My wife had wanted to come to the Highlands Inn based on a good experience nearly 30 years ago. Unfortunately, our room, apparently, had not been updated or maintained well in those 30 years. While it had a fantastic view, the room was run down, and things (like the floor to ceiling shade) broke. When we contacted management, they said they would knock off $100 per night off the room. Guess what? They didn't.
It is a beautiful location, and the people working there were great. But we got the impression that the goal was to sell timeshares. Spending 500+ a night didn't qualify with the management for service.

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of spending three nights at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands and found it to be a very picturesque, peaceful and romantic spot.

The physical aspects of the hotel are fantastic...impeccably manicured grounds and a main lobby that is beautifully designed with great views of the ocean below. We stayed in a two story "town home" style room with a balcony, a wood burning fireplace and a gigantic bathroom sporting a very large whirlpool tub. The shower might have been a bit small, but it was all-in-all very clean and very comfortable. The fireplace added a nice romantic touch, with wood supplies near the rooms to keep the fire roaring on those cold, fog swept evenings. The staff would prepare the fireplace again each morning...which is very, very nice.

The welcoming and front desk staff were very helpful and friendly. There were bikes on site for the guests to use and plenty of information on local hikes, things to do and places to go. Heated swimming pool, gym and hot tubs offered other diversions for the guests..though I must say the gym wasn't anything special, but then again who wants to spend time inside a gym when you're in as nice a place as Carmel by the Sea.

There are two restaurants on site.

For evenings the Highlands offers an upscale restaurant and bar that by some accounts has received some measure of acclaim; However, despite the lovely views through the giant plate glass windows, my advice is to run, not walk, to other off-site establishments for your dining and drinking pleasure. While $15 isn't unheard of for a glass of wine....it becomes somewhat unconscionable when that glass of wine is coming from a bottle that costs just $18 at a local wine shop..We did have a bite to eat in the bar on our first night and the food was truly good...it's just a shame this establishment feels the need to fleece its customers on the wine...I would leave this restaurant to those on corporate expense accounts and/or politicians dining on the taxpayers' dime....there are just too many local restaurants offering better food and better wine at far better prices...

The other restaurant offers breakfast with a lovely outdoor dining area complete with stunning views out over the coast. It's just unfortunate the service didn't match the food or the view. On Sunday we waited at least 20 minutes before a waiter had the time to visit our table...clearly they were understaffed...which probably helped contribute to our waiters surly attitude. Oh well, the food was filling and the view on that sunny, Sunday morning in Carmel was well worth the attitude problems.

We would certainly enjoy a return visit to the Highlands for another romantic weekend..the spot is truly a nice one...just next time we'll be sure to bring our own coffee, breakfast food and wine so as to avoid the Highland's own rather disappointing eateries.

My wife and I just spent three wonderful days at this hotel--I'm not sure where the bad reviews on here come from, but we were completely satisfied with every aspect. We had a beautiful two-story suite (#507), with an incredible view of the coastline and surrounding forest. The service was excellent--everybody we came in contact with could not have been friendlier or more eager to please. We made our reservations through the Hyatt website, not as a timeshare. As to the annoying sales calls several of the reviews reference, we did receive two calls during our stay--however, in both cases we politely and firmly told the caller we weren't interested and they didn't make any effort to pressure us. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed our stay here.

This is a very expensive hotel, but the service here was good overall. You are paying for the great ocean views. & the peace of the area. Parking is complimentary valet. The hotel staff help bring wood in. Our tv did not work but they came to repair that. We got complimentary alcohol but since we are tee totalers, they replaced that with sparkling cider & chocolate covered strawberries. At their main restaurant, we were given a meat soup instead of the vegetarian one that we ordered & that was replaced. The lounge is also a good place to watch the sunset. At night if you are bored, the pay per view is quite expensive, so get DVDs from the Safeway down the street.