Name: Porto Vista Hotel In Little Italy
Address: 1835 Columbia Street, Little Italy, San Diego, California, United States of America, San Diego, California, US
Price range: $107–$276 per night
Rating: 6.78

What guests think

At Porto Vista Hotel In Little Italy, travelers consistently praise the central, walkable location near restaurants and the waterfront, while feedback about the property is mixed, noting dated, motel-style rooms, slow elevators, and pricey valet-only parking with a sizable deposit.

Many reviews mention small, dated rooms with thin walls, noise from corridors or airplanes, and recurring issues with air conditioning, water pressure, and plumbing. Cleanliness and maintenance are inconsistent, with reports of stained linens, musty odors, rusted dispensers, slow drains, and housekeeping that is by request and sometimes not fulfilled. Facilities draw mixed reactions: a tiny rooftop pool often closed or underwhelming, a rooftop bar/restaurant with nice views but limited hours or service at times, and spotty Wi-Fi or TV requiring personal logins. Overall, it suits travelers prioritizing location over amenities and polish.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Valet-only parking is common and considered expensive; the single lobby elevator is frequently described as very slow. The rooftop pool is tiny and sometimes closed or unclean, while the rooftop bar/restaurant has good views but hours and service can be inconsistent.

Related guest reviews

4

Andrew

Apr 14, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Convenient to Little Italy and downtown but that is about where the upside ends. Had to wait 30 minutes at counter for check-in at 1 am when I was exhausted. Valet parking is the only way to park and was exorbitant. Room smelled of smoke and air conditioning was loud. Blanket was thin and there was no spare. Bath towels were likewise threadbare. Workout room only had one functional machine. All in all, not a place I would ever come back to.

6

Matthew

Sep 2, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel check in was ok i was met with unexpected parking fees to tbe tune of $55 per night of my stay and a $250 deposit. Once in the room we found the room to be very clean but uneven floors and broken drawers were a bit un expected. No live tv available only netflix, hulu and prime tv but had to use our own log ins. Elevator was spotty at best. Friendly courteous staff but sub par facility. Also the pictures of the propert are not an accurate description of the property. The pool will hold about 4 adults and the restaurant does not serve food as described.

8

Francisco

Oct 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel was nice but hate paying for parking but....it is what it is.

6

Monique

Oct 5, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It was a nice hotel the room was just very small. It was nice cause it was near little Italy. But the parking was incredibly expensive. We paid $110 for 2 days. Also we booked this hotel for the pool and when we saw the pool it was so small. Definitely disappointed.

8

Fred

Oct 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Valet parking was easy and fast but expensive at $55 the breakfast vouchers that we received because we were checked into the wrong room initially provided only a limited breakfast of eggs toast potatoes and a meat choice. The Rooftop Bar was great the service was good and the rooms were okay also.

8

Dennis

Oct 13, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Overall very good, except for slow lobby elevator and slow drain in bathtub.

8

steve

Aug 2, 2023

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Stayed 1 night

So convenient to Little italy, an area so much better than gaslamp distict. Easy to catch trolley, walk to waterfront . Porto Vista is nice,a bit rough around edges. Elevator slow, fortunately we like stairs. So stairwell can be cleaner and more inviting. rooms clean spool is a great way to get outdoors, had fun watching planes come in. Parking really ridiculous price, so we never rented a car and relied on public transit. Value worth it if you dont pay rack rate.

4

Dylan

Aug 18, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Didn’t enjoy the parking fee and the pool isn’t a pool it’s a hot tub

6

Kevin

Sep 23, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Lobby and website were a bit misleading. The rooms showed considerable age, the beds were pretty springy, and the pool on the fifth floor could barely be considered a pool. The elevator was also confusing as the buttons don’t light up. Staff was friendly, but it’s clear they put a ton into the lobby to make it appear upscale.

6

connie

May 27, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

hotel is decent , the walking distance to the restaurants and bars was the best. elevator is TERRIBLE. it takes so long to open up, most of the time we had to use the stairs because we would wait a long time for it.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is inconsistent, with repeated mentions of stained or worn linens, musty odors, rusted or empty dispensers, clogged drains, and occasional pests. Housekeeping is by request and sometimes missed, leaving towels or trash unreplaced.

Related guest reviews

6

Paul

Nov 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

If you need a place to rest your head you’re in the right spot. The place is pretty dumpy, stained sheets, barely any soap in the rusted out dispenser in the shower, cracked mirror… I mean, the location in great, but the rooms are bare minimum what is required. You’ll Sleep ok, but for the price… Lind of a dump.

