Lone Oak Lodge

Lone Oak Lodge is a budget-friendly motel with a friendly vibe and is surprisingly fresh and well-maintained. The Lodge is especially popular with overseas road-trippers, and also draws plenty of surfers and divers from the Bay Area. The one-story property is set up in a typical motel fashion, with rooms in a "U" shape around a large parking lot. The tan and red-brick building has homey charm, with neatly kept greenery and white-picket fencing lining the perimeter. There's nowhere to lounge in the lobby, though there's an attractive outdoor patio where guests tend to gather. The clay-tile area has a few barbecue grills as well as cushioned seating and heat lamps for chilly nights. 

The hotel is located on a commercial road that's lined with other budget properties, casual restaurants and bars, and a grocery store. Guests should plan on having a car to get around, although a nearby city bus has service to the wharf (about a six-minute drive), where there's also the Museum of Monterey and Monterey Bay Whale Watching. It's a five-minute drive from both Del Monte Golf Course and Del Monte Beach. The Presidio of Monterey is a 10-minute drive from the hotel, as are the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. The Monterey Regional Airport is a five-minute drive. San Francisco International Airport is about an hour and 40 minutes to two hours away by car. 

Lone Oak offers clean rooms with significantly more charm than the average budget motel room. While some rooms can feel a bit dim and/or get airport or street noise, overall they get high marks for maintenance and comfort. Standard rooms as well as upgraded rooms that may have kitchens, hot tubs, and/or fireplaces are available. There are also cottages with full kitchens and plenty of space for families. 

Decor is similar across categories; expect shades of brown and beige, including patterned carpeting and plain curtains. Beds have padded headboards and white linens with dark-brown runners and throw cushions. Coastal photography decorates the cream-colored walls. Some furnishings such as desks and dressers are wood with wicker accents, while microwaves and mini-fridges (with freezers) are tucked into cherry-wood cabinets. Each room has a wall-mounted flat-screen TV and some have Blu-Ray DVD players. 

Vanities outside of bathrooms hold modern coffeemakers with free tea and Starbucks coffee, plus hot cocoa. Bathrooms are simple and bright with mint-green tile and small windows with fluttery white curtains. Walk-in showers have glass doors and toiletries and hairdryers are also provided. Ironing facilities are available on request. Note that rooms lack air-conditioning, but do have remote control-operated ceiling fans. Wi-Fi is free but can be slow. 

The Lone Oak Lodge is a motel and thus has limited features, though it does offer more than the typical roadside motor inn. One of the parking spots has an electric-vehicle charging station, and there's an area where surfers and divers can rinse off and hang their wetsuits. There's also an outdoor barbecue area with a few grills and lots of plush seating. The hotel's "spa" is really just a room with a hot tub, a sauna, and a few consumer-grade cardio machines. There's a meeting room with space for up to 15 people. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, but speeds can be slow at times.