Secret Garden Inn - Del Mar, California

Deszra S.

I chanced across Secret Garden Inn while looking on Apple Maps for a nice place for my family and I to spend the night since they were driving in from OC. We had initially only intended to stay the one night but my parents loved the penthouse suite so much we extended our stay another night (if we weren't all working on Monday, it may have been a longer stay haha). The rooms are so tastefully decorated, cozy, artistic, eclectic vibes. For anyone who watches kdramas, this is like the rooftop apartment the female lead would live in. I would rate the rooms technically a 4.5, it got pretty warm in the bedroom at night and the AC was pretty old and didn't work well.
The Peruvian restaurant, Coya, that it's behind is also phenomenal, we got breakfast from there both days as well as dinner one night.
Overall, the perfect place to spend a little staycation. My family and I are definitely planning on returning.

scottijo

The breakfast is Peruvian, the courtyard feels Spanish, the eclectic artwork - Bali, the carved wood alcove - India, the balcony - Paris, the view - Portugal! This quirky, boutique hotel is not for everyone, it is a bit half baked, but we loved it. If feels like an eclectic uncle gave you the keys to his place, then left you to enjoy on your own. No onsite staff, but a cell number and housekeeping are provided. There are just a few rooms off a courtyard behind a restaurant of the same name. The included breakfast is provided by the restaurant but they are not affiliated with the hotel. The food at the restaurant is great! The bed is comfortable, the balcony is lovely. The bathroom amenities are quirky and spread around the room in a more open than sheltered way.

Cecilia F.

I would rate this hotel 5 stars, but I don't want to give the impression it is a luxury property. It is small and quirky, and if you like that sort of thing, you will love it. The room was adorable, the location almost ideal--one block from the beach and with a partial view. You can hear the ocean at night and the beds are excellent in every way. A major bonus is the superb restaurant on site. The special Peruvian style food, especially the french toast, is unique and outstanding. |If you visit this place, you will feel like you have really been somewhere--not experiencing the same thing you can do anywhere over and over.

Andrew L.

After checking in at the nearby Les Artistes Inn, the renovated parent inn, Secret Garden Inn is a short, two block trip north. Management on staff were friendly and welcoming, and gave me a nice history of their two properties as well as easy to follow directions from one property to the next. A dedicated entrance in the rear of the building offers parking and room access while avoiding the street access through the Secret Cafe. The style and architecture is Asian/Thai inspired and is a real treat. My room, Lotus, was clean and neat as were the supplied towels, robe and slippers. Bathing area offered a good sized tub as well as shower, and the water was hot and had great pressure. ||The ocean-view was a stretch. Like another reviewer stated, I could just barely see the water from my balcony over the tops of the actual beach-front properties and lots. Honestly, this should not be a marketable feature. ||All rooms shared a 'wet bar' area which was pretty sub-standard. Bottled water was provided in the mini-fridge.||Breakfast was included and was provided in the attached Secret Cafe, a short walk up the stairs from the rooms to the main street level. Breakfast was a choice of one either sweet or savory regular breakfast menu item, with juice/coffee. The Peruvian restaurant served Peruvian coffee, arguably one of the top 5 best coffees I've ever had, anywhere. Menu items were equally inspired and authentic. ||The location makes for easy walking to many stores and restaurants in Del Mar, as well as the beach. I would recommend Secret Garden Inn for solo travelers, or couples, but don't think there is much to offer for families with kids.

Clay B.

Very cozy little place nestled in the back streets of uptown Del Mar. Great for something akin to air bnb with its own little touch. Low profile place that I somehow living a half mile away from it for a couple years and riding past on my bike never even noticed it. The inn keeper as you start the adventure of checking in was an extremely kind woman who was a pleasure to chat with and let me know all the details about the food and restaurant details when I got there and was extremely easy to work with while checking in. Ocean view is as advertised and the “nice cream” ice cream store on the same block made for a great snack at night. It’s like a Mexican restaurant meets a castle meets a European style boutique room (in the most complimentary way possible). Worth mentioning it is literally below a restaurant so you do hear some of that activity but if you’re a person who likes to feel like things are going on around you and your expectations aren’t unreasonable I think you’ll enjoy it.

Barbara P.

We loved it. The food in cafe secret is incredible. We didn't reserve a table and so we asked if they could serve us on the patio outside our room and they were happy to do so. It ended up being the perfect place to eat, private and we could linger. Breakfast which is included was as good as dinner. I definitely will come back. A peaceful and romantic getaway.

Stéphane M.

Cet hôtel vaut la peine de surmonter ses limites. Pour faire le tour rapidement des inconvénients, la réception est située à deux blocs de l'hôtel, la salle de bains est dans la chambre, devoir traverser la cuisine du restaurant pour entrer dans la partie hôtel, une vue partielle de l'océan et par rapport à l'offre le lit de bébé est une banquette, pas du tout adaptée à un enfant en bas âge.

Mais c'est une chambre de charme qui sort des sentiers battus des chambres anonymes. L'hôtel est très bien situé. Le restaurant et café complète bien l'offre. Le personnel est très serviable. Allez y à deux en amoureux, pas en famille. La chambre est grande, propre et avec des rangements. La literie est confortable.

David C.

We enjoyed a beautiful room, eclectically furnished, as in the picture: quiet, private and comfortable. But we never saw a host or manager, only the maintenance guy who found us a key. Check-in is at a different address. We would have liked some local information, restaurant recommendations, even a coffee-maker. Breakfast is in the adjacent cafe, open at 8am, where they say they have nothing to do with the Secret Garden Inn. Weird. It could be wonderful, but felt abandoned.