Excellent value for a clean stylish hotel. Yes the rooms are small and you have to share bathrooms, but for the money saved and the accomadations it present excellent value!

Location is close enough to downtown San diego and you choose to walk or take a cab to the Gas Lamp for around $5.00.

The Hotel offers front and back patio seating, apples and candy, and breakfast in the morning.

In addition, their is a convience store on the corner and you can walk two blocks to Baboa Park.

I stayed here for over a week and had a good experience. On the first day we were allowed early check-in, and the staff was beyond accomodating. Lisa at the front desk helped up with everything from directions to helping me with my luggage upstairs. The room was clean and the fridge & microwave are nice especially if you are on a budget. They have a small, gated parking area, but only so many spots and it's $10/day, but worth it if you want to keep your car off the street. You can walk about 10-15 minutes to the Gaslamp District where there are tons of bars and restaurants. The only problem I can see is if you are an exceptionally tall or large person, you may take issue with the smaller beds and rooms. Try for the really nice Queen room if you are tall. For the money, you really can't beat this place.

We stayed at the Occidental for one night at both the beginning and the end of our trip to California in November. On both occasions, the staff were extremely helpful (I still haven't thought of a name for the Giraffe!!), the rooms were very clean, the accomodation suited our needs (a bed for the night).
Next time I'll book a room with a bath; while I'm used to sharing a shower etc (I'm in the RAF) my wife isn't, and wasn't overly keen.
The hotel is really handy for the Zoo and surrounding attractions, its a nice 20 minute stroll (mind out for locals scrounging for change though).
Overall I'd happily stay here agian, although for longer trips i'd maybe choose somewhere a bit more central.

The rooms at the Hotel Occidental are very different. They are much more in the style of a dorm room than an actual U.S. hotel room.

Positives: The hotel is very quiet. The hotel staff are very nice and try to be helpful. The room seem to be very clean. The cost is extremely reasonable and includes free wireless internet access and breakfast.

Cons: There were a few negatives however. First the hotel does not have enough parking for all its guests and it is provided on a "first come, first serve" basis. All other guests park on the street which is free in the evenings until 8 am in the morning (after which it is metered). Second, there is no elevator. When I was staying there I had two heavy suitcases full of documents and I was on the 2nd floor. The hotel staff on duty was very helpful and carried the heavier bag but it was a rather exhausting experience. Third and fourth negatives were also listed as positives and deals with the accessiblity of the internet and the breakfast. I had chosen this hotel because of the free wireless internet. Unfortunately, the password I was provided did not work on my computer. Though the hotel staff attempted to assist me, they were unable to help me access the internet (which was very frustrating as it was a business trip). With regard to the breakfast, what was offered seemed extremely sweet (muffins, danishes, sugar-y cereals, etc.). Also, the breakfast dining area was very small and dirty by the time I got there (which is only about 15-30 minutes after 7.)