After a very pleasant stay at the Larkspur Landing in metro Seattle in June 2008, we were delighted to find a Larkspur Landing in Sacramento when planning our Christmas visit. What a disappointment! We checked out after only two nights of a planned five-night stay and went elsewhere.

Here's why:

While the Larkspur Landing in Renton, Washington was newer and lovely, the Sacramento hotel (which, as I recall, used to be a Candlewood Suites) featured dated decor, a noisy air conditioner and fridge, and paper-thin walls and ceilings.

We were awakened at about 11 p.m. on our first night by the kids in the room above us jumping on the bed. A phone call to the front desk helped remedy the situation -- but it took a full hour. Not OK.

The next morning, we asked the desk clerk about moving us to a different room in a quieter location, and he said he could do so the following day after some other guests had checked out. However, when "the following day" came, a different desk clerk said she had no rooms to offer us.

Making matters worse, housekeeping was operating with a skeleton staff over the holidays, which I found odd given the guest load. They'd come only if you specifically requested service.

As I noted in the title, the location is convenient -- to U.S. 50, Howe Avenue, Fair Oaks Blvd., and a number of restaurants and shopping. In addition, the rate was favorable so there are things to recommend about this facility. But there are also some significant flaws to be aware of before opting for this hotel.

We stayed at the Larkspur in Sacramento from July 3-6. The lobby is very nice and we were greeted by a very nice front desk staff.
The room was a pretty good size. We had our 3 children with us and had no problems fitting in. There was a kitchen area with refrigerator, stove, microwave and dishwasher. A desk area was provided for business and to eat. There was also a queen size bed in the main room. The bedroom contained a king size bed, that fit just snug. Th bathroom was large. Houskeeeping did a good job. There was also a nice breakfast provided, which included cereal, bagels, hard boiled eggs, fruit and yogurt.If you got bored with that, there is a Mels Diner next to the hotel. My complaints are that the room smelled like smoke. Funny for a non-smoking hotel. Also it was weird to eat breakfast on a bed. It would be better if a table that could accomadate four would be in the room. But overall it was a nice stay

Stayed at this hotel for a wedding and had a great time. Rooms were clean and very comfortable. The breakfast in the lobby was unbelievable! The staff was amazing. If Sac-town is in your future so should the Larkspur!

We decided to stay here at the last minute on our way up to Tahoe.

The hotel is located on Howe near the CSU, Sacramento. It's on a busy street and next to a car dealership.

The staff is nice.

The room was neat. A suite with a king bed in the bedroom and a queen bed in the living room with a kitchen.

When we checked into the hotel, we found that the trash cans were still full of garbage.

The rooms were small and there were no free game rentals.

The walls were thin, because we could hear people in the hall way even when we closed our bedroom door.

I would recommend staying at the Embassy Suites in downtown Sacramento or Hallmark Suites in Rancho Cordova instead.

This hotel offers a pay-per-view movies.