2

carey

Oct 28, 2024

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the place is falling apart with mold, moisture, bad smells, peeling wallpaper, not to mention the hairs found in the bed, bathtub and elsewhere. the photos online are misleading

6

Brandy

Nov 1, 2024

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Stayed 2 nights

The location was amazing but the room was not clean. The location was very walkable to nice restaurants, shops and nightlife. The room was similar to a motel 6 inside. The bathroom was filthy and the shower clogged up every time a shower was taken.

2

Fernando

May 6, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Most of the inside was dirty stained or broken

4

Ariella

Nov 9, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

This hotel is underwhelming compared to a holiday inn at best. The room didn’t feel clean. They did not offer house keeping, and we had to request new towels. If i wasn’t in town for only two days i would have probably switched to a different hotel but as i wasn’t planning to spend too much time in the room i let it go. The floors were black and the ac unit in the room had mold/ dust galore

4

Karla

Aug 27, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel does not look like the pictures and rooms could be a bit cleaner. We did not notice there was a used soap in our shower. Sheets had stains. And the kitchen sink smelled heavily like vinegar.

2

Briana

Nov 25, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Bath tub water did not flow , sheets were dirty

4

Teresa

Aug 5, 2025

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Stayed 2 nights

No free parking, should list the parking price immediately in the advertisement. The room had a leaking shower head, the floor was dirty, the sheets were stained, and the towels were not clean. This hotel is overpriced and was like a motel

8

jon

Aug 3, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

After my shower, feet are black from walking around for one minute. Floors are horribly dirty. Bathroom sliding door kept coming off the rail, had to repeatedly fix. Fiancé was trapped in bathroom at one point until I fixed the door, again. Breakfast was disappointing on several levels. Server was not welcoming at all. The food preparation was not good, small portions and not made per request. The layout of the suite is odd. Can’t sit to watch tv but in single chair, nor from bed. Shelf in bathroom is flaking apart, soap and shampoo dispensers are rusted, corroded and dirty looking. There was one single wash cloth. The front desk was exceptionally polite and expedient. The valet is timely and polite.

2

CASSANDRA

Jul 21, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Bed sheets & comforter had feces on them. Bathroom towels were soiled. Bar/restaurant was not stocked. Very little options. We contacted a supervisor to replace the bedding and towels to return 6 hours later to find that nothing had been done.

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Rooms

Rooms are generally dated, small or dark, with thin walls and frequent issues such as noisy or ineffective AC, low water pressure, and plumbing problems; many note hard or squeaky beds. Wi-Fi can be spotty and TV often relies on personal streaming logins, though some rooms have balconies or views.

Related guest reviews

8

Darryl

Jul 7, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Location is the reason to stay. Very old facilities. Cable TV iffy at best. Room was clean. No microwave.

6

Janel

Aug 19, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel is located in a beautiful and walkable area with many restaurants and bars. Our refrigerator did not work and had to call for a second fridge for my breast milk. Had to put a bag of ice because the mini fridge did not get cold enough to keep the milk chilled. The other downside of the room was the “air conditioner” the room never felt cool it felt more like a fan. The elevator 1 and only for the entire hotel, is slow and buttons don’t work. Didn’t experience the rest of the property

10

Michael

Mar 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean & comfy just did not have regular TV or Cable

6

Megan

Jul 5, 2025

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Stayed 1 night

This property is mediocre. It’s in a great location but I wouldn’t consider it a boutique. The rooms were dark and smelly and it was not very sound proof. It was walkable to a lot of great spots in little Italy and convenient for the market. Our tv remote didn’t work, toilet seat was loose, lacked normal amenities at your standard hotel. We were only there for one night and it was acceptable for that. Not a great “vacation” spot. There is only one elevator so it takes forever. One of our rooms had a nasty sewer gas smell and the fan in the bathroom didn’t work to help. This is definitely a motel not a boutique.

6

diana

Aug 5, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The property seemed dated, the room was very small and the window faced a wall.

6

Kathryn

Jul 28, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

My son and I stayed here during comic con. It was nice that it was in Little Italy, but it could use a lot of work. The rooms were drab, they could use a fresh coat of paint and an updated air conditioning unit. We did feel very safe at night and it was quiet. But it’s a no frills, just sleep there, kind of hotel. Grateful that we took Amtrak and didn’t drive, because parking was $55/night. Unreal.

2

Carolina

Jul 21, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

There was a $55 overnight parking. One of the laps in the room didn’t work. The walls were paper thin you can hear everything in the room. At night and morning there was so much noise that you can hear people walking and opening doors and walking upstairs. The worst part the plumbing was awful the water was coming out of the shower and they had to snake it in the morning. By far the worst hotel I’ve ever stay at.

