to find a place. (Ended up at the Days Inn in San Simeon, which was clean and reasonable) We had been driving all day and by the time we found a place to stay overnight, all the restaurants were closed. (they close early, around 8:30pm) So thanks Creekside Inn for all that unnecessary stress on a vacation we had waited a year for. Thanks goodness all our other reservations held rooms for us.

The upstairs double room was larger than most motels which we appreciated. The TV was pretty small in comparison to the cabinet it was hidden in and did not pivot for the person in the other bed to see. I would have had to watch TV from my mother’s bed if I wanted to, but the need was not that great. The beds were hard and uncomfortable, but sleep was had. The woman at the front desk was friendly and offered suggestions for dinner. Overall, an okay place for the price.

I am using my husband’s Unilocal for this review.
I have never been treated with less respect from a business. If you desire to be treated with even an once of hospitality I would choose a different establishment. Firstly, my husband was not told upon booking that in the dog-​friendly room our pet could not be left unattended. So, after calling a second time (this afternoon) and being surprised by this new information we tried to cancel. This trip was for my birthday. However, the owner would not even consider canceling with even offering to pay a fee, or giving us an alternate date of our trip. I find this to be appalling. I did not expect such an issue to arise and would have appreciated a little help in solving this new problem. I did not expect be spoken to with such hostility, rude, and uncaring women who hung up on my husband twice.
Furthermore, as a women who has certain medical disabilities– and the dog is in pre-​training for those disabilities– I may need to cancel a trip 24hrs in advance. I assumed, falsely, that this hotel would be helpful and accommodating.
If, you are planning on traveling to see Hearst castle for a special event or have special needs I would strongly suggest choosing another place to stay. Also, make sure to read all of the fine print before booking a room here, because any extra information will not be given upon calling and you will be charged for their lack of forth coming of said information.
Thank you for reading this review.

What a great little find this is when traveling through Cambria. We stopped here for a night and were quite pleased. Although I wasn’t traveling with our dogs, I usually am. What attracted me here is that they are dog friendly and dogs stay free! When you have 3 small dogs that is impressive. Often times they want to charge more for the dogs then the room.
Rooms are not luxurious, but ultra clean. Seldom do I shower without flip flops on but this shower was squeaky clean, complete with a shampoo/​conditioner/​soap dispenser filled with green bath products.
The owners are very friendly and helpful. When I made the reservations over the phone, there were two rooms available and she suggested the one with a small balcony that overlooked the creek. It was quite charming and worth a few bucks more.
Looking forward to returning with our dogs and spending more time in Cambria instead of just passing through.