Name: Best Western PLUS Island Palms Hotel & Marina
Address: 2051 Shelter Island Drive, La Playa, San Diego, California, United States of America, San Diego, California, US
Price range: US$147–US$318 per night
Rating: 8.65

What guests think

At Best Western PLUS Island Palms Hotel & Marina, travelers praise the scenic Shelter Island waterfront setting, attractive marina and bay views, friendly staff, and family friendly pools, while noting dated rooms, occasional maintenance issues, noise, and added parking fees.

Many appreciate the quiet, walkable location near the airport and major sights, with paths, parks and a pier across the street. Rooms range from spacious suites with kitchens to tighter, older units; guests mention thin walls, loud A/C, and occasional musty odors. Amenities like bikes, pickleball courts, and the on-site Blue Wave restaurant are well liked, though responses for housekeeping or fixes can be slow. Expect scenic value with some age related trade offs.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Two heated pools and hot tubs, marina-side paths, bikes, and pickleball/tennis are highlights; many like the on-site restaurant and views. Several reviews mention a nightly parking fee and some delivery-truck noise by certain rooms.

Related guest reviews

10

Suzanne

25 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location! Beautiful pools!

10

Dina

22 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Lovely property; enjoyed our very-clean room, patio and beautiful marina view! Pool and jacuzzi were wonderful (though some local urchins had to be prompted to leave, but security quickly took care of it). Water temps were perfect and towels were stocked. Enjoy walking all of Shelter Island and much of Point Loma! Great spot and an affordable property surrounded by comparable spendy ones. Final note (my particulars): Mattress 👍 Shower head strength/hot water 👍

10

Lori

19 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Everything was great. I would stay there again. The only thing that wasn’t great was the extra $25 a night for parking. I would prefer it was added to the room cost up front.

10

Amanda

25 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

The staff was great-our TV in our room continually had issues working and when called, maintenance arrived within minutes and fixed it quickly. The pool and hot tub area was clean, had plenty of seating and was larger than expected. Right across the street there was a small beach you could go to along with plenty of walking paths. I was very impressed with the quality of my stay given that it wasn’t the most expensive property out there.

10

Shannen

14 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Alexander at the front desk offers the highest level of customer service, not just this visit but every visit. We stay here at least 3 days, 3 times a year. It’s our happy place. Great pools for kids, restaurant ease of ordering by the pool. It’s our fave spot in SD. Alexander greets me every time with a smile & welcome back. Makes me feel at home, our home away from home,

10

Janine

23 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

What an amazing stay!! Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to relax next to a beautiful view while in an outdoor pool or hottub!!

10

Sandra

27 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

As soon as I approached the front desk when I arrived I received a warm greeting from “Clinton” at the front desk. He instantly made me feel welcomed and check in was a breeze. We had a handicapped accessible room and it was conveniently located by the business area where there was an area to go to where you could sit and relax or get some work done on a computer. The fitness room was right there also. Our room overlooked the marina and the smaller pool and jacuzzi (there is a larger main pool closer to the lobby) but all we had to do was exit the back door and the entrance to the glass enclosed pool and jacuzzi were a few steps from our back door. It was very convenient and relaxing as there was patio furniture set up like an outdoor living room at each end with a couch and chairs. There was even a fire place for a cozy evening out by the pool if it got chilly. I was pleasantly surprised that they even provided towels for your use (just drop them in the dirty towel bin before you leave). I walked over to the main pool and saw that they had a grassy backyard looking area where you could play corn hole! The main pool area was beautiful. They have complimentary bikes, tennis and pickle ball courts too! I was pleasantly surprised by ALL of the amenities that were available! I live and work in Las Vegas so I’m a little spoiled but my stay here was top notch! This property is CLEAN and well maintained…on a scale of 1-10, I rate this property a 10. I’ll be back!!

10

Carrie

20 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Free pickle ball and bicycles to borrow, beautiful waterfront views from the room and for walking.

10

Susan

18 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean and comfortable. Great restaurant! Walkable to Humphreys. It bugs me though to pay $25 a night to park my car in a lot outside the room.

