Bearing in mind that this is one of the cheapest hotels in the Asilomar area, it is a pretty good deal. The room was not new, and the bathroom had seen one too many repaintings and was due for a remodeling, but the place was clean, quiet, and comfortable. It was your basic hotel room, two beds, with the added touch of a fireplace that lit up with the flick of a light switch.

There is a continental breakfast included with the room. Nothing fancy, but a reasonable selection of donuts, croissants, bagels, cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc. Apparently the staff do not drink tea, as the hot water reeked of the coffee that had clearly been brewed previously in the hot water dispenser, but that is a small quibble.

If you stay in Pacific Grove (and you should), you definitely want to stay in the Asilomar area. There are a number of small hotels on the same block, most both a little nicer and more expensive than this one.The hotels in the Lighthouse Ave area were in noisier location without any apparent benefits over the Asilomar area.

We booked a two bedroom suite for our family of four over New Year’s, and apart from the space of the room, I was very disappointed, especially since other reviewers had ranked this hotel highly. The rooms on the website and in their brochure look very tasteful but we must have ‘lucked out’ somehow. Yes, the curtains and bedspreads were new, but the room was very tired and shabby. The kitchen was old and smelled and the bathroom had definitely seen better days. There were marks along the walls and only one sad, smallish TV in the living room. We paid $160 a night for 3 nights (which I guess is a ‘bargain’ for that time of year), and we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast on offer, which must be taken up to the room. There is a small spa available, no laundry facilities, and cars are parked underneath the suites. The hotel is not landscaped and there are no grounds to speak of. The walls are very thin and you will feel vibrations from other guests and hear squealing pipes. On the positive side, Pacific Grove is very charming and the hotel is very close to the beach and beautiful forest. We saw deer roaming and wandered through the butterfly sanctuary (they come out in the late afternoon when it’s warm). The Monterey peninsula is expensive so I guess it all boils down to what you are willing to pay. The staff were pleasant and helpful and we had some lovely meals in town and at the Fishwife café.

My lady and I have stayed at a number of lovely little places in this Asilomar area of Pacific Grove. We just love it. But when we wanted to go this past December for a weekend, we found some tough prices to swallow. I thought Winter was LOW season!

At any rate, the Deer Haven advertised some very good rates, roughly half of what our other favorite places(Lighthouse, Butterfly Grove, Sunset Inn, etc....) were advertising for that same weekend. Clearly, it was time for us to try something new so we booked it.

The location was very pleasant as it's near the Asilomar but a bit more removed from the main roads there. So it was very quiet with plenty of deer meandering around the neighborhood. We biked over to the downtown coffee shops on Lighthouse for breakfast. The ocean air smell is so exhilarating. Golf at Pacific Grove muni is right down the street. So the location is great for us. Sunsets were marvelous.

The rooms aren't as large as some of the other places I mentioned. But they are not small either. We love having a fireplace on cool foggy evenings so that was completely delightful. Our king bed was very comfortable. Bathroom was decent, nothing fancy, but clean and simple. We stored bikes and golf clubs in the room so it wasn't tiny. Our room was part of the single story building about 4 rooms down from the main office. We had no upstairs "traffic sounds" this way either which was nice. We were actually right next to the maid's facility with washing machines running. this worried us at first but we literally never heard them. No problem. The only noise issue was the plumbing in that we could hear our neighbors on one side showering bright and early every morning. Not that bad though really. The room was pleasantly decorated, nothing too ornate.

For the price we got, the superb location, and nice room overall, I'd recommend this place to anyone. It's not our favorite but it's a very solid choice, especially for the rates they've been offering of late. We'll be back for sure.

Cheers

Mark

We've come here many times for a standard motel room with a fireplace. There seems to be new management as rooms are being refurbished very tastefully. The suites are good for families, but ask for upgraded as well. The location is unbeatable, by Asilomar, where we enjoy the lodge and easy walk to the beach boardwalk. Asilomar Lodge advertised a holiday dinner and show of "A Christmas Carol," a wonderful surprise event. We love the comfort, cleanliness, location, and quiet of Deer Haven. An amazing bargain overall, and even better with refurbishing.

Downsides: No breakfast room/lounge, so breakfast is not up to the variety available now at even budget motels. The young clerk was perfunctory. We forgot there was a spa, for she neglected to remind us of anything, including breakfast. This is so unlike past visits, where welcomes were very inviting and full of information. Also, motel rooms, unlike the suites, have no refrigerator or microwave, so do a suite if you prefer an equipped kitchen.