Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton, Oxnard CA

The hotel itself is on an amazing property. My family and I loved opening the patio and heading straight towards the beach. The pool was fantastic and well kept. The hotel is gorgeous in and out. The room was great, all the amenities were properly stocked and clean. If we needed anything, we were able to find it. Key word is "find" though. If you need anything, you will have to do the legwork. The service was not great for a 4-star hotel. The employees seem jaded and almost annoyed that we placed orders for things. The bartender at the "Dive Bar" near the pool was unpleasant and not friendly in the least bit. We had to ask a minimum of four times for a status on any food order placed there. And the food itself is mediocre at best. We spent a lot of cash to get away and do not deserve bad service. The prices are insanely high, so keep that in mind. You will spend a ton for not very much. It was much cheaper to go to the Vons down the road and stock up. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely go again. I do hope they improve on service and maybe give the employees a refresher on communicating with guests who pay a lot to stay there.

We stayed 2 nights to celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary.
We requested a quiet ocean front room. It did have a direct view of the ocean and sand. However, room 201 was
right next to the Main Exit Gate to the beach. We heard the
constant 'clanging' of the gate throughout the day and guests going to and from the beach at all hours. In addition, all the 200 rooms had to pass by our room to get to exit. You could also hear
the music 'blasting' from the pool area from 8am to 10pm.
Pool is very crowded with families and children.
This is a very Family Friendly resort with plenty of activities for
children of all ages. Not suited for 'baby boomers' seeking peace
and tranquility. It's location is amazing, not to far from LA. Ox n
Ocean food is delicious, but pricey! We did enjoy our walks along the dunes and beach front. Be aware that there is 'tar' when walking on the dunes and beach sand. My husband had to ditch his beach flip-flops.
Recommend the 'Half Hour' (aka Happy hour) from 4pm to 6pm.
Best Casa Amigos margarita I've ever had!
This resort is more suited for families or 'corporate' events.
The front desk staff is very professional as well as Benden (valet services) and Vanessa (front desk manager).
If your are planning a 'family' vacation with children or multi-
generational members, this is the perfect place!

Prospective travelers, despite its fancy pics and resort fees, this is not a fancy property and it's not a resort. I read many of the reviews for this property and turned a blind eye to a few but now after booking a three night stay I can tell you what you read is what you get. First, let's address the good. The lobby is beautifully renovated. The decor is esthetic and pleasing to the eye. The rooms are HUGE and newly renovated! We had a one bedroom king suite with a sofa bed. There was a medium size fridge and a microwave and small sink-enough to be able to have a small breakfast in the room. The rooms have two full bathrooms which is super convenient if traveling with kids. Here's what was not so great. We were in the "carefree" section. Our room was adjacent to the trash bins. When we opened our front door we were looking at a bunch of trash bins and flies swarming around and it was pretty uninspiring. Our balcony opened to the courtyard with sad old Vegas inspired waterfalls surrounded by a few old palm trees. The balcony door didn't have a screen door so we had to keep it shut to avoid the flies coming into the room. The hotel is understaffed. It took housekeeping 45 minutes to bring an extra pillow and two blankets for our kids to sleep on the sleeper sofa. The first morning I woke up and took a shower and when I went to grab a folded towel I noticed a big stain on it. I want to grab another towel and all three bath towels were dirty. We then called the front desk and it took them 40 minutes to bring up towels. We had requested daily housekeeping but no one came to fix the room on our second day. When we called to complain they said they had many rooms to service but claimed they were not understaffed! The pool is blah. The beach area is blah. The area around the hotel is industrial farmland and you generally feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. We had paid for late checkout at 2. On our last day we went out for breakfast and came back to being locked out of our room. Had to go to the lobby and wait 10 minutes in line to get our key reactivated. This place is not cheap and you don't get what you paid for. Our trip cost an average of $600+ a night. If not for the size and comfort of the room, the trip would have been a complete miss. We will not be returning to this property.

