We recently spent two nights at the L'Auberge. It was an excellent, though quirky, luxury resort. The rooms were of average size and ours opened into the interior pool/courtyard with a little view of the ocean. The beds were very comfortable and the decor was California-seaside with light wood and patterned fabrics. The staff was very helpful and everything worked in the rooms. I liked the location: a short walk downhill to the beach and beach-side restaurants and just across the street from the little main street of this part of Del Mar. It was relatively expensive but not overly so for this type of sea-side resort: this hotel is a step below the Four Seasons/Ritz Carlton's of the Coast in services, finish and cost. But, it had an old-California charm that I particulary enjoyed.

We were looking for a couple of relaxing days on the beach and booked the L'Auberge through our CWT travel agent. The hotel is across the street from the Del Mar beach and we got a reasonable price.

Imagine our dismay when we arrived and found that our room would be $65 more than listed on our reservation. When I pointed out that the rate was different I was asked if I had a copy of the reservation. I produced a copy that showed the confirmation number and the rate set by our travel agent. I was then told by the very unfriendly staff that this was impossible because it was a busy time for them and that our reservation would not be honored. We're on vacation, my wife and son are waiting, and now I'm in a hostile negotiation with the staff of this hotel. This is not the way to relax. My next option was to call the travel agency, which is a mainstream international firm, and see if they could confirm the reservation process. They said that this had happened to them before at the L'Auberge and that they could straighten it out by talking to the sales manager. So, I had to help summon the sales manager and connect her with the travel agent. The sales manager decided to honor the reservation as it was originally made and spoke to the front desk staff. They grudgingly setup our room without so much as a token apology. When I had the room secured I told them in a very calm way that this was a most unpleasant experience and that it could have been handled in a much better way. I was then told that they were just doing what they were told to do and that this was their job. When I objected to this explanation based on the reversal by the sales manager, I was told that no, this is the way they work and they would apologize for the reservations department.

The room was OK but nothing special. The location is great but I would not recommend this hotel to anyone based on this experience.

For the price we paid my husband and I expected a lot more. The room and bathroom were small, nothing special. The view from our room overlooked the parking lot. Our room was very hot (80 degrees) when we first entered due to the fact that the AC was not turned on. While it was nice to be close to the beach, restaurants and race track we will select another hotel on our next trip to Del Mar.

Stayed 2 nights at this property and it was very average for the price. Rooms are small and hallways were very noisey with housekeeping. The only real positive is the location. Easy to walk to restaurants/bars. Next time we will head down to La Jolla village and stay at La Valencia. Much nicer hotel and fabulous location.