Carneros Resort and Spa

We had an amazing stay at Carneros Resort despite the pouring rain. This was a first hotel outing with our busy yellow lab and the property is extremely dog friendly. Each cottage is VERY well appointed with an indoor and out door space both with fire pits. The grounds are lovely as well and our Labrador was allowed in most all spaces except the dining room. We sat by an outdoor fire place with heater’s overhead while it poured rain and were pleasantly warm all afternoon. Definitely not the experience we had hoped for but the property made it easy to make the best of a bummer situation. The staff were all very attentive and catered to our needs. The breakfast was included and excellent!!!

Went it for 2 nights from 12/30 to 1/1. The overall experience is mixed. Pros: 1. The front desk and concierge was friendly. 2. The bellman helped us a lot for the luggages. 3. The room was clean and very quiet. Amenities were nice. 4. The pool and fitness center's facility was satisfactory. 5. Asked for an upgrade to a cottage with 2 beds. Even though was not granted a 2-queen-bed room, we got a cottage with a queen bed and a sofa bed. The sofa bed was actually pretty comfortable. 6. The atmosphere of the village was amazing. Cons: 1. The the yard was not fenced well. I brought my service dog and let her run in the yard, but the dog found the hole in the yard and ran out of it. Had to find her out afterwards. 2. The fireplace in the room was too hot even with the lowest setting. 3. I was granted a late checkout at 1PM, however the key stopped working at 12:30. So I had to walk multiple times between the cottage and the reception to get a new key to get my stuffs out of the cottage. 4. On the second day, the waitress at the Hilltop offered a bad service to me. She did not greet me and helped me get seated and did not say anything to let me order the food in addition to buffet. At last when I was trying to check she ignored me again. I felt offended.

I have been a loyal guest at Carneros Resort and Spa for over a decade, visiting more than a dozen times for quick getaways from the Bay Area. Sadly, my most recent stay was so disappointing that it will be my last. The service has become disorganized and inconsistent, failing to meet even basic luxury standards. Check-in & Logistics: Despite a 4:00 PM check-in, our second room wasn't ready. We were texted at 4:08 PM saying a key was being brought to our first room, yet by 4:35 PM, we were still sitting around waiting. At these rates, guests shouldn't have to waste their vacation time waiting for staff to follow through on simple tasks. Inconsistent Service: The attention to detail has vanished. One room had slippers; the other didn’t. After requesting them, it took nearly three hours for them to be delivered—arriving only after we had returned from dinner. Dining Chaos: Breakfast at the Hilltop Restaurant was a "free-for-all." We watched as guests grabbed and expanded tables for arriving family members while others stood waiting. The staff witnessed the situation and stayed silent; when I spoke to them, they offered no explanation or effort to manage the floor. It is heartbreaking to see a place we once loved decline like this. The "modern farmhouse" charm is lost when the management is this invisible. We will not be returning.

We were somewhat disappointed with our stay at Carneros. We have stayed at many resorts in wine country and expected it to be on par. To begin, we arrived an hour early and were told that we would be contacted via cell when our room was ready. We never got a text or call so headed to the front desk at 4:10pm. There we waited in a long line despite initialing some type of pre-check in earlier. The front desk staff were inconsistently offering a welcome glass of wine to guests. Once we were able o check in again, there was no mention of the pre-check in or expedited process. This was fine with us, but why bother setting this up with guests if the resort does nothing with the procedure (no call, no record of recheck in). It seems like a waste of everyone's time and expectations. The front desk staff seemed overwhelmed and not particularly welcoming. We then headed to the room. The front desk person said the valet staff would direct us to our room via golf cart. When we pulled up, there was no one there. Not a bit deal. We can find the cottage on our own. But again, why bother saying this when there is no follow through? If makes for a poor customer service experience. This is particularly salient at a higher end resort...esp with your competition excelling in service. This inconsistent and poor customer service experience really stood out compared to other resorts in wine country. We got to our room and it was nice. The problem was that it was freezing despite us setting the thermostat to 77 degrees. We also had some flies in the room. To make matters worse, the cottage made creaky noises all night and we slept poorly due to the temperature and noise. Food: We had dinner at Farm and didn't know if was prix fixe in the dining room since the host never mentioned it and we were there with our kids. The food was average. Breakfast at the Hilltop was delicious and the views were nice. Pool: The pool was nice and had a small jacuzzi. There was a water dispenser but not many amenities compared to other resorts we have stayed at. Overall, I would not recommend this resort and we don't plan on going again.

This was a long overdue return visit for us and we were delighted. The familiar accommodations, great service and delicious food were exceptional. We had dinner at Farm and it was excellent. The concierge was super helpful in setting up our itinerary for the weekend, as well. We’ll not wait so long for our return visit!