I completed a one-night stay here just after Christmas, following a one-night stay at the Hyatt Huntington Beach. Both stays used expiring Category 1-7 certificates.

I was hesitant to stay here given some of the feedback on this thread, but my family loved the hotel and had a great stay. In warmer weather, for those looking for a resort/beach experience or something more kid-friendly, I would select the PH Aviara or Hyatt Huntington Beach. It was way too chilly for pools at our visit, so the very small pool at this hotel didn’t impact us.

I saw in the Hyatt app the day before arrival that we were upgraded to a coast view studio king (which ended up being on the top floor). At check-in, we were offered the choice between that and a fire pit room on the ground floor. The agent suggested we stick with the coast view studio, so we did. We arrived around 4PM and the couple next to us was having a difficult conversation about how their room wasn’t ready and there was no ETA for when it would be; this conversation went further downhill once they observed us getting a room straightaway and I did appreciate the hotel apparently prioritizing rooms for Globalists.

There are no rollaways or sleeper sofas at this property. Our son is still young enough to sleep in our bed so we booked a King as availability was much better.

I thought the room was beautiful, with a great bathroom. My son was delighted by the standalone tub and I thought the eucalyptus toiletries were great. I loved the view up the coast to the beach from our balcony. To my surprise, there was a turn down/refresh service while we were out to dinner, which I hadn’t seen anywhere since COVID. The room had two free hard seltzers and Nespresso, along with some sort of luxury sweetened condensed milk creamer that tasted like frosting. There was also a nice tea selection with four choices.

Breakfast was delicious the next morning. We were advised we could each order a drink, side, and entree and we did. The food was great; due to a minor service lapse the waiter also brought a fruit croissant which we ate for dessert and which was delicious. I also thought the fruit plates were very generous with unusual fruit. There were only four outdoor tables, which surprised me, we got the last one.

As others have noted, the pool is very small and the beach is rocky. In warmer weather, my son would have MUCH more fun at Huntington Beach with its three slides; we haven’t been to Aviara since the remodel but I think it would also be a better choice in warm weather. Still, my son had a great time playing on the rocky beach and the setting it just beautiful.

It’s also true that some of the rooms have very little privacy. We lucked out with a more private room on the top floor. I would definitely return, but likely not in the pool weather months.



Studio King Bathroom


Studio King (work area/desk is behind me, not pictured)


Studio King - Coast View


Coast View


Beach; looking back to the hotel


Shakshuka


Fruit plate


Breakfast dessert