Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa

Despite reading on several travel websites that the hotel has air-conditioning it does not. Our room was hot even though it was on 62f outside. There was a extra fan in the room before we arrived. The restaurant staff were slow and incompetent. Even though there were only one or two other customers we had to wait forever to be served our starters and wine. Only for the staff to try and serve our main course 20 seconds later. The worst thing though was the management attitude to complaints. For the first time in our lives we felt we just couldn't carry on and checked out immediately. All the hotel would say was that they wouldn't charge us for the meal we didn't get to eat, or for the room that we didn't get to sleep in. Our rental car was returned with dents in the wing. Having read other nightmare stories on TripAdvisor/virtualtourist.com/yelp.com etc we console ourselves that our experiences were not uncommon.

When I first arrived, I received an over the top greeting by the bellman. After a short time, I realized all the service was over the top, and I started to like it!
The hotel is impeccably clean, and perfectly located. The recreational trail is immediatly adjacent, and the Aquarium and Wharf are a short walk away. Kayaking and biking are also immediately available. Rooms are large and luxurious. The food at the restaurants is pricey, but was always excellent. Top notch place.