Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa Review

I've started at Laguna Cliffs Marriott several times for a company holiday party, and it is always fantastic. Valet parking is quick, everyone is helpful and friendly, and the food is good. The rooms are large and clean with great views, and the beds are very comfortable. I look forward to staying here every year!

I was forced to stay here for a wedding and first impression is why is this place so expensive? You re a Marriott. My room had a dingy smell, the floor was sticky and the property is just old and not classy. $39 a day valet is ridiculous. It s not like you re parking Maseratis. But of all things, you didn t have our reservation on file, you gave us a special wedding rate of $279 which was a ripoff considering we found it half-off online. I wouldn t pay more than $150 for this place. The view is not even that great. Head down the road and actually stay in Laguna!

The location is nice, the hotel has been recently upgraded from what the receptionist told us (our room had a faint smell of paint as well as our hallways). The room was very clean and the view was pretty (ocean view/street view). However, I think this was definitely over the top pricing for what you get. We came to celebrate our anniversary and when we arrived they offered us a free upgrade! I was so excited, but when we got a sneak peak at the regular King size bed room and compared it with their upgrade, we noticed that the rooms are the exact same size with the addition of a stationary desk (kind of a bummer--but hey still a free upgrade). The people were extremely kind and very welcoming, the bar however was dead for a Saturday night, only one couple there (live music with an approx capacity of 50 ppl tops). Bar has no ambiance, do yourself a favor and walk to the boardwalk where there are several options for food at great prices. Apart from the bar is their small downstairs restaurant, I will admit that the Sunday buffet is pretty darn good here and definitely recommend waking up for that. Parking is $40 which would be ok if parking was far but 10 steps away is free parking outside (we would've definitely opted for this if we knew). Also if you are a member there's a secret menu (I saw the dessert being served and it looked amazing) our dessert however was so sad looking (ice cream basic one scoop and cheesecake--$30). Do not waste your money on their menu, there is literally no wow factor and portion sizes were extremely small.

The resort was easy to access from the freeway and offers a great location near the ocean. Valet parking was provided for our event and the staff was kind and attentive.

Beautiful hotel, with unparalleled views and vegetation

Great service and excelllent views. Food and drink at the restaurant were also top notch. Good resort for kids with a large pool and water feature.

Must say will not go back. Not at all worth the experience. Customer was a 1 I go to the ritz and it is a 5. Need a lesson in service

Hotel is first rate! Excellent experience from the moment we arrived until the last minute of our departure. Every staff we encountered was very courteous and polite, not once we had bad experience. The hotel is very well kept, our room is immaculate. The front desk manager even handed plush stuffed animals to my kids the moment we stepped into the lobby. I couldn t ask for a better stay or experience.

What a great resort! You get first class service and a first class view of Dana Point Harbor. The spa and gym are top notch, but the pools are a little small.

Some friends and I came to the spa here for a prenatal massage and facial. It was magical!! I had gotten a prenatal massage elsewhere before and they had me lie on my side, which didn't make for much of a massage because there was no leverage. But here they have amazing pregnancy support pillows so you can safely and comfortably lie on your stomach. Stephany, my massage therapist was absolutely amazing! She was so friendly and really went above and beyond to make sure I got everything out of my massage. I had developed sciatica from my pregnancy and she was able to make it feel so much better and even gave me tips with how to deal with it. I left feeling so comfortable and relaxed. My facial was exceptional as well, and the facility is amazing. The relaxation room really does put you at ease and the locker room has everything you could possibly need (including some mind blowing showers). Would definitely come back!

This beautifully located hotel has finally reopened. We went on Wednesday for drinks, food and views. Christine who has been the bartender for the many years we have been going there welcomed us back and gave us outstanding service as usual.