I do not recommend this resort. The carpet in the hallway, to get to my room, was stained and there was trash in the hallways, which took the employees hours to pick it up. I also had to text Henry's to let them know there was a full trash bin, since the day prior, which again, took the employees hours to remove. The carpet in my room was damp. The area next to the bike rentals smelled really bad. The pool was never cleaned while I stayed at this resort; I observed oil inside the pool (I guess from the guest sunscreen). Again I do not recommend this resort!

Overall we had a good stay. The hotel is right next to the beach and there are plenty of great restaurants nearby for dining. There's also a pretty neat park right next to the hotel. The kids really enjoyed the family bike cart from Henry's rentals. The rooms were clean, modern and spacious. The dining space is great for families. The beds were comfortable and they even use real feathered pillows. The pool and hot tub were spacious and clean. They also offer towels to dry off. The hotel is older but they did a lot of remodeling. The lobby is very beautiful. Our only complaint is that they fix their breakfast package because it is a confusing scam. When you purchase the breakfast package it states that "breakfast is included" but they don't mention that you only get a $25 credit per person and you have to order from their ox and ocean restaurant where the breakfast ranges from $19 and up. So you don't have enough to cover your $8 coffee. In addition to that, they charge you an automatic 18% gratuity even if you place a to-go order. That's not all, you also have to pay a tax on each meal. So for just two adults we were averaging $67 for breakfast. I don't drink coffee, so only my husband ordered coffee. Look at my attached photo where my husband ordered steak and eggs and our total came out to be $83! We talked to the staff about this and they actually honored the breakfast package for us and credited each meal. Hopefully they make changes for the future otherwise it's not worth buying the breakfast package. There's plenty of great cafes nearby for half the price. So if you're planning to get the breakfast package, I would suggest to call ahead and go over the details so that there's no surprises.

Also beware of the hardened oil spots on the beach. They look like black shiny rocks but if you step in it, they will stick to you and stain your feet/shoes. We've never seen anything like it so it wasn't a fun time figuring out what it was. We were able to wash it off with soap and were extra careful on the beach for the remainder of the stay. I have included pictures so you will know what to look out for.

This is a very good hotel that has the potential to be outstanding. The primary assets are the location and room price point but a couple improvements could move it to the exceptional category.

1. Offer courtesy beach towels, beach chairs and umbrellas. If not courtesy, then at a nominal cost. Free beach towels and $5 per day chair and umbrella rentals would be ideal. Instead of trying to charge $30-40/hr. This hotel has to cater to beach goers. Right now they're trying to nickel and dime visitors and it's noticeable.

2. The rooms are beautiful and clean. They've been well updated. The issue is the AC doesn't work. It can make sleeping very uncomfortable if you're used to cooler temps when sleeping. Windows open don't help enough and can be unsafe. Just get the AC working.

3. Reasonably priced food options would be nice.

Otherwise this is a very good hotel. A few steps away from being amazing. It's on the horizon though if they want it to be.

Highly recommend that you stay somewhere else. Front end staff is not service oriented, more focused on their cell phones. The location and view is great but the cleanliness, customer service and rooms leave a lot to be desired for the money you pay to stay here.

My family and I had a great time with all the amenities that are included with our stay and we loved the location. The beach was easily accessible and minimally populated. The staff was were all amazing and helped make you feel like you're staying at a 5 star resort. We are already planning our return.

An absolutely gorgeous spot with one of the nicest beaches in the state for a view. It’s gotten a bit expensive but the location the service and views are truly hard to beat. This place is not to be missed. I would recommend it for anyone needing a weekend away from the city without having to come too far.

Recent renovations are really nice. There are a lot of fun activities. The staff and the management are first rate - very friendly and accommodating. The beds are luxurious! However:
1. The elevators to our 3rd floor suite were out of order the duration of our stay, which was highly inconvenient, especially carrying beach gear and luggage.
2. The bathroom shower drain had a sewage stench that permeated into the room.
3. We were teased with a full size fireplace with logs that was only decoration (no heat or fire) in our Presidential Suite.
4. No paper towels by the sink in the kitchen area.
5. Single-ply bathroom tissue.

