A Tale of Two Cities: amazing service & hotel spaces with some major disappointments

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Room Sunset M... , Signature Single Suite Co...
September 30, 2019 by EXPERT

 Map | 1 Review | 100% Recommended
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Calamigos Guest Ranch & Beach Club
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Room Sunset M...

Signature Single Suite Co...

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
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Signature Single Suite Cottage

My husband and I, along with our dog, Macallan, had a single night stay at the Calamigos Guest Ranch this past weekend. We chose it because of its proximity to a surprise party we were attending in Thousand Oaks, about a 20 min drive away. The fact that it also is dog-friendly and has no weight restriction for dogs was also a factor, as Macallan weighs 115 lbs! (The also nearby Four Seasons Westlake Village has only a 30 lb pet limit and also was sold out.)

The property is an interesting mix of numerous event spaces, a concomitant restaurant, and a new hotel with accommodations that only was added about 3 years ago. It was a bit schizophrenic to us, therefore, as the ambience really changed depending on where you were on the property.

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The hotel lobby and public spaces are quite impressive and absolutely appropriate for the Luxury Hotels Forum.

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The pool area behind the main lobby/reception area was just as impressive:

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The wooden elevated pathway back to the cottages and bungalows was quite lovely:

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The wall separating the pool area was eclectically mirrored to give the illusion of more forest:

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We won't talk about these even more eclectic furnishings.

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Very odd. But memorable!

Behind the main hotel elements were the actual cottages and bungalows. They all looked to be retrofitted pre-fabricated traliers.

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The rear view of our Sunset Meadows cottages:

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Then the ambience changed. There was an activities/reception hall, obviously for major indoor events...but it struck a very different pose than the rest of the buildings and didn't quite seem to fit.

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Walking farther into the property, the feeling of a tranquil oasis disappeared quite quickly as the event venues clearly came into view.

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Then it got positively strange, indeed.

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The Malibu Cafe restaurant for the whole resort was back in the midst of this chaos. As a result, we weren't so inclined to eat there. 

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The Love Lake was a bit...unusual.

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Continuing to walk, there was a large building which held the Estate Suites, supposedly the nicest accomodations on property. But as they were located right adjacent to the chaos and crowds, I can't say their location appealed too much to us.

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Just past the Estate Suites building were even more event spaces:

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The property was quite well maintained and landscaped, even if the whole enterprise was very eclectic:

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The spa area had its own separate pool...but wasn't as impressive to us as the main reception/hotel's pool. There also was a strong smell of sulfur nearby which was quite off putting. Once, we even smelled that sulfur smell wafting up towards the lobby patio. 

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There was a weights room/work out facility:

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We thought the hotel's lobby/reception and pool area were wonderfully tranquil and luxurious. The rest of the property struck a very different chord for us, however. It was a very strange Tale of Two Cities for us. 

Check In

Check in was friendly and pleasant.

The hotel had graciously waived its 2 night minimum stay requirement for us before we booked, and they had given us the entry level room rate ($729 rate, $871.11 total) while upgrading us in advance to the Signaure Single Suite Cottage. 

The walk down to the Cottage was a little confusing despite detailed directions, but a very nice staff member was more than happy to show us the way. 

Room

The Signaure Single Suite Cottage was...fine. Certainly, it was not remotely to the standard that was set by the hotel's lobby/reception/bar and pool deck area.

The room key was unlike any we'd ever seen. 

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The entrance door led to a small front porch from which there really wasn't any view (other than the modern activities hall blocked mostly by foligage and some interestingly placed large mirrored panels to again give the illusion of more forest coverage).

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Can you see the mirrored panels?

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The lack of a full length wardrobe for hanging garments seemed a real fail, especially the available space and considering the events and formal dress this property obviously can attract. 

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In room amentiies were entirely complimentary:

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Macallan immediately approved, at least.

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While the main living and bed areas didn't really impress us as particularly luxurious, the bathroom was to a higher standard.

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The rainfall shower was fine, but it could have stood for more water pressure. Considering the location, however, we thought it was nice. 

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The air con unit worked very well. I had requested in advance that the room be set to 67 F, and we arrived to find it between 65-67 F. I was very pleased.

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My husband and Macallan were less thrilled to wake up to 62 F, however--but I was in bliss.

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Overally, we were pretty disappointed with the level of accomodation. The interior appointments were nowhere near as good as they should be for the rates charged--and they paled compared to the wonderfully luxurious standard of the hotel entry/lobby/recception. The walls also were paper thin, and we easily could hear people walking by and housekeeping/maintenace at nearby units. There was no disturbance after midnight, fortunately, but that was quite disappointing to us. The units also were so closely located that it really afforded no sense of real privacy. For these rates, we absolutely expected more. 

Service

Service, on the other hand, was stellar. We were mightily surprised and very impressed.

From the moment we arrived until the moment we departed, everyone was enthusiastic, friendly, and always aiming to please and help. It felt like we were returning rather than visiting for the first time. As much as the accommodations disappointed us for this price point, the service easily matched it with room to spare. 

We must have been offered free bottles of water (still or sparkling) a dozen times in our 1 night stay--but always at an appropriate moment. The valets always put water in our car whenever we were departing and always remebered our preferences for sparkling. 

We were delivered a welcome gift of wine soon after getting to our room.

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We had great service for drinks/refreshments out on the lobby patio after our arrival and again inside at the lobby bar at the end of our night after we had returned from our party. There always was someone looking out to make sure we were taken care of. 

We had occasion to meet and chat up the lovely assistant resort manager while having our after party evening drinks in the lobby bar, and she graciously even bought us our second round. She was quite impressive--a great asset to the property to be sure. 

Valets brough out luggage and picked it up quickly as requested. They even were smart enough to realize they shouldn't pack it until we had loaded our dog!

Room service breakfast was as quick as any resort at just under 30 minutes with hot and delicious food. 

Even in the odd event spaces that we weren't as fond of, the staff was always friendly and helpful and eager to please. Everyone is young, but everyone clearly enjoys working there and helping guests. It was very impressive. The thoughtfulness and care shown was almost akin to an Aman!

The room rates are too high, but the service easily is impeccable. That was a real stunner for us. Kudos!

Dining

We only had occasion to have room service breakfast, and it was quite good. We ordered 3 entrees and the total bill came to $60 or so with tax and tip. Not bad. 

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While the restaurant looked to be a bit too chaotic for all the events going on around it, the food was very tasty and delivered just as we'd have hoped. No complaints there!

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Location

The location was surprisingly convenient for our event in Thousand Oaks. There also is a shuttle to take you to the Beach Club somewhere along the beach proper in Malibu--supposedly just a 10-15 min drive. 

Overall

The resort is a tale of two cities, as I've said: a luxurious hotel lobby/bar/pool mixed with disappointing lower standard accommodations and chaotic and eclectic event spaces and crowds. But the service was impeccable throughout.

At this price point, I think the property needs a serious update and improvement to the accommodations. Better interior appointments, a proper closet/wardrobe, Nespresso coffee makers, better noise proofed walls, etc. They need to be brought to the same standard demonstrated by the hotel lobby/reception.

But the luxury service and the hotel lobby/public spaces are truly wonderful. 

For the price, we wouldn't return to stay until they made the improvements. But I have faith that their team will strive to make improvements. 

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