I used to love this place until past week.
Our Fire alarm went off multiple times, early in the morning when were desptete for sleep.
Our 2 night stay was over 800.00 dollars- due 8 resort fees, 25.00 a pop, so 860.00 for 2 nights.. The manager was rude. Even when she knew our stay was bad. She didn't even apologize. Used to be a regular-will not go back.
Inga
Inga Tritt

Absolutely beautiful location at the top of the hill. Public park right below the hotel. Wonderful views of the Pacific. Great on location restaurant. Just a short walk to other varied restaurants and the public piers down the hill

We stay at Stanwood hotels a lot, but were not impressed with this one. One of the rooms was in disrepair, and we weren't given our usual rewards. I also felt the spa staff was rude to us upon entry.

37$ parking? Plus resort fee? And overall a bit boring place

Service is great, very attentive. Location is next to the beach and has great views of the ocean. Rooms are a little outdated in terms of decor, and have some annoying quirks like no exhaust fan for the bathroom, and a very cramped bathroom space.

Nice resort with great views. However not too happy that on top of the cost of the room, you are charged $59.50. $32 because you HAVE to valet your car. And a $27.50 "resort fee".

Place is showing its age and food/beverage leaves a lot to be desired.

They have great rooms with great staff, and very nice accommodations

Nice but a little long in the tooth, bathroom backed up not good...

It's very clean well worked on as it is a hotel of the Marriott branch

Amazing views and an awesome pool area for kids. Only downside is that the parking is valet only.

Great location, phenomenal facilities, and extremely helpful staff

Gonna start with a big one - Room Service enters the room to do turn down service even though the do not disturb tag is hanging on the door. We also had late checkouts on 3 rooms and RS disregarded that and started tearing sort the rooms.
And now the largest complaint: my wife is disabled. This hotel has no way of evaluating the special needs for a guest and their reservations. I'll be frank they disregard those needs - in this case a connecting room for a caregiver. I spent 30 minutes with the reservation agent planning out the occasion (wife's birthday) and detailed the special needs. Now I have stayed in this hotel before, know the room arraignment exist...the shift manager tried to lie to me that they did not. If I knock on those rooms would I find perfectly healthy people in an accessible room? The Marriott answer is to say they can only take request for special needs. I'm gonna see what the regional manager and Marriott corporate say to that...if not them I will push this into the ADA and any other agency for the rights of the disabled.
I'm this case I am sure what I am looking at is poor management, this is a hotel that books large weddings and business conferences. I would hate to think they ignore repeat guests in such manner. I'll say this, when it comes to wedding guest, very few of them will ever return to this venue. Returning guest in the hospitality business are golden, apparently this hotel management doesn't actually believe that.

Expensive but very beautiful, great views, and friendly professional staff.

I wish I could be there more times amazing place and servic

Great views and service. Bartenders are at tentative and smiling.

Very kind and professional staff. Valet service was great. We arrived Saturday night and enjoyed the pool on Sunday, not crowded at all and great pool staff. Unfortunately we had more negative experiences than we would've ever expected from a Marriott property. Our lunch order took 45 minutes. Even though our waiter apologized, we weren't given a discount or comp. When the food arrived, it definitely wasn't worth the $18. Then our room didn't get cleaned for two days which wouldn't have been so bad except the shower only has 1/2 shower door so we had to use extra towels to dry up the puddles so we had a pile of soppy towels and ran out of them too. We requested more towels and coffee when our room didn't get cleaned, but only received the towels. When we finally did receive a room cleaning, a dirty coffee mug and glass were left, the bed wasn't made, there was a puddle in the bathroom, and the maid service cleaning rag was left on the desk. Also a pasta dish from the restaurant had very undercooked pasta but again when we mentioned it, no discount or comp provided. Finally addressed the concerns with the front desk manager and received $100 off our overall $1500 bill...meh.

Great Location, accommodations and staff. Will definitely be returning with our family.

Newly remodeled, the room has internet tv and Tivoli audio clocks. Location and customer service are also great (:

Long walk to other end of hotel if you room is on the east end. Great location and beautiful views. Helpful staff.

Love this hotel! Best spa experience ever. We got a room with a view of the harbor and a balcony. Awesome to sit out and watch the boats. New renovations give the hotel a nice update.

