Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club

I had the most incredible experience. From the moment I arrived, everything felt calm and luxurious. I booked a massage with Michelle, and she was absolutely amazing! She was attentive, professional, and incredibly skilled — truly the best massage I’ve ever had. I left feeling completely relaxed and refreshed. Michelle made the whole experience unforgettable, and I can’t wait to return. Highly recommend both the spa and Michelle if you’re looking for the perfect massage.

The access to private beach restaurant. The service was exceptional from beach umbrella set up to restraunt service. The view from balcony overlooking pool and vista of shoreline was fantastic

Beautiful property. The resort is huge. There is a walking path to the beach, you do not have to take the tram. I did the walking path for a morning walk, but took the tram with my beach items. There is an attendant at the beach who will set up chairs, an umbrella, and provide sand toys to children. I ultimately preferred the pool as the beach was a bit too windy. The beach club area was nice and had good food. The pool had a nice spa and very attendant staff. The coffee bar had a wildly long line in the morning, I just ordered coffee off property the after the first morning wait. For families, there is no fridge for additional items. My son is 7 and had a great time.

I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach over Labor Day weekend and overall had a really nice experience. From the moment I arrived the staff stood out for how genuinely warm and accommodating they were. Housekeeping was excellent the entire stay and I especially want to call out the gentleman who checked me in. When I arrived, rooms hadn’t been assigned but he went above and beyond to find something that worked. That extra effort made a difference and really set a positive tone. That said, I do think it would help if rooms were pre-assigned before arrival or at least available for selection through the app check-in. As a Diamond member, I didn’t receive any upgrades but I did appreciate the daily food and beverage credit it’s a nice touch that is always valued. The one area that really fell short for me was valet. It felt disorganized throughout our stay. Most times, it was a bit of a hassle to get my car but Sunday night was the toughest. I had called ahead, but when I arrived the car wasn’t ready. After about thirty minutes of waiting, I ended up missing our dinner reservation. The explanation was that an employee had parked in front of my car and they needed to track down keys to move it. The valet staff were very apologetic but nothing else was offered to make up for the inconvenience. At $70 per day, I expect more reliable service and honestly, I’d prefer the option of paying the same for self-parking just to know I can access my car when needed given the hassle. In the end, I still enjoyed my stay and would consider returning because the property is beautiful and most of the team members went out of their way to make me feel welcome. I just hope the valet operations are improved with better customer service because that part of the experience didn’t match the high standards I associate with the Waldorf Astoria.

This hotel is an excellent choice if you find yourself in the Orange County area. We arrived at the resort a little after 1pm -- so a bit early for the 4pm check-in time. Unfortunately our room wasn't ready yet, so we dropped off our baggage at the front desk and walked around the property, in search of lunch. The property has a large variety of different choices for food, we ended up going with Club 19, an indoor/outdoor casual restaurant that overlooks the golf course. The meal was fine, it could have used a little flavor in our chicken and turkey sandwiches, but overall a decent meal. Around this time, we received a text message that our room was ready. We were excited to find out that with our Gold status we were upgraded to a Fireplace Terrace room. The room was quite large, with a massive bathtub and shower, outdoor fireplace, and the bed was unbelievably comfortable. Everything was spotless and clean throughout as well. Also, an interesting choice in the room, they leave a hardcover novel on the nightstand, that is free to take after your stay. One thing that did bother us though was, that if you book the Fireside Terrace room online, you are given a complimentary s'mores kit to use with the fireplace. We were told since this was an upgrade, and I didn't pay, we weren't given the complimentary s'mores. I feel like if you receive the upgrade for the room... everything should be included in that upgrade regardless if you paid or not. It seemed like an odd choice. Moving on, we took their convenient tram down to the beach. The hotel said they come every 10-15 minutes, but we never waited more than 3. The beach area was beautiful, super quiet, and tucked away. The staff helped set up chairs and towels for us, and were incredible accommodating. We ended up eating dinner at the Monarch Beach Club in the evening. We really wanted to see the sunset and sit in one of the many Adirondack chairs with the fire-pit, but unfortunately they don't deliver food to these seats so we got our meal to go (we had a fantastic carne asada tacos and a watermelon salad.) I feel like maybe in the future the restaurant can open up food/drink service to these tables with the adirondack chairs -- just a suggestion. It seems like such a tease to have food so close, but not be able to order from those seats. Overall, the property was beautiful, we spent most of our time just meandering around the large property, stopping in the botanical gardens and sitting in one of the many chairs around the property. The staff was also some of the nicest and friendliest we have met on our travels. We may have only stayed for one night, but we will definitely be back in the future!

Absolutely amazin anniversary. I wanted to personally thank the Waldorf team for making our accommodations amazing. Each time we visit Waldorf we feel like we’re home away from home. Quick recognition to several of the team members that truly provided amazing hospitality throughout our stay.   Eric (Check-in) – probably one of the easiest and fastest check-ins we had. Extremely attentive. He was able to get us the room we asked for, no additional upgrade cost, and had it ready in record time. Hayden (Pool attendant / server) – Our pool experience was a 10. He always welcomed us by NAME and was ready to assist. His service, welcoming attitude and just being at our service truly created a special experience.   Dennis / Raul (Pop-up morning café) – This pop-up café on the main grounds was a great idea! It could use some improvements for sitting and music, but the staff was spot on. Raul (manager) welcomed us, assisted with special requests, and made sure we were 100% satisfied. Dennis (chef) made the bacon and eggs exactly how we requested, then personally brought it to us and talked with us like we knew each other in the past. Never felt rushed – top 10 staff. Thank you for your hospitality! Mike & Stefanie Scherenberg

The Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach lives up to 5 star service, location and rooms. Everybody we encountered was very nice and went out of their way to help. The location is across the street from the Ritz Carlton hotel so it’s not on the beach but there is a free hotel trolley that will take you to the beach and setup umbrellas and beach chairs. There is also a private beach club restaurant that is for members only and for hotel guests. The stretch of the beach is at the far end from the Ritz Carlton so it did not appear crowded even on a Summer weekend. They have two pools and two jacuzzis overlooking the golf course and ocean. Even though the pool was crowded it was still peaceful. The room was spacious and upgraded with beautiful travertine tiles. We had a pool and ocean view with a large patio. We also ate at the Bourbon Steakhouse which was very good but pricey. Sometimes you do get what you pay for. I wouldn’t hesitate to return to the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach.

Spacious, good amenities