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#2 of 3 hotels in Bolinas
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Property amenities
Free parking
Non-smoking hotel
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Family rooms
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15 Brighton Ave, Bolinas, CA
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13Reviews1Q+A3Room tips
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Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
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My wife and I have been staying at the Grand Hotel for more than 25 years. It hasn't changed a bit, and Vic has worked very hard to keep the place quaint and simple. The kitchen has everything you'd need for simple meals, and it's never been a problem to share the kitchen or bath with another couple. The locals may not be welcoming, but they are kind, especially if you respect the dignity of this beautiful town. The Grand Hotel has been a special place for many years, and we've been privilaged to stay there many times.
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Date of stay: July 2021
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Room Tip: The front room is bigger, the back room is... mostly horizontal.
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If you have your expectations clear before you arrive, you will not be disappointed. First this is neither Grand nor is it a Hotel but, like the town it sits in, it embodies the laid back seaside lifestyle in an unpretentious and warm way. The "hotel" is also two rooms on the upper floor across from one another with a shared kitchen and bathroom downstairs so, unless you can handle or like a B&B style of close unknown neighbors, this is best to visit with close friends and take both rooms. That aside, the rooms are very comfortable, the kitchen (with a few quirks) is functional and just feels right. We spent hours around the table just chatting, eating and drinking. For location, its perfect. A couple of minutes walk from the beach, downtown stores and café/restaurant. A great place to spend a relaxing, very affordable weekend. PS. The guy that runs it, also runs the shop in the other half of the house and treats the kitchen like a common thorough fare, and sort of "appears", so be prepared for that quirk also.…
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Date of stay: September 2016Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
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Room Tip: As a couple that likes privacy, take both rooms, take friends or family.
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Helpful
My long distance boyfriend and I stayed here for a long weekend and we were lucky enough to have the whole place to ourselves. It's quaint and antiquated but it's quiet, comfortable, and definitely romantic. Charming doesn't even cover it! There is a shared kitchen and bathroom downstairs with two bedrooms upstairs, each with more than one bed. We chose the smaller "back" bedroom because I was instantly enamored by the bed tucked into the windowed nook. Vic, the owner, is a kind gentleman who welcomed us with a tour and said hello every time we passed. He opened the antique shop to us before hours so we could have a peek around. You will only find one restaurant in Bolinas, one liquor store, one general store, and one natural foods store/market, but you will love every place you go to. The beach is perhaps a quarter of a mile from the hotel and the street is lined with interesting cars and characters. Dogs run around town and the beach off-leash, which was probably one of my personal favorite aspects of the area. If you don't fall in love with this place, I'm not sure what kind of person you are!…
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Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Simple, picturesque, quirky -- that's Bolinas, and that's the Grand Hotel. I first stayed here nearly thirty years ago and have returned numerous times (even navigating the narrow, steep stairs six months into pregnancy). If you're looking for frills, stay away. If you're looking for simple charm, this is your place.
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Date of stay: July 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Room Tip: I prefer the back room.
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Helpful
Grand this place isn't. For that matter, hotel this place isn't either! It's just some reasonably clean rooms above a junk shop. This evidently is the Bolinas vibe??? Charming, really, in an aging hippy kind of way.
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Date of stay: June 2014
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
The Grand Hotel is actually a house turned antique shop in the front and on weekends only, and a "hotel" at the back. It's actually set up like a two floor home, with a small coffee table outside in the back entryway, which leads you to the bathroom and then to the actual door into the house. This door leads into the kitchen, then a set of stairs that lead up to the 2 units. I didn't get a chance to peep into the room towards the back of the house. My friend and I stayed in the room looking outside to the front. Everything is kept clean and comfortable, but if you're looking for modern, this is NOT your place. It smells like an antique shop, and you ever walk into a house and get the chills down your back? Yeah, that's how I felt the whole time, just a small eerie feeling. I kid you not, my bed rattled and I heard a couple thuds downstairs in the middle of the night :( like someone said previously, probably a friendly ghost, aside from that, it's cute, quaint, and it'll do! I give it a "4" on Bolinas standards, and a "3" on real standards.…
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Date of stay: June 2013Trip type: Travelled with friends
Location
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Helpful
If you are looking for an affordable place to park your butt for the night this is it. Expect no frills and you'll be fine. Reasonably clean, reasonably comfortable, near everything there is in Bo. Upstairs from a classic junk shop, this is just the place for low budget hippies and former hippies.
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Date of stay: May 2012Trip type: Travelled with friends
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
I stayed 1 night in this hotel and even the location is good I have paid 70usd for 1 night on a tuesday wich I found extremly high for this type of accomodation with shared bath not so clean. The area around the house is dirty and I think that the owner could make a effort to justify his prices. But that is the cheapest hotel in this area...
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Date of stay: September 2011
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Based on reviews here, my friends and I booked this place for a weekend. We were two couples who each stayed in one of the two rooms. As someone who is typically quite comfortable in rustic settings, I was expecting something quirky and interesting. I wasn't looking for the Ritz, but this place was nevertheless problematic. I thought that staying in an old house would be charming. In this case it just meant it was moldy. The whole place smelled that way and triggered my allergies. Thank goodness for benadryl at bedtime. We gave our taller friends the bigger room. Good thing, because my partner and I, both only 5"3", could barely fit in the small bed we had. Not only was the double bed fairly short, but it was wedged in blush with the walls so the only way you could get in and out was at the foot of the bed. I think it was a good thing that we all knew each other, because sound definitely carries so you have minimal privacy. With earplugs, it worked out okay. We used the kitchen only once for breakfast, but it wasn't very inviting. The stove had a small flame that meant it took a long time to heat anything. Bottom line--it was cheap and we made it work because we were only there to sleep and out all the time, but if you are looking for a comfortable place to hang out this wouldn't be it.…
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Date of stay: April 2011Trip type: Travelled with friends
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
The house is one of the original Bolinas homes. We rented the front bedroom and had the house to ourselves. It felt (and smelled) like my grandma's old house when I was a little girl; very nostalgic for me. Skinny steep staircase, dusty antiques, claw-foot tub bath, funky kitchen with a hodge-podge of functional furnishings. The owner is an affable fellow who stays on the property, but not in the main house. He graciously allowed us an early check-in. The gallery downstairs full of "vintage collectibles" was unfortunately closed during our spring mid-week stay; it looked like a fun place to browse. The home is conveniently located, half a block to the store and the restaurant and the bar ("downtown"), and one block to the wonderful beach. The room was affordable and complemented the whole Bolinas experience perfectly. I'd gladly return to the Grand Hotel.…
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Date of stay: May 2011Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaMarin CountyBolinas
NUMBER OF ROOMS
2
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Frequently Asked Questions about Grand Hotel Bolinas
Which popular attractions are close to Grand Hotel Bolinas?
Nearby attractions include Stinson Beach (3.7 km), Dipsea Trail (6.0 km), and Bolinas Lagoon (2.4 km).
What are some restaurants close to Grand Hotel Bolinas?
Conveniently located restaurants include The Siren Canteen, Parkside Cafe, and The Breakers Cafe.
Is Grand Hotel Bolinas located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.2 km away from the centre of Bolinas.
Are there any historical sites close to Grand Hotel Bolinas?
Many travellers enjoy visiting American Legion Log Cabin (13.4 km), Robson-Harrington House (12.6 km), and First American Flag Raising in San Francisco (14.0 km).