Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach

I was pleased that they honored my diamond status. I was immediately upgraded and received a $50 food credit. My wife and I was there to celebrate her birthday. We received an additional gift in our room for her birthday. It was a bottle of wine, however we should have asked for fruit because we do not drink...lol. The room was spacious with a desk, couch, king size bed, and a fire pit. The hotel is terrific overlooking the pacific ocean. The bathroom was large with a tub and shower. The amenities were good with a tram taking you to the restaurant and beach regularly. They provided us with complimentary bikes, although a bit of advice is spend some money to get the e-bike because there are hills to traverse. I will add when you go to the beach near the hotel, you can have free beach chairs, kites, beach toys, and towels. Although we didn't take our kids, this place is family friendly. Overall, we thoroughly appreciate our stay with zero complaints! Read less

My wife and I recently stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach when we were in Orange County and had one night to spend in a relaxing resort setting near the beach. We found that the Waldorf is a beautiful resort, with rooms that have been impeccably renovated from top to bottom in a manner that was very well-executed. I was impressed at how well maintained the whole property was, and despite being set back a bit from the ocean, it has lovely distant ocean views. However, it was a bit large and busy for our taste, and the Beach Club, which was a key feature that made us choose this hotel in particular, was surprisingly mediocre on the day we visited. Trip Planning: For this stay, we considered the Waldorf Astoria and a few of its competitors in the area, namely the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, the Resort at Pelican Hill, and the Montage Laguna Beach. The Montage was too expensive compared to the others for a quick one-night stay where we weren’t going to use many amenities. We were originally going to choose the Ritz, since it’s right at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean and is a brand that we generally trust, but pictures made rooms look a little dated, and we read too many mediocre reviews. Having access to the Beach Club at the Waldorf, along with the newly and nicely renovated rooms, really drew us to this property in particular. We reserved our stay through a travel agent in the Hilton Impresario program, which enabled us to get free perks (I highly recommend doing this). For no extra cost, our reservation included priority early check-in, a room upgrade based on availability, a one-time $100 hotel credit, and a breakfast credit each morning, which could be used in the restaurant or for room service. Arrival: On the day of our arrival, we were driving down from LA, and I received an alert pretty early in the day that our room was available, with a mobile key ready in the Hilton app to go straight to our room without visiting the front desk. When we arrived later, around 3:00 pm, the hotel was very busy. It was a Saturday, and the driveway was full of cars. I did appreciate that there seemed to be a lot of valet staff members working, so we were directed to a spot to unload and helped by a staff member immediately. However, he wasn’t a great ambassador for the hotel as our first point of contact. He wasn’t very friendly, although I did appreciate that he immediately offered us bottled water. He then asked if we needed luggage assistance getting to the room, which we declined, but I found it odd that he then just stood there watching us get the luggage out of the car ourselves. Even if we didn’t need assistance getting to our room, it would be completely standard for a valet to still at least help out with the initial step of getting everything out of the car. Otherwise, my initial impression of this resort was that it is very lovely – it’s a large, well-maintained property with extensive manicured grounds and Mediterranean architecture. Even though it is a luxury hotel and looks the part, it felt busy all the time. During our stay, there were several meetings and events going on, which makes things feel loud, crowded, and impersonal. I’m sure that being there on a Saturday, the busy feel and number of events was at a maximum. In recent years we’ve gravitated away from such large and busy resorts, and this stay reminded us of why we now prefer smaller hotels that will likely have more personal service and more normal paying guests, rather than people there for work who might not otherwise stay at this level of hotel. Room: We don’t frequently stay at Hilton properties, so I wasn’t sure whether I should trust the mobile key or stop at the front desk for regular keycards as backup (at Marriotts, for example, it’s never consistent for me if a mobile key will actually work, so I always also stop at the front desk). The line to check-in here looked pretty long, so we decided to give the mobile key a try first, and I’m glad we did – it worked perfectly. I’m not used to hotel mobile keys that don’t require having your phone directly on the lock just perfectly to get it to work. Here, I could hit the unlock button a few feet away on my phone. The app was helpful in providing directions on how to get to the southern wing of the hotel where our room was located, which required a decently long walk down past meeting/conference rooms to an elevator bank. Our room was