A sign at the entrance says that the hotel has been there since 1946 and it looks from that era. There are two stucco buildings---a one-story and a two story building. You park in front of your room, motor court style.

I had a room in the one-story section. The window in my bathroom faced directly onto the San Pablo Avenue sidewalk. I thought the hotel was fairly noisy. I could hear traffic from San Pablo all night and conversations and TV sounds from both my neighbors. Not all rooms face San Pablo, so ask for one away from the street.

Room was reasonably clean and good sized. Shower had good hot water and strong pressure. Hotel has free highspeed wireless but I couldn't stay connected for longer than 2 minutes at a time, and switched to their dialup connection. Cable TV had lots of stations.

This motel isn't in the college part of Berkeley and I wouldn't walk around this area myself after dark. The motel keeps their office door locked even in daylight and you have to get buzzed in.

I really wasn't too impressed with this place, but there aren't many options in Berkeley. I paid $68, which didn't seem like a good value to me, but the Berkeley hotels that I liked better were over $100.

As a returning Berkeley native, I picked this motel for it's location... across the street from Cafe Fanny, which has gotta be one of the best breakfast and lunch places anywhere.

Although I had stayed at the Golden Bear Inn about ten years ago and had a good experience, I should have know there would be problems when another guest was throwing a fit as I checked in. The room we were assigned would have been acceptable if located in Guatemala City, but alas it cannot use that excuse. I had read the "mixed" reviews on Trip Advisor before my stay, but thought I'd give it a chance . . . a mistake in hindsight. The room we were assigned was filthy (esp. the carpet) and smelled like it was a regular stop for chain smokers and weary San Pablo Avenue prostitutes. Given our late arrival, finding another place to stay was out of the question, so we had to stick it out for the weekend. I will not choose the Golden Bear Inn for lodging unitl it receives a MAJOR facelift.

If you are the type of snob or spoiled rich kid who needs to be pampered, then maybe The Golden Bear is not for you. If, on the other hand, you are in Berkeley to move kids in or out of UC or you are there to visit or attend college functions, this place is a great value in the otherwise very expensive "Bay Area" -- and it's all you need. I don't go to Berkeley to spend time in the hotel and, if you do, you are missing the entire point of the town. All you really need is a comfortable place to crash after seeing all that Berkeley has to offer and The Golden Bear fits that bill. I found the staff to be courteous and helpful with everything. The place might seem "bare bones" to some, but it's clean, safe and well located to the University and BART system -- and it's part of Berkeley history. I'll be going back. You won't find a better location for the price. To those who have bashed The Golden Bear I would just like to say, "Get out and see Berkeley". Thanks