The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel

Stayed for two nights to celebrate my husband birthday at the end of March We found the hotel , which is beautifully situated to be pretentious and uptight. While the staff were attentive and helpful especially in the restaurant and coffee shop the overall feeling in the hotel was cold and false and not friendly. . There is no area indoors to just sit and gaze and enjoy the beautiful view, the ideal area for this was taken up with the restaurant. Our room was in an area that was dark small and depressing the corridors were really cold and there was always a wind blowing through them. Doors to the outside were always open in spite of the coolish weather. The pool area was lovely as was the outside bar and well maintained and the views were lovely. While at the hotel I lost a lovely cardigan in either the restaurant or bedroom. The staff were attentive when I called in taking details but it never showed up much to my disappointment as it was a special gift. Overall a stuffy and disappointing experiencing .

Reserved and prepaid room with partial view. Were put in room with no view. No internet / wifi in the room (1st floor). Called about it 4 times but it wasn’t fixed during the 48 hrs we stayed there Room not clean. Clipped nails of previous guest around the bed. Noise from guests in room above. In-room dining took more than an hour to deliver … Empty minibar (which is a problem with slow room service). Comment from guest services : « actually, we don’t do that anymore ». I wonder why. The hotel is not living up to its reputation, its five stars and its very high prices

This is the second time we have stayed here. And the Ritz always kept to its expectation as to service and quality of food. We wanted to check out their gingerbread display and decided to stay the night. The check-in was quick. We stayed in the garden room which was a little dark we had to have the lights on during the day. However, it had a patio next to a small pond so our daughter took delight in looking at the fishes. Love the double sink and the marble flooring and counter in the bathrooms. The room was also equipped with a small refrigerator and complimentary bottle water. It was also close to the pool which was heated. We had dinner at Raya and the food was delicious. I had a Maine Lobster Salad and it was packed with lobster. For breakfast, I headed to the Market Place - here I had to wait. They only had one person taking the order and another one making coffee - there was a short line. They were also out of doughnuts and plain bagel. If there is an area they need to improve, it would be in this department, during the breakfast hours. Otherwise, we had a pleasant stay and would most likely return.

When I checked in, the room had half eaten sandwich with half empty water bottle. It was very dirty room. I complained and they changed room right away. But new room was not that impressive at all. Paint was peeling off and strange odor was detected. If this was $90 motel, I wouldn't mind, but it was $700 per night five star hotel. Simply put it, It was unacceptable. Also, the water in the room was charged without me knowing it. I found that out after I checked out. They should have told me that it will cost me $5 per bottle..... I regret being there. If they want to use the name RITZ Carlton, they should shut down the hotel and remodel the hotel first.

The service was amazing. We had a fireside coastline view room. If you are there during chillier months, it's definitely worth the extra cost. Very romantic and cozy.

Arrived at 5pm, just in time for a sunset cocktail on the outdoor patio. Snacks provided and drinks were perfect. Had a delicious dinner in the restaurant. Bedroom was beautiful. Love those pillows! Toured the surrounding area the next day, but returned for sunset outside with drinks and hearty appetizers. Had fun meeting new people seated near us.

Friendly front desk stuff. Concierge didn't have a good knowledge about restaurants in the area. Room: good size, amazing ocean view, beautiful bathroom. We ended up eating all our meals at the hotel. Great restaurants. No need to go anywhere.

The Ritz Carlton is well known for their outstanding customer service, however, when you combine this with an epic location like Salt Creek Beach, perfect 78 Degree weather, and an sophisticated, yet modern attention to design - this hotel is simply in a very rare class of hotels. Do yourself a favor, and do this at least once in your life.