<b> Overall:</b> Since my house flooded I was forced to find another place to live while they dry out my house and replace the flooring. I choose the Best Western Stratford Inn because it is right next to my house. Overall the Stratford Inn has a beautiful location with many of the rooms having ocean views.<br /><br /><b>Value:</b> The price is around $100 for a normal room and $150 for a suite. The value is good for what you get.<br /><br /><b>Service:</b> When I arrived the staff behind the counter looked flustered and were unorganized. They actually left someone on hold for about 5 minutes even though I was the only one they were helping at the time and there were two of them. <br />
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The next problem i had was when I realized I needed a pen to take down some phone messages. It appears they had forgotten a pen in my room or perhaps they only give you a note pad and no pen. Either way I called the front desk to ask if I could borrow a pen. Again the lady was flustered and said there was no one there who could bring me a pen. Luckily I was close to my house so I drove home and grabbed one. I found it ironic that there is a sign in the bathroom that says "Did you forget something, just call our friendly staff and we'll bring it right to your room." Apparently the lady behind the counter isn't aware of the note.<br />
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The third problem is I was leaving my room for a business meeting and called the front desk to request house keeping clean the room while i was away. I returned 2.5 hours later and house keeping had not cleaned the room yet.<br />
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This is only my first day, hopefully it smooths out from here on.<br /><br /><b>Quality:</b> The quality is what you would expect at a $99 hotel. Nothing special but everything is in good shape, it looks fairly new on the insides of the rooms. <br />
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Update 3/21/07 - The shower fluctuates from burning hot to freezing cold about every 20 seconds. This make showering a painful experience as you have to be on your toes ready to move the nozzle within a few seconds or you get burned by scolding or freezing water. At least this is the case in room 323.<br />

This Best Western is near the beach and now there is a sidewalk that takes you right into downtown Del Mar, so it's a great holiday place, whether you live here or not!
Ask for one of the few view rooms - there is even one with a Jacuzzi tub - if you're celebrating a special occasion.
Fresh cookies in the lobby every day, and a Continental breakfast fare that is not spectacular, but the newly-remodeled room near the pool and Jacuzzi is quite nice.
There used to be a day spa on-site (Spa Cucina, but they are now a mobile-only service); what remains is a great acupuncturist (Dr. Brian Bender)!