Motel Villa Mar

PLEASE stop calling this number! This location was CLOSED permanently early 2014. Somehow, people call my personal cell phone number, and the motel number is no longer in service!

Does this place still exist — I am trying their phone number to no avail…

The last time I stayed at this motel (May 2013), there was signage up that said the property was going to be torn down. I was bumming! Although this motel isn’t high class, it’s convenient and the old couple who ran it were really nice. I’ll be sad to see this place go! =(

Not sure what Dyer C. says can hold true to the whole motel. After all, if you’re a Unilocaler you should know what you pay for: a no-​frills motel for a good deal in a great location. Seriously, it’s walking distance of a couple of blocks from the beautiful beaches and moments within great restaurants and bars. Because of the price it’s safe to assume it attracts bargain hunters or those who can’t afford to stay at other motels.
MOTEL VILLA MAR = a fun, clean, and safe place to stay. There is definitely no motel like this place. I know for sure that my friends and I had a great night there, and will definitely be back when the weather picks up. We rented multiple rooms and were hosted in the back. It was very quiet, and would recommend requesting the backside of the motel to avoid the street and foot traffic. Each room had a stove and oven, and it’s own unique style. What motel has that nowadays — where if you want, you can make your own breakfast /​dinner? Also each room had a unique quality to them. It looks like there are some renovations gradually happening, like new marble counter tops, and new cabinets. Each room had it’s own unique personality, if vintage chairs /​paintings were personally picked out for each room. Great closet space for the long time traveler. Rooms were very spacious. Free internet. And lastly, it’s a family run business and the cleanliness is up to standards. Will definitely come back soon!

First assigned room, no electricity in half the room. Got a 2^nd room, seems OK other than gross refrigerator.
At 2am the pissed off (I can only assume) crackhead upstairs started at it. Tried to call the manager by 3:30am & our room phone does not work. Used our cell & they would not answer the phone.
Call the police? Yea sure after they leave, the screamer/​s only find one other car in the lot, ours. No I like our car the way it is, intact.
We have a 2^nd (pre-​paid) night which is obviously not going to be getting used.
Why am I writing this at 5:00am? Because they are toning it down, but still at it.
This is/​was a Thursday night. I would just assume not find out what the weekend is like…

