Staying at the Dana for a weekend in San Diego is quite the comforting experience. We had a downstairs room (with patio) in the Tropical Pool section. The Dana offered an atmosphere that you felt like you were in Hawaii. The room with Queen Size beds was clean and came with a large plasma television, refrigerator, and microwave. We enjoyed the pool and there was even an events coordinator throwing in pool toys for all the kids. Make sure you take the opportunity to rent bicycles to take a ride to Mission Beach and around the bay; it’s well worth it. The staff and accommodations is exactly what you need for a weekend get-away in San Diego. I recommend this hotel for couples, children, and people of all ages.

Our family of four stayed here for two nights in July 2008. Based on other TripAdvisor reviews, we made sure we were on the newer side of the hotel. The room was huge and had an upscale feel, and the view of the bay was very nice. There is a nice walking/jogging path right along the edge of the water. The bathroom was roomy, but it could have used an exhaust fan to clear out the humidity after showers.

One selling point we were excited about was the hotel's free shuttle to Sea World. However, it turns out there are three fixed departure times in the morning and three fixed pickup times in the evening. This does not allow flexible coming and going from the park as we had hoped. We tried taking the shuttle the first day, but the shuttle back to the hotel was over an hour late. The next day we drove ourselves to Sea World and paid the $12 parking fee. That night when we arrived back at the hotel, the "reserved" parking area near our room was full! Oh, did I mention this hotel charges guests $12 a day for parking?

Another irritation: when we needed someone to reset the room safe so we could lock up our valuables while at Sea World, it took three phone calls and almost an hour of our valuable vacation time for someone to finally show up.

Overall, I think this is a nice property and location, but the staff needs to refocus their efforts on customer service if they want to become a great facility. For this price, I expect to be "wowed", and that didn't happen at the Dana.

The Dana is a lovely facility that is close to the area attractions in San Diego. The beach and Sea World are both minutes away from the hotel. The grounds of the hotel are very inviting for walks. The staff was very friendly. When I found their rates had gone down after I booked, the staff was very accomodating and made sure that I received the cheaper rate. We would stay at this facility again.

We had a wonderful 20th anniversary stay at The Dana. This is the second time staying at this hotel and it was even better than the first time.
We stayed on the third floor of the newest building that has a balcony with a nice marina AND a bay view to enjoy our morning coffee on. The room was good size but not huge. Nice bathroom but the tub is very small and shallow. A very relaxing hotel with two pools, spas and an adjacent restaurant. We prefer room service and the breakfast was excellent and not overpriced.
The building our room was in sits on a large grassy area right on the bay so it is perfect for a nice stroll.
You can rent jet skis at the marina, we will do this next time.
One can see the distant Seaworld fireworks from the firefly lounge but we brought wood and enjoyed them closer up at our own firepit on Fiesta island. Get there early and bring firestarter and smores! Yummm.
You will not regret a stay at the Dana!