Hotel room with a view in Ocean Beach

What's so special about a hotel room with a view of the ocean? Well, for starters, if you can see the ocean from your room, then it's likely to be a beachfront hotel, and those carry a lot of advantages. Like, it's easy to walk over to the beach...

So anyway, the subject at hand is to discuss the merits of the rather cheap Ocean Beach Hotel, which offers a full unblocked view of the ocean, is located on the beach in Ocean Beach, which is one of the more popular beach communities. So you can enjoy the full pleasure of the San Diego beaches at the Ocean Beach Hotel without having to fork over your entire 401(k).

FYI, far as I know, the beach on Ocean Beach is the only one which offers a 'Dog Beach'. The section to the north end of the beach is open for dog owners to allow their pets to run leash-free. So imagine you're a city-slicker and your dog is totally frustrated with being cooped up in the high-rise condo all day long. Wouldn't it be fun to enjoy your San Diego vacations at the Ocean Beach Hotel, where any time your dog gets antsy, you just hop over to the north end of the beach and let him run wild, with the wind and spray in his face, and paws digging into the soft wet sand. I betcha your dog will never want to leave.

Oh, and if you're a tackler, you can enjoy fishing on the Ocean Beach Pier, where it's legal for anyone to fish even without a valid California fishing license. The view of the ocean from the 1 mile long pier, is, to say the least, magnificent.

As for the Ocean Beach Hotel itself, well, you get complimentary wi-fi, free parking, guest laundry services, microwave, iron and board, refrigerator, hair dryer, and morning coffee in the lobby. It is, of course, pet friendly.

Not that there ain't other hotels and motels in San Diego which offer all this. Sure there's plenty of hotels, cheap motels and vacation rentals lining the beachfront in Ocean Beach. But most of them will take your shirt, and then send you a bill for the rest. And those that are affordable are usually places where you wouldn't stay even if they paid you to do so.

Which is why the Ocean Beach Hotel stands out as a decent ands cheap alternative, with rates from $119.95 onwards. For this rate, you get a room steps away from the beach with a Queen bed and French Provincial furnishings. Complimentary parking, free wi-fi and all the other stuff mentioned above comes with the room.

Info: 5080 Newport Avenue San Diego CA 92107; (619) 223-7191; www.obhotel.com/