dpb132

Thanks JIMCHI for this information. My Hyatt Concierge was able to pre-block me into 105 for a paid stay in a few months.

I did a little digging and 105 appears to be the "Sunset Suite" while 102 is the "Point Lobos Suite." There are photos of both on Trip Advisor and also a couple of YouTube videos.

pageboy

I have booked a room here for the US Open at Pebble Beach in June 2019. I am looking for some restaurant recommendations for both breakfast and "later" night options, as we'll be returning from the golf. I will have a car, but also concerned about traffic during this event. Thanks in advance for any pointers.

SanDiego1K

Here's a list that I started for my own stays at the hotel.

Great dining in Monterey/Carmel

slm9555

shuuy

Given the "age" of Highlands and Category 7 vs 6, it would seems that the Carmel Valley Ranch is preferred over the Highlands Inn Hyatt Carmel?

JIMCHI

Depends upon what's important to you. Highlands Inn is pretty much all about the spectacular ocean view. Carmel Valley Ranch is more focused on golf and is a long ways from the ocean. I've stayed at both. As I don't play golf, Carmel Valley Ranch offered me very little.

jediwho

Has anyone had luck as an Explorist with upgrades or using the Club passes?

Maui4me1

There is no Club at that property.

dpb132

Just finished a 3-night stay here on a combination of Cat 7 certificate and points. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it as an aspirational Globalist redemption option, with a few relatively minor nits to call out.

I stayed in one of the two "speciality suites" that are located in the main lodge building, underneath the Sunset Lounge area of the main floor.

(Some background: I originally paid a cash rate for a speciality suite stay in Jan 2019, but got caught up in the government shutdown (couldn't leave town because I was an "essential" employee...don't get me started) and thus had to cancel. The front desk manager, Ozzy, was very understanding at that time and asked me to get in touch when I rescheduled. He very graciously upgraded my Feb 2020 cert-and-points stay into that same specialty suite at no additional charge, which I'm sure would be next to impossible in the summer season.)

Of the two, the "Sunset Suite" (Room 105) where I stayed fronts the ocean and has been recently renovated, but has no fireplace and is located entirely beneath the Lounge and is thus subject to the sounds of footsteps and moving furniture even in the middle of the night when the cleaners are in action. There is also an outdoor stairway that goes past the bedroom and bathroom/hot tub window areas, and while I didn't see anyone use it (it appears to be an "exit only" option from the Lounge that dead-ends into a storage closet), it's still a bit unnerving knowing that people could walk right past you while engaged in all of your business. The other speciality suite, the "Point Lobos Suite" (Room 102), is larger, has a fireplace, is only partially underneath the Lounge, and also has a full ocean view from the living room and adjoining outdoor patio. If I went back I would try to get into Room 102.

The grounds themselves were superbly kept. There are several fire pits and hot tubs located around the property and while I didn't partake seemed quite inviting as spaces to relax. The heated pool is a nice enough space as well, although too small to have any poolside services available (bar etc.). There is an outdoor deck area that serves as a special events space, most commonly for weddings I would guess based on the rose petal debris that I saw one morning LOL. I didn't use the gym on this trip but it seemed well-equipped enough.

As it is a small property, there is only one restaurant and bar in the main lodge building, the former serving breakfast (brunch on Sat-Sun), lunch, and dinner and the latter serving a lighter fare evening food menu. It is definitely pricey to eat and drink here so plan accordingly. The food was outstanding across the board; the chef's daily pasta was one of the best things I've eaten in 2020, and the Dungeness Crab Eggs Benedict was so good I had it two mornings in a row. I only wish there were more options on the dinner menu; having access to the bar menu helped a bit in that respect. It would also be nice if coffee was available in the main lodge in the mornings, and/or if they introduced even a basic grab-and-go option for folks heading out in the morning. Globalist breakfast benefit was applied at checkout and all charges (entree + side + coffee) were wiped; I presume there is a max daily $ limit but clearly I didn't hit it.

The views are, not surprisingly, spectacular from all areas of the dining and drinking complex, and it's quite busy leading up to and just after sunset. Things calm down a bit after it gets dark, and it winds down fairly early during the week. There is cheesy live piano and pre-recorded rhythm section music (think dance hits of the 70s/80s/90s) on the weekends; management would do well to junk that and bring in a classier jazz trio or something similar. The dress code at all times is casual enough where jeans will work.

