"My friend was visiting from Iowa, and unfortunately. We stayed there from 24-27 September 2007 and were very, very dissatisfied. The room was very small and dark. There was construction, sawing and hammering nearby. Paint was peeling from the ceiling, and the bedspread was torn. When we washed at the sink, the air conditioner blew cold air on our legs and had to be turned off. The room was so small that one had to climb over the bed if another person was putting clothes in the closet to get past them. The TV channel selector listed a PBS station (we wanted to watch the award winning series, "The War" by Ken Burns), but that station was apparently not carried on the Hotel's satellite system. There was no follow up by the hotel's engineer, although he had promised to get back to us. The attitude in the office was aloof and unresponsive. The Hotel's General Manager at first refused to meet with me, but later got back to me by phone. He completely declined to meet with me in person, even though I wished to do that and offered to make time available for such a meeting. The manager did upgrade our room to the newer section, but gave us a room overlooking a public bathroom in Mission Bay Park. There was no bottled water provided, as I was accustomed to receiving at even budget lodging, the vending machines would not accept dollar bills, the front desk apparently did not have the ability to make change, and after we switched rooms, nobody inquired about our satisfaction. The hotel is located in a public park, Mission Bay Park, which the homeless use for shelter, and there apparently was no on site hotel security. We didn't encounter any security personnel during our long trek over the entire property one night searching for a bottled water vending machine. The grounds and walk ways are very poorly lighted. Finally, unlike the nearby Bahia and Catamaran Hotels, which offer a Manager's Reception to guests once a week with complimentary wine, cheese and fruit platters, this property does not offer such a reception. I asked the Manager to get back to me and to refund a portion of our room rate of $160/night, but he never followed up. I would urge anyone contemplating booking at this property to avoid it. It is a poor value, has unacceptable and nonexistent customer service, and is not comparable or competitive with other nearby properties."

Read ecto's San Diego reviews | Comment

"Getting your money's worth at The Dana is a full-time job--more like a miserable and protacted tech support battle than a relaxing vacation.Some basics first. The hotel is next door to SeaWorld, which means it's packed with families of screaming kids. Actually, The Dana is really two completely separate hotels--an old one and a new one--on the same property. So there are two restaurants (one Denny's-like and one fancy schmancy--both very good), two pools (both crowded, with loud music starting at 9am), and most importantly, two entirely different hotel experiences. The old part of the hotel is pretty much the worst decrepit motel you can imagine, where you can hear screaming kids in adjacent rooms at all hours, see light under your doorway all night, with the bed right up against the door. We switched to a newer room (the more expensive ones) after one very miserable night.The new rooms are large, quiet, and gorgeous, with balconies overlooking the bay. But here's the catch. Everything that doesn't work (the air conditioning, the light that won't turn off, etc.) requires day after day after day of calls to guest services, waiting on hold, waiting at the front desk, talking with an endless stream of downright nasty and incompetent hotel manager-types, waiting around for hours in the room for repairs that never happen, when all you want to do is get out and enjoy San Diego and to come back to a room where the basic necessities you're paying so much for actually work. It is for this reason that a stay at The Dana is a very unpleasant experience, and one that will leave you still needing a vacation. It's probably best to avoid Mission Bay altogether, which is generally a run-down somewhat seedy area of San Diego. And definitely avoid The Dana!"

Read davefdavef's San Diego reviews | Comment

"Lovely rooms,setting etc but important to understand that the marketing doesn't match the reality. If you pay the big bucks to have uninterrupted views of the bay then understand that right outside your room they will be putting on banqueting events for corporate customers and weddings. Forget any ideas you have about sitting on your balcony and chilling. Customer service is dreadful, no one has any interpersonal skills. Firefly restaurant however is very nice. Oh and the lavatories get blocked and an engineer appears with a plunger! "

Read max's San Diego reviews | Comment

"The view is awesome and has a pool looking into the marina. The have activities for the kids every day."

Read Khall1114's San Diego reviews | Comment