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Salinas · Hotel shortlist

Hotels with a bar in the old town, Salinas

Peter Halvorsen

Peter Halvorsen The Nordics

Updated 1 September 2026 · 25 Salinas hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Salinas, out of the 25 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.5 down to 4.4.

The US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego is the one I would book myself.

The US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego

Highest rated of the five

The US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego

★★★★★4.5 from 2,951 reviews

The US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.5 from 2,951 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 5 star property, found under old town and around $284 a night on the dates we checked.

25 hotels in Salinas qualified for this list and five made it. Humphreys Half Moon Inn is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. The US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego1

    The US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego

    ★★★★★4.5 from 2,951 reviews

    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly

    Check rates Read more

  2. Humphreys Half Moon Inn2

    Humphreys Half Moon Inn

    ★★★★★4.5 from 3,169 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  3. Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant3

    Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant

    ★★★★★4.4 from 958 reviews

    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

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  4. The Pearl Hotel4

    The Pearl Hotel

    ★★★★★4.4 from 521 reviews

    • Pool
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  5. Granger Hotel San Diego Downtown5

    Granger Hotel San Diego Downtown

    ★★★★★4.4 from 279 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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How this list was put together

25 Salinas hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Peter Halvorsen

Peter Halvorsen The Nordics

Twenty-six years of teaching means 26 long summers. Trains and driving through most of Europe, now further afield, usually alone with a tent. Keeps every train ticket since 1994.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.