A really nice resort for relaxing. You can walk to the wharf and see all the boats, eat at the restaurants.

The hotel itself is 5 stars.

This is mainly a review of the person I spoke to in accounting (and the hotels valet and quiet hour policies).

The hotel charged me for three nights of valet (which was the duration of my stay), even though I used it for about 12 hours (a family member stayed down the road which had free parking). No big deal, call in, and get it changed. As I spoke with the accounting department, the person I spoke to immediately was rude. I explained what happened, and he responded with "You returned your rental car after one day?" Now I can't prove his intentions, but one could infer that he didn't believe me based off the question and his tone. He then went on to say that I should have checked with the front desk (I agree I should have) because the hotel assumes you will use valet for the duration of your stay. However, the head valet attendant said they do a count of the cars every night and therefore they should have known I used it only one night. They are refunding my money, but a big part of hotels is about hospitality (in my opinion).

Lastly, we used their on-site pickleball court (and they provide the equipment) at 10 am on Saturday and got a noise complaint. Policy is policy however those quiet hours seem a little strict.

Attended a wedding at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa. It was a beautiful venue and the staff were extremely helpful and considerate.

Came here for a wedding reception so I have no idea what the rooms look like. Good location as its close to the beach. Parking can be difficult unless you want to vallet your car. I came on the day when there was a heatwave (100++ deg F) and the lobby was just too hot. Their a/c couldn't handle it.. im not even sire if they had a/c in the lobby. other than that the place was beautiful and it offered very scenic views. The reception hall looked great and the staff were nice.

this hotel is absolutely gorgeous!! the back side is looking over the harbor and out into the ocean and the general majority of the rooms also look out into the ocean! the hotel staff are super nice and very friendly to work with. My family hosted a wedding here and we forgot a few things and the hotel staff figured it out in minutes! the road up to the hotel can be tricky if you dont know the area so I would definitely use apple maps or my preferred method Google maps!

I did however run into one problem while we were there that was frustrating. I needed a 9volt battery which to me isnt something super out of the ordinary. their gift shop didnt carry the battery BUT they had CR123s and flat batteries for watches! batteries that an average person generally wouldnt need often. I was told that if I needed a 9v I would need to drive to a CVS or gas station near by (which is just a little to far to be convenient). this bothered me but there wasnt much that could be done...

image: the back grass patio looking down on the dana point harbor!

Great location, beautiful setting, and amazing views we're the highlight of my short stay. I will definitely be returning for vacation during the summer.

like the location, Property has just been renovated looks and feels awesome, clean rooms comfortable beds, good breakfast, friendly staff!!!!!!

Clean, updated, friendly and helpful staff. Lots of amenities on the property and easy walk to the beach, parks, and restaurants.

Fabulous...great service all around. Fantastic updated rooms. Ordered food to the room around 10pm..no problem. Ahi tuna salad..omg..so delish. Highly recommend this place. Valet only parking FYI.

Nice place to sit and have a drink. Cocktails we're average.

My experience has been great we are updating the electrical the state has been suppereb in helpfullnee and kind

Stunning views. Easy walk to the Harbor, great shopping.

My stay at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa was great! The room was nice and service was excellent. The hotel is conveniently located just off the 5 freeway, and very close to the beach.

When we first walked into our room...there was crazy loud construction on the floor above us!! We were tired from a long flight and this was completely unacceptable for them not to tell us about this. We couldn't hear the TV or have a conversation. This wasn't minor hammering....it was major sounding like the floor was going to cave down on us. We left for the evening. Luckily it stopped when we returned late. We will see about today.

Valet was effing expensive. But resort was very nice.

Was only there for a short period of time, but the staff were all very friendly and helpful.

Excellent staff. Beautiful grounds. The updated rooms were very comfortable and had so many amenities. We enjoyed our stay!

Lovely outdoor dinning and lounge area work Great views of the water. Newly updated and pools/hot tub are great.

Had a wonderful time at our conference, this place is gorgeous!

