I stayed here this past weekend (Fri to Sun, July 29 - 31) to use two expiring FNCs and it was a great stay. This was my second stay here.
We got upgraded to an ocean view, the room ended up being Room #47 which was right behind the kids pool. The view was OK. Not as nice as Room 125 (in building next to El Farallon) I got last year on my first stay here. Thankfully, the kids pool was rarely used, so it was calm during my stay.
Breakfast was good. We stuck to the Continental offering which I found more than substantial. The fruit was fresh and the granola offered was a huge amount and tasted great, very but heavy which I love.
We enjoyed the tequila and the salsa/guac amenities both nights. We also enjoyed the little amenities offered by the pool. Very nice touch.
We tried out the champagne bar by the beach and it was great and very relaxing.
For Dinner, we just went to the city for tacos. We hit up Tacos Guss which we found to be great and much better tasting that anything El Farallon offers
. As someone said above, EF is more about location.
I think if I were to stay here again, I'd email the hotel in advance to see if I can get a room in in the building next to EF, that's if they won't offer a suite beforehand. The views of the ocean from there are just great.
Anyway, I really feel this is the best property to use FNCs in North America.
Note... After this stay, we spent one last night at The Cape. Huge difference between the properties. WA is more if you want to rest and relax and have less people around you. The Cape gave me Vegas pool vibes minus the riff raff. The Sunday afternoon we were there, the pool area was busy but not bad. I got the impression the pool can get super busy though, which I would not like. Drinks offering is better as the WA. The Cape free brekkie wins, hands down.