Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina

Reviews

• DM

  D Massey

  Aug 25, 2026
  5.0
  Very nice hotel with large rooms. Outside view from the dining and bar is spectacular. My only complaint is that no coffee maker inside the rooms. There is a large coffee brewer is always fresh in the lobby. Yes, I would definitely return if I traveled back.
• MG

  Michelle Gaston

  Aug 24, 2026
  3.0
  Overall nice hotel. Doors stick a lot im assuming due to the humidity. A bit of a drive to get in and out of and prefer more to do within walking distance. If you plan to use hotel gym, this is not the place. Tiny and cannot fit more than 3 people. should have towels available as it was very humid in there. Signs to wipe equipment down but the wipes were completely dried out. For such a large property there has to be a better space. Positive note was there was free slow ev charging in the harbor lot right across the street.
• ST

  ShayLynn T

  Aug 11, 2026
  4.0
  We stayed at this hotel last week. Loved the location, with a great path around the bay across the street for walking. The pools were nice and grounds were beautifully maintained. We had a great experience with Alex a front desk worker. Our car wasn't starting and he took the time to come look at it, find jumper cables and get it started for us. The process was about an hour so it was extremely nice of him to help us out! Shout out to Alex for being super cool! The hotel is lucky to have such a genuinely kind employee working the front desk that goes above and beyond to help guests. The only thing that needs some work is the hotel room. It was a very small room with 2 beds and crowded with furniture which made it feel more like a dark closet than hotel room. There really shouldn't have been more than one queen bed in this particular room. You couldn't really access the closet due to how close the bed was and the doors were broken. Maybe other rooms that you fork out a lot more money on are nicer. We were on the ground floor and you could hear the people above walking around so be prepared for that if you have a ground level room. And bring your own pillow if you can - the pillows were the worst we have ever had at a hotel.
• MM

  Mary McFadden Martin

  Aug 9, 2026
  5.0
  This was the perfect spot for our family trip to San Diego. We had access to do everything we wanted in San Diego, and a peaceful resort vibe here on Shelter Island. With a gorgeous marina view right from our room patio, an absolutely lovely pool with nice hours, fantastic food at the restaurant, a lovely property, gorgeous sunsets .... we just did our sightseeing all day and enjoyed the property all evening. Traveling with my son, with the time change from the East Coast I know we may get tired early in the evening so being able to enjoy ourselves at the hotel is key to a successful CA trip. This wasn't just a room to sleep in but a truly relaxing destination experience of its own. Staff were super sweet and helpful, too. Very chill, laid back, pretty, relaxing. Would 100% stay here again.
• MN

  Melissa Nieves

  Jul 26, 2026
  5.0
  We traveled thru California. We stayed 1 night on our way up. Then 3 nights on way back (accessible room). We were impressed with the vibe and location of the hotel. We enjoyed both stays at this hotel, we loved the tranquility and location. Definitely would recommend. Cute li'l bar /restaurant on property (given a discount coupon at check-in) overlooking the marina. 2 clean pool areas on property. The hotel has daily on-sight activities. Clean and spacious rooms. Park and fishing pier conveniently located across the street. ---- Our first stay we were on the 2nd floor, king room with a private balcony and bay view in the Casa del Mar bldg. The morning sun glimmering off the water was beautiful. We loved it so much when we traveled back through SD we decided to stay at the hotel again. Unfortunately, it happened to be during Comic Con so ALL hotels in and around SD had their room prices jacked up to double the price and many were full or near full with limited room availability. Consequently on our second stay we got an NV accessible king junior suite on the bottom floor in the Casa del Mar bldg. We wanted a suite and it was the only one left. We felt a little guilty taking an accessible room when it was not needed, but not so bad as to pass it up. ACCESSIBLE ROOM Pros/Cons: PATIO : pro - spacious patio with seating. con-for us it was a con but for others it could be a pro. The patio in this particular room is open to the room around the corner. If traveling with family or friends it would be perfect to share that patio with them. All other patios on the ground floor appeared private. BATHROOM: counter - was very small. Not much room for toiletries,etc, but it did appear designed for accessiblity not for people who stand in front of mirror to do hair /make-up. It was an accessible room so... SHOWER/TUB - shower/tub with a shower seat that can be moved/used. For us a tub/ shower is neither a pro nor a con. We just need it to be clean and it was exactly that. I can see a tub also being a plus if you have little ones. LIVING AREA: living and sleeping areas seperated by wall with shutters that open. We do not have mobility concerns/needs so unsure if the layout and space between furniture is ideal or not. See photo for space reference. For our needs it was perfect. Had everything we needed - couch, chair, tv, desk, patio access without disturbing sleeping area. SLEEPING AREA: again, unsure if layout and space is ideal for those with mobility preference/needs. See photo for reference. The shutters in the divider wall open to allow light through when needed and block light for those who prefer darkness during the day. The benefit is the person(s) wanting natural light in the day can enjoy the living area while those sleeping/napping can block the light in the sleeping area.

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