Had to listen to a country band playing under our window all afternoon on a Saturday. There was no place to escape the noise. Even the botanical gardens were within range of the band. The hotel is nice, but my girlfriend and I heard a lot of "Sorry, there's nothing we can do" from the staff.

To put a nice finishing touch on a bad stay, they never awarded me my SPG points even after multiple requests. For your money, try the Ritz accross the street.

We were at the Monarch 4 nights and enjoyed every detail and every minute! The staff was superb. We were part of a large group (200 rooms)..we never felt rushed, and every single person working there made an extra effort to serve us.

Having stayed at many wonderful resorts in Hawaii, we felt this one rated at the top of our lists.


Walked down to the beach and enjoyed cocktails oceanside at the private beach the resort maintains. Fantastic. Spent hours at the pool which had prompt service for cocktails and food also.

Used the hotel cars to get to Laguna Beach for the day...and also enjoyed a great meal at Fred's Mexican Cantina in Laguna Niguel.

On the down side: Food was the only "iffy" thing. Some items were great and some were not. Can't give it an "excellent" rating only because we felt for the pricing the food should have been "to die for"...not just average.

Prices for drinks will blow you away, but if you are paying these room rates I assume you can handle the costs for the amenities.

All in all the resort was magnificent and we enjoyed all it had to offer! It did not matter it was not "on the beach"...the views are amazing up on the hill.

We visit this area at least once a year and have stayed at several other hotels in the Laguna area, including the Ritz Carlton and we were absolutely blown away by our room, the service and grounds. Although this hotel is not directly on the beach, there is a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes or on demand that takes you to a private beach with a beach bar, chairs, umbrellas etc.. The room was absolutely fantastic and very large. We were with our 18 month old and not only our luggage but his crib fit into the closet. Lots of room, great linens, beautiful balcony and wonderful service. There is a pool for adults only and a pool for children. The grounds are beautiful and we just can't wait to go back.

We did not eat at the hotel and some of the prices for cocktails and such are on the high end but if money is a concern bring your own bottle of wine and enjoy it from your balcony. There is self parking but it is the same price as the valet at 30$ a day which I found to be a bit steep considering the price of the room. If you don't have a lot of luggage it appeared as if you could park on the street.

My husband travels for business quite frequently and stays at a lot of the nicer hotel chains and we both have to say the St. Regis does a wonderful job. We can not say enough about this hotel. Enjoy!

Just got back from 3 nights. Service, incredible, room beautiful. But, you pay for it... Be SURE to go down to the private beach club for lunch or dinner or at least a sunset!