We loved our stay at the Carmel Valley Ranch! What a great way to enjoy the Carmel area. This was a family get-a-way so we had kids 2-9 with the group. CVR shines with kid friendly activities and environment. From camp for younger kids to Junior Ranch Hands for older ones there is plenty to do. Both adults and kids loved the archery. My wife and I enjoyed the hikes, walks, and spa with the quiet time these events provided. Tennis, and fitness classes also fantastic. The kids pool is perfect for families while breakfast and lunch by the main pool were relaxing and delicious. At night fire pits around the pool are a cozy spots to make s’more with the provided kits and skewers. I loved the multiple filtered and mineralized water dispensers around the property. Our rooms were fantastic - suites that were cozy but also spacious with room for a small family to stead out across a bedroom, foldout couch, table, arm chairs, and fridge/coffee area. TVs, lights, night lights, thermostats all were great and modern. …
I am so disappointed to write this review. My husband and I stayed here 5 years ago and loved it. This time we have tried to even like it, but we can’t. Let’s start with a positive. We arrived at 1.30pm and were allowed to check in to our room straight away - great we thought until we saw our room. We had booked a vineyard view studio room with outside bath but when we arrived our room was on the bottom floor with no view at all and was dark and rather smelly (more later). We were hungry though so headed straight back to the lodge for lunch. In arriving back in our room a bit later, the smell was oppressive and we worked out that the toilet was leaking, I won’t describe what, all over our bathroom floor. I called guest services immediately asking to change room and was told the resort was fully booked but they would send maintenance to look at our issue. We got back to our room after dinner and the smell had gone and the toilet was fixed! Great…… Until at 3.30am we were awoken to what sounded like stomping on the ceiling of our room. This continued until 5am which turned out to be a guest in the room above getting ready for an early check out. It was impossible to sleep through this but again, we put our positive heads on and headed to the gym (which I great) for a very early work out with a view to an afternoon sleep later in the day. But at 2.30pm when we wanted to get some rest, either the cleaners or the next guest was upstairs. I have no idea what they do in the rooms but again the noise was ridiculous and rest was impossible. As $300 per night this would be forgivable. At $1,000, not so much Service was patchy - some of the staff (particularly the buggy drivers) were great, others were pretty rude - particularly the lady on the restaurant reception desk. Tip - insist on an upstairs room or stay well away…
It is a beautiful property with so much to do. Golf was tied with the best I've ever had (we played Pebble Beach the week prior)...the property is quite hilly with some steps so wear flats, sandals, hiking or tennis shoes. Next time I'll ask for a room away from young kids :)
Stayed at the resort to attend a business meeting. Overall, it's pricey (room and food). The room was basic. The food was excellent. The resort is off the beaten path, the grounds are beautiful, the stay (minus the business meeting) was very relaxing. If you need a get-away, this is the place to be to unwind.
My family had an excellent time and really enjoyed all the special attention we received. The staff was delightful and we loved the intimacy of the resort. I brought my two grandchildren ages 4 and 2 and they really enjoyed the s’mores in the evening around the fire pits.
Very well maintained property. Rooms are clean and spacious. We stayed in the king ranch suite. Highly recommend if you are travelling with kids. They have a nice adult pool and hot tub, kids/family pool and tons of kids activities. Food is great at vally kitchen.
It was a nice stay. Unfortunately the activities we were interested in were not offered on the days we were there! The garden was nice but wish they had someone there to answer some questions the kids had
Overall we were very impressed with everything as this was our first stay here, and our "unofficial" honeymoon as we had just gotten married 3 weeks earlier. We had a wonderful time. The staff were the best part - Carly and Angela at the Valley Kitchen and Chef Nelson - superb. Totally accommodated my wife's allium allergy with style. Just caring good people. Harlan was super helpful and friendly. Front desk staff super helpful. Although there was a snafu in getting tee times (evidently the Club kept calling my room instead of my cell phone) the staff there were apologetic friendly and offered a discount for my troubles, which was greatly appreciated. The course itself was well maintained and fun, back nine amazing and beautiful with the paid animal actors of deer and wild turkeys, and staff there relaxed and friendly as well - loved the vibe. Food overall was very good (the granola! The local goat cheese and honey made on site! The pinot reserve!) and although entree prices in the main restaurant seemed very high, overall we ended up feeling satisfied since the quality was high and we were on vacation after all. We did not attend any of the formal activities although we really wanted to - we just enjoyed the animals, garden and fitness center at our own leisure. Everyone made us feel warm and welcome - including our two dogs, who loved the walk from our Bluff Suite down to the Lodge every day. We unfortunately had to check out early as one of our dogs was having respiratory issues and we had to drive home to the antimal ER. The CVE staff were understanding and kind regarding that issue. So we didn't get to try out the tub on our patio/balcony among other activities. We definitely wanted to stay the extra two days and will be back! …
We loved everything about the facility but once you're on property be prepared to shell out a premium for EVERYTHING along the way. The room includes a nice 3 oz expresso but if you want more than a sip, you either have to order expensive room service ($20 for carafe) or go to the coffee shop and pay their price. The pools, spa and golf course were all great but also overpriced. In all the facility is fantastic but I felt they knew once you're on property they have you trapped and took advantage of that fact.
An exceptional holiday property, with superb roomy accommodation, amazing facilities, very helpful and friendly staff, all within a very scenic setting. For a stay in this area I would recommend this property over any of the properties in Carmel, so escape the mist of Carmel and enjoy this fantastic property and the added bonus of more guaranteed sunshine.
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