Beautiful hotel. Rooms, lobby, gym, even yoga room and amenities are all modern. Just the outside is in line with it’s original look but nothing feels old. Our room was a good size. Service, especially by night/overnight crew has been great, room service actually clean your room everyday. Beautiful lemon water available in the lobby. Filltered water and ice machines alternate availability on the floors. Had a great tour on Sunday morning (available Saturday too) 5,000 steps in 1 hour so be ready to move. We learned from pamela that the hotel was built 100yrs ago in 1926, called the Picwic. New iwner named it Sofia, after his granddaughter whose picture hangs in the lobby. I forgot the quote but it was the first hotel with in room bathroom “for 2 and a half” (dollars). It’s a little bit of a walk to the convention but very doable (our convention had busses that dropped off at 2 nearby hotels so that was a nice option if you didn’t want to expend the energy but for me I think the walk is a good start and end to a convention day. Ralphs and whole foods are both close by in case you need grocery stores. Dining is provided by downtown San Diego with little Italy nearby and a variety (ncluding street dogs wrapped in bacon (my favorite southern CA treat) and a famous taco shop that is open real late) available on 5th. There is a restaurant you can access through the lobby that my husband said has great reviews but we have not yet tried. We are hoping to since the hotel provided a discount card.

Reading a bit of the reviews for this hotel I was skeptical but overall I would say our stay was great! We stayed in the premier room on the 7th floor, it was a renovated room with all the amenities we needed. Good lighting, outlets, steamer/iron, hair dryer etc. The room itself is a bit smaller but it was perfect for a couple. The shower pressure was a little low but not anyone’s fault and still manageable. The only thing I will complain about is the pillows, that’s why I am giving 4 stars. They weren’t very comfortable and made my neck sore. The bed itself was fine! The AC in our room worked good, no complaints there. We loved the filtered water station on our floor, it was definitely used. The location was great, 15 mins walk to little Italy, walkable to Petco, seaport etc. The parking connected with the hotel was too expensive in our opinion, we used Spot Hero and found a cheaper spot super close to the hotel! Staff at the hotel was pleasant and kind too. The bar/restaurant Truva attached to the hotel was yummy too. Overall I would stay here again if I’m back in SD.

We stayed at The Sofia Hotel for 3 days (2 nights) and had a wonderful time!

The hotel itself is beautiful, very clean, and well maintained, with a lovely classic and historic style. Our room was really comfortable and nice. Downstairs they have a great bar where you can get drinks and some food, plus a super handy Starbucks mobile pickup station right inside, which was great to grab a quick coffee before heading out.

The location is simply unbeatable. We could walk to almost everything, and even Balboa Park is within walking distance. There are also plenty of parking options close by.

One helpful tip about parking: Parking directly at the hotel (valet or self-parking) is very expensive. Instead, use an app like SpotHero to book a parking spot in a garage nearby. There are plenty of options close by and you easily save half the price!

The staff was very friendly and welcoming. We really felt at home and enjoyed our stay as a couple from start to finish. We would definitely stay here again!