A Dream Hotel in the Heart of California
Hello Travel Fam! Apologies for being somewhat quiet on our blog. We’ve been cooking up some interesting things that are coming down the pipeline! As we come back to life here, the mission to continue rating the best hotels around the world is one I remain dedicated to so that all of you can look to this blog as your primary resource when figuring out what hotels to book on your next luxury vacation. Without further ado, let’s talk about Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach – a scenic marvel in Dana Point, California.
Aesthetics. As many of our repeat readers know, one of the things we value highly when evaluating hotels and resorts is how the aesthetics all come together. How much did the resort invest in décor and making sure that guests are blown away by the general beauty of the hotel? Waldorf Astoria didn’t skimp (and this obviously isn’t a surprise). This hotel is absolutely STUNNING!! The exterior is marvelous; it’s right on the beach; it has a gorgeous golf course; the pools, palm trees, lawn, and hotel architecture just ooze class and luxury. It’s everything you want in a resort. The rooms are beautiful too and so too are the restaurants. This was a breathtaking experience through and through.
Service. If I’ve said it once, I’ve it 1,000 times. What separates the elite hotels from the “really good” hotels is service. Top-tier service means your needs being anticipated, your requests accommodated (if they are reasonable), and at all times there being someone who knows how to assist or can refer you to the right person to assist. I thought that service in the three major restaurants was beyond incredible at WA Monarch Beach. I thought that hotel staff service was also generally fantastic. My only critique would be the delay in resolving our fireplace issue in our fireside terrace suite, which took longer than 45 minutes. This delay resulted in the loss of sunset light for our s’mores experience, which was kind of a bummer. But, I’m calling that a blip! Everything else was truly spectacular.
Amenities. The goal with amenities is always to strike the perfect balance of quantity and quality, which varies quite dramatically depending on the location of the hotel, the type of hotel, and the size of the hotel. WA Monarch Beach is a massive beachfront resort, so excellence in this department requires both quantity and quality, and this resort delivered on both fronts. The resort has an incredible golf course, fantastic restaurant offerings, including one beachfront restaurant and another restaurant, Aveo Table & Bar, which has an incredible view of the lawn, pools, course, and beach. There is a spectacular beach club with several ocean activities, a wonderful spa, incredible shopping opportunities, and awesome wellness and fitness activities. To take full advantage of these, I’d recommend a 3- or 4-night stay, and even then, it would still feel short! I can’t speak highly enough about the resort’s amenities!! For the curious folks, my favorite amenity was the golf course. Check out my experience here!
Overall. By all conventional metrics, this resort is a 5* establishment. In addition to those conventional metrics, the fashionable frequent flyers also provide this hotel with a rating of 5 stars. It is the crème de la crème!! Check out the hotel’s website here!! For other hotel ratings, click here!
