Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club

Everything was great, we did celebrate 4th of July with family having lots of fun.

We were given the worst possible room. Next to the elevator and “resort view” which is the view of the main restaurant. Major noise issues from diners and service employees opening and closing kitchen doors etc. We could not enjoy our balcony or leave the doors open for fresh air. There was dinner service into the night and early morning breakfast hours. We stayed in 3 different hotels for our stay in Dana Point as we were meeting family. Waldorf was the worst.

1st of all my check in was 4 and family wait 1 hrs my room be ready which definitely not accepted even didn’t say sorry and didn’t care at all 2nd not good quality restaurant available there only steak house was great 3rd charge me 70$ for vallet per night which never seen like that anywhere!! Also pool area was not clean

Great resort with exceptional staff. Would recommend this resort for families and for little children as their family pool has a splash pad and a low pool for little ones to enjoy.

The rooms were very clean. The rest of the property was not well cared for. The fire pits did not have gas and the staff refused to refill them. Dirty and broken dishes were left around the property for days, often in areas where young children played. I expected better service from the Waldorf.

The hotel has recently changed ownership after the St. Regis Monarch failed. The new owners don't appear to be doing much better based on the cutbacks in the number and quality of staff and services observed. Don't expect poolside service. If you would like towels you will need to set them up yourself, only 1 pool attendant for both pools in the morning, only 1 beach attendant. There is virtually no security. I gather this cutback was implemented due to the natural security afforded by the private road / semi private beach, however, service staff appears to be taking advantage of the lack of security and management supervision. Heavy Marajuana smoke present several times throughout the day. This was a problem as it came into our room were small children were present. Remodel is superficial. There were a number of broken items in our room. Housekeeping is inconsistent and ineffective. I had a face to face meeting with upper management due to the number of issues that plagued us throughout our stay. Management was either unwilling or unable to insure basic service standards were consistently upheld. Safety and liability issues had to be brought to managements attention two times before any corrective action was attempted. The problems that we experienced were wide ranging and interdepartmental. Multiple bad experiences which I do not have the time or inclination to go into. Provided your standards are not terribly high this might be the right place for you.

The amenities at the hotel were fantastic and each staff member was professional and friendly. The rooms were very comfortable and I appreciated the focus on wellness and complimentary exercise classes. It was also very family friendly which was a pleasant surprise.