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San Simeon · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels in the historic centre, San Simeon

Andres Molina

Andres Molina Latin America

Updated 1 September 2026 · 46 San Simeon hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in San Simeon, out of the 46 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 5 down to 4.7.

Historic Gem is the one I would book myself.

Historic Gem

Highest rated of the five

Historic Gem

★★★★★5 from 468 reviews

Historic Gem comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 5 from 468 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 found under downtown.

46 hotels in San Simeon qualified for this list and five made it. Olallieberry Inn is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. Historic Gem1

    Historic Gem

    ★★★★★5 from 468 reviews

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    • Olallieberry Inn2

      Olallieberry Inn

      ★★★★★4.8 from 126 reviews

      • Parking
      • Air conditioning
      • Accessible

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    • Awesome House, Awesome Views - Vacation Home3

      Awesome House, Awesome Views - Vacation Home

      ★★★★★4.9814286 from 224 reviews

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      • J. Patrick House & Inn4

        J. Patrick House & Inn

        ★★★★★4.7 from 121 reviews

        • Pool
        • Spa
        • Parking

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      • Bridge Street Beauty5

        Bridge Street Beauty

        ★★★★★4.9066668 from 240 reviews

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        How this list was put together

        46 San Simeon 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.

        Andres Molina

        Andres Molina Latin America

        Field seasons take him to cloud forests, and he adds two weeks of his own on either end to see the country rather than just the research site. Nine countries in Latin America.

        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.