Central Portola Valley Hotels, Portola Valley

"We stayed at the Dinah's Garden Hotel specifically because we wanted my wife and daughter to enjoy the pool while I was at work. What we found was absolutely disgusting and unacceptable for any hotel claiming to offer a family-friendly experience. The hotel allows ducks from the nearby pond to freely enter the swimming pool area. We personally saw duck feathers floating in the water, duck droppings around and near the pool, and obvious signs that the pool hygiene was being neglected. Ducks carry bacteria and germs, and no reasonable guest should have to worry about animal contamination in a hotel swimming pool. When we raised the issue with management, they completely ignored our concerns and gave the standard excuse that “the pool is cleaned every morning.” Based on what we saw, that was clearly not true or nowhere near sufficient. A pool contaminated daily by ducks cannot simply be “cleaned in the morning” and considered safe all day. This was not only unhygienic but also extremely disappointing because the pool was one of the main reasons we chose this hotel. Instead of relaxing, my family felt uncomfortable and disgusted. The management’s dismissive attitude made the situation even worse. I would strongly advise families with children to think twice before booking here unless the hotel takes pool cleanliness and guest concerns seriously."

"Helpful and friendly staff, easy check in"

"Easy check in. Very clean room. No place to hang a towel. $45 a day for parking in outragus."

"Had a 5 am flight. Woke up at 3 and was at the gate at 330 am. Super convenient."

"Rooms weee clean and quiet"

"Grear"

"Very cool place, well done thanks for everything."

"Great to have a shuttle service."

"Staff were super helpful, check in was fast and informative and it is in a safe area. The hotel rooms are a little dated, but they are clean. The power oulets weren’t working well in my room or my sisters room. I’m not sure if it was an isolated issue, but before you buy a new curling iron or charger, try a couple more outlets. Overall a good 3 day stay."