Carmel Valley Ranch

The crowds and being woken early to a screaming baby was the opposite of what we hoped for our trip. We wanted to sleep in, relax and get serviced when needed. There was never enough staff and our relaxation was disrupted by the lack of preference in placing older couples next to a room with a young baby. We might as well have been in the same room.

Our stay at Carmel Valley Ranch was absolutely incredible, and the standout was the amazing team—Chef Andrew, Pastry Chef Molly, and Salvador. Dining at Valley Kitchen was a highlight of our trip. Chef Andrew’s farm-to-table cuisine was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. Every dish felt thoughtful and elevated. Pastry Chef Molly’s desserts were stunning—creative, unique, and absolutely delicious. Salvador made our experience even more special by introducing us to the sweetest baby goats on the ranch—such a memorable and personal touch. What truly sets this team apart is their passion, pride, and genuine hospitality. They made us feel so welcomed and cared for—like VIPs from start to finish. We are so grateful for this experience and would absolutely return just because of them. They made our stay unforgettable.

We love CVR and it's one of our favorite semi-local stays. It's proximity to Monterey and Carmel is excellent, and we love that it provides for a large, beautiful, and peaceful property that is very dog-friendly as well. The amenities are very nice, rooms are comfortable, and the spa is lovely. Taking a break at the adults-only pool is a perfect refresher, as well: love that it's centrally located. All the staff are helpful, friendly, and patient. The activities are always a hit --- with both the adults and children in our travel groups! We've had a picnic with their mini-donkeys, we've done the Little Ranchers for kiddos, A Bee's Life (educational and interesting), and the Organic Farm meet & greet (feeding chickens was a hit). I think most families are great and most people respectful, but it would enhance the experience for everyone if there were more stern instructions for the parents whose kids are not being gentle with the animals or fail to follow the rules (i.e. parents should be advised that the staff can remove participants if they do not follow staff instructions, and the staff should actually remove those participants). Nevertheless, this is probably less of a criticism of the Activities and more so of the participants.

Second visit was as magical as the first. This property is gorgeous and rooms and activities are perfect for our family. We will be back!

We checked in at 5:30 PM and immediately found our room filled with an overwhelming chemical fragrance—so strong it was uninhabitable. Within seconds, I felt lightheaded and couldn’t breathe properly. I called the front desk and was told I would receive a call back. No one responded. Instead, after 30 minutes, a housekeeper was sent to spray even more fragrance into the room, making an already unsafe situation worse. This made it clear no one had even listened to our complaint. When I called again, I was told they could “run an ozone machine” in the room. That response was both inappropriate and alarming. We had just completed a 15 hour drive and arrived exhausted—there is no excuse for placing guests into a room that requires chemical treatment to be breathable after check-in. I made it clear we could not wait indefinitely and needed an immediate solution, especially since we cannot drive after dark due to a vision limitation. Despite this, by 7 PM we still had no room. The manager continued to stall, then attempted to move us into a lower-quality room at the same price—after we had already been sitting outside in the cold for over an hour. No apology, no compensation, no accountability. In fact when I raised my voice to show I was angry I was immediately tone corrected, he was rude and refused to take any sort of responsibility, acting like this was completely normal and to be expected. In the end, we were left outside for approximately three hours with no viable solution, until after sunset, when we were told there were no rooms available at all. At that point, we were effectively stranded and forced to accept whatever was offered. This was a complete failure of basic hospitality and safety. Our vacation was disrupted and ultimately ruined. We were left with no real choice but to cut our trip short and drive home the next morning. This situation was entirely preventable and handled with a level of disregard that is unacceptable.