ok… so I just want to say that I stayed here solely based on the reviews of the others here on Unilocal… and with that being said, I was not expecting much at all, except a place to sleep and a nice Filipino couple. I got neither. I phoned ahead to ask about possibly reserving a room, even though Sam N. said they wouldn’t do it. Welp… they do, but there are no $ 40/​$ 60/​$ 80 rooms. There are just $ 90 rooms. The gal that answered the phone said «Yeah, uh… that thing on the internet… I don’t know where that came from. Those prices haven’t been like that since like the 80’s.
I decided to just drive down from the OC & start in Oside & just drive down PCH & see what I came upon. I called just about every Motel I passed along the way & they were all at least $ 100. I was heading to Encinitas to meet a girlfriend for lunch, so I decided to roll the dice and take a look at Motel Villa Mar…
The same gal that answered the phone ‘greeted’ me in the ‘office’. Actually, it went like this… I walked in the door & heard someone from behind the curtain playing slap & tickle, then a man said «shhh, I think someone’s here!» & then a woman said «there’s friggen always someone here, it’s so busy, GAWH!»
Then she appeared from behind the curtain in all of her motel manager glory. I asked about a possible AAA discount? «not on 4^th of July weekend there isn’t» Fair enough. I went ahead and plunked down the $ 99 for the room.
I asked if there was something on the back side of the building. She offered room 14. I said ‘ok, as long as its nice…’
«well, hmm, maybe not 14, because there were some people in there, that had a puppy, when they’re not supposed to have a puppy and lets just say, they didn’t take it out much. I tried to clean it… like a really scrubbed the carpet, but the smell is still kind of there»
«yeah, ok, maybe NOT 14… whichever YOU think is the nicest that you have available»
«OK, how about 8 (scribble scribble scribble) that’s up front, but it’s nice. Oh, well, it may get a bit loud…»
«that’s alright (thinking she meant street noise) It’s ok, we will be out to dinner & stuff & won’t be back til later»
«well, because I like to play my music kinda LOUD. My cousins comin over, my boyfriend is here, you know»
what I didn’t know was that here room was behind that curtain, and was also directly UNDER room 8.
Back to the room: exactly as described by the others. didn’t use the kitchenette either, but there were no utensils or plates or pots or anything, so I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Also, no one carried my bag for me. Oh, and turns out there is internet, but I didn’t know until I left. No mention.
After TPM rode his bike down to meet me, (his 3^rd day of what he called «half tour de France.60 miles) we went on a nice walk, bought a few bottles of wine (& a $ 7 opener from Ace) and checked out the local restaurants… but I digress…
Back to the room: We came back around 10:30, I would say… drank some of our wine, sat out on our lil cat-​walk & watched the drunk girls and mobs of Marines (Oorah!) Many of them waved & said hello & some even asked to take a peek inside the door. (from the street) Like they had passed it a million times, but never knew what the inside looked like.
So, the manager & her peeps were downstairs on their patio, listening to their music, bbqing & enjoying themselves. The music was loud, but not THAT loud, considering the street noise. We moved inside to watch a lil tv, through the ooon-​chick ooon-​chick ooo-​chick of their music, which we now realized was right beneath the bed area of the room. It was a bit annoying, but it was still ‘early’. …Then midnight came, and we were ready for bed. THEY were not. TPM put in the only pair of earplugs, and was out. I called one of the 3 phone numbers listed on the wall. I got no answer, but the music suddenly stopped. It was 12:03am. I fell asleep. At about 1:35am, the music started up again. I called the other 2 phone numbers on the wall, got no answers, no machine, nothin’ The music kept on going. By about 2:15, I was livid. I paid a hundred friking dollars to sleep here, and I can’t even sleep BECAUSE OF THE MANAGEMENT! I did the only thing I could think to do…
I called the local sheriff’s office & made a noise complaint.
The operator asked for the address. She said «The Motel Villa Mar?»
«uh-​huh» I said
«where is the noise coming from?» she asked
«ummm, the manager’s office»
«oh boy» she said.
She told me that the only thing they could do was send someone to ask them to turn it down, but if they continued, there was nothing they could do.
I figured that all the locals cops were busy writing DUI’s on the Friday before the 4^th of July, their bread & butter, if you will. Didn’t think they would be wasting time on a noise complaint. I found my earbuds & pluged into the noise maker app on my iphone & listened to the sound of fake rain until I fell asleep.
I want my hundred friking dollars back.

