The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel

My son got married in Dana Point on Friday Nov. 7th. We wanted them to have a great experience so we decided to gift them a room at the "supposedly" best hotel in the Dana Point arel, The Ritz Carlton. Well the experience was not so great. We asked for an upgrade to a better room....that did not happen. The room was small and hard to move around in. They were suppose to have champagne...it was not delivered on time. There were other things ordered for them that did not work out and was not delivered on time. We decided to say good bye with a quick breakfast the next morning. This turned into a very bad experience and over 2 hrs...so much for quick. The only thing available was a $75 4 course brunch. The waiter came over and took the drink order....then nothing.....We were suppose to get a shared appetizer. It never came. I had to go to the check in hostess and angrily ask for our food/appetizer. We had been waiting for over an hour. The appetizer only came out at my angry insistence....It was guacomole and chips.....so it took over an hour to give us guac and chips !!!!!!! A manager person came over and we voiced our concern about the poor service. She apologized and promised to watch our food service from now on. We got the 2nd and 3rd course. Then waited for the dessert, which I had forgotten. We had been there for 2 hours by this time and was about to leave when someone said "what happened to the dessert?" I was tired, worn out and had completely forgotten. Once again we had to hail the waiter over and ask for our dessert. By this time and due to the long hour, we asked them to pack it up....which also took some time to do. It was a horrible experience and I was apalled at such bad service, for $75 a head, at what is suppose to be a high class hotel. On my way out, I told the manager about the dessert issue and got a slim apology at best. So what happened to this $2000 policy to provide excellent service. Or do you provide excellent service to certain people. So our attempt to give our children a great experience did not turn out so great. The one star is well deserved. I told the restaurant manager to check the cameras to verify just how long we had to wait to get our food. Perhaps some of you have good experiences .......but we did not.

Stayed at the Ritz for 3 nights for a wedding. We got upgraded to Club level and everything was amazing. The club lounge service was over and above from the manager to the servers. Mercedes was so nice, I mentioned I had to check out at 4;30am and would miss breakfast , she offered and made me a amazing breakfast sandwich which she brought to my room so I could put it in the fridge for the morning. So thoughtful and over and above by the whole staff. Looking forward to our next visit !!

Lucas is the absolute best of the best. If you don’t have him as your valet guy, you’re missing out on the full experience. That guy knows what’s up. If you want the full experience, Lucas is involved. That guy needs a raise. Love Lucas! And the driver, zafir, he is AWESOME. They have the best staff ever - but specifically Lucas the valet and zafir the driver.

The Ritz Carlton Laguna Nigel met my very high expectations. The views are breathtaking. The renovation was well done. The rooms are stocked with great amenities. The grounds and common areas are also incredibly beautiful and well maintained. Having the beach butlers to help set up an area on the beach is a great feature. The Eco Adventures team helped to make our stay perfect. We went on a hike with Natalie and whale watching with Quinn. Their knowledge of the property, area, and animals was top-notch. I learned so much and had a great time. The food on property was excellent. If you are looking for a unique dining experience, I recommend Kahani. The curry sampler was delicious and allowed us to try a variety of curries. The staff is so kind and personable. I cannot wait to book a return trip.

This hotel is situated right above the beach, making it a short 5-minute walk away and offering beautiful views. We were here to meet up with around 20 other family members, and the hotel was spread out enough and offered enough variety, between the pools, beach, and various dining establishments, to keep us occupied and happy. We loved getting breakfast or lunch at Young's beach shack, just near the beach, for a lovely water view and more casual environment. The large pool at the hotel is really the only pool worth considering as the smaller one is very sleepy. We enjoyed the restaurant at the pool for relaxing lunches. The only negatives, hence the 4-star, were a handful of staff who weren't very friendly or helpful, and the random towels or French fries we saw day after day (not picked up or on the floor), which seemed below the standard for this hotel. Otherwise, it's a lovely location, right on the trolley stop (if that's helpful).