Free Wifi and free breakfast plus the 1st class service make this the best motel I've ever stayed in. Rooms were clean and of reasonable size. Very close to airport and perfectly situated between downtown and the beaches. Reception printed off our boarding passes and even let us borrow a lap top for no extra charge. We will be back!

The Dolphin Motel is a great place for the right person. It's economical, clean, directly across from the harbor (we watched the fishing boats come in, which was great fun!), situated near some very nice restaurants you can walk to, and has terrific employees. The owner is on site every day, and over breakfast (served from 6:00 on for early risers) people visit, meet, chat, and share stories. It's not for everyone; the rooms are small, have no phone, and some amenities have to be requested. (Want an iron and ironing board? No problem.) The breakfast is nice and the coffee is good. We met a number of other couples who were very much like us: in our 60's, adventurous and watching our pennies, out to see San Diego from the ground up. We also saw families and groups who had planned agendas. But that's not the best part...
On our third day in San Diego, our rental car was broken into and we lost MANY valuable items, including our cell phone and GPS system. The Dolphin folks were extremely kind, and promptly provided us with a GPS AND a cell phone, which we could use as much as we needed. No charge. It was very helpful to have both, and we used the phone to contact our insurance agent, the police, etc. Dolphin people could not have been kinder. My husband and I would recommend this hotel to anyone who isn't fussy about "fancy" and cares about "kindness."

We found this quant little place by chance while spending a day in town on our honeymoon, after a great cruise, two years ago. Since then have been back for our two anniversaries as well as our birthday (twice)(we have the same birthdate- go figure). Everyone who works there is super friendly and willing to assist you in anything short of taking the adventure for you (although I am sure they wish they could). There isn't much room for parties, but then who needs it when you have San Diego as the backdrop. The continental breakfast is great only to be outdone by the terrific view of the bay and morining sunrises.

As is often the case with properties that have been reviewed many many times, most of the virtues and vices have been listed and what really becomes important is what we each seek as travelers. We selected this property based on TA reviews and moved in for 9 days in late January. Yes, the rooms are small, with a main room about 12 feet by 12 feet, a small bathroom with shower and a smaller closet. The property is a wood (rather than tip-up concrete) frame builiding, built in 1957. Over the years there have been minor changes to various walls (new a/c, moved towel racks, et al) so the walls are not perfectly smooth. A power cable to the a/c and the cable to the 32 inch flat screen t.v. were both surface mounted on the walls. The windows are double pane but you can hear a loud motorcycle on occasion. And because the walls are wood/drywall you might hear the next door heat pump a/c turn on. What you WILL get is a comfortable quality mattress, fluffy white towels, all white bedding--the owner was justly proud of using a white bedspread to show how clean it was instead of the typical mottled dark colors in use elsewhere. The owners, who were there every day, and all the office staff were unfailingly polite, helpful, and full of suggestions for places to go and things to see. As a lark I walked over to the Vagabond motel which is a block away and also well reviewed. The price I was quoted was $26 dollars per day more than The Dolphin. For the $26 we would have had a little plastic bottle of shampoo every day, a slightly larger selection of breakfast rolls and 100 more square feet of space. You'll have to decide if that is important to you. At the time we were there most of the other guests were a mix of ages, but all uniformly quiet and pleasant. I think this place attracts those kind of folks.