ME: Seasoned female traveler, traveling alone (⁶⁄₂₀₁₀)
GOALS: Last minute trip (Th/​Fri nite) to visit a friend; just needed-​cheap safe place to sleep/​shower
RESEARCH: Googled/Craigslist/VRBO.com & went w/​Motel Villa Mar cuz total= $ 132 (2 nites/​no amenities/​not overlooking H20). Next best deal= $ 230 for 2 nites
OVERALL: I had low expectations & they were met & exceeded on some levels. Truth is, I was only in my room in the morning & night (to shower/​sleep, literally). It was safe/​cheap & I’m glad I saved some sweet moolah @ the Motel Villa Mar. If you’re willing to live a few days like you’re in a vintage SNL skit, then this is the place for you. I’d go back.
RESERVATIONS
–Owners are a sweet elderly couple from the Philippines who have no idea how to utilize technology for marketing etc. So, don’t count on ANY technology to assist you
–I had to call to ask for pricing etc. He hung up on me 5 times-​it was usually after I asked a simple data gathering question (ie. Do your rooms have any ocean view at all?) & if it didn’t, he’d say ‘oh, you need to go to another place’ & then hang up
–No such thing as reservations. He told me room rates were $ 40/​$ 60/​$ 80/​$ 90. When I asked to reserve a $ 40 room he said it’s ‘first come first served’ which is challenging for the out of town traveler. Before I could try to sweet talk an ‘exception’ reservation, he hung up on me. My persistence yielded this info: apparently, as he put it, ’ the Mexicans take the $ 40 rooms’ & so you can’t reserve them. I asked ‘what dollar amount CAN I reserve?’ turns out ALL the rooms are 1^st come-​1^st served. No idea when office would be open, but I drove in the wee hours of the morn to be there 1^st thing. I rolled in around 6:15am & the office was closed. I went to the beach for an am chill out & returned at 7am & got my $ 60/​night room.
–Loved the front desk guy (the elderly brother in-​law). He was sweet/​old/​funny & when I told him I’d read an article about the owner & gave specifics, he was shocked & asked how I knew all that. I told him about the internet & he laughed & in broken English said that he didn’t understand the computer. He then carried my bag, walked me to my room, gave me a tour, & called me by name. He was the charm of Motel Villa Mar.
PARKING/​ROOM
–ROOM 11, 2^nd floor, facing main street (ample parking, totally safe area)
–circa 70’s on every level! Awesome, well, the only non-​awesome was that it was a non-​smoking room that smelled like stale smoke/​mildew (maybe from the 70’s).
–KITCHENETTE (microwave, small stove, small fridge, sink): didn’t use any of it
–TV: sound was like when you’re at an outdoor wedding & the frequency keeps coming in/​out & you’re getting half the vows & half the best man toast; eventually, it’s just not worth the effort to strain to try to understand
–DOUBLE BED: comforter made me feel like I was in an hourly, but the sheets were totally clean/​fresh; bed wasn’t UNcomfortable, but wasn’t conducive for drifting into blissful slumber either
–TABLE: a round table & 2 chairs-​Probably really good for playing poker or counting one’s cartel money.
–LUGGAGE RACK: standard
–CABINET/​CLOSET: tons of cabinet/​closet space, w/​hangers, but musty & slightly dank
–BATHROOM: more later
–OUTLETS: seemed like every outlet was ‘loose’: my charger would slowly slip out of the sockets
–CARPET: the only element that made me feel kind of queasy. Indoor/​outdoor carpet & looked old & dirty. I wore my flips at all times in the room
–SECURITY: a knob lock that stays locked the entire time & a slide latch: I’m pretty sure one good shoulder shove could break down the door
–WIRELESS/​INTERNET: I have an iPhone so I got by, but for my real laptop work I went to a friend’s place.
BATHROOM
–sink, toilet, shower: standard; –small motel towels: standard & no soaps provided
–LIGHTS/​FAN: 3 switches:2 worked-​the light & the heat lamp, no fan
–SHOWER HEAD: I am about 5’4″ & the shower head was at my eye level
–PRESSURE: fantastic water pressure! Which made up for having to lean down/​back to get my head in the jet stream
–DRAIN: apparently $ 60/​night won’t get you proper drainage. 1 minute into the shower, I was ankle deep in H2O. I did what everyone does-​I turned the H2O off to see if it was a clog. Nope, it drained just fine-​like molasses
–SHOWER CURTAIN (this was a Poltergeist element): whilst showering, the plastic ‘please-don’t-touch-any-part-of my-​body’ shower curtain would not hang straight. Nope, it was like there was a fan blowing on the other side of the curtain INTO the shower & I was constantly trying to get the curtain off of me. I debated just showering w/​o it, but didn’t want to deal w/​the probable H20 damage
MAIN DOWNSIDE
–I wanted to leave my window open due to the musty/​mildew smell, but the foot traffic was super loud at night (especially as the drinks flowed in the local bars); I got over it, but you should be prepared if you’re on the front side of the motel

For $ 100 we stayed a Saturday night in mid-​August in the heart of downtown Encinitas. I won’t repeat the stuff below, check my pics out. The mattress sucked and my back hurts. It was clean.
My wife is still giving me crap for the divey hotels I pick.

Jonny’s got it right on. This place has all the necessities with no-​frills. I’ve stayed here twice and both times, the room was clean, bed was as comfy as you could expect, and the price was right. And the couple is lovely!
If I wasn’t a resident now, this would be my go-​to for a place to stay in Encinitas.

If its luxury you want, go somewhere else. This place is run/​owned by a lovely old Filipino couple (and I do mean old).
The rooms are basic but clean. There’s hardly any tv channels which is good as your arse should be outside. Everything works and the rooms even have kitchenettes in them.
I will be back.
And remember to say Salamat Po when you leave…