Service was uniformly friendly and helpful, including (free) valet, front desk, housekeeping, and restaurant/bar. That being said, there were a few hiccups. Housekeeping did turndown service 2 out of 3 nights; some, but not all, toiletries were restocked; and I never received any replacement bottles of water (a quick trip to the front desk provided as many as I wanted, fortunately). One night I ordered a chopped wedge salad, which was great, but when I tried to order it another night the bartender told me the kitchen doesn't pre-chop its salads. But these were small misses within the grander scheme of a really nice stay in a spectacular physical setting.

A few miscellaneous tips:

- A car is an absolute must if you stay here. You can Uber to Carmel and Monterey but the price will add up and the availability of rides can vary significantly during the day. I can't imagine how isolated Alila Ventana must be in comparison.
- Point Lobos State Reserve is worth every minute you spend there, BUT it gets insanely crowded on the weekends and holidays. Best to arrive by 7:45am (gate opens at 8:00am) so that you can get a coveted parking space inside the Reserve and have some quiet time on the trails.
- Carmel-by-the-Sea is really lovely and a great option for lunch.
- I hadn't been to the Monterey Aquarium in 30 years and decided to go back. Definitely not worth the $50 (!!) adult admission fee, especially with the number of screaming kids afoot. Monterey itself (Cannery Row etc.) is super-touristy and overall best avoided IMO.
- Monterey Airport is small but increasingly functional, with multiple nonstops a day to SFO, LAX, PHX, and now DFW among others. Save yourself the hassle of a 2-hour drive from San Jose and fly to MRY if the price is right.


Half of fitness center

Other half of fitness center

Pool complex

One of the hot tubs

Outdoor event space

Property map

Main restaurant and bar

Sunset Lounge "indoor" area (fireplaces on either side of the room)

Sunset Lounge "viewing area"

Pathway access from front entrance (around the bend) to Rooms 102 and 105

Sunset Suite bedroom


Giant hot tub

Apparently renovated shower


Sunset Suite living room


Sunset Suite balcony

Directly beneath the Sunset Lounge

tigerwong

We stayed on the first day of the hotel reopening (the Residence was opened a week prior I believe) and not surprisingly the experience was lacking. For some context, we originally booked to arrive on 6/16 (the prior grand reopening) which was pushed to 6/19. Our initial booking was confirmed into a Townhouse with a DSU. The opening was pushed to 6/18 and we were given only 28 hours notice. No prob, we pivoted and cut the first two days off our trip. The next day we received a cancelation that stated the resort was now opening on 6/19. Unfortunately we lost our upgrade this time around. No problem, we will just go for the weekend. Oddly, we received no other correspondence from the Highlands team ahead of our arrival and since no one was manning the front desk prior to opening, we could not get any info to manage expectations.

We arrived early at noon. The front desk area looks like a bank counter now with plexiglass everywhere. We were upgraded from our Garden view room to an Oceanview room as a Globalist. We were informed that the restaurant was closed so we would be compensated with 500 points (yay...). The pool was open, the hot tub was closed. The gym has been moved to the second floor of the main building. The fire pits are also still available for use. The hotel was not providing housekeeping to maintain social distancing protocols which we were fine with. Requests to housekeeping was quicker than usual. The staff all wore masks. We felt “safe” during our stay which at this stage is perhaps the most important.

We still enjoyed our stay and the views cannot be beat. But the seclusion of the resort also exacerbated the lack of a restaurant. While we often eat off site, we typically enjoy our free Globalist breakfast at Pacific Edge because we are too lazy in the morning to rush into our day. There are no delivery options in the morning so we (I) had to trek 15-20 minutes each morning to pick up breakfast which was a pain. Most restaurants in the Carmel/ Monterey area were doing a brisk take-out business but be prepared to wait if you do not pre-order. In the end we think the hotel did the best given the circumstances. However, the lack for communication beforehand needs to be corrected (eg. HR Lake Tahoe sent us an email several weeks before to give us a heads up on conditions). We hope to be back when things are somewhat back to normal.

beachfan

Great review, thanks!

dpb132

I think you are too kind. I cannot imagine staying here without some semblance of food service being available.

JIMCHI

We have a stay for our 40th anniversary at the beginning of August. Have stayed there for our "celebration" for many, many years. But if it is the way it is now, with the restaurant closed, we will cancel and celebrate somewhere else. Unfortunately, maybe just at home

tigerwong

The staff didn’t know when the kitchen would reopen but the hope was by July.

hedoman

I couldn't figure out the (yay) for getting 500 points for the restaurant being closed. Missing breakfast for two = 10 dollars? I don't think so. Good report. Unless you're in a residence, this is not the place to be without a restaurant..