on the 1st floor, so we had to go down from the lobby, which is on the 5th floor with the way the hotel is built into a hill. Going down four levels from the lobby to our room felt a bit odd and like we were descending down into a dungeon, but everything was perfectly nice on all floors. As one of the perks included in our rate, we received a very nice upgrade to a resort view fireside terrace room (we had booked a pool view room). The main draw of the fireside terrace rooms, all of which are on the ground level, is that they have a private gas firepit, which is a great feature to enjoy at night. We were excited about the firepit upgrade, even though we technically lost our pool view for a lesser view. It was still a pleasant view of nicely manicured grounds outside of some of the conference/meeting areas, and there was a waterfall nearby that created nice background noise. I noticed in the Hilton app before our stay that they were selling several upgrade options, which would be confirmed based on availability on the check-in day. I did notice that the fireside terrace rooms were offered for about $110 extra per night as pre-arrival upgrades, and they tend to be sold in advance for a higher premium per night over lower room types. Waiting for an upgrade offer in the app may be a good way to get a better room at a discounted upgrade price. I was very impressed by our room itself. I know that this hotel has gone through several re-brandings over the years, most recently being an independent resort, and being a St. Regis for a long time before that. I knew that the rooms had be renovated as part of the Waldorf Astoria re-branding, but I wasn’t sure how extensive those renovations actually were. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the renovation was extensive and beautifully done, with a sort of coastal transitional feel. Everything in our room felt so nice and new, and it just had a great feel overall. The room was calm, with everything in neutral shades of tan and gray, but not in a nondescript, boring manner. They did a great job of using furnishings that felt substantial and upscale, with a nice mix of different textures, accessories, and art that gave the room a sense of place and was actually interesting to look at. I also appreciated that the room was designed in a very functional manner. It was a nice size, with good storage and all the amenities you need. Even just simply having a couch for relaxing but also a separate desk area with two chairs was great. The room was well-stocked, and I was really happy to see that the closet already had two extra foam pillows, which I prefer over down, so I didn’t even have to ask for them. The bed was comfortable and we were able to get a good night’s rest. The bathroom was large and very nice too. Although its older marble and vanity appear to be some of the last remaining vestiges of past lives of this hotel, it was well-stocked and in great condition, with other small accessory updates that tie it all together with the rest of the room. The Aesop bath products were nice, and thoughtful extra touches like bath salts and comfy robes made for a great experience. Even though the double vanity was a good size, there’s already a lot of stuff on it, so I liked that there were extra shelves in the bathroom that were great for extra toiletry storage. The only slightly negative comments we had with the bathroom were that the shower head was a little dated and could be upgraded, and I don’t see the need for the shutters and wall cutout between the bathroom and the bed. It feels dated, and even with the shutters closed, if one person is in the bathroom while the other person is trying to sleep, light is going to leak out which is annoying. We really enjoyed sitting out on the terrace in the Adirondack chairs in the evening by the fire pit. It was very easy to turn on the fire using a wall switch, and although it didn’t generate as much warmth as we would have preferred, it created a nice ambiance. I also liked that the door from the room to the terrace was equipped with a full room key lock, so we were able to walk directly out from the terrace along hotel grounds with our room locked behind us and the ability to re-enter from the terrace. The mobile key feature in the app had separate keys for the terrace door and the main door, and worked great to unlock either one. We were celebrating a special occasion, and we were really appreciative that the hotel provided what actually felt like a sincere and thoughtful handwritten card, in addition to a small gift that was thoughtful and relevant to the reason we were there, rather than just sending a generic food item. The only real complaint we had with our room, which was still minor, was that the hallway doors could be thicker. We were just a couple rooms away from the elevator, so we heard noise a few times when people were waiting for the elevators or walking by. We had requested a quiet room, so putting us so close to an elevator doesn’t fulfill that request. Luckily, most of the noise was earlier in the evening. I was woken up once by it in the middle of the night, but it was short-lived and I was able to fall back asleep immediately. Beach Club: The Monarch Bay Beach Club, the hotel’s private beach club, was the only amenity we really had time to experience. Otherwise, we just relaxed on our terrace. The Beach Club was the main thing we were excited about at this hotel, since it seemed unique in the area to have an actual hotel restaurant