Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, Dana Point CA

Very nice resort! Beautiful location close to beach and marina with 2 pools. Most rooms with patios or balconies. Top floor rooms have bay windows. Has a lot of charm with contemporary and updated rooms and public spaces. Top floor rooms have bay windows. Friendly, attentive staff! Great place to spend a weekend away from the crowds. We will be back!

Location and views are great. Room is nice. However, don't expect the prices to match the services. Had to endure 5 days of non-stop loud noises and sirens due to the workers strike, coupled with the loud hotel music, while trying to work remotely. NO cleaning services were provided the entire stay, nobody cared to ask me if I needed supplies, had to clean up room myself. That didn't stop them from charging "resort fees" and outrageous overnight parking. Management doesn't care, haven't heard a word from Resort Manager Alfred Hammond (self-proclaimed godfather of hospitality) after I emailed him directly. Don't plan to return unless management changes.

The good, bad and happy ending.
Good, overlooking Dana Point Harbor, seeing the ocean, hearing the seals but at a distance so their barking sounds pleasant. NO CARPET which is a must for me as I am allergic to carpet and so few hotels understand this need. Pleasant room.
The bad was a loud event planned just outside my room window when I returned on day 2 evening, and even with window closed the music thumping was very disturbing. I firmly believe that what makes a store, company or hotel great is their resolution when there is a problem. And this was a big problem for me. Without going into too much detail just know that the manager made me 100% happy. I have stayed here before and I will stay here again.
This location is fabulous. Many outdoor restaurants at the harbor. And the yachts, the ocean, the weather. So much fun.

I paid $800 for a room for 1 night to getaway with my husband and to celebrate his promotion at work. I thought it would be a good idea to get a room that we can look out on the balcony and take in the views. Unfortunately, we couldn't fully enjoy our room because they were having a lovely little protest right outside of our room. This lasted 4 hours - I made SEVERAL calls and finally got thru to the front desk and they said " I will have a Manager call you back" well the Manager that was working on the night of 8/22/23 didn't find me or my issues important enough to call back so I went to the front desk and she said that she was busy (mind you I walked right up to the girl at the front desk) she again said that she will note it again and have the manager call me back- Manager never called me back! So in the morning before check out I went back up to the front desk and demanded to speak to a manager - I spoke to a guy named Carlos and he tried to help me the best that he could and called me back when he said he would but I was only offered a very small fee to be removed - I felt like more should have offered for the inconvenience of not being able to enjoy our patio view because of all the ruckus going on outside. I literally had a full migraine by the time we left for dinner that night. But then again if they don't even take care of their employees who were protesting outside how I could expect for them to consider my frustrations. Mind you we originally had a room that flooded, and the toilet was clogged but we asked to get moved- we get moved then the whole protest starts - This place is a joke save your money and book somewhere else! I will be reaching out to corporate and will be sending them the video of what was going on right outside of our room.

Great property with really nice views. Staff were friendly, room was nice and included a balcony. I prefer the Ritz Carelton, Laguna Niguel but for half the nightly rate this place is a great alternative.

Overrall, my stay here was very mixed.

ENTRANCE:

When entering the hotel, the front entrance that led to the valet was closed due to a CAR CRASH. Law enforcement was there to assess the closure and made us wait 10 minutes before we could enter through the exit.

Check in was very friendly and brought a staff member to show us to our room, as well as introduce us to the amenities.

When we walked outside, we were met with a full on labor strike/protest that kept shouting and banging drums, as well as sounding loud sirens. Their protests would continue throughout the entirety of our 3 nights here.

THE ROOM:

Very nice and spacious room with two double queen beds. Pretty comfy with good support. There was a Nespresso machine as well as a mini fridge. 9 Dollars for a water bottle in the mini bar was outrageous though.

The bathroom had a bathtub that we could never use, as there was no button to switch the water from the shower head to the bathtub faucet.

THE SERVICE:

Service was super friendly, I'll give them that. But aside from that, there were no house keepers to clean our room when we were gone due to the labor strikes/protests that were happening. When we wanted a refill on coffee pods or extra towels, we called and they brought it to our room very quickly, which was very nice.

OVERRAL:

Pretty decent experience. We loved their amenities, such as the pickle ball court, two separate pools, and gym that were provided. Room was great as well. The downsides were definitely the super loud noises of the worker protests and pricy amenities.

Attended a memorial service. The hors d'oeuvres were delicious. The wait staff and bartenders were great. Beautiful view, adjacent to a park