Clearly, when you go to Mexico, you don't expect the same quality of hotels as in the US and other countries, so this review is based on those lower expectations. I went to Ensenada on a Saturday on Labor Day weekend with 4 other friends. Preliminary research indicated that most hotels were booked up for the holiday weekend, so we just went down there hoping to either find a room or drive back home that night. After being turned away at a few hotels, we tried Villa Marina because it seemed likely to have a room available based on its size (it's one of the few tall buildings in Ensenada). We found out that they indeed had rooms available, but there is a strict 4 per room policy, so we had to get 2 rooms. The rooms were $110 each, which was a bit steep for the quality of the hotel, but we accepted, since we knew that many hotels had no vacancies. I would guess that their rates for advance reservations are lower. They also have a lighted parking lot with a security guard, which is a must in Ensenada.

The hotel looks like it was once very nice, but it is definitely in need of a remodel now. The elevators are small and a bit scary. The desk staff was friendly and even gave us rooms next to each other with an adjoining door. The view from the balcony was nice, especially from our rooms on the 9th floor, but the wood railing seemed cheap and unsafe. The beds and sheets were clean, and the bed was average in comfort, but creaky. There were a lot of channels on the TV, several in English, but there was no remote, and one of the buttons was broken. I didn't find that it was noisy, as long as you don't leave the sliding balcony doors open...the hotel has AC, so this shouldn't be a problem. They provide no toiletries in the room, other than a couple bars of soap. The towels were a bit worn out. The bathroom looked clean but not immaculate. The carpet felt dirty under my bare feet. Finally, the breakfast at 10am was cold and was probably the same food that they put out at 6 or 7.

If you are looking for a simple place to stay right in the tourist district with no luxury, this one is OK. Request a high floor, because the view is the best attribute of the hotel. If you are looking for a resort, try some others.

We stayed in a 2nd-floor room for three nights while racing in the Baja Triathlon. Every single night car alarms went off, and two of the nights cherry bombs were tossed from windows above us to the parking lot below setting off even more car alarms. This hotel needs double paned windows for the noise problems.

This place is dirty, too. The carpet will turn your feet black, if you don't wear shoes at all times. The towels had holes in them and needed bleaching. We displayed on our doorknob that the room needed cleaning, but when we returned, there was a bag of towels on the doorknob, and the display had mysteriously been turned to Do Not Disturb. We thought it was some prankster, but upon entering our room, we found some lights on that we didn't leave on, so we know the maid went in the room, and left without cleaning.

The front-desk staff is very nice, but just listens, and doesn't address any issues.

my husband and i took a last minute trip to ensenada w/no reservations. we walked into the villa marina and got a good deal from their friendly staff. We found the hotel to be far enough away from the loudness of the main strip to sleep at night but close enough to walk just about anywhere. Definately not a luxury hotel and a bit old but clean. If you're looking for a safe, clean place to sleep this is a good deal. Not many amenities but worth the money ($140 for 2 nights). Would stay there again.

Loud and noisy, drunken men hanging about elevators until late. Complained two nights, found other accomodations for duration of stay. Found similar problems with previous stay, will not try Villa Marina Hotel again