..and that is saying something! Perhaps it was because I had a nasty cold at the time and I was tired and just wanted to find somewhere quickly that evening, so we stopped here and husband went in to see if any vacancies. Then he came out to the car and said "this is just your scene. You will love it!"
He was right. Yes, it might have the appearance of a themed motel as others have suggested, but it has been themed with love and care by the owners over many years and it is surely one of the more original places I have stayed in.
We were travelling with our 3 sons who were given a triple room and we had a double a few doors down. OK so the balconies look out over a little garden at the back and if you crane you neck you can just about see the sea, but that is the charm of this place. You go up to the second level and there are tiny coloured stones underfoot and mosaiics and each area opposite the doors of the rooms is a continuation of what the rooms are themed on (the work of various artists).
The owners were very friendly and we enjoyed a light breakfast snack in the seating area at the front on both mornings (yes we loved it so much we stayed two nights) and on our last morning there, the lady owner took us around to look in some of the empy rooms to see what she had created. It was fantastic. I loved Del Mar anyway, it was a highlight of our Californian break last year, and staying at Les Artistes only sealed the deal.

I had a confirmed reservation with a confirmed check in time. When I arrived I was told the room would not be ready for a full four hours after the confirmed check in time. When I protested that this was a breach of contract, and I needed to get into the room before a meeting, the owner flipped out, became abusive, cancelled my reservation and told me to leave! She probably knew full well that all hotels for miles around were booked out and she could easily fill my room for more money. It put me in a terrible spot because I couldn't get another room anywhere. DO NOT PLAN TO STAY HERE unless you don't mind sleeping in your car.

The Secret Garden Bed and Breakfast in Del Mar is an amazing and relaxing B&B hidden behind The Secret cafe in Del Mar, Ca. You check in at Les Artistes Inn and they will take you the one block to this hidden gem. We were in the Rose room which has a balcony with an ocean view AND you can hear the waves at night. The room was perfect size and immaculate with wonderful details throughout. The Cafe in front has wonderful food and incredible staff.

I wanted a romantic and unique hotel to stay in. I booked a room for 2 nights without seeing the hotel first. My mistake and lesson learned. I visited the website which portrayed the hotel much differently then it actually is. The upside is the friendly man who worked at the "front desk", which is just a window that you access from outsite. There is no lobby. All this place is is a motel that has a theme for each room. The concept on paper is intriguing. The reality is that the place is nothing more than pipe dream. The walls are paper thin and you hear everything from the other rooms. The price is absolutely rediculous considering the accomodations. In all honesty, we were so disappointed that we didn't stay there the second night. We went to the Hilton a few miles down the road for MUCH better accomodations for the same price. Of course, we didn't get our money back for the night we didn't use, even though we expressed our disappointment over 24 hours in advance of the second night. BE WARNED - THIS IS AN OVER PRICED MOTEL!