6

Kasey

Jun 24, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Could have been better. Never got maid service for the duration of my stay after a couple of requests to the front desk. Many of the common areas were closed off and locked. Wi-Fi bounced between spotty and unusable. The room could have definitely used an update to the fixtures and decor.

10

Donna

Aug 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Walked in around 1:30 pm and was checked in immediately. Didn’t have to wait until 3pm check in. Leann helped us out and was very nice. She said they had a $20 offer to upgrade from a queen to a king with balcony so we jumped on the offer. The room was lovely. Nice and clean. Looks very updated. Balcony overlooked the ocean. Came with mini fridge, sink, and a microwave. The restaurant is awesome. Over looks the ocean as well! 10/10 recommend! We will definitely be staying here again! They even held our bags for us while we explored and waited for our train ride back. Amazing service. Nice updated hotel! Thanks again!

6

Daniel

Jul 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Booked here last minute, stay was just okay. Location is great walking distance to great restaurants and shops, but there’s a lot of noise from other guests, airplanes, and the air conditioning. The beds were extremely hard as were the pillows. The room itself was pretty spacious, didn’t feel cramped, appropriately appointed.

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Service

Service is mixed: many guests praise friendly, accommodating front-desk and valet staff, but others report rude or unhelpful interactions, slow responses, and maintenance or housekeeping requests not fulfilled.

Related guest reviews

8

Sara

Aug 6, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staying DT and in little Italy, food options galore!!!! Hardest part was picking where and what to eat. My trip was a quick layover, got my hotel to kick feet up, possibly meet up with a friend and not stay in the airport. Id stay here again due to being DT, dinning and possibly a good night life.

2

Shawnelle

Oct 20, 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

Hotel falling apart. We were told you had to request room cleaning and clean towel service. Requested everyday for 5 day stay and didn't happen until we put all the dirty towels and bag of garbage on checkin desk. Only 1 of 3 ice machines worked in hotel. Fridge in room broken. $45 per day to park don’t know unless search hotel.com site, not easy to find.

2

audra

Jun 25, 2023

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Stayed 5 nights

The door on my room locked itself from the inside every time it was shut. I was locked out several times and maintenance had to let me in. I was not offered a new room until the last night of my stay when I was locked out of my room for almost two hours and they had to remove my door to gain access. The manager will not answer my calls and nothing was offered in a show of good faith. The girl at the front desk was rude and useless. The maintenance guy was great.

6

Michael

Aug 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff was amazing. Had several issues with Magstripe keys not working. Hotel has a lot of deferred maintenance including modernization of locks to avoid issues. Elevators were extremely slow and not so clean. Restaurant space was also not so clean.

6

Natalie

Jul 6, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The front lobby staff was very nice and accommodating. One star for the service at Glassdoor Restaurant. After waiting an hour, we found out they had lost our order, then waited another hour only to receive cold food — and one of the dishes was wrong. The server was completely incompetent, though the bartender was very kind and helpful.

2

Araceli

Mar 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Overall, my experience at this hotel was highly disappointing. Not only did they make a mistake with our room reservation by not letting us know the suite didn’t allow pets, but they also failed to properly register one of our rooms they had accommodated due to mistake, leading to a terrifying incident with security in the middle of the night. Security walked into the room as my grandparents were sleeping and proceeded to question them. It was clear that Gerry’s priority was to avoid getting in trouble rather than ensuring the safety and comfort of their guests. While they did attempt to make amends with a free breakfast, it did little to erase the fear and discomfort we experienced during our stay. The lack of communication and professionalism displayed by the staff was unacceptable, and I would caution others against staying at this establishment in the future. The pleasant meals and occasional manager check-ins were simply not enough to outweigh the negative aspects of our visit.

2

Daniel

Jul 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

They didn’t have any key cards so we had to be walked to our hotel. They told us the wrong check out time and yelled at us and when we came home for the night we had 40 minutes to get into our room since they didn’t have an key cards

8

Susie

Sep 16, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The location and staff were great!

2

Araceli

Oct 23, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff was horrible except for Michael. Room was not ready on arrival. Parking fee is ridiculous

10

Tanisha

May 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The lady at the front desk was phenomenal. Someone complained about a smoking fee and she handled it with grace and professionalism. I wish I remembered her name. If she is not already, she should be management.

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Location

Excellent location in the heart of Little Italy, walkable to restaurants, the harbor, and downtown attractions, with easy transit and rideshare access. Many guests choose the hotel primarily for this convenience.

