I didn't choose this hotel, but \"won\" it on the Priceline lottery.  I have had good luck in the past when using Priceline, but after finding out what hotel accepted or price and reading the reviews on here, I wasn't too excited.\nWhen we pulled up to the hotel the first time, it looked nice and the lobby isn't over the top, but also nicely kept and decorated.  They did have our reservation wrong - they had us with a king sized bed and in a smoking room.  We wanted non-smoking and 2 beds.  The registrar changed it without a problem.  \nWe got to our room and literally the first thing we saw when we walked in the room was a dead cockroach on the floor.  Granted, it was dead, but it was big and that just lead me to believe there would be more.  Thankfully, there weren't.  There was also a very stale and musty odor in the room - it was pretty clear no one had stayed in this room for a long time.  After we opened it up a bit, the smell dissipated.  \nThe room was pretty plain and typical, but to rate this as a 3 1/2 star hotel, I would have expected at least a flat screen tv.  Also, the beds were horrible!  The mattresses were hard and clearly old.  They were both bowed in the middle.  I sleep on my side and I woke up each morning with a sore shoulder.  One thing I will say about this hotel was that it was QUIET!  I always worry about noise when we have our kids with us, but I didn't hear a sound.  There was a wedding one of the nights we stayed there and even then, I didn't hear anything.  However, I think that had more to do with the fact that there was no one actually staying there!  It was over a holiday weekend and the parking lot was practically empty.  Granted, it was 100 degrees and we are probably the only people that left San Diego to go to Phoenix that weekend, but it ended up working to our advantage.  The pool was well maintained and again, we were literally the only ones in it.  The only pool complaint I have was from the last day of our stay.  They were trimming the palm trees in the pool area and there was palm stuff all over - including in the pool.  My husband was stung by a wasp that I assume were disturbed by all the trimming.\nOverall, it wasn't bad, but a little pricey for what it actually is.  I would have gladly paid around $90/night for this place instead of the $120 that I actually did.  And when we got our bill, there was an $8/night resort fee.  This isn't a resort - it's a hotel.  There isn't anything special about the San Marcos and I probably won't stay here again, but if you land here like I did, it's tolerable.