Cindy Gardner Educates Us About Navy Gateway Inns & Suites at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA
Hotel Del Monte – Naval Postgraduate School Monterey. Photo courtesy of Cindy Gardner.
Although we were staying at the Navy Lodge in Monterey this past week, we were curious about lodging at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPGS). Housed in the historic Hotel Del Monte, the splendid interior and grounds are always delightful to see. On various other trips to Monterey we had admired the hotel and had breakfast in the El Prado dining facility, but we had never seen what they had to offer in the way of lodging.
Unlike the Navy Lodge, that has one style of room (two Queen beds, kitchenette, and table/chairs) for $77/night, the NPGS has three classifications of rooms, run by Navy Gateway Inns & Suites. We were given a tour of each type of room by a very knowledgeable and courteous staff member.
The hotel is laid out with the main building in the center; east and west wings spreading out on the sides. Although not modern, the first room we were shown (a standard room at $60/night) comes with either a queen- or king-sized bed, nice bathroom and coffee pot. The rooms vary in size, but the one we saw was lovely and very roomy.
A standard room at Navy Gateway Inns & Suites in Monterey. Photo courtesy of Cindy Gardner.
The $65/night room with full kitchenette and queen bed was next. A family or someone who wantesto have kitchen facilities available would enjoy these quarters. Because the hotel was rebuilt after the October 1924 fire, the older interior with historical photographs lining the walls adds a special grandness to the hallways. It was a step back in time just looking for these three different room accommodations.
The suite, $75/night, had a sitting room area, several small closets, and a queen bed—An amazing price in this day of rising Air Force and Army rates.
The El Prado dining facility is available to all hands and serves a remarkable meal. My husband had the full breakfast for a prix fixe of $5.50; I had a bowl of oatmeal for just $1. Lunch was a prix fixe of $8 or various prices for single items. I don’t know if they serve dinner, as these were the only two times we were at the dining facility. By the way the food was excellent!
El Prado dining hall. Photo courtesy of Cindy Gardner.
There is a library on the premises that has a Starbucks store tucked inside. By the registration desk there is a gift shop that sells several Naval Postgraduate School clothes and memorabilia for attractive prices. The gas station and Navy Exchange are also close by. The ITT office for local tickets and aquarium passes is located in the Herrmann Hall Quarter Deck.
The website for the NPGS is: www.nps.edu/ and the address is: 1 University Circle, Monterey, CA 93943. C-831-656-2441. For lodging and reservations, C-831-656-2060/2069, DSN 756-2060/69. Or visit: http://www.nps.edu/Services/NGIS/Accommodations.html.
I think the NPGS has thought of everything—lovely rooms at very affordable prices, an excellent dining room, a library with Starbucks, and a shopping opportunity. What more could one want?
Cindy Gardner and LCDR John Gardner USN, (Ret.) ccgardner@earthlink.net
Reprint from Mar–Apr 2014 • Volume 44, No. 2