Related guest reviews

10

Juan

Aug 18, 2024

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Stayed 1 night

Very good location, close to restaurants, Little Italy, SD Harbor

10

Holly

Aug 24, 2025

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Stayed 2 nights

Very nice boutique hotel. Staff was friendly the hotel was clean, bar was open late enough to grab a drink after the game and it’s 1 block up from the Little Italy strip with tons of restaurants and places to grab a drink. We walked to Petco park, it’s a pretty decent distance maybe 20-25 min walk, but doable to avoid paying an outrageous price for parking near the stadium.

6

Steven

May 10, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

The hotel is in a great location you cannot bear that, Hotel is old. water pressure in room very low and you can hear everything that is going on around you. But as I stated you cannot beat the location.

10

Luz

Aug 8, 2025

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Stayed 2 nights

Great location! We would definitely stay again! We love staying in the Little Italy area and this location was perfect. Room was clean and service was great.

10

Glowbug

Nov 10, 2024

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Stayed 3 nights

This is a very good spot for the Little Italy area! Everything is in walking distance!

8

Jorge

Apr 7, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great location, right in the heart of Little Italy.

8

Francisco

Jul 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location. Walking distance to Little Italy and the bay.

10

Heriberto

Sep 18, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great stay. Love the location.

10

Patrick

Nov 12, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Property next to little Italy

10

Renato

Dec 23, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel was ok. Good location.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

The rooftop bar/restaurant offers nice views and some guests enjoyed breakfast, but hours and service are inconsistent, with occasional long waits or limited offerings; overall food quality ranges from okay to good.

Related guest reviews

8

Joana Soledad

Jun 28, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Customer service 10/10. Room was clean very nice view . Maybe only negative comment is the restaurant in the hotel was had horrible service super low staffed , waited over 20 minutes for a basic burrito. Hotel is decent in a cute area walking to distance to little Italy .

6

Natalie

Jul 6, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The front lobby staff was very nice and accommodating. One star for the service at Glassdoor Restaurant. After waiting an hour, we found out they had lost our order, then waited another hour only to receive cold food — and one of the dishes was wrong. The server was completely incompetent, though the bartender was very kind and helpful.

8

Fred

Oct 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Valet parking was easy and fast but expensive at $55 the breakfast vouchers that we received because we were checked into the wrong room initially provided only a limited breakfast of eggs toast potatoes and a meat choice. The Rooftop Bar was great the service was good and the rooms were okay also.

10

John

Aug 2, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Narrow but Nice overlook of San Diego Harbor from roof top bar/restaurant. Super Helpful Staff. Plan on Valley Parking as street parking fills up early.

8

Nora

Jun 19, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was spacious and clean. Property quiet and staff friendly. I liked the view from the restaurant but food was average. Many dining options nearby however.

8

Kasidy

Jan 5, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

I like how convenient it was to places to go, how ever the restaurant has weird hours and it was closed on New Years Eve,, I thought was strange.

10

Chloe

Mar 14, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very conveniently located in Little Italy by many nice restaurants and shops, and the rooftop restaurant was very delicious.

8

Janine

Mar 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lobby was nice, furniture comfortable. Room entrances were outdoors but within a courtyard. Small bathrooms. Room furniture has some wear and tear but bed was comfortable. Restaurant view was nice. Food and service were just ok.

8

Jessica

Sep 12, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Loud the restuarnt wasnt open as often as what was messaged to us after check in.

8

Ramiro

Jul 30, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

I booked Porto Vista based on the views from there restaurant The Glass Door. It had such a beautiful view of the bay on the brochure but when we arrived and went to the restaurant the bay view was obstructed by a new building which ruined the view. Building was built 4 years ago but there was no update to the brochure. I was disappointed that there was no view.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$99
February	$111
March	$132
April	$150
May	$131
June	$161
July	$197
August	$124
September	$110
October	$119
November	$118
December	$128

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14 $130	15 $131	16 $145	17 $143	18 $206	19 $196
20 $130	21 $129	22 $134	23 $138	24 $139	25 $160	26 $276
27 $154	28 $130	29 $111	30 $126

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $139	2 $217	3 $252
4 $125	5 $137	6 $135	7 $134	8 $138	9 $189	10 $211
11 $165	12 $153	13 $143	14 $124	15 $146	16 $216	17 $216
18 $182	19 $124	20 $110	21 $107	22 $110	23 $149	24 $149
25 $110	26 $110	27 $110	28 $110	29 $116	30 $156	31 $155

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Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

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Pleasant

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What guests think

Property Policies

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