and place to relax that was right on the beach. The tradeoff for the hotel being a bit set back from the beach was having extra beach amenities that other hotels in the area don’t have. While the Beach Club is technically walkable from the main hotel, unless you have a lot of time and want to explore the property, I’d take the hotel’s free transportation from the lobby to get there. The little open trams depart from outside the main lobby, from a stop a little way down to the left when walking out the main lobby doors. I believe the trams run on a continuous loop, so you should never be waiting very long for one. On the Saturday we were there, there were multiple trams waiting at the hotel lobby stop, and we joined one that was leaving immediately. The tram drivers were friendly, and the ride is pleasant, since you get to see more of the hotel and the golf club, with nice views along the way. On the way back we only waited about five minutes for the tram, so it was very easy and convenient to get back and forth between the Beach Club and the main hotel. The Beach Club itself is essentially just a bar and restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating, and then a variety of Adirondack chairs separately in the sand facing the ocean, some in little groupings with firepits. This is also where you’d go if you want to actually sit on the beach, and the hotel offers beach chair and umbrella service on the beach. I noticed that unlike other beach resorts, the beach chairs here are more of a standard beach chair you’d have at home (the type you can wear as a backpack when walking to the beach), and not a full chaise lounge that I’m used to at hotels at this price point. However, the beach is quite wide and uncrowded, so it looked like anyone who wanted to sit near the water had a lot of space. Despite the fact that all of the beaches in this area are picturesque and beautiful, we found the views looking toward the beach from the hotel to be more impressive than the beach itself. The beach is really wide, so you’re sitting pretty far back from the water at the Beach Club, and there’s a lot of standing water in the middle of the beach, which wasn’t the most idyllic view. I just felt that the views from higher up and other beaches in the area were prettier than the hotel beach. We were just there to have lunch at the restaurant, and were surprised at how busy and loud it was. I’m sure it was extra busy since it was a Saturday, but it just felt like a really basic, bustling restaurant you could find anywhere, not necessarily anything all that special. I think from what I had read in other reviews and from looking at pictures, I expected the club to feel like a bit more of an upscale beach club, not just a loud mid-range restaurant. I’m not expecting something formal at the beach, but it just completely missed the mark of what we were hoping for. Between adults screaming and yelling at the bar, and kids running around, it was chaotic. We probably would have been better off having lunch at one of the other hotel restaurants with an outdoor patio, which would still have a view, but a calmer ambiance. When we inquired at the host stand about getting a table for lunch and requested to sit outside on the deck overlooking the ocean, we were told it would be at least a 20-minute wait for a table. This would generally be fine, except for the fact that the table we were ultimately given was already empty the entire time we were waiting, along with some others, and it felt like the artificial wait was simply because they were understaffed and couldn’t actually accommodate guests as they should be able to. While waiting for our table, we went over to the chairs in the sand, and were just surprised the whole area felt really messy and chaotic. There were some tables that appeared to be regular restaurant tables on a lower patio next to the restaurant, and no one was being sat there, but chairs from those tables were just strewn everywhere. The Adirondack chairs in the sand were fine, but it was again far from calm and relaxing, and I was surprised to find that there was no drink service to those chairs, given that the hotel website shows pictures of people enjoying drinks there. A five-star hotel should absolutely have had a server working to serve people sitting in those chairs in the sand right by the restaurant. Once we were seated, it was a pleasant enough lunch with an ocean view, but it wasn’t anything special at all. Service was very slow, and we didn’t see a server for a long time after being seated. In the meantime, someone brought over bread to the table, but no butter, so it was sort of useless. My wife and I got chips and salsa (they were good, but hard to mess up), and then had the shrimp tacos and the BLT. Both of us commented that our sandwiches were mediocre at best. My wife’s BLT was really dry, missing almost any aioli, while the shrimp tacos were similarly kind of dry, with barely any of the crema they were supposed to have and actually too much shrimp. Everything about our lunch at the Beach Club was just mediocre. The venue, food, and service were all disappointing. Dining & Bars: We did not have a chance to dine at any of the other hotel restaurants, but there are several to choose from, so you could spend multiple days here without repeating restaurants very much. I’ve heard good things about Bourbon Steak, the Michael Mina steakhouse in the hotel. Aveo is sort of the standard “hotel restaurant,” serving all three meals