Hotel Maya Long Beach

In my time, I have stayed at some great hotels. Some were fantastic because of the 5 star luxury, some offered a great lounge, some had amazing cool sheets that I slept like a baby in.

The Coast Long Beach Hotel now enters my list of great hotels. It's the only one on the list, that I never spent the night at.

I found out on short notice that a client of mine was having a conference at this hotel and needed me to fly in to give a presentation. After searching thru the flight options, I was frustrated to see the only flight I could use was requiring me to get up obscenely early in the morning, only to get into California way before I needed to.

I thought about trying to get ready for my presentation, super early in the morning and still trying to look ready when I actually gave the presentation in the early afternoon.

In a moment of weakness, I called the hotel to ask if there was a way I could "borrow" a room for about 3 hours that morning, so I could instead get ready once I had arrived, relax, have a quiet place to go, and prepare.

The answer? Yes.

I wasn't paying them, and I didn't even directly work for the company that was having the conference there. Still, it appears they were more than happy to just...well...do a good deed.

I arrived at 9:00 am and was given a lovely room - not only that, but the woman that arranged it was summoned so that she could come out, greet me, and see how my flight had been!

I retired to my lovely room and took a look around. It was really clean; way cleaner that a normal hotel room. The shower curtain seemed brand new. The floors glowed.

Another thing that impressed me was that they had a far better lock on the patio door than I often see. Typically the patio doors have very weak locks, and it's a safety issue. This one took safety seriously, with a heavy duty lock that nothing was going to come thru.

Every room, it would seem, has it's own outside sitting area - with the building built in such a way that you always have some privacy.

The hotel could not be located in a better area; right on the water, next to the Queen Mary, and across from the Catalina Island Ferry and the Aquarium.

After I finished my presentation, they were more than happy to hold my bags while I went sightseeing - again, I was not really a guest of the hotel.

I was very impressed by how kind and helpful they were, and if I ever needed a hotel in Long Beach, I would make sure to give them my business...

Currently undergoing renovations and under new ownership (now called the Maya Hotel). Conveniently located near Downtown Long Beach, next door to the Queen Mary and The Reef Restaurant.

My guess is due to the change in ownership and renovations, the rates were incredibly cheap for that area, especially being on the water. Our room was huge and we had a big balcony with wonderful views. The room was elegantly appointed, complete with plushy robes for us!

I absolutely loved this hotel - we enjoyed it so much we booked another night after we came back from Catalina Island.

Continental breakfast is included along with free wifi. And due to the renovations, parking is free right now. A cab to the Catalina terminal in downtown is about 5 minutes, less than $10. During the summer months, the Catalina terminal at the Queen Mary is open which would be within walking distance.