The Shoal La Jolla Beach

Reviews

• ML

  Michelle Ly

  4 days ago
  3.0
  Location is great if you want to be near the beach. Its in downtown La Jolla which is great close to shops and food. Rooms were modern clean and comfortable but AC unit was loud. Beds and sheets where comfortable. No carpet which is huge plus. Pool was good as well. Parking was tight and small and had to pay to park car in their lot which was not good. It is a renovated hotel so still older building could use padding on floors in upper units was loud when people walked around unit above. I would stay again.
• HM

  H Mae

  6 days ago
  5.0
  Great stay! I was randomly chosen as "guest of the day" so I got a free upgrade. That's cute. The front desk staff was great. The "free breakfast" consists of coffee/tea/instant oats, but next door is relatively affordable (La Jolla standards) breakfast. The A/C was nice (sad to need it, during a February, but it was 80 degrees and the room was directly in the sun's path). I stayed car-free and used the 30 bus to get around; very convenient. Ended up paying (with all taxes/fees) about $175 a night for two nights, in a king room with a window. Keep in mind that's the price for a "cozy king" (one size smaller than I got, since I go ta free upgrade). One other thing: I can't say enough how important it is to invest in locally-owned places. The more we do that, the more we invest in local communities as opposed to billionaires in New York China (who own places like Marriott/Hilton, across the street). Thanks the Shoal for keeping it local.
• AH

  Arthur Howells

  Feb 27, 2026
  5.0
  I've been travelling the US for 2 months, staying at a variety of hotels and motels, from budget to luxury, and this is my favorite--way better than 2 stars. Cute retro property with great rooms and the staff is amazing. Tricia was so helpful after a stressful day of travel. Highly recommended! Great pool and hot tub too for when the ocean is too chilly!
• CW

  Carolyn Wegemann

  Feb 23, 2026
  5.0
  The Shoal is a fantastic deal if you’re looking for a cute, clean and friendly spot right by the beach. Stayed here for a wedding (they do wedding blocks) and didn’t have a bad thing to say about it. You can hear some traffic from some of the rooms facing the road, but nothing the AC fan couldn’t block out. Would absolutely come back again.
• RR

  Rachel Rogers

  Feb 19, 2026
  5.0
  The Shoal was surely a shining portion of our shore-exploring in the shimmering ocean town of La Jolla. I stayed at The Shoal for a weekend with my mom. We had the best time staying here and she insisted I write a review because the stay and the customer service was that good! Our room was cute and clean. The employees at the front desk were helpful when we checked in, when we had trouble turning on the AC (press the power button twice!), and when we ran into a parking issue. They were quick to help and did so with patience and kindness. I haven't had such service anywhere else!