Carmel Valley Ranch

We checked in at 5:30 PM and immediately found our room filled with an overwhelming chemical fragrance—so strong it was uninhabitable. Within seconds, I felt lightheaded and couldn’t breathe properly. I called the front desk and was told I would receive a call back. No one responded. Instead, after 30 minutes, a housekeeper was sent to spray even more fragrance into the room, making an already unsafe situation worse. This made it clear no one had even listened to our complaint. When I called again, I was told they could “run an ozone machine” in the room. That response was both inappropriate and alarming. We had just completed a 15 hour drive and arrived exhausted—there is no excuse for placing guests into a room that requires chemical treatment to be breathable after check-in. I made it clear we could not wait indefinitely and needed an immediate solution, especially since we cannot drive after dark due to a vision limitation. Despite this, by 7 PM we still had no room. The manager continued to stall, then attempted to move us into a lower-quality room at the same price—after we had already been sitting outside in the cold for over an hour. No apology, no compensation, no accountability. In fact when I raised my voice to show I was angry I was immediately tone corrected, he was rude and refused to take any sort of responsibility, acting like this was completely normal and to be expected. In the end, we were left outside for approximately three hours with no viable solution, until after sunset, when we were told there were no rooms available at all. At that point, we were effectively stranded and forced to accept whatever was offered. This was a complete failure of basic hospitality and safety. Our vacation was disrupted and ultimately ruined. We were left with no real choice but to cut our trip short and drive home the next morning. This situation was entirely preventable and handled with a level of disregard that is unacceptable.

We came for a birthday using the am ex FHR promo and loved exploring the gardens and apiary , vineyards , did yoga on the platform, golf, hiked the huff and puff and horseshoe loops, stopped by the hilltop coral and pickle ball at river ranch .. wonderful 70s style golf club w 4 distinct housing areas .. close enough to downtown Carmel without all the people and congestion, enjoyed the soaking tub on patio.. immensely but we paid extra for that. We did a henry tasting and had a nice sav blanc by estancia at check in. Loved seeing all the lovely dogs on site. Many families .. nice breakfast buffet and coffee shop..spent a whole day at pool and spa which was great. The large suite was nice but we didn’t need or use all that space . Would say the tub controls and hook are not well placed.. and the water heater is on HOT so be careful when u use or have your partner help you so you can maneuver . Whole property is likely ready for a facelift, rooms are granite , and travertine vibe..loved the fireplace and views and privacy. There is house shuttle if you don’t want to hike back to your suite .. we saw turkey and many deer , loved the organic garden and bees .. what fun . My husband booked a couples massage upon arrival.. we called from the road and no one answered phone to confirm an earlier check in so we could settle before the spa, when we arrived we had to hustle only for some confused massage folks to leas us to a room up from the pool ? NO spa open, 25% discount? Eeck my husband did not like that. It turned out fine, but he wanted to lounge at spa /steam /pool. I was hoping for cold plunge or mineral bath All afternoon day of arrival and relax.. he called personally and no one mentioned the fact that the spa was under renovation. That felt a little sneaky. Not about the cost as much as the time to relax. We have stayed at Pebble, Spanish bay and casa palmera, Monterey spots and many comparable Hawai’i/napa /santa Barbara/ojai spots, I would say this is family focused .. a bit chaotic w all the dogs and families albeit inclusive. Gold course is lightly played so that’s excellent. Stanley ranch auberge similar feel and amenities , calmer , quieter , more dining options.. at same price point w over the top spa .. Carmel valley ranch is a beautiful valley w incredible sunrises and sunset, patio baths lovely, miles and miles to explore …but you are going to que for breakfast and the spa could be under renovation. Non ambulatory folks will be driving a lot .

The main part (lodge) and property grounds are beautiful and amazing. We had a less than expected experience especially compared to the other hotel we stayed at nearby. The hotel was busy and I received a text the morning of check in that our room would be ready by 4 but that it would be busy. we arrived after 4pm and the room was still not ready. We had to wait awhile and got into the room after 6pm. I was told that it took a little longer because the room was being inspected. Well, the bedding (rollaway and sofa bed) were dirty. The sofa bed linens had not been changed at all and there were dead insects in the roll away (could have been from transport). We were given a food credit for the delay in the check in which was nice. However, with the issue with the dirty room coupled with loyalty status I would have appreciated an offer to upgrade us. Our room floor was dirty and every time my family walked barefoot our feet would turn black. The shower head was a regular head attached to the ceiling and the shower water ran into the toilet area adjacent to the shower (toilet area is surrounded by clear glass door????- that is a really bad design). The staff were very friendly, but despite the nice staff and the beautiful grounds, I would not recommend this property based on lack of cleanliness for such a high award category.

I would stay forever, if I could. Top notch luxury retreat setting with no shortage of relaxation and adventure. Truly no need to leave this idyllic setting! Cannot wait to return with my whole family.

Stunning location! Can’t wait to visit this beautiful area again.