Hivexo - Dana Point

The room and views are superb! The service from everyone was consistently exceptional. Walks on the beach or a hike around the area offered a nice opportunity to enjoy the outdoors without having to travel. Restaurant views are magical. Conveniently located near so many destinations, never a dull moment.

When we arrived at check in with our family of 6, we were told that we would not be given connecting rooms as promised over the phone. After a very long wait, they put us in 2 rooms not even close to each other. On top of that, it was the garden view, with the pool closed for a private event and preparation for a party. We would have to wait until after 5 pm for one of the rooms to be cleaned. They allowed us to access the double bedroom. When we walked in, it smelled like sewage. I called the front desk and asked to speak to the manager. She was accommodating and moved us to the club level 2 rooms not next to each other. Yippee. Again, this is annoying when you have packed your bags a certain way, you have small children, and you know you will have to walk up and down the hallways to borrow items during your stay. The club level was a nice way to make up for the mishap. The food at this hotel is outrageously expensive. The club level has a full bar and lots of small bites throughout the day. The club level hallways get a lot of traffic, and the carpets are always dirty. Food, hairballs, and paper trash were all seen. We had a nice rest that night. Going into day 2, we contacted the front desk to see if they had the connecting rooms as promised. They advised us that we needed to get out of our rooms immediately so that they could be cleaned for the next guests. They would store our luggage all day until our rooms would be ready. I mean, what terrible Customer service. We said that we would not be leaving the rooms we were paying for and that we would not let them store our luggage. The hotel ended up putting us in connecting oceanfront rooms after lunch. We had to leave the beach to come change rooms. Annoying, but a better situation for our family. The hotel is overcrowded. They can't keep up with the demand. Our shower doesn't drain. Stains on the carpet. Stains on our blanket in the closet. The valet costs $70 a day. It is always backed up. Be prepared to wait. 45 minutes wait to get ice delivered to your room. The guests below are smoking on their balcony. This makes it hard to smell the ocean or open your patio doors. The pool area is not clean. Cups, old towels and the pool looks slightly green. The basketball and playground areas were dirty with old cups and food containers. The beach is okay if you don't mind watching surfers. If you like to swim, you have to walk down to the public beach area. The lifeguards will remind you all day long. But, you feel like a rockstar when you don't have to carry all that beach junk down to the beach. They have everything you need! We have stayed at other Ritz hotels and know that this is not typical. We hope that they can make some changes before they lose their reputation.

I had the most delectable vanilla chai popsicle. You think it sounds good? It tastes 10 times better than you could imagine. The most perfect creamy chai flavor. The place was super cute and friendly! I’m so upset I don’t live near or else I’d go every day!

Ritz Carlton dana point is our new staycation. We used to love the hotel next door but it has gone down hill while the Ritz has rapidly excelled. Beautiful. Classy. Located on the cliff. They have these great fireside rooms where you have a fire pit in your patio overlooking the beautiful ocean and sunset. We love it. Feel special.

Service is unbelievable! Shae Salgado from in room dining went above and beyond to help with a request. I have a friend who has terminal cancer visiting and I wanted to send something to their room. Without me requesting, she spoke to her manager to have dinner taken care of for them as well. This kind of service and care doesn’t exist anywhere else! As an ambassador member, it’s important to me to have the best customer service and she went way above and beyond!