The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe

Although we spent just one evening at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, we experienced hospitality in abundance, an amazing setting and well-appointed accommodations. The town is walkable, the property beautifully landscaped and the people genuine. Thrilled to add this hotel to my VIP list.

I had a business meeting in this area North of San Diego. I looked for a reasonably priced Starwood property and came across The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe – part of the Tribute Portfolio. It is a charming inn – founded in 1923. I received a SPG Platinum upgrade to a great suite. The inn appears to be a collection of small cottages, with a few rooms in each building. The suite I had included a kitchen (no stove) but with a full set of cabinets and dishes and a kitchen table. The living room had a large wood burning fire place and furniture. There was a guest bathroom that was twice the size of most hotel bathrooms. The bedroom side of the cottage had a large bedroom with a huge sitting area. The main bathroom had a shower that you could hold a party in – seriously, it was larger than many bathrooms. There were large wooden louvered shutters that let beautiful light into the rooms. I was only there for one night. I can’t wait to go back and explore the resort and the cool little historical town across the street.

This place was both a delight and a disappointment. What a wonderful setting and a beautiful building in a gorgeous small town. Check in even at 1pm after a busy wedding night was appreciated. Nice reception ladies. Welcome drinks for SPG were great - Miraval rose, but Barman was a bit standoffish until he saw the tip. Johnny the valet was so nice, the valet in the afternoon/evening was awful. Would rather look at his phone than say hello. He even ignored my hello and turned away. Very poor. Hate paying resort fees, they should be included in main rate. Parking however, was included in this one. Our room was quite far from reception & up a flight of stairs so ask for help with your bags. Room was spacious, had a fridge but bed was so hard and pillows uncomfortable too. Shower was huge which was nice. For some reason I was expecting a balcony but we didn't have one. Didn't ask for a change as any outdoor area would have been too buggy for us. Housekeeping on stairway was poor, lots of cobwebs and spiders. Pool area is small with only 22 beds which was fine on a Sunday/Monday but I'm sure it must cause major headaches on busy days. Chairs were very comfy and water was a good temperature. You need to ask for pool service as it's not readily available. Dinner in Morada was very good. Our waitress was so knowledgeable, helpful and friendly and the food was very good. Setting is to die for sitting out on the patio. All in all it was a mixed experience. Attention to detail is lacking and if addressed, this could be the most amazing place. Many of the staff were totally indifferent in their dealings with us.

Stayed here two nights for a wedding on the grounds: over $ 300 per night. First night: 1 towel for the 3 of us. Second night: NO towels or anything in the bathroom. It was a similar experience for 2 other couples in our group. The front desk was not too sympathetic, I felt. One of our group never did get their towels. They had to use the bathmat. What kind of establishment provides no towels? The restaurant service was expensive and slow: $ 10 for a bowl of oatmeal that took one-half hour to get to the table. Then the " activities fee " was charged, but what was there besides the pool? I will not stay here again. I'll go to a Motel 6 for better service.

The rooms are located in cottages spread around the property. There is a pool, restaurant and bar. We enjoyed all of the staff- they were friendly and accommodating. Room service arrived quickly every time and the room was kept clean. Nothing spectacular but we had a good stay.