California Valley Motel 12900 Soda Lake Road, Santa Margarita, CA 93453

"Book my last weekend stay through phone and email with Kenneth. Great and affordable motel to visit Carrizo Plain. Only 8mins drive to the Soda Lake overlook. Kenny is very nice, we checked in late, he showed me the room. No phone reception but the wifi was super fast. Enjoyed the sky full with stars with birds and crickets singing. Of course it’s not a fancy luxury hotel but definitely feels clean and safe to stay. Cash or check only. Bring your own food, water and gas."

"Very clean room, comfortable beds, quality bedding, large refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker and Dish Network channels, newly remodeled sparkling clean bathroom with all new fixtures and faucets, amazing huge thick plush beautiful tapestry with detailed weave, owner is very kind and accommodating, concerned about making his guests as comfortable as possible."

"The best thing this place has going for it is it's the only thing out in the middle of the nowhere and adjacent to Carizzo Plain National Monument. We took a chance on a spring break roadtrip and regretted it. There were beds, but the bedding and furniture were mismatched and broken and bathroom and room in general filthy. While the staff are friendly and the place is pet friendly and offers grocery story pastries in the morning in the office, it is completely run down and unkempt with junk and trash lying around an unfenced old swimming pool partially filled with dirty water. You'd be better off camping or moving on."

"I'm a resident here (not a manager as a previous reviewer listed me) and my best friend is the current manager. I have lived at this motel for 4 years because it's inexpensive. The previous manager was not capable of keeping the place up, and my friend inherited a huge mess right before a flood of tourists came in. I helped him in the office because it was too much for one person to manage. After managing it for two years, he has made some improvements, had some problem guests who tore the place up again, and is now making major repairs with the help of the owner and a part-time maintenance man. He also now has hired a maid who cleans the rooms thoroughly before any guests move in. We're in the middle of nowhere surrounded by open fields, so there's no getting rid of the mice; they'll always be a part of our lives, but he does make sure the maid cleans up any mouse droppings before guests move in."

"It's getting better!! Major improvements being made in early 2019! The place has been poorly maintained over the years, and we just got over a long string of bad monthly renters that trashed their rooms with illegal cannabis growing/processing... But efforts are being put in to fix issues and clean up the place. Plumbing is being fixed, beds and some carpets will be replaced, as well as other furniture. The courtyard will also be undergoing beautification. However, the swimming pool is beyond affordable repair (and the county wants a lifeguard...). Each room will receive a heavy cleaning before it is rented out, for nightly or monthly stays, we want to take care of people, but we do acknowledge that we've had some issues. Thank you for your patience with us and understanding that we are not a 5-star resort, but we are a very friendly place. We are people friendly, pet friendly, and critter friendly."