The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

Lots of positives: * Professional and friendly staff: many greeted us by name after our arrival. Several times staff member approached us unprompted, asking if we needed anything. * Excellent service: our room was tidied up nicely, including organizing our toiletries. * Stunning location and view: our room overlooked the 18th green and the Pacific (see pic below). We took in the stunning views on several walks. * Although this did not apply to us directly, I observed that he staff were quite accommodating to guest with young children and/or dogs. A few drawbacks on food: * Limited grab and go options for early golfers: I had a 7AM tee time; my only options in the lobby were tea and coffee. Room service is available, from 6AM, I believe. I did not take advantage, as I just wanted a banana. The golf facility is not owned by the Ritz, by the way. * Limited light/casual meal options in general. But then again, if you are looking for nachos, this is probably not the place for you. Tip: if you are headed back to the Ritz for the evening, consider stopping for a casual meal at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company. * In general, breakfast and dinner in the Conservatory and on the Terrace were just OK. Not bad, but not memorable. For this reason, I gave the Ritz four stars, not five. (Note: we did not eat at Navio.) The price for a cup of tea was a shocker, though if that is what you are concerned with, this is definitely not the place for you! It was an expensive stay, but we would absolutely return for another visit, especially if it is a special occasion (but I might bring a few of my own snacks...!). Worth the splurge, in our case!

A horrendous experience staying at Ritz Carlton Halfmoon Bay! Housekeeping service is so bad that I encountered two bad experiences! They didn’t cleaned up properly from the previous guest and I found a stained sanitary pad in the bathroom! This is so disgusting ! On the day of checkout they kept knocking on my door while I am asleep to want to do housekeeping on the day of check out ? Very bad housekeeping service and this has tarnished my past experience of staying at Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay!

This was my 9th Ritz that i have stayed in over these past two years, and i have got to say, going to this property up in northern California, takes you to a whole new different world! The views are absolutely breathtaking and it makes you feel like you are in Scotland! I went to his hotel with my friends to celebrate and I was very impressed. The weather was perfect as well for the few days that we stayed there. The staff was very helpful and attentive. Noe was our first bellman who took the time to go over the availabilities of the room and even showed us where everything was. A lot of times i go to hotels and i may not know how to use some of the switches, but he did great! Christina who took us for the nature walk was well versed in the history of the property as well as the area. The walk was an hour long along the coastal trail and it was about 2 miles round trip. There were slight up and downs but nothing that was not manageable. I would do it again for sure. Christina was very attentive and new our names quick and took stops along the way to explain the area. Josue at the spa area was also awesome! I needed his help several times during my stay and he was extremely kind and helpful! He also helped asses the situation and helped me out in a great way! I am very grateful to him! Anya checked me in and Justin checked me out, both were super helpful and patient as well. David at the bar in Novio provided great service with drinks that came quick. There were several guests who were not happy campers, but David and Rich handled the situation with much grace. For breakfast we had maria v who brought out some birthday treats and sang happy birthday as well as dinner Rory did great as well! We also had a great conversation with Jamil (sorry if i am butchering the name), he was the manager for the evening, and he was very hospitable and knowledgeable as well! One thing that would have been nice would have been if there was a shuttle from the property to the halfmoon bay "downtown" area. I think that that would be helpful for the guests as well. I can see how this hotel is highly rated across the board. I would definitely recommend staying here! I was able to use my nightly upgrade award with marriott and we were able to get a firepit room, where we had s'mores. The hotel sells these s'mores kits since they have fireplaces all over, and this was a cute idea.

I went for dinner and returned to my room to find it empty, except for the case of my toothbrush and an agenda for the meeting I was attending. The safe was still full. Everything else was gone. My laptop, iPad, my suitcase, rucksack, toiletries, dirty clothes, and power chargers. I called reception, and within 20 minutes, a bellhop returned my items, explaining they were on the driveway. A further investigation revealed that service quality is so poor that my room had been emptied (at 7pm at night) by "accident." It totally screwed up my stay and put my out of kilter, even though I was offered a $200 resort credit. I've given the resort two stars rather than one star because the staff at the spa and fitness center (who did not know what had happened) were incredibly friendly, helpful and engaged. Well done them.

Took my daughter to the Ritz-Carlton HMB for a Mother Daughter Massage Day. Not impressed. The Spa was not at all what I expected for a Ritz. Save your money. Their spa needs a complete make-over. $450 for a massage. Plus they still charge you $50 to park your card for 90 Minutes! The resturaant was also closed at 11 when we wanted to have brunch in the conservatory. The Lockers are completely open to the "Quiet room" where your wait. You are sitting there watching (and being watched) while you undress? Who designed that? Also, no hairbrushes in the blow dry area. The massage was fine but I felt the amenities were not what I would expect at a 5 star hotel. I was willing to pay for a mother daughter "experience" but this was nothing special.