On 2010-09-12 11:01, Molokai Mike wrote:
The Days Inn has some cool Googie architecture, but sadly, is pretty sketchy.
I'd recommend the Hawthorne Suites - really close to FI. Hotel of choice for Tiki Crawl.
Check out Mai Tai's post
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=31707&forum=17&start=60&hilite=tiki%20crawl
A nicer hotel experience and a little more spendy (I think) would be:
Coral Reef Inn & Suites
http://www.coralreefinn.com -
Marina Village Inn
http://www.marinavillageinn.com -
Michael, here is how I'd rank local Alameda hotels in order of niceness (and closeness to FI) as follows, including current phone numbers:
Hawthorne Suites - 510-522-1000
Only a couple of years old, a lot of business travelers stay here. Last time I checked, they offered full free breakfast in the morning. And there is an indoor hot tub, with late hours, I believe. :wink: It's less than 0.8 miles to Forbidden Island, or about a 7 or 8 long block walk.
Marina Village Inn - (510) 523-9450
Located fairly close to Forbidden Island, about 0.7 miles away in Marina Village. The rooms are kind of small, but some of them overlook a nice marina harbor with lots of boats.
Extended Stay America - (510) 864-1333
Also located in Marina Village, down at the far end, about 1.4 miles from Forbidden Island. A few people stayed here last year, including Doug Horne, and Bongofury. They said it was nice.
Coral Reef Inn & Suites - (510) 521-2330
I wish I could endorse staying here, as the grounds are pretty nice. But several people have had really bad experiences staying here, including Tikitastic Mark Holt a couple of New Year's Eves ago. And although it's pretty much right on the beach, next door to a retro bowling alley, directly across the street from The Sushi House as well as Southshore Shopping Center, and every room is a suite with a kitchenette that would make it easy to whip up cocktails and host room parties, the customer service level can be SERIOUSLY LACKING at times. And it's quite a bit farther away from Forbidden Island at about 2 miles - definitely not within walking distance if you are carrying any medium size to heavy schwag.
The Days Inn
Stay here at your own risk. I cannot endorse staying here. I'm not even posting a link or phone number for this place. Just, don't stay here, 'mmmm-kay?
Hope that helps everyone out. See you on Sunday!
