Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort

I don’t expect much. I truly am comfortable at a comfort suites but I also want to see all hotels and places like so many travelers do. So here is my review. Let me tell you why the Waldorf Astoria Monarch beach was a major disappointment. The hotel is in Dana Point and the area and the physical hotel were not the problems. The problem with the Monrch Beach Resort was the very poor if not strange service. I stayed for less than 24 hours yet this what happened. No public ice machines so I asked the front desk at check in to send up ice. Long story short and two communications to front desk we left our room (after 45 minutes with no ice). Mind you I have no problem doing things on my own but there was no ice machines for guests, my cars was checked into valet(70 dollars a night). We did get ice at some point delivered to our room after we left. We tried the pool twice. In the afternoon we left because of rowdy group of adults and in the evening there was the jacuzzi adjacent group playing whoop there it is blasting. Where was staff this Waldorf Astoria trying to make the pool area more relaxing? We did text and get a response from front desk but we left prior to this ever being resolved (if it was). The final port is the strange part. At 920pm we get knock on the door. It was house keeping with ice. We ate food the Aveo restaurant and at the pool and nothing incredible to report there. Basically the level of care was low from beginning to end. We left early the next morning.

I was truly disappointed by the level of service during my most recent stay. Just one hour after checking out, we realized we had left a few items in the closet of our room and returned to the hotel to retrieve them. Instead of assisting us promptly, we were directed to fill out a Lost and Found form and told we would receive a response within one business day. It’s astonishing that a hotel of this caliber would be so bureaucratic and inefficient when it comes to such a simple matter. The items had just been left behind, the room hadn’t yet been turned over, and yet we were met with rigid procedures rather than helpfulness or urgency. It left a very disappointing impression and raised questions about the overall responsiveness and customer care at this property.

This resort is in bad need of renovation. The floors are worn and dirty. The spa had overflowing toilets. The lockers are tiny and there is no space. Nothing seemed to work, even ordering a soda at the restaurant and it was flat. I generally trust Waldorf Astoria to hold a certain level of luxury and this is the first time that I've been disappointed.

We have stayed at this resort about 5 times and every time it is predictably outstanding. The accommodations are luxurious. The service is impeccable. And the location is impossible to beat. The golf is terrific. The beach club is special with a hip vibe with fantastic food. The rooms are expensive and so is the food, but you really get what you pay for here. We just stayed for a big family reunion type weekend getaway. I had five rooms and they placed all of our rooms in close proximity to one another which was very important to us. This was also while the resort was literally fully booked. I went onto the website and they had no rooms available. Our family had an amazing time, just like all the other times before. This place consistently delivers a truly memorable and enjoyable experience. And the town of Dana Point is great with lots of great restaurants. Additionally, I did feel that I was treated special as a Diamond member. I am glad they recognize and reward loyalty. . In particular I want to mention a few names of individuals who were outstanding with customer service and will hopefully be recognized. Noah and Eric at the front desk were awesome. So helpful. But Alexandra was over the top amazing. She epitomizes "making the customer feel special". There were also super helpful guys who helped set up the beach chairs and umbrellas at the beach and the towel chair service at the pool. I wish I remembered their names also. We will come back again!

We stayed here for 3 nights: a Sunday through Wednesday in Jun and the resort was not too crowded. I have stayed here many times over the past 15 years but this time was special since we brought our dog Duke. The entire staff and even other guests were so kind to our Doxie/Chihuahua mix. Upon check-in our room was expedited to help us get him settled (around 3pm we were able to check-in). The bell staff took care of all of our luggage and every time we needed the car we did not have to wait more than a few minutes. They dropped off a dog bed and bowls for Duke, I wish the bowls were available for purchase they were very well made and stable. The only downside was we did not have a ground floor room but Duke enjoyed walking down the hall and riding in the elevator. The grounds here are impeccable, we spent a lot of time walking the property grounds, the botanical gardens, and nearby parks. They had a pet station at the corner near our room so it was easy to handle disposing of his business. We saw a few other pets while we were here. Room service and Uber Eats were the dining options we used. I appreciated that room service included hot rolls with my salad (a pet menu/options via room service would be awesome, I’m sure if I asked they could have made something), We hired a dog sitter one day so we could enjoy the pool, which was pretty busy on a Tuesday although we had no trouble getting chairs and the service was attentive. This is my favorite vacation spot, bringing Duke to enjoy it too was so special, thank you to all of the staff who made this an incredible vacation, we can’t wait to return!