The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe

I want to like this place for so many reasons but I feel very conflicted. The pros: nice landscaping and ambience, fireplaces, historic feel, and common areas are attractive. For example, the bar and lobby areas and main lawn are cozy and picturesque especially at night. The hike and yoga sessions for guests was a nice touch and the session leaders were very nice to work with. The cons: the inn is generally lacking attention to serve detail, luxury rates without adequate luxury level service makes this property feel pretentious and overpriced. For example, when I was here for 5 nights each day the pool area accumulates used guest towels and empty drinks from late afternoon until the next morning, some guests bring in glass cups and bottles which, shouldn’t be allowed for safety reasons. Then if you want to use the pool at night say from 6-10pm it hard to find a lounger that’s not trashed with people’s left behind stuff and used lounger towels and covers. Staff walk through multiple times and don’t do anything to pick it up. Likewise its clear no one is doing frequent rounds to sweep leaves off common areas tables and pick up guest cups etc outside rooms in public spaces and along open air hallways including empty wine glasses, I’d see these in the early morning and still there late morning. Turndown service was at regular times, some days in-room coffee was reset by housekeeping other times it was not. Valet parking was automatically added when it wasn’t used and then I needed to request it was removed and explain why. If you stay here you should know many rooms are connecting which allows a significant amount of noise from adjoining rooms. My room was in one of the historic buildings and it smelled strongly like attic which was undesirable, to the inn’s credit they said they’d address the attic smell and offered to move me to the one other room they had which was smaller and much further walk from downtown so I decided to stay in the original room. Everyone was nice and helpful when asked I just don’t feel the property is any where close to a luxury boutique standard it appears to project in its marketing materials. It’s like Marriott level at best. I happened to have two different reservations because my stay was extended due to work schedule changes and I was charged different fees on site for my agoda reservation for example the hotel charged me a “historic fee” where as that fee was not charged on the same room for the reservation placed directly with the hotel. On both registrations I had to go back and ask to have the $55/day valet parking removed. My experience with true luxury hotels is attention to detail: common areas are kept spotless, trash never sits, pool loungers are reset as guests leave, preferences are remembered and attended to in advance and consistently, housekeeping is consistent. This experience didn’t meet that standard yet the standard price point indicates it should have. I didn’t eat at the restaurant because the menu was heavy and overly complicated with few light options. Regretfully I’m unlikely to stay here again.

I travel often and have fairly high standards, but I don’t believe they’re unreasonable—especially given the price point this property competes at. While there were some positives, our stay ultimately fell well short of expectations. Service & Arrival On arrival, the bellman did not have a cart and declined to bring one despite my request, which set the tone early. Parking is $55/day even for self-parking, which feels excessive; I would rather see that cost transparently built into the room rate. Room & Housekeeping The in-room phone never worked. Coffee was not complimentary each morning on property. In room only was offered as nespresso (and not refreshed with a cleaning) I do not drink out of plastic products anyway so this was forced us to buy a $5 back coffee each morning. The room also only had one very small wastebasket, located in the bathroom. The room next door was never serviced even 4 days after checkout and was left open, exposed, and messy—quite odd. Curtain hangers are extremely difficult to use and take several minutes just to open or close. Walls are very thin, making guest noise disruptive. While the property is older and has charm, rooms vary significantly; the photography does not accurately reflect what you arrive to, making it hard to choose a room that fits family needs. Property Condition After heavy rain, drainage and cleanup were lacking—dirt and soot accumulated around walkways and directly outside our door. Our back patio was completely flooded and unusable, which was disappointing given we paid for it. The library frequently had uncollected rubbish in multiple areas. Construction Issues Construction behind our room nearly caused us to leave. The hotel did not seem well informed about its timing or impact, which is concerning. We were offered room 301, which had a strong mold/musty smell that made us nauseous and still suffered from construction noise. A third room option was significantly smaller. Ultimately, we lost about 2.5 hours moving around the property on our vacation morning. To be fair, the rooms director was accommodating and bought us lunch, which was appreciated. Food & Beverage For a “full service” hotel, dining options are very limited. There is only one restaurant open to the public, which closes at 3pm, as does the café. Room service ends at 10pm, with no 24-hour option. Bar service is overwhelmed; my wife couldn’t find a seat and no one assisted her. There’s also no back bar supporting the restaurant, which seems inefficient. Overall, the lack of dining diversity makes even a weekend stay challenging—let alone five nights—especially on holidays when nearby options are closed. Gym The gym is in poor condition: weights disorganized, visible sweat stains on equipment, and no proper workout towels—only tiny washcloth-sized ones. It did not feel clean or well maintained. Staff Most staff members were genuinely trying to be helpful and accommodating, which is the main positive and worth acknowledging. Overall This is an older property with charm, but the downsides currently outweigh the benefits. Given the pricing and how it positions itself against other full-service hotels, many basics—service consistency, cleanliness, dining access, and maintenance—need meaningful improvement.

The hotel is amazing, the service and location is second to none. The Friendliness of all of the team is fantastic. Highly recommend to go there.

My husband and I recently stayed a weekend at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe to celebrate our Anniversary and Christmas season. We had a lovely time. The room was clean & comfortable. The grounds were nicely decorated. Staff were friendly & welcoming. Meals at Lillian’s Restaurant were delicious (brunch & dinner served indoors/outdoors with a beautiful view from the patio). Highly recommend.

Lovely experience on property, with wonderful service / food as well as gorgeous holiday decor! Felt like a perfect festive location