Has anyone stayed there recently. I checked the rants and raves and found most people liked the hotel but the most recent poster did not. I am looking for a nice hotel, on the beach for a relaxing weekend with spouse. I am looking into one of the cheaper garden view rooms. Any comments on those?

The Ritz at Laguna Niguel is a beautiful hotel with beautiful grounds, but just so you know, it is tremendously over-priced. Even if the room price isn't over the top, everything else is. We also stayed in one of the garden view rooms. Parking was additional $25 or 30 a night. Lunch at the pool (2 hamburgers and 2 fruit smoothies) was $50.

Surf and Sand is a much better choice. RC is in Laguna Niguel---more isolated if you want to be at the beach. See lots of suggestions on "Long southern Cali weekend" above.

Actually I saw that post and called the Surf and Sand and the room rate there was about $60 more per night than at the Ritz. I guess it will even out if I have to spend $50 for a couple of burgers at the Ritz. Price aside, which resort do you prefer? I don't play golf but do love the beach, spa, eating, and being outside.

Just to let you know we stayed there a few years ago, and while the room was nice enough, the whole place seemed to me to suffer from pretentiousness. I love luxury as much as the next guy, but didn't like the attitude. For the record, just down the road a mile or 2 is a lovely inn called the Blue Lantern inn. For a similar price, you get a wonderful(much nicer than Ritz Carlton), large room w/ fireplace and big spa tub in bath. It is a much prettier room and the views are beautiful. The only thing is, it doesn't have room service, though it does serve a nice breakfast included in price... If you gave me a choice, the Blue Lantern would win hands down.

The Ritz at Laguna is an exceptional property, well run and beautiful. Take the above comments with a grain of salt.
If you love nice places then stay there. If you are uncomfortable in luxurious surroundings and find such settings "pretentious" then don't stay there -- you won't be happy. If counting your dollars is more important on this trip than feeling like you are really enjoying some unparrelled luxury then go elsewhere. Of course hampburgers and smoothies will cost $50 for two. Those prices help offset such things as the uniforms the staff wear, the training sessions they are given, and the high staff to guest ratio. If paying for those things makes you uncomfortable then don't go.

If money is no object, the Ritz is a beautiful hotel. The garden view rooms are fine. I still think that when a hotel charges $240 a night for a room, that it's petty to charge an additonal $16 to $20 dollars to overnight park a car. I miss the days of hang gliders sailing off the hill where the hotel now sits. The beach below is fairly nice, but if you stay down the road, the surrounding beaches are just as nice. You can drive right in to the parking lot next to the hotel and pay your $2.00 for the same beach. (of course you miss out on the hotel cart shuttling you down to the beach.) There's not much else except for the beach and the local Starbucks by the hotel. If you enjoy waking around your hotel, you might be better off down in San Clemente, at Dana Point, or in Laguna. Yes, you can have room service, but do you really want to pay $25 for a light breakfast. check with the hotel if they have any special weekend deals. Although it has never dissappointed, I would probably pay no more than $175 a night to stay there.

this is just to tell previous poster that I've stayed at plenty of "luxury resorts" and just because a place is nice doesn't mean the wait staff needs to have an attitude. Stayed at 4 Seasons Aviara down the road in Carlsbad last month, and detected no such attitude........

lottie, in my opinion the quality of service (and attitude of the staff) at every single Four Seasons I've stayed at has been exemplary. And while most Ritz properties provide nearly the same, I think the difference between the two chains, on average, has widened noticeably the past 5-7 years. RC seems to be falling behind the pace set by FS. Just my experience.

Still deciding between the Ritz and Surf and Sand. I have gotten the same rate at both properties. any comments on the Surf and Sand? Is it full of kids? Noisy (other than the sound of the waves which I have been warned about)? how is the food there?
I am only going for two nights so the fact that the Ritz is out of the way doesn't bother me - I'm happy to sit at the hotel.

Julie, the Ritz Carlton is in Laguna Niguel which is inland and up hill from the town of Laguna Beach which is right on the beach! The Ritz is isolated from the rest of Laguna Beach, which may make it better or worse for you. There is a shuttle to take you down the hill to the beach. The Surf and Sand is on the beach, as in walk out the door to the beach. It is also easy access to smaller restaurants and art galleries in downtown Laguna Beach. But it will be more noisy and crowded in town. In the end, you must decide. Must say I've never found anyone at a RC to have an atitude and we've stayed at many of them. Good luck with your decision. Mine would be Surf and Sand, but that's me, not you.

$240 for the RC Laguna Niguel? Where did you stay - in the maid's closet? You definitely got a deal. I have never seen a room for less than $450 there...and that pales in comparison to the RC Naples, where rates go as high as $800/night for a standard room.

As far as rates go, it depends on the time of year.

A room can be had at the RC Naples for $200 in the summertime.


Anyway,
The RC Laguna Niguel is one of my favorite hotels.

As far as the supposed pretentious nature of the hotel, I can tell you that it is a myth.

I can testify to this based on an experience on my most recent visit. I am not from California. Over the years, I have made it a farce-like tradition to visit In-Out Burger at least once per trip (the best fast-food around IMO).

As the valet pulled up I mentioned to my girlfriend simply, "I hope we find one" (not specifically mentioning In/Out Burger).

The valet turned to me and without hesitation asked if I needed directions to In/Out Burger. He said he was asked for directions to this little burger joint by out-of-towners quite often.

I was very impressed that a hotel where I just had spent hundreds of dollars for dinner for two the night before would be so unpretentious to blindly offer directions to a $3 per meal hamburger shack.

Go to the RC Laguna, you will not regret it.

Nice story Tango.
Examples speak volumes.

A few years ago, we did a girl's weekend and stayed at the ritz. I thought it was chi-chi, but considering we were all around 23 years old and stuffed 4 girls to a room, they weren't snobby about it. We had a good time, and if you don't care that it's a bit isolated, it's always fun to see what a ritz is like.

We got a "garden view" room at $250. I would ask to actually get a view of something. We were waaaay off to the side...a big tree blocked whatever tiny view we could have had of the beautiful pool area off to the far right. But hey, we got a garden view, to be sure.

Re: Rates at the Ritz. My husband and I are staying for 3 days in September for $250 per night for an ocean-view room on a AAA promo. Call the SoCal AAA office if you are a AAA member anywhere in the the US for the package. The rate includes the parking and resort fees. There's normally no need to pay the rack rate anywhere. AmEx also has a promo running right now with the Ritz where garden view rooms are $260 with parking and resort fees and breakfats included.

Enjoy!