10

Hetty

22 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Outstanding amenities in a high end resort overlooking marina and harbour. Two heated pools with jacuzzis. Exceptionally clean with spacious rooms. Lovely restaurant well worth it's own review. Daily specials and tapas menu. Will not disappoint.

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Cleanliness

Many guests found rooms and grounds clean, but recurring reports mention musty odors, damp or dirty carpets, and occasional pests or grime. Cleanliness and upkeep can feel inconsistent between buildings and rooms.

Related guest reviews

10

Wendy

10 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We enjoyed our stay at the Best Western Plus Island Palms. The staff checked us in within minutes and were quite pleasant. We loved the room and enjoyed looking out over the marina. The bed was cozy and pillows were great. The room was clean and nicely appointed. Thank you!

6

ruben

10 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The corridors, elevators and room all had a bad odor. Dingy, cigarette smell in our “non-smoking” room

10

Ruben

21 May 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The property is well taken care. The staff is friendly. The rooms are clean and comfortable.

2

vanessa

25 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The place was very unsanitary. It is in a quiet convenient place depending on where you are visiting. The carpet in the room was tirning our feet black just walking from the bathroom to the bed right after showering which was disgusting. It is very expensive to not have top tier cleanliness. The staff are not very helpful or kind. The pool *salt-water) and hot tub were nice. I would give it a 4 out of 10. Not the best experience for sure.

10

Paul

20 May 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Very clean and amazing location.

10

Qiana

20 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The property is well kept. Nice atmosphere, comfortable and clean. I will book another stay again soon! Ocean view was amazing.

6

Linda

2 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Upon entering the room there was a very strong musty smell. The A/C was on and i believe the mustyness was a dirty filter or A/C was too old and should be replaced. The refrigerator had ice build up on the door shelf and bottom shelf. The refrigerator was behind a cabinet door which was broken. The carpet was dirty and damp. Will not stay here again. Blue Wave and Grill food was very good and reasonable prices.

8

Jean

8 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Although the room was clean, the carpet was damp and musty. It felt like it had been shampooed, but not allowed to properly dry.

4

Sonia

4 Nov 2024

·

Sadly our smoke detector and phone didn’t work. Had to keep walking up to request items. No hotel toiletries until we asked. Pay $25 for hotel parking but if you come in after 10 you can’t find any. Bed was super uncomfortable and roaches found in bathroom. Beautiful area. Not staying here again.

2

Kenneth

21 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

This filthy mattress was in my room when I checked in. It smelt like mildew and mold. They moved me to a new room, but this place is old. It use to be a gem. They need to renovate. I’m done with Best Western Plus.

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Rooms

Marina or bay views are a standout, and suites can be spacious with balconies or kitchens. Others note small, dated rooms, loud A/C or thin walls/ceilings, and some paid view rooms not matching expectations.

Related guest reviews

8

Douglas

30 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Location was great and access to the bay and restaurants. The acoustics were terrible. The noise from the unit above went on all night until 5:30 am. Hotel management did nothing about it.

8

Danny

8 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Left the location, but it’s starting to show its age.

8

Andrew

2 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Really enjoyed our stay, big room with a kitchen and living area overlooking the harbour with a private terrace! Think we overpaid by booking a long way in advance, rooms were much cheaper nearer the time but unfortunately our booking was non-refundable.

10

Robert

21 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Huge room with a great shower! We loved sitting on the balcony and looking out over the marina.

8

Cassie

6 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room is really small/tight and the beds were not comfortable at all. Our shower leaked horribly and soaked the bathroom. The room was definitely in need of some upkeep. The hotel lobby was really nice and the villa type setup is cute. The view from the room of the marina was really pretty. The restaurant and bartender were a nice addition!

8

June

19 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Location is amazing, the hotel needs renovation.

8

edward

18 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

The rooms are small due to it being an older property. The beds were too soft, otherwise the value and location for the money was good.

8

Nicole

21 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

It was very comfortable. Thin walls / ceiling.

10

Carria

29 May 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The water views, room was clean and comfortable.

6

Dawn

1 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

I paid for a view room and I had a view of a hot tub.

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Service

Service is frequently described as friendly and helpful, with quick check-ins and problem resolution noted. A minority cite unwelcoming front desk interactions or slow responses to requests.

