In one word: breath-taking. This is one of the best corporate meetings I've ever been on! The St. Regis Monarch Beach sits on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific. It's a Tuscan-villa-gone-luxury-hotel and in every way meets the refined, luxurious expectation I had of what a St. Regis should be. Although most of our crew left on Friday, I extended my stay through the weekend to soak up what I could of the place. Highly recommended.
At check-in, I parlayed my Gold status into an upgrade to an Executive Suite (not sure how much my status and good looks had to do with it... the hotel seemed pretty full with our group there -- but I'm not complaining). Even as a Gold member, I got a great little welcome gift of a fruit tray. The room was tasteful, modern and elegant, with a 32" flat Sony television with surround sound to boot. The bathroom itself was lined with marble and the amenities were full-size (hey, I pay attention to stuff like that).
The service at the hotel was top-notch. For example, one morning they forgot to deliver my tea as specified with room service and ended up comp'ing the whole $35 breakfast to me. Room service blazed through the room twice a day -- I could tell because the toilet paper roll was always folded neatly when I would get back to the room. Keep in mind that the self-parking is a little pricey at $20ish unless you want to park on the street. Apparently, there is also free parking at the golf course if you don't mind a little walk.
On Saturday, after a sumptious night sleep I rolled out of bed at 10AM and muddled my way down to the workout facility. Wowsers!! This place was amazing. The Spa is beautiful too, with a lap pool and a hot tub. I'm not much into the beach, which is probably good since it's a little walk or golf-cart ride from the hotel. They do have a private beach club, apparently, but I never really ventured down there.
There is no doubt: I'm coming back. During my stay, I was treated like royalty and felt "away" from the hubbub in San Francisco. My cares just melted away...
Posted at January 10, 2006 10:27 PM
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2 experiences with st. regis monarch beach
March 22, 2006 2:56 AM. Mike Borsetti said:
Highly disappointing: this place is avoid of any soul, it's all plaster and hollow appearances. Spaces are cavernous and empty, and too polished and varnished to feel comfortable and homey. The ocean is at the distance where it sends teasing calls you yet it's too far to enjoy it--and you're not on a bluff, just a slight hill. The best word to describe it is: cold.
April 13, 2006 2:04 PM. Jerry Feldman said:
Unfortunately, our experience was more like that of Mike Borsetti - a bit disappointing.
We found the service either one of two extremes - overly attentive and obsequious or nonexistent. When we first checked in, we were met by a "greeter" who insisted on chatting us up, which we preferred not to do. She insisted on standing next to us while we waited in line for quite a while. We would have much preferred an additional agent behind the counter to speed things up. When we did check-in, there was no acknowledgement of our Gold status (yes, I know it's not Platinum, but still) and when I asked, the response was a rather snearing indication that Gold meant nothing at this hotel.
Service at the terrace restaurant was awful. At least twice I had to get up and ask a server to please come to our table and take our order. Inside in the lobby lounge it was the same way.
Our "partial ocean view" consisted primarily of an ugly unlandscaped field with a glimpse of the ocean in the far distance. In fact, the hotel is on the mountain side of Pacific Coast Highway quite a distance from the beach, and if you do want to go to the beach, it is a very long walk or you have to wait for the cart shuttle.
We also wanted to try their top restaurant but found it closed the day we wanted. There were no signs or any mention of closure days in any of the hotel literature.
Not too long ago we stayed at the nearby Ritz. In our opinion the Ritz wins in just about every category. Its location is spectacular - on a cliff overlooking the beach with great views both north and south and trails leading directly to the beach - about 1 minute walk. Service was attentive without being instrusive everywhere. And at least a personal taste - the wood decor seems much more restful and classy than the sterile marble everywhere at the St Regis.
We will certainly think twice before going back to the St Regis.