Declan Suites in San Diego
We recently decided to stay overnight for the weekend in downtown San Diego and stayed at The Declan Suites in the Gaslamp District of San Diego.
We chose the Declan because it features an indoor swimming pool. We were looking for hotels with indoor swimming pools in San Diego, and this one came up first. That might seem like a silly reason to choose a hotel, but our three-year-old daughter really wanted to go swimming and so did we!
If there’s one thing about indoor pools, it’s that you can never be sure they will be nice. Let me assure you that the swimming pool was fantastic! It is indoors, warm, and didn’t taste like a chemical bath of chlorine. Sometimes when you check out the hotel swimming pool you can tell the pool guy is being lazy. Not here! They had a proper chemical balance and the water was pure and clean!
They also offer a hot tub, but we didn’t really use it except once. It’s nice!
I wanted to add that the swimming pool isn’t that big, but on three visits to the pool, we were the only swimmers! So, it is just the right size. The swimming pool is on the 12th floor, and above the pool are huge glass windows above which you can see the rest of the building (which goes up to 26 floors).
Right next door to the swimming pool you’ll find the workout room. This was quite popular and busy. They have multiple treadmills, bicycles, and weight lifting equipment. They of course have televisions and the remote is there in case you wish to change the channel.
Declan Suites in San Diego
Our room was located on the 26th floor. Quite a trip to get from the parking on floor 11, to the lobby on floor 12, and then another elevator to the 26th floor. Our room was however quite nice!
Two amenities I’d love to see: The rooms do not have refrigerators. This seems like a small oversight, considering they do have a microwave. The only thing you could really cook would be popcorn.
Also, they need digital television! They had just a couple of channels in digital, and the rest were analog! Which seems like a step backward. Why give me two HD televisions if I can’t get anything in digital?
Otherwise, the rooms were clean, organized, and the beds comfortable. The bathrooms are spacious and feature both a bathtub and a shower. The water pressure was fine, although the sink had almost no water pressure. Once you hop into the shower, though, it speeds up nicely! We never ran out of hot water.
A visit to The Declan wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the insane parking garage! It was the most insane design I have ever seen for a parking garage. First, you enter from the street and go up a winding lane up to the 7th floor. From there, you’ll wind around the maze up to the 11th floor. Following the driving directions was easy. But, it’s hilarious how each level of the garage features a totally different layout! I’m serious! Each floor has different support columns and different paths. After a couple of days, you’ll get the hang of it.
Declan Suites in San Diego
Tip: Go to the front desk and ask about the blue card for free parking. We gave them our paper stub, and they validated our original parking. The rest of the time we had free re-entry and parking all weekend. Don’t be fooled by the high sticker price for parking… just ask for the blue card.
We really enjoyed our visit to The Declan Suites. Our favorite feature was the awesome indoor swimming pool.
They also have a huge restaurant, but we never tried the food. Instead, we walked to nearby restaurants.
Enjoy your stay in San Diego!
Getting there
The Declan Suites San Diego
701 A St.
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 696-9800
