Desert Inn or Park Vue Inn

[carmel]

It is a difference of $40 total for the time frame I am looking at (early December - 6 nights).

I notice that the Desert Inn has an indoor pool and my kids like to swim. It will be December so the outdoor pool at the Park Vue might be chilly.

The Desert Inn is $40 more total.

Any advice on which one I should choose?

 

[carmel]

I think I just answered my question. I FINALLY got the search option to work on this board and I found a bad review about the Desert Inn and parking. We would be driving so that is an issue.

I guess the girls and I will just freeze if we swim at the Park Vue Inn.

 

[kristenhh]

and I have never heard good things about the Park Vue. I have heard the walls are paper thin, but I have never stayed there ---maybe someone else has.

 

[familyoffiveAZ]

I've not stayed at either, but the reviews for Park Vue seem pretty good lately. It's been added to my list of potentials for our next trip.

DI&S I will *never* stay at. I had a very bad experience with them a few years back where they charged my debit card even after I had cancelled in time. It took weeks and a LOT of phone calls with their incompetant manager, Carlos, to get it all straightened out.

Sadly, from speaking with others on messageboards and reading tripadvisor reviews, mine wasn't an isolated incident. Details vary among us all, but bottom line is that Carlos has been known to wrongly charge, overcharge, double charge, tie up lots of people's vacation money.

If you have a credit card (I don't use them myself), you might have better protection and recourse....in which case, book away!

 

[Dale-n-Chip]

In an effort to provide balanced reporting. . . my family of five stayed at DI&S in December with great success. We had the two bedroom suite with two full bathrooms. It wasn't the Trump Tower, but it was a clean, close hotel and suited our needs perfectly. We aren't swimmers so I can't vouch for the pool. It was small and enclosed--not as nice as most hotels where I stay for business travel, but I'd think adequate for an energy-burning swim session with kids.

We paid with a credit card (I'm a fan of having one, even if you use it exclusively for travel) and had no trouble with our billing. I'm not disputing familiyoffiveAZ's experience, just relating my own.

FWIW, we would stay at the DI&S again without hesitation. I have no experience with Park Vue.

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[ter-moo]

I'll put in another vote for the Desert Inn. It's very close, it's got spacious rooms with two tv's, and two sleeping areas (parlor suites) and the indoor pool will be nice in December. We stayed there once and had no trouble. It's basic, but very clean.

Park Vue has rarely gotten good reviews. In fact, I've read more horror stories about it than about most of the other Harbor Blvd. hotels. You said you'd looked at tripadvisor, I think. Have you checked out Mouseplanet.com's reviews?

Good luck!

 

[Glynis]

We've stayed at the Park Vue for the last 3 trips. It's not a 4 star place, but we like it. Can't beat the location! The rooms were clean and we never had problems with paper thin walls. They were remodeling while we were there in September, and what they had done looked good.

For us, it's worth it, since we're only there to sleep, anyway. I guess it all depends on what you want. Good luck!