Related guest reviews

10

Zachary

28 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff was very friendly and went to great lengths to ensure I had everything I needed.

2

vanessa

25 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The place was very unsanitary. It is in a quiet convenient place depending on where you are visiting. The carpet in the room was tirning our feet black just walking from the bathroom to the bed right after showering which was disgusting. It is very expensive to not have top tier cleanliness. The staff are not very helpful or kind. The pool *salt-water) and hot tub were nice. I would give it a 4 out of 10. Not the best experience for sure.

10

Shannen

14 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Alexander at the front desk offers the highest level of customer service, not just this visit but every visit. We stay here at least 3 days, 3 times a year. It’s our happy place. Great pools for kids, restaurant ease of ordering by the pool. It’s our fave spot in SD. Alexander greets me every time with a smile & welcome back. Makes me feel at home, our home away from home,

10

Shannen

2 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Greatest location. Fun resort. Clayton at the front desk is top notch.

2

Ruby

6 May 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

I rated it low this time due to the poor customer service. The bed felt like I was on the springs of the bed and when I spoke to the front desk about it she said all their beds are the same. I told her that I stay there every time I am in San Diego and that wasn’t true. Better customer service skills are needed there as the girl didn’t know how to handle an issue.

8

Trina

12 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

We’ve stayed at the BW Island Palms on Shelter Island many times before while visiting San Diego. We choose this hotel for its unique marina view, ease of getting to different areas of SD, coastal island charm, beautiful grounds (pool is great!) and friendliness of hotel staff. This time, I didn’t find our visit as easy going as past visits. We booked a suite for 3 days, which lacked basic amenities, extra bedding for the pull out bed, almost all decaf coffees, no towels to dry dishes, no dish soap (we had to get our own). When we asked guest services, it took multiple calls and an extended period of time to fill some requests (ie, getting the bedding). Also our room had some issues upon check in… broken balcony chairs, plugged bathroom sink and a safe that didn’t work. All of the items listed were fixed when brought up to guest services. But it would have been nice to just enjoy the facilities and our vacation without having to get our room to a standard where it should have already been upon arrival. I would stay here again and hope this was only a one off occurrence, as we do really like it here.

10

Teresa

23 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very friendly and efficient!!!

10

Atabak

3 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Staff are amazing!

10

Laurie

11 Aug 2025

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Stayed 3 nights

I love this hotel! The manager and all of the staff were very friendly and helpful! The room was amazing and the beds were so comfortable - I highly recommend this hotel and we will be coming back! Thanks to the manager for helping us adjust our bike seats and making our stay truly wonderful!

10

Abby

16 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

It’s always great staying here. The only glitch we experienced was the system was down for check in. They gave us free drink tickets and a discount for a meal while we waited. No worry. Things like this happen.

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Location

Scenic Shelter Island setting with water on both sides, walkable paths and parks, and convenient access to the airport and major sights. Some mention limited nearby shops and intermittent aircraft or delivery-truck noise.

Related guest reviews

8

Alen

10 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The location, marina view was great. The room was very clean and the water was hot. We had very good service and hospitable staff. We would have preferred that parking and breakfast were included for no charge.

8

Carine

20 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Shelter Island in San Diego is a unique location surrounded by water and boats, nice to walk around, great restaurants and close to airport

10

Denise

28 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice property. Has a laid back tropical atmosphere. Great location with a lot of things with in walking distance.

10

TOM

10 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great value,perfect location on shelter Island,rooms clean,beds dreamly comfortable.

10

Arthur

18 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice place great view. Near my boat.

8

Mary

21 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Although the property was beautiful and the room very comfortable, it was very noisey from the airport and the naval base fly-by's. Next time I will book somewhere closer to the northwest side.

10

William

24 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice quiet location that is close to all of San Diego’s attractions.

10

Lon

29 May 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent views of the bay!

8

Erin

24 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

I traveled with two teens and an 8-year old. We were very comfortable, felt safe, and had a great time. The hotel was clean and all staff were friendly and kind. The two pools were well maintained and great for our stay. I also enjoyed this area of San Diego as it is close to the airport, beaches, restaurants, and the zoo. It has nice boardwalk across the street and it was fun to see many boats.

