Carmel Valley Ranch

This property is outstanding. Our family's favorite. This is the fourth time we've been at CVR and it seems to get even better each time. The service, facilities, amenities, cuisines is are outstanding. Ideal for a romantic stay or with a family to include children.

I had a facial by Carolyn in September while on vacation in Carmel. She was so good, interesting and gave me the best facial I've ever had. If you plan to get a facial I definitely recommend you try Carolyn. She knows her stuff and will make you feel inspired and ready for the day

Pro's: *Everything about this place is beautiful. The room, the views, the deer on property, the pools. This is one of the most esthetically pleasing places I have ever been. *Absolutely love the adults only pools and hot tub at the lodge. This was a massive draw, as we wanted a peaceful place to celebrate our 10 year anniversary with no children. *The lodge hot tub is incredible. It's huge and I love that everything is salt water - no skin irritation and no horrible smells! *There are some great little details here that are greatly appreciated. For example, at the pool, there are two water stations and sunblock. In the rooms is soap they make on property and I love those touches! Con's: *There are some big inconsistencies in service that are really bothersome, especially considering how much you pay to be here. *It seems the pool bar is never staffed well enough to manage taking care of everybody. She tries and is really wonderful, but you need to get her help so she can actually get to us all! *The menu is really small and would benefit from diversity (at the lodge/in-room dining). *There are so many gnats and bees everywhere - I do not understand why there is no effort to do anything about this. They swarm you at the pool, they are in rooms, after a week I can't wait to leave because of them. Manage the bugs.

We came with our infant and young son and had a GREAT time here! The staff is so warm and welcoming, and never makes you feel bad when your kids are going a little nutty (haha). They have lots of activities also for kids, including a kids pool, splash pad, and super shallow pool for very young kids. You can go visit the animals they have on site and also do a scavenger hunt. Almost every time we sat for a meal in their main restaurant, they provided stickers to keep our little one entertained. The BEST part was that they had so many little things easily available if you are traveling with infants - including complimentary rental of a stroller, bottle warmer, little travel baby lotion and soap. All of this makes a huge difference and takes stress off of parents. They even had an EMPTY fridge to keep our milk and whatever else we needed. Overall, it was such a nice, relaxing vacation with kids and I would 100% come back again.

For the first time visiting this property, I was very impressed and excited to come back once I have a family. So many different amenities and experiences to do, and so many new families on property, and I can understand why. Food was fantastic, location was very scenic, walking around was awesome (huff and puff trail - and the stables were a great experience), and overall I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely coming back.