California Valley Motel - Santa Margarita, California

Russell Orr

This motel is cash only..no credit cards and NO pets please. We do have refrigerator and microwave in all the rooms. Dismiss the photos on this page for they were taken years ago and can't be updated. Bring your own food and beverages. No store or gas within 50 miles. Thank you!

Keith Kirk

GREAT place to photograph the night sky. Bortle 2.5.
Very adequate, 50 miles to the nearest gas and food. So fill up you tank in Passo Robles or Button Willow and bring your own grub. Management helpful and friendly. Refrigerator, coffee pot and microwave in room. Took this photo from the back of the motel. Excellent WiFi and air conditioning.

Me A.

We were lost and had very low gasoline. Then, we asked the owner if we could get some gasoline and he was super nice to us and gave us the gasoline. He really saved us and our trip! I would be happy to meet him again.

Steve S

|The name should be changed to "The Only Motel"..||Curb (there aren't any...) appeal might lead one to think that the place is abandoned with a sign that barely identifies the place BUT we found the eclectic furnishings and well maintained rooms suiting our needs. |It is a bit of a charming relic that is emerging from deferred maintenance.|Our requirements are Clean, Comfortable and Quiet and all of those boxes got checked. ||We did NOT want to drive back and forth to Taft, San Luis Obispo or even the Super 8 in Maricopa. ||There used to be a restaurant across the street... closed for a few years along with a small gas station that is also shut.|BBQ facilities are numerous and seemed functional|The historic swimming pool is now only a home to an occasional bull-frog and closed due to new county rules on depth etc.||The manager/owner/host is a wondrous source of history, very friendly and accommodating.||We had easy heat and eat meals so the microwave and fridge were perfect.|The mattresses seem to be recently replaced, toilet seats are no-slam, fixtures looks to be recently replaced and everything, including the wifi worked. Heating and AC worked.|Cell service using Verizon is good at the motel but spotty in much of the monument. Travelers with other carriers had problems.||All said, if we get up there next year we will definitely stay there again. Being only minutes from the sights we wanted was great.

Dan Williams

It's getting better!! Major improvements being made in early 2019!

The place has been poorly maintained over the years, and we just got over a long string of bad monthly renters that trashed their rooms with illegal cannabis growing/processing...
But efforts are being put in to fix issues and clean up the place. Plumbing is being fixed, beds and some carpets will be replaced, as well as other furniture. The courtyard will also be undergoing beautification. However, the swimming pool is beyond affordable repair (and the county wants a lifeguard...).

Each room will receive a heavy cleaning before it is rented out, for nightly or monthly stays, we want to take care of people, but we do acknowledge that we've had some issues.

Thank you for your patience with us and understanding that we are not a 5-star resort, but we are a very friendly place. We are people friendly, pet friendly, and critter friendly.

Fei Peng

Book my last weekend stay through phone and email with Kenneth. Great and affordable motel to visit Carrizo Plain. Only 8mins drive to the Soda Lake overlook. Kenny is very nice, we checked in late, he showed me the room. No phone reception but the wifi was super fast. Enjoyed the sky full with stars with birds and crickets singing. Of course it’s not a fancy luxury hotel but definitely feels clean and safe to stay. Cash or check only. Bring your own food, water and gas.

Expedition788436

California Valley Motel is only 5 miles or so from the most beautiful part of the Carrizo Plain. There is no other place to stay for miles unless you wanna camp. It is a 1960s style motel that has seen better days but the beds are comfortable, the heat/air conditioning works and many rooms have a full size fridge and a micro-wave. It is clean enough! As there is no gas or food for 40-50 miles, come prepared. Coffee and pastry is served in a.m. The current managers are conscientious and helpful. There is a patio where you can barbeque, and from which you can see the mountains and listen to the birds and the delightful bull frog who has taken residence in the (partially drained and fenced) pool. I highly reccommend this place if you don’t want to schlepp camping stuff with you or just prefer a comfortable bed at night. I do hope the current managers continue their efforts to keep the place functional as I am just getting to old to camp!

Daniel George

I'm a resident here (not a manager as a previous reviewer listed me) and my best friend is the current manager. I have lived at this motel for 4 years because it's inexpensive. The previous manager was not capable of keeping the place up, and my friend inherited a huge mess right before a flood of tourists came in. I helped him in the office because it was too much for one person to manage. After managing it for two years, he has made some improvements, had some problem guests who tore the place up again, and is now making major repairs with the help of the owner and a part-time maintenance man. He also now has hired a maid who cleans the rooms thoroughly before any guests move in. We're in the middle of nowhere surrounded by open fields, so there's no getting rid of the mice; they'll always be a part of our lives, but he does make sure the maid cleans up any mouse droppings before guests move in.