each day. There is also a lobby bar, poolside restaurant, restaurant by the golf club, and a grab-and-go coffee shop. I like the amount of options, but we didn’t have a chance to try any others to have an opinion on their quality. Other Amenities: We didn’t have a chance to spend time at the hotel pool or spa, but the multiple pools looked lovely and scenic, with views of the Pacific. Everything we saw checked the boxes for this hotel featuring all of the amenities you’d expect at a luxury resort. There is a $63 per night resort fee to accompany access to these amenities, which is always annoying, but not surprising. The list of inclusions in the resort fee was pretty basic, including certain fitness classes and gym access, the tram to the beach, beach service, and use of bikes. I also saw that it included laundering of a set of workout gear each day, which is a little bit unusual. It says it can take 24 hours for turnaround if you use that feature. In combination with a $70 per night parking charge for valet parking, it was quite expensive just to be a guest here before you even factor in the room rate. I would also recommend making a point of being at the hotel for sunset. The sunset views were absolutely gorgeous from the hotel, and were a highlight of our time there. Location: I think the Waldorf is in a nice location. The nearby area is upscale and lovely, with the focus on the gorgeous natural beauty of the area and the Pacific Ocean. You’re a scenic ten-minute drive to Laguna Beach, which is one of the prettiest beach towns I’ve seen, and continuing up the coast, there are lovely state parks and views everywhere. Mission San Juan Capistrano is also ten minutes away for some history. The hotel is also basically equidistant from Los Angeles and San Diego, so you could easily pair a stay here with either one, or make this a stop in between the two. We also went from here to Disneyland on our departure day, and it was an easy 30-minute drive. Service/Overall: One thing that was missing during our stay was a feeling of luxury service. We had relatively few interactions with staff, which makes things a little harder, but those interactions that we did have just weren’t that great. As I noted above, our Beach Club experience wasn’t great, and arrival at the hotel was not the most welcoming. Since we skipped the front desk, there was no interaction there to potentially make things better and make us feel more welcome. I love newer technology like mobile room keys, but it definitely detracts from the traditional foundation of a luxury stay. I don’t know how a hotel like this can make guests really feel known and welcomed in that environment, but it felt like we were very much here on our own. Maybe some sort of touchpoint after guests have arrived who aren’t stopping at the front desk would be helpful, such as a welcome text message or phone call, or message in the Hilton app to still make guests feel seen and welcomed and to provide a known staff contact person for any questions or issues. I guess our departure was the best experience we had on the service side. We left the hotel very early in the morning, before 6:00 am, and the clerk I spoke with at the front desk to verify our final room bill was pleasant even at that early hour, and the valet who assisted us with getting our bags into our car was very nice as well. Overall, our quick stay at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach was totally pleasant. The bulk of my rating comes from loving the room and how nice and well-renovated it was. I impressed by the room and wish more hotels would approach room renovations as thoughtfully as this one did. In addition, I loved having the fireside terrace room with a firepit to relax in the evening. However, we were disappointed beyond that. Despite being very lovely and well-maintained, the hotel was big and busy, and we felt pretty anonymous. The main amenity we came to enjoy, the Beach Club, just fell really short of expectations. A longer stay might have helped to even things out so that we could have found other experiences that were more positive to outweigh this, but even with only being there for one night, I would have liked to have more positives. I do think the Waldorf is one of the best resorts in the area, and I would recommend it, but I’m not sure its large resort vibe and correspondingly mixed bag on service is quite for us. Read less

I am a lifetime Diamond member of Hilton and honestly when I travel (on business) it really has never felt that special. It’s not that I’m being mistreated. Never at a Hilton. It just isn’t SPECIAL. Well I arrived here today for a two night stay. I’m bringing my son who is a U.S. Marine here for 2 days as a treat because he’s arriving back from being deployed overseas. I haven’t seen him since May. Anyway prior to my arrival I worked with a reservation specialist named Theresa and she was amazing! And then when I checked in this afternoon two employees came out from their office and greeted me and thanked me for being a lifetime diamond member! I almost started crying it was so special. Honestly I was even surprised at my response. It was absolutely such a simple thing but it really touched my heart. I will always remember this place and the people and I definitely will be back. This resort is absolutely stunning. Rooms are beautiful. Exercise room has just been remodeled and it’s amazing. I’m going to watch the sun set with a glass of wine. So grateful! Thank you Hilton. Read less