Carmel Valley Ranch Resort

DO NOT STAY HERE.unless you want to pay 4-star hotel prices for a Motel 6-like experience. DO NOT BE FOOLED by the beautiful surroundings and grounds and the wildlife (deer and wild turkey) of this so-called resort. After you check in, the 'fun' truly begins.

We stayed at CVR for 5 nights through Labor Day weekend. Our stay was from Friday through Tuesday nights and the rate range for this time period was $270-$420 depending on the day. It was a good amount of time to form an idea of the hotel. We were a little taken aback upon check-in when they made us sign a 72-hour notification to change checkout. Nothing about this was mentioned when our reservation was made on their website 2 months in advance of arrival.

Also, we were not told the room was a handicap accessible room upon making the reservation. Upon opening the door to our 1100 sq. ft. suite, our noses were assaulted horribly with the smell of a very large build-up of creosote from the two fireplaces in the room, which undoubtedly was due to an architectural flaw with the rooms. We believe this to be a health hazard for most people, especially any one who may have asthma or other similar breathing problems,

We had to call maintenance to deal with the leaky, crumbling, malfunctioning, dirty hot tub that continued to run throughout the night. No thought was given to the fact that chain saw tree pruning took place at 7:30 a.m. both weekdays we were there. The rooms were very dated and the mattress was the bouncy old style-nothing like a Westin mattress or higher end hotel mattress.

As tired and weary travelers, we decided to have dinner at the hotel the first night. Big mistake. The service was substandard, in contrast to the food, which was wonderful. We made reservations and the waiter took a substantial amount of time before taking our drink orders. After another long wait, with no wine arriving, he returned to take our dinner order so we just canceled the wine and went ahead and ordered dinner. From sit down to food arrival, a period of one hour passed before being served any food at all.

The fitness facility is a joke.located at the other end of the property, it is relatively small for a 'four star' hotel, jammed with equipment (most of it dated), and quite dirty (no way to clean the machines after use).

The wireless internet connection requires daily payment that is supposed to allow access until noon the next day. Upon signing in 'the next day' well before noon, it required payment for another day's service.

A few other items of interest: (1) bathroom sinks that drained very slowly and, (2) the sliding screen door to the outside deck had a slash in it and would close only with a lot of effort

We were out pretty much all day on our stays, and our room would never get cleaned until 4:30 and then it was not done well.

Admittedly, this hotel is 'under construction' in parts. However, the section of the property we were in was not 'under construction', but it could sure use it.

The golf course winds throughout the property and it was recently open to significant fanfare. We did not golf, as, after night one, we felt no compunction to provide additional revenue to these folks.

The owners of the property are making a big deal about the hotel-condo units they are building for sale. Our advice would be simple when it comes to those units: Since they will 'benefit' from the services and attention to detail of the resort, don't bother unless you would like to own a hotel-condo tied to a Motel 6 quality 'resort'.

We would like to thank the Carmel Valley Ranch for making our experience memorable, though not in the manner we expected.

We have stayed here twice. Once with kids, once without. While it is a great place to stay with kids, the dining on-site was not exactly "kid" friendly (we did it anyway).

The views of Carmel Valley are beautiful and you are right in the thick of nature. The clubhouse at the base of the hill is well appointed and the golfing is great. The rooms themselves are more condo like and are nestled into the hillside. We enjoy watching (chasing for my kids) the deer and peacocks that roam the grounds regularly.

Both times we have not been in the "newer" rooms but still enjoyed the amenities. The rooms are large w/high beamed ceilings that open up the space even more. The views and sounds of nature out your window really make you feel like you have gotten away. As you are really up the hill there is no traffic noise.

If we had to stay there again, we would not bring the kids. There's only so much swimming one can do on the grounds. They do have spa services but we have not yet indulged. The hot tubs are nice as you are amid full nature while indulging.

We have only received excellent, prompt service and recommend this valley get-a-way. The second time we stayed here was purely because of a special they were running that I received via email. We will definitely take advantage of similar email specials in the future.

This hotel is a great boutique golf and tennis resort with 100 suites. It was one of the best resorts in the Monterey Peninsula, but with different owners. During our recent visit they were redoing the golf course and some guest mentioned that they were going to turn it into fractional ownership. They have fantastic vistas and a good staff.

I have stayed at Carmel Valley Ranch several times in the past, but my October 2006 visit will be my last. I've learned to expect the extra $25/day "resort" fee, purportedly to cover staff gratuities (but only covers bellhops, housekeeping, and the concierge). However, the Ranch's glory days appear to be behind it. The litter we saw on the grounds when we checked-in, was still there three days later when we checked out. The in-room hot water did not work. Dry rot was evident almost everywhere. Charges were made by the hotel to my credit card without my knowledge or consent. The "high speed" internet is only available for an extra fee. In a hotel where staff is rewarded for good service by tips, staff excels. Here, where staff is rewarded by a mandated "resort" fee without regard for performance, staff strives for mediocrity. The housekeeping staff let themselves into the room at 9:30 p.m., long after we had already gone to bed after an exhausting day of travel. No one was ever able to explain to us what housekeeping's interest was at 9:30 p.m. and the housekeeper did not. The in-room directory told us to contact the concierge for internet access. Her response was to tell us to go to a coffee shop about a mile away where she said they had internet access. (The coffee shop did not.) When I asked the concierge for the address of the nearest library, she took a full 20 minutes to provide a simple address, looking hugely inconvenienced by our request the entire time. There are better choices in Carmel area, especially for the 4 star price of the Ranch.

I like the Wyndham brand. The employees were friendly and they were customer oriented.