Padre Hotel
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Padre Hotel · Bakersfield, United States
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Expert Review: Padre Hotel
The Padre Hotel in Bakersfield, United States, a Michelin Key Selected property, is widely praised for its unique blend of historic charm and modern luxury, offering a sophisticated and comfortable stay for travelers.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The general consensus for Padre Hotel is overwhelmingly positive, with high ratings across various platforms. Booking.com scores it at 8.7 out of 10, with excellent marks for location (9.0), cleanliness (9.0), comfort (9.2), and staff (9.1). Hotels.com travelers rated cleanliness at 9.6 and staff & service at 9.6. Tablet Hotels, based on verified stays, gives an impressive 19.3 out of 20 for overall stay, with rooms at 19.3 and public spaces at 19.8. Many guests consider it the "best hotel in Bakersfield".
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently laud the hotel's distinctive design, comfortable accommodations, excellent dining options, and exceptional service. Key highlights include its playfully retro, mid-century swank style that retains historic charm after a thorough reinvention. The hotel boasts high-quality architecture and atmosphere. Its various on-site dining and nightlife venues are also frequently mentioned as a significant draw. Many appreciate the hotel's central location near arts and architectural gems.
3. Room Quality
The rooms at Padre Hotel are described as spacious, well-appointed, and extremely comfortable. They feature a modern style with designer headboards, 32-inch or larger flat-screen cable TVs, and iPod docking stations. Standard rooms come with California king beds, down duvets, and 40-inch flat screens. Many guests specifically highlight the "amazingly comfortable" beds, with some even calling them the most comfortable they've ever slept in. The bathrooms are equipped with amenities such as mini-bars, refrigerators, spa baths, hair dryers, and designer toiletries. Suites, such as the Oil Baron Suite, can be quite extravagant, spanning over 800 square feet. Some rooms, like the "40 Winks," feature luxury California King memory foam beds and Malin+Goetz spa products.
4. Dining Experience
The Padre Hotel offers a comprehensive and highly-rated dining experience with several distinct venues. Guests rave about the quality of the food and the variety of options.
- Brimstone Bar: This venue is popular for both lunch and dinner, offering an eclectic menu with crowd-pleasers like Ahi Tuna Nachos, Wagyu Sliders, pizzas, and burgers. It boasts hardwood floors, billiards, and a stamped tin ceiling.
- Farmacy Café: Open seven days a week, it partners with local coffee providers and offers a vibrant selection of breakfast eats, including burritos, French toast, acai bowls, and various egg dishes. Guests have described room service breakfast as "yum".
- Prairie Fire: This rooftop patio bar and lounge offers iconic views of the Fox Theatre, live piano music, and a curated bar selection, making it a great spot for evening drinks and bites.
- Prospect Bar: Known for live piano music.
- The hotel also features a relatively formal steakhouse restaurant and a second, more casual bar and grill. Dining at the hotel typically offers validated valet parking for two hours.
5. Service & Staff
The service and staff at Padre Hotel receive consistent praise for their friendliness, helpfulness, and attentiveness. Guests describe staff as "beyond incredible" and willing to go "above and beyond". Many have highlighted the reception staff and valet as very friendly and accommodating. The staff are available 24 hours a day and can assist with bookings for tours and tickets.
6. Location & Accessibility
The Padre Hotel is situated in a prime downtown Bakersfield location, making it highly accessible to local attractions. It's within walking distance of the Fox Theater (2 minutes walk), Bakersfield City Hall, Kern County Hall of Records, and Buena Vista Museum of Natural History & Science (5 minutes walk). Rabobank Arena, Theater & Convention Center is less than a mile away, or about a 12-minute walk. The hotel is also a short drive (8 minutes) from Bakersfield Meadows Field Airport. Public transport options, such as the Bakersfield Amtrak station, are within walking distance.
In terms of accessibility, the hotel is committed to ensuring all guests have access to accommodations and services. It provides accessible parking, public entrances, routes to guest rooms and the registration area, and accessible hotel restaurants. Accessible rooms with mobility features like 32-inch clear width entry doors, roll-in showers with handheld spray units, and bathroom grab bars are available. Service support animals are also welcome.
7. Value & Pricing
Guests generally perceive the Padre Hotel as offering good value for money. While prices can vary, typical nightly rates for a king room can range from approximately $143 to $167, and deluxe rooms from $209 to $302, excluding taxes and fees. Some promotional rates can be found for around $159.
8. Common Complaints
While reviews are largely positive, a recurring issue mentioned by some guests is noise. Some travelers have reported issues with noise levels, particularly from the bar and restaurant, which affected their overall experience. Specifically, rooms facing H street on weekends can be affected by noise from an outdoor dance club across the street until 2 am, making it difficult to sleep.
Additionally, a unique aspect (though not necessarily a complaint for all) is the hotel's reputation for being haunted, particularly on the seventh floor, due to a tragic fire many years ago. Some guests and staff have reported hearing giggling children and seeing unexplainable handprints.
Sources
Google Reviews
1,996 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Amy Grundvig
We booked the Farmer's daughter suite as part of a date night celebration. The room was lovely, but that didn't matter at all when we discovered their bar was just above us with music so loud that the walls of our room were shaking until 2am. I can't speak to rooms not on the 8th floor, but would recommend avoiding any of their suites when the bar is going to be open. We got little to no sleep. Ap...
barbara brewer
Padre was wonderful throughout. I arrived after 5 hours on freeway and was immediately welcomed by valet staff who were exceptionally kind and considerate. I immediately felt better after a long drive. Front desk was very helpful and I was checked in quickly. Room was great. Very comfortable stay.
Betsey Mosquera
We absolutely loved our stay at the Padre Hotel. The service hospitality and accommodations were outstanding. The evening late night experience at the restaurant and bar was amazing. Everything exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be back. Thank you for such a wonderful experience!
Natasha Turner
Anytime I'm in Bakersfield and need a room, The Padre is where you'll find me. Went to a show at the Fox Theater and I was so close I walked. The staff there is very attentive and prompt. The room was very nice and clean, however, there was a stench that smelled like bad plumbing i had to smell all night. Other than that, love this place!
Alan Waters
The Padre Hotel is my go-to whenever I’m in Bakersfield. It offers a great blend of historic character with modern comfort. The staff is outstanding, the bathrooms and showers are unique and the beds are extremely comfortable. The in-hotel restaurant is fantastic, and the hotel is surrounded by plenty of great dining options as well. The internet is impressively fast, much better than what you ty...
Nick Weitzel
The historic building is a treasure and downtown Bakersfield is much cleaner and revitalized as compared to my last visit 4 years ago. Nice to see since Bakersfield in general doesn’t always get the love it truly deserves given the draw of California’s bigger cities. The staff (Sara*front desk, Alexis*food services Mgr, Celeste*Farmacy cafe, Iman*Housekeeping John*bartender in Brimstone Bar) and ...
