2721 Hotel Terrace
Santa Ana, CA 65535
*Disclaimer: We were not paid for this review. All opinions are our own and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
La Quinta is one of the best affordable hotel chains. No matter where you travel, the hotel provides decent amenities at an affordable price point. When visiting somewhere super pricey like Southern California, it's a great idea to save a few bucks on a hotel room. After all, you will probably be spending so much time having fun-in-the-sun that a simple hotel will do. Mike and I chose La Quinta Inn & Suites Orange County Airport because we needed an affordable hotel for the week which offered great amenities and allowed pets at no charge. This hotel was convenient to businesses in Orange County. We enjoyed staying at this hotel while searching for our apartment in the L.A. area. Update: Wyndham acquired La Quinta in May of 2018. Update: La Quinta is now owned by Wyndham. Unfortunately, there is now a $25 per night pet fee.
The hotel was clean and looked newer. The only thing I did not like was the outdoor entry to get to the rooms. I prefer the La Quintas where you can access rooms from the lobby. Another negative was the constant smell of smoke everywhere. Update: As of 2025, the property is now smoke-free.
Amenities included a free breakfast, an outdoor pool and hot tub, a small fitness center, an airport shuttle, free newspapers, no pet fee, free parking, a public computer for guest use, and free WiFi.
The free breakfast outside in the courtyard was pretty good for a free continental. I enjoyed the addition of hot breakfast items such as eggs, biscuits, and potatoes. The cook was very, very nice and was always willing to help. They had outdoor heaters as it was a bit cool out.
There was a very small exercise room. I used the elliptical just to get my workout in. It was too cold to use the outdoor pool, but the hot tub was great.
We paid $89 (walk in rate) per night although I am sure that you can find cheaper rates with more advanced booking. This wasn't a bad price for the prime location in Orange County. As of 2025, average rates run between $80-120 per night.
The room was much nicer than I anticipated. The very spacious room was separated into 2 parts. One side had a King sized bed. There was a small wall and on the other side there was a living room set up which included a small couch, sink area with coffee pot, fridge, and microwave and a TV. This set up worked well for our week long trip.
I would definitely stay at the La Quinta Inn Orange County airport again. Friendly staff, a great complimentary breakfast, a short drive from nearby beaches, and a nice pool to use in the summer would entice me to come back again.