The location is close to Ventura Harbor Village with shops and yummy restaurants like the Petite Cafe!

First room, >$400 a night had the employee parking lot and entire hotel dumpster area visible from front door, plus both elevators to get us to our room were down. Moved rooms for improved experience, at an extra charge - and that room had broken AC and the room was ~85 degrees, had to leave window open to not suffocate overnight. Also had hairs in bathtub. Hallways appear to not have been vacuumed in days. When switched from ‘no AC’ room, next room they gave us the door key encoder was broken and now I’m standing barefoot in the hallway waiting for an ‘engineer’. We have switched rooms twice already and are having a terrible stay - despite this being a 4 star hotel and costing several hundred dollars per night… and they’ve made no effort to account for the shortcomings. They said they can’t upgrade us and now I’m spending my vacation constantly switching rooms and finding all their faulty systems. Do not waste your money.

Update: hotel mgmt commented that I should have reached out to them directly - we Obviously did, that’s why we were switched rooms so many times - they were still very very unhelpful. Additionally, we were offered the last day to cancel our remaining stay which we elected for and stayed instead at the Crowne plaza downtown - way better experience. However, we have contacted the hotel everyday since we left and every time are told that the manager who can help us isn’t available that day - Thursday-Sunday attempted. They have not refunded us our final 3 nights which they said they would. Additionally, they should refund our “resort fees” and frankly, at least one of our nights - sleeping in 85 degrees should not cost $400. But alas - they haven’t been available and have never contacted us back despite multiple attempts to reach their management. So no Vanesa, it’s not about us not reaching out to you, it’s about your terrible customer service.

Love spending time here! It's our small getaway for the weekend. We've been coming here since our kids were small. Now visiting with the grandkids.

My daughter & her family recently stayed there (7/12/23), & was robbed by a staff member with no camera footage after spending 30 minutes away from their room. This trip was not only traumatic for them but mostly for my 5 year old granddaughter and her 10 year old cousin. They have been on the phone with their so-called security and management with no positive outcome or resolution. Several items were stolen including an Apple Watch which my daughter was able to track. She gave them the address and still nothing from staff. Soon the watch died & was charged & it showed that it was back at the resort! Obviously it was a staff member but management are STILL IN DENIAL! I would NEVER recommend this place to anybody! If you choose to stay there be aware it is NOT safe nor is there any help or concern from staff when it comes to their own staff stealing from paying customers. And to top it off it was my granddaughters 5th birthday celebration/family vacation! With our law enforcement background, we did most of the footwork on our end!

Having the opportunity to stay here at the Hilton Zachari Dunes was pleasant, but not quite sure I would stay here again. The check in time is too late especially for a staycation. Why would you think 4: 00 is a suitable time and even if you come in early they do not even try to expedite the process. We got here three hours early and I cannot understand why the staff can’t create a method to clean a room earlier if you check in with the staff. The food is mediocre really nothing special about it. I’m just appalled more about how you can’t get your guests in earlier to enjoy all the amenities that you offer here. Rooms are beautiful and view and lovely. Please find a way to get your guests in earlier! We all pay good money to be here.

The service is mediocre at best. There were lots of miscommunication regarding our check in and some staff were quite dismissive. The service was slow (it took 2 phone calls and close to an hour to get the blanket that I requested.) and this is the first property that didn’t acknowledge me as a Diamond member. (It’s a small gesture but is always appreciated when properties thank us for being loyal Diamond members)

I also had to call in to confirm of my Diamond member perks (food and beverage credit) as they didn’t mention anything during check-in. I didn’t have very high expectations, however, our stay did not feel anything close to the luxury that this hotel supposedly boasts.

I do have to say that the room is spacious and comfortable, and I liked the proximity of it (king suite, garden view) from the lobby and restaurant as it is close but not close enough that it’s noisy and chaotic. Our area was quiet which is exactly what we needed for our staycation.

Other than that, I didn’t feel like this hotel was at par with other Curio Collection properties, where I’ve always received stellar treatment.