Hotel Current Long Beach

[klmb318]

Last week we stayed one night pre-cruise at Hotel Current. Very, very nice place. I recommend it. When we landed at the airport we called for a ride as instructed by the hotel staff. Their shuttle was unavailable so they told us to take any cab from the airport. Hopped right in one and the hotel paid for it. The staff is very nice and helpful. Breakfast, although advertised as continental, included waffles, eggs, breakfast burritos as well as the usual continental fair. The rooms were clean, beautifully decorated and comfy. The pool area is beautiful with lots of lounge chairs, palm trees, and crystal clear water. The shuttle was right on time and picked us up at the front door to go to the port. After having watched "Hotel Impossible" on tv, I have become quite picky about my hotel stays. This one definitely passed my inspection!

[Bruin Steve]

Here's my view of this property...

As you noted, the hotel itself is pleasant enough...No one ever said it was an unpleasant place to stay...And it is great for those DRIVING IN, if they can get a good deal on a park and cruise...Of course, those folks have a car with them and can drive anywhere in town if they have time to spend.

 

But, here is the downside:

Long Beach is a VERY BIG city, in and of itself. A population of over half a million. It has many different neighborhoods with completely different character. It has upscale residential neighborhoods and it has gang-infested slums. It has a "downtown" and it has some very suburban areas. It has strictly residential areas and it has industrial areas. And it is several miles across the town.

 

The port area is adjacent to Downtown Long Beach. The Carnival terminal is, specifically, across a bridge spanning the harbor entrance from Downtown Long Beach. The Downtown area was the subject of a great deal of urban redevelopment money from the City of Long Beach several years back. They built a beautiful Convention Center...and several upscale hotels to service it. They invested quite a bit in a state-of-the-art Aquarium. They brought in the Queen Mary as a tourist attraction. They redeveloped what had been scuzzy city blocks into upscale and tourist-related shopping areas like the Pike and Shoreline Village. They brought in a slew of nice restaurants (including lots of familiar national chain dinner houses as well as upscale local establishments). They added a FREE bus loop to take tourists all around the Downtown area. So, when you stay in Downtown/Convention Center Long Beach, you are staying in what is truly a tourist-oriented neighborhood. There are attractions to fill your spare time, there are loads of restaurants to choose from, there is lots of shopping...and window shopping. And you do not need a car to get around...Everything is in walking distance or, if you don't care to walk, easily accessible on that FREE Passport bus loop.

 

So, IMHO, that is, by far, the optimal place to stay in Long Beach. Specifically, the Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Centric at the Pike, Renaissance and Westin are all first class hotels, perfectly located...The Hilton, Maya Doubletree and Residence Inn Downtown are not far off from that. The Queen Mary, though I don't like it as a hotel--sort of old, antiquated and not up to modern standards--is, at least, well located. If you stay in this area, you will feel like your vacation has already begun.

 

Now the current, on the other hand, is clear over on the other side of Long Beach--MILES from the pier. The neighborhood is an ordinary, somewhat suburban residential neighborhood. That hotel shuttle to and from the pier will take a long time to get there. There is some very ordinary neighborhood shopping around there...and a few very ordinary restaurants...So you are not completely stranded...But you are certainly not in an area of Long Beach that would impress most tourists. The hotel is great if, say, you have a kid attending Cal State Long Beach and are in town to visit and want to be near the university. And, of course, not everyone cares about a full vacation experience or about convenience to and from the pier or about having something to do while they are there. If none of that is important to you and if location is not a concern to you...and, especially if you're blowing into town by car late before a cruise the next morning and want a deal where you can stash a car and avoid the high parking prices at the pier, sure, this works great...

 

But, if you want a really nice hotel (this one is sort of ordinary by my standards--like a 2.5 star motel), then there are much better options.

[Rosefloater]

Last week we stayed one night pre-cruise at Hotel Current. Very, very nice place. I recommend it. When we landed at the airport we called for a ride as instructed by the hotel staff. Their shuttle was unavailable so they told us to take any cab from the airport. Hopped right in one and the hotel paid for it. The staff is very nice and helpful. Breakfast, although advertised as continental, included waffles, eggs, breakfast burritos as well as the usual continental fair. The rooms were clean, beautifully decorated and comfy. The pool area is beautiful with lots of lounge chairs, palm trees, and crystal clear water. The shuttle was right on time and picked us up at the front door to go to the port. After having watched "Hotel Impossible" on tv, I have become quite picky about my hotel stays. This one definitely passed my inspection!

 

Thanks for the review. We were thinking of staying here.

[wizfourfam]

Thanks for the review. We were thinking of staying here.

 

We always stay here because we drive to the port. Hotel has good rates for the LA area, staff is the best. Love the area. Check out the Crooked Duck for a friendly neighborhood bar with upscale meals. Recommend walking since parking is limited. There is also a Mexican restaurant that is always busy, but I've never eaten there.