I should preface this review by saying that we encountered issues with our room. However, the manager on duty (Todd) was helpful, understanding, and did what he could to help rectify the situation. This is why I gave LV 4 stars rather than 2 or 3. His customer service, along with the rest of the LV staff, is why my husband and I would choose to return to this hotel in the future.

We stayed for one night in a traditional room with a partial ocean view in mid-November 2012. Yes - it is smaller than other hotel rooms, the windows are older with no screens, and there is very little counter space in the bathroom. However, the room has some nice amenities, including Molten Brown bath products, cotton balls and q-tips (it's the little things that count), and a Keurig single cup coffee maker with Wolfgang Puck coffee and some nice teas (though we didn't get to try the coffee or tea). Plus, the location of the hotel and the views of the ocean are AMAZING, so those are big plusses. The wonderful staff also surprised us with complimentary (and YUMMY!) chocolate dipped strawberries and a bottle of champagne, as we were celebrating our anniversary, along with turning down the bed. It was a nice surprise, upon returning to our room after a late night out on the town.

Now... the problem we encountered. I think other reviewers had mentioned this, but the hotel is in the process of some major renovations and upgrading. Our room, unfortunately, had not been upgraded, including the bed itself. I barely slept 4 hours total that night. After tossing and turning for two hours, trying to find some comfortable spot to sleep in that bed, I finally got up and debated about going downstairs, in my pajamas, to complain. Instead, my husband woke up, and we took the bedsheets off to see what the problem could be. We discovered that my side of the bed was very soft and sank very low in the middle. Thankfully, my husband doesn't seem to mind these kinds of things, so we switched sides, and I decided I would wait until the morning to alert management. Those last few hours of sleep, however, were later interrupted by a 7:34AM pick-up by a loud garbage truck that even the room fan couldn't mask.

As we liked the staff and see the amazing potential of this hotel to continue its legacy for years to come, I thought it would be best to talk with the management and offer (what I hope were) helpful suggestions, including not offering this room to others until it has been upgraded (at the very least, change the bed and update & soundproof the windows). Todd, as I mentioned earlier, rose to the occasion by listening intently and offering professional and acceptable service in response to our complaint. Because we had pre-paid our room months before (using an online travel deal we found), he was unable to refund our payment. However, he did comp us the valet charge, so that was helpful and appreciated.

Again, we would like to stay at the La Valencia, in the future. Hopefully, though, the hotel will be finished with its renovations and can guarantee a more restful, relaxing stay, instead of what we encountered on this particular visit.