Great location, rooms standard size but nicely remodeled. I do not know that I would call it a resort. Front desk staff was friendly and helpful as was the valet parking staff. I understand the reason for exclusive valet parking being near the State Park Beach but guests should not have to pay 29.95 per day for parking. The main dining room was closed during the week but the casual lounge is very nice and has a limited menu, pricey but available. No shortage of restaurants outside.The staff in the lounge and the dining room for breakfast could use some training on service and being friendly. Breakfast came with the room package but when the server brought the check for signature he said " This is where you put the tip" I understand that you might want to lead the guest in that direction but there is a better way to encourage tipping instead of giving orders. The grounds couldnt be nicer and the pools are great. The spa is another story, snobbish staff on the desk and young rushing technicians. I made reservations for the 2 females in our party for facials and massages. It was packaged price at 235.00 each for a combined 2 hour service each. Before they were finished I went to pay the bill and was told that they place a 20% gratuity on the bill automatically. When I questioned this they said most people dont mind because they are relaxed after the services and just say ok.....nice job if you can get it. I told her to take it off. I always tip in cash to the staff. The change in hospitality was apparent from that point on. When the ladies came out I asked about the service and it was decided to tip each technician 15.00 for a total of 60.00 for their 1 hour service. When the tip was given to the receptionist she asked if the money was for all service tips and when told yes counted it out broadly and makinga loud point of saying 60.00. Technicians are self employed as such they receive a commission for all services at least 30 and as much as 50%. With this tip they are earning 45-60.00 per hour. Not bad for young kids on the block or anyone for that matter. Tips should always be accepted for what they are with gratitude and not looked upon as deserving.
it was a monday the resort was empty and the spa had no customers, the spa received 470.00 for services and they act insulted.

After reading the great reviews on Trip Advisor, we booked this hotel for a one-night stay as it was close to Mission San Juan Capistrano. As a mother of two young girls, I don't have time to write reviews, except I was so disappointed with our stay. We arrived there around 7:30pm, and got settled in to a room on the first floor, which had a patio with a peek-a-boo view of the harbor. The room's decor was contemporary and nice. Unfortunately, we didn't realized until 9:30pm that the sofa-bed was unmade. Upon further examination, we looked at the mattress and discovered a HUGE urine stain on top. I flipped the mattress over and found dried feces. For our "inconvenience," the credited us a whopping "$15," the resort fee. Beware there is also a $29.95/day valet parking fee. The location of the hotel is pretty, but the fog horn the sounds off in the adjacent harbor kept us up for most of the night. I think our stay was NOT worth the price we paid and I believe they should have discounted the room at bit more out of goodwill.

I should preface this by saying that this whole weekend was a surprise to me, so I was blown away when we pulled up to this gorgeous property! We had a wonderful pedicure, and then received an upgrade on our room (Marriott rewards are awesome!). The room was gorgeous and we had a great view.

The bed was AMAZING!

My Family and I stayed here August 12th to the 16th, 2012. I picked the location because of it is in between San Diego and LA. I thought about the Ritz Carlton up the road but decided this property was closer to Restaurants and the Harbor. Our room was on the 1st floor and was near the more "kid" pool (there are 2, one is more adults and the other has kids). We were at the end of the hall and it felt out of the way and quiet. The room was large and had a sofa bed that helped since all 4 of us were staying in the same room. The first thing you notice is the expansive property with rolling hills. The Hotel sits on a bluff and is not on the Ocean which really did not matter to us. We were out most of the time and only spent 1 day at the pool which was nice. Highlight of the stay was Whale Watching that left from the Harbor. We saw blue Whale.....4 of them and it was great. Staff was friendly and went out of their way. My Wife and I thought about staying there the rest of the week instead of going to Santa Monica.....we went to Santa Monica and wished we stayed in Dana Point.

I would return to this Hotel and would recommend this place to anyone.