Very good ocean view. Valet parking available. Nice hotel. Very clean and nice room. Overall very good experience.

I love this resort. This is the fifth time I have stayed here, and the location, facilities and staff make this a solid competitor to the ultra luxe places up the road at Monarch Beach. Staying in May beats the crowds, making it feel like it's your own place. I can imagine that at full occupancy it's not as luxurious. If you are planning a get away, I'd make sure they aren't hosting a conference. Also, the amenities to lend are a little scarce, so reserve that bike or surf board well in advance.

It was an amazing experience. The only drawback was I was told I had complementary parking and they charged me anyway.

It was ok but they stocked a limited selection of veer and the steak was a bit overdone

What an amazing place to have business meetings and conduct a training! Gorgeous views and very helpful staff !

Great property with fantastic views. Rooms were clean and spacious. Staff was attentive and professional.

Gorgeous location. The hotel is very money / fees for everything focused. We are have been Marriott members for YEARS and really know the wide variety of hotels. This was the worst one in all of the places we have stayed as far as additional fees and unfriendly and unaccommodating staff. The valet and a couple of the front desk folks were very helpful. We paid $25 for four bottles of water that should be given for free with being a rewards member for the number of nights stayed. Charged $20 corkage fee to use the wine bottle opener to open a bottle of wine we picked up from a winery. We were not even dining. Asked for late check out and was denied saying hotel is full however I could book another night. We would rather spend the extra money in tips to the staff for good service...which we do tip very well...rather than the nickel and dime. Just very money hungry appearance and not really rewards members focused or appreciative. I will pick a different location when we come back.

I was a guest here overnight, and also volunteering and supporting a charity event recently. The front desk staff was great. The bar staff was friendly and great during our lunch. I had a lovely chat with the F&B Manager during my lunch, she was amazing. Unfortunately the rest of the management was curt, petty, unwelcoming and far from accommodating. One manager in particular, Brandon, was unnecessarily difficult, and made the mistake of treating myself and other volunteers like we were not his concern. Little did he know, we were all hotel guests as well. I was not alone with my feelings regarding the overall tone from management. It left such a bad taste in my mouth, that I didn't even stay the night, and just went home after the event. Never again, will I volunteer for this event if it will be held at this resort, and I certainly will never set foot on the property again. It is a shame, because in several years past, I enjoyed the hotel.

I normally only review places where I'm excited to support them. My experience where at Laguna Cliffs Marriott was so disappointing that I feel compelled to write a poor review.

The hotel itself is located in a nice area. The staff was very good and very resort like, which I'm not a fan of. I can carry my own bags and get my own directions. But that is what it is, I'm sure there's people that like to feel like they are "being taken care of," I'm just not one of them.

But that's where the good feelings ended. It was clear they went out of their way to over charge for everything. $37/day for guests to park (plus it was clear that the staff wanted a tip to park your car and get your car every time. There was no self parking), $20 martinis, $15 gin and tonics, $6 for 1/3rd of a can of coke in a glass and you didn't get the rest of the can of coke. Breakfast plates were $20 a plate at their restaurant.

Its as if they felt they had to go over the top on price to create the allure that they were a fine establishment. We were charged the full amount for our entire stay upon checking into the room, even through we were not supposed to be charged anything, as we were part of a large group staying there for an event and the event host was paying for all the rooms. Our credit card was just suppose to "hold a deposit" on the room, but alas, I do have a completed charge for something I was told I should not have received a charge for because I was to pay the host of the event for our room. Our host for the events states they were over charged several thousand for the whole deal. So Marriott has charged me as well as the event host for the room I occupied. Our host is working to straighten this out of course, but for the $15,000+ spent on the event, you would think you could walk away feeling great about the experience.

I'm not to sure how Marriott is structured, but I'll be looking into that. If they are all actually owned by the corporation, then I don't think I would ever choose to stay at a Marriott again. For sure I would never stay at this location ever again.

Good location, rooms are nice but the beds are only small doubles and the plumbing is loud.