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Colonial Inn – reviews, photos

1735 Lincoln Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901 (Formerly Colonial Motel)
Hotel amenities
Colonial Inn
Colonial Inn
Colonial Inn
Colonial Inn
Colonial Inn
Colonial Inn
Ranked #11 of 11 hotels in San Rafael
2.5 of 5 stars 29 Reviews
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29 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    2
    10
    6
    2
    9
Date Rating
USA
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
“Retro, family-owned hotel you can count on for quiet”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 January 2011
2
people found this review helpful

If you are a stickler for updated carpets, roomy bathrooms, and fresh paint, the Colonial is not for you. However, if you appreciate an old-fashioned tiled shower, family-run business, and a room that can function as a studio apartment for an extended stay, this is a great spot. There is a roomy closet, refrigerator (alas, no microwave), king bed, desk and sitting chair -- as well as a table and chairs by a sunny window overlooking a row of beautiful palm trees. The hotel is owned and managed by an Indian family and they are particular about the guests they receive -- translation: no partiers or sketch-types. There seemed to be quite a few people who stay there regularly, salespeople who have a regular San Francisco route. In spite of scratchy towels, minimal amenities, and powdered Coffeemate, I loved the place.

  • Stayed November 2010, travelled solo
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask selbyUsa about Colonial Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
orange county, ca
1 review
“Clean, quiet, but very basic”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 July 2010

This is basically a clean (in fact very clean), maintained, old style side of the road motel. The rate is low becuase it is basic with no amenities (does have wireless and large selection of tv channels). If you just need a place to sleep it is fine. If you want a pool (or even a bath tub) this is not the place. The shower is tiny but has strong water pressure. Also there is nothing nearby (except a freeway on ramp only a block away). You must drive to get to anything. For a night's stay a reasonable rate. If you want more it may not be the place for you.

  • Stayed July 2010, travelled on business
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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Ask humordoc about Colonial Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Sacramento, California
1 review
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Stay Away”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 July 2010
3
people found this review helpful

1. The staff there were very rude , to us on arrival , we were not welcomed. We were given no info about when to leave, for the day we were due to leave.
2. The man there refused to give us a receipt after charging us more than the price quoted by Priceline and he would not take debt/credit card and said Cash Only , we do not accept cards, although there was a sign right behind him saying that they do.
3. The room was very small, the window in there was covered in dirt, spiders and webs.
4. On the day we were leaving we received a call asking us if we are leaving and this was repeated several times, they were not listening to us, were not polite, were rude beyond belief, and we do not know why.
the internet access there was , well should I say I could fly around the world and back , before we could connect and get a page up.

  • Stayed July 2010, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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“very nice rooms for a good rate”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 July 2010
1
person found this review helpful

considering that the rate i received on expedia was considerably lower than the rate of any other area hotel, this was a very goo deal.
the room was very clean and large. it had a fridge (no microwaves contrary to what some websites say), a table and 2 chairs, flat screen tv with expanded cable, large desk and chair and an upholstered chair. the grounds are nice with flowers and palm trees. it's on a busy street so i used the fan setting at night for white noise to sleep better.
at check-in the owner was curt and not welcoming.
daily maid service was consistently good.
it was an easy drive to get to muir woods and point reyes for hiking, which i'd highly recommend.

  • Stayed June 2010, travelled solo
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask whomever about Colonial Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Palm Springs, California
1 review
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Smallest bathroom in my lodging experience....”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 June 2010
3
people found this review helpful

We certainly would not return to this hotel. The location was perfect, the motel was cheap. However you had to climb over the toilet to sit down on it, but that wasn't the reason that we would not return. Writing an article, I had lost track of the time and it was check out at 11 AM. The manager called and said I had "15 minutes to get out". I asked for half an hour. "No! You must be out in 15 minutes." I loaded up my stuff and hauled it out to the van while sending my column from my computer. I had to pack my suitcase and put my suits in a hanging bag outside the room in my van. I then sat in the parking lot and sent the rest of my article. It was 40 minutes before the manager came to the room to clean. There was no one else in the entire parking lot as all others had left. The lack of hospitality was our over whelming reason not to return.

  • Stayed June 2010, travelled on business
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Colonial Inn

  • Colonial Hotel San Rafael
  • Colonial Motel San Rafael
Address: 1735 Lincoln Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901 (Formerly Colonial Motel)
Price range (per night):* INR3,305 - 4,201

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