Reviews for Cliff House Inn and Shoals Restaurant in Ventura, CA

This location is literally right off the exit of the freeway. So as you enter the hotel, to the left is the freeway and to the... left of the freeway is the amtrak and the mountains. To the right of the hotel, there's the ocean. Parking is HORRIBLE. We wereso lucky that there was literally 1 spot left and the parking spot was a tight one. They have a few extra spots but are ONLY forthe restaurant. It's a little raggedy place. The guy that checked us in was sweet. We got there at 6:30 and he asked if we wantreservations for dinner since he said the next closest place was in santa Barbara. With that being said, no way were we going tolose are spot so we made reservations for 7:15pm which was the next earliest. The guy at the front desk told us we can leave butrecommend us to be back by 10pm, he also said assistance at the front desk will only be there til 10pm. We chose to stay allnight. Checked into our room, number 6 and it was literally right next to the hall where we checked in. The bottom floor is therestaurant, then you have the "first floor" and second floor. As we entered the room the carpet looks a pretty dirty..we justhad to kind of ignore it and not stand too long. We had the king bed. There is NO AC. So we had the fan going on all night withthe windows open which brought in the ocean wind. Windows also couldn't even lock though...It feels a little nasty so we closedthe curtains but let the window open just so it wasn't too hot. We were a little worried about passerbys or strangers. Sleepingthrough the night with the sound of the waves crashing at the shore was nice. The restaurant was okay. Ordered the scallopsover risotto and Idk if the scallops were cooked with garlic or what but I felt like it tasted a little burnt. Still ate as muchas I could. It was like ~$42 for my plate and ~$40+ something for my friend's lamb ribs. The fried calamari was okay with thehelp of the lemon as the aoili sauce was ehh. Dinner was okay I guess as we sat and Read more

Good food and ocean view! The price is very fair considering the portions and location/view. The asian waitress is very good at... what she does and the food is superb. Read more

Wife and I stayed here last weekend 4/30/22-5/2/22 and we were absolutely blown away with the ocean view we had which is why... this spot gets an outstanding rating. The room accommodations were adequate, comfortable bed, fridge, TV., we did not take partin the restaurant that is attached to the place but it seemed to stay busy and it has a good rating plus it has tables right onthe water. As you can see from the photos, this place is a real gem! Read more

View of the ocean and pier, with outside dining or inside at the Shoals. If you get there towards midday, it's sunny and warm... enough to sit on the patio. We got there earlier, so had to sit inside. Food was good, but it was the view that wow'd. Be sureto check out the pool with lounge chair view of the waves below. The Cliff House had multiple flower arrangements using theirown garden flowers, and you can see one in the fountain photo. Very friendly staff and servers. Read more

First time going and I went at night. Parking is challenging and tight, especially if you have a bigger car. In the parking... lot, there is also parking for the hotel. I decided to look for more parking down a driveway and found myself in a uncomfortablesituation. It was not a parking lot, but a round driveway for residents and a few cars. I do not recommend going down there- itwas a little challenging getting out. Once I got out of that situation, I found parking. The restaurant is next to the hotel,and you will walk down some stairs. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating. Since I went at night, I could not really seewhat was outside(besides a pool) but I was told there is an ocean view. The inside of the restaurant is very quaint/simple andour server was very attentive and sweet. The food is excellent and prices are reasonable. I ordered a pork loin chop with mashedpotatoes and roasted vegetables. Everyone in my party enjoyed their dinner. I will definitely be back during the day so I cansee the amazing view. Read more

I have no idea how long Lady Myra and I have been stopping h here. Either for a night or for a meal - it is food for the... soul. We stopped to look(again!) At the prices for summer and for lunch. I had a Martini at around 11 a.m. with huevos rancheroand Lady Myra had coconut Shrimp. One must remember to make buddies with the lil brown birds(finches?) And be aware of theSeagulls! They circle around and dive bomb into your table. Being over weight ' they are clumsy with landing. At dinner timethey give you spray bottles to keep them away. Hey! The place is in high demand during Summer but in the off months of Winter.The sun is out and even at 65 degrees- it is warm and one is able to know Zen. I am including pics of food and little friendswhile eating and I hope the video comes through as well I recommend Cliff House for lunch(call ahead for times open as itvaries) and the Inn during off season. The breakfast is for guest only and I suspect so is dinner. This is a place to stop therush and smell the ocean and be in tune with what is important about the joy of just being alive and living in the now CliffHouse Inn is about taking care of you before taking care of business. Read more

1- Normal if you have to wait for 30-45 to get a table without a reservation. 2-still fine if waiter/waitress take some time to... take your order, but is not acceptable to see waitress to get orders on tables with new customers that arrive after you, soafter waiting 15 more minutes and still not able to place an order, I decide it to leave. 3- the only nice people were thebusboys. - for my personal opinion I will avoid this restaurant. Thank you for reading Read more

Boutique bed and breakfast at a great location. Can hear the waves of the Pacific ocean all night. Thoroughly enjoyed the high... and the low rides and experienced the different moods of nature in an unadulterated environment. Rooms are clean butminimalist, staff is friendly, could use an internal renovation with some modernization. Access in and out of this place fromUS 101 is the biggest negative. Entry and exit only on southbound 101 therefore in and out is cumbersome. Would love to visitagain! Read more