The Hotel while not a five star is a nice place. No robbers, thieves or other vipers. I been in the "Marina" twice before and am going again with a forward look next month. Always have had a enjoyable stay.

first off i am a white american. There is nothing more i hate then to see americans complain that this hotel was not in tip top shape. the hotel was awsome nice people and everything. You white folks need to stop complaining about every damn thing its annoying to me to the staff to the people in ensenada. you guys are to spoiled. first off you need to understand the mexican way of life which is simple to have a good time and not worry. like i said the hotel was nice. nothing was bad there was noise but that is just how mexico is. everything is closer houses, bars, places.

Arriving there without a reservation on a weekend, we were happy for the availability. The front desk can best be described as functional. While not rude, they lacked any feeling of hospitality. The major problem I encountered was the elevators. I know its Mexico and things don't run as smoothly as in the US but the elevator would bump up and down, skip to another floor, go up a floor while on it was down... I was scared for my life! and the stairs didnt seem to provide any safer option. Being a woman, it is incredibly dangerous to go through the stairs which are on the outside of the hotel at night. There are no lights and its awfully dirty. The rooms were average. Didn't look to clean nor too dirty. Best thing was the view, however for some reason the tiny balcony didn't generate a feeling of safety so it was from inside the room we could appreciate the view.

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.