8

Pratibha

30 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Beautiful property at shelter island, convenient to walk to places to coffee shops and places to grab a bite. Nice view of downtown being away from traffic.

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Dining

Blue Wave Bar & Grill receives strong feedback for tasty meals and views; many enjoyed breakfast and bar service. There is no free breakfast, and a few guests found food or service underwhelming.

Related guest reviews

10

John Robert

15 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 7 nights

Food and service at the hotel was outstanding!

10

Melissa

6 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Loved the property itself. It has a restaurant on site for easy dining. Beautiful views from Marina side.

10

Paul H

22 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 7 nights

We loved the views from our room, as well as thr privacy and quiet our room afforded us. The front desk was friendly and helpful, as were all the staff we encountered. We got extensive, daily exercise from the paved walking path that extended from behind the hotel to the end of the island. Particular mention goes to the Blue Wave restaurant -- we ate several meals there and loved every bite, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Blue Wave offers an excellent menu and they do a spectacular job. We loved our stay and can't wait to come back to San Diego and stay in the Island Palms Hotel.

10

LaVonne

3 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

We had a great stay. Our room overlooked a marina that we really enjoyed. We enjoyed walking around the whole island. That’s the hotel is on. I would go back tomorrow if I could the only thing that I really dislike that was the restaurant if you just need some appetizers it’s fine but their meals were terrible.

10

Julie

1 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Loved our room, great location and views. Everything we ate at the onsite restaurant was delicious!

10

Candice

30 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Amazing 2 night stay - wish we had stayed longer!!! Our room was ground floor had an amazing view of the marina. We had drinks and food from the bar at happy hour and also had breakfast on-site.

10

Martha

29 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Restaurant is good, parking always available, no piped-in room air freshener, great view from room. Will return.

8

Dawn

5 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The on site restaurant is awesome. The staff is friendly. It is conveniently located to everything we wanted to go to and a great view of the harbor. Very quiet area. Would definitely stay there agian

10

Richard Frank

30 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Very clean property in excellent location (on Shelter Island). Bar & grill on property has excellent food and beautiful views. Try the breakfast burrito or açaí bowl for breakfast!

10

Samuel

9 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Terrific location and view. Loved the restaurant on the premises. The staff is great.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	US$142
February	US$149
March	US$172
April	US$186
May	US$175
June	US$210
July	US$249
August	US$261
September	US$149
October	US$160
November	US$144
December	US$131

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15 $211	16 $169	17 $206	18 $242	19 $272
20 $159	21 $164	22 $163	23 $161	24 $222	25 $318	26 $251
27 $157	28 $163	29 $152	30 $152

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $168	2 $235	3
4 $161	5 $156	6 $176	7 $173	8 $214	9 $290	10 $290
11 $248	12 $274	13 $268	14 $253	15 $191	16 $235	17 $270
18 $180	19 $179	20 $177	21 $180	22 $178	23 $234	24 $241
25 $160	26 $147	27 $153	28 $147	29 $153	30 $198	31 $187

Select dates to see prices and availability

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Suite, 1 King Bed, Marina View (With Sofabed)

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Refrigerator & Microwave

Standard Studio, 2 Queen Beds, Refrigerator & Microwave

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Bathtub

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Refrigerator

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Accessible

Standard Studio, 1 King Bed, Refrigerator & Microwave

Suite, 1 King Bed, Kitchen, Marina View (Living Room, Sofabed, Full Kitchen)

Suite, 1 King Bed, Accessible, Kitchen (With Sofabed, Full Kitchen)

Suite, 2 Queen Beds, Kitchen, Marina View (Living Room, Sofabed, Full Kitchen)

Suite, 2 Queen Beds, Kitchen (Living Room, Sofabed, Full Kitchen)

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Refrigerator, Marina View

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Refrigerator

Standard Studio, 2 Queen Beds, Accessible (View)

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Refrigerator, Marina View

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Refrigerator & Microwave

Standard Studio, 1 King Bed, Accessible, Bathtub (With Sofabed)

Suite, 1 King Bed, Kitchen (Living Room, Sofabed, Full Kitchen)

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible

Guest reviews

Fabulous

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Best Western PLUS Island Palms Hotel & Marina

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