It started with my VW Jetta waiting for the line of Valet Cars ahead of mine to free up my turn at the porte cochere. Among the luxury vehicles I was behind, I felt my VW was out of place. But that ended when I put my car in park, getting ready for my stay. The Valet - I think his name is James, or maybe Karl - was as courteous as one would expect, pleasant, personable, and genuinely seemed happy to be the attendant, like Montage took care of him, much like he took care of me as a guest. My bags retrieved and carted to the reception area. I arrived a few hours before the 4:00pm check -in, expecting to wait until that time, but enter Shannon at the reception desk. My stay was on Sunday 21 December, my last day at 59 yrs old, and the celebrating my first day at my 60s on 22 December. I might have mentioned that to Shannon, haha, and she realized that the room I had been assigned, just wasn't fitting enough for my occasion. My newly assigned room, was nothing but spectacular, though I doubt any room at the Montage would be less than great. Thank you Shannon, for starting my two-day stay in an unforgettable memory - I'm only 60, so my memory is still strong :). The view of the main pool as foreground to the Pacific Ocean was incredible. I could have stayed in the room the whole stay, but that would have meant not dining at Studio Mediterranean, where Claude, the Sommelier, offered the an excellent 1/2 bottle of wine to pair perfectly with the amazing Lamb Chops while on the outdoor patio listening to the night's waves washing the rocks below. Returning to my room after dinner to find a Birthday piece of cake was another touch of class by the Montage. Waking up on the day, when you turn 60 you know, waking up to 'the day' to a cloudy gray sky outside, the beauty of the room and it's view, meant that I was looking at the sunniest cloudiest day I can remember. Champagne at the main lobby bar offered more excellent views. Lunch at Mosaic Bar and Grille, I believe Julia was my server - 11:00am on 22 December - ordered, at her recommendation, the Ensenada Tacos, which were amazing... while she didn't cook them, she too was very personable, and not in the 'I'm trolling for tips' way, but in a genuine way that felt like I wanted her to have a seat with me and enjoy lunch. Dinner at The Loft, you can guess by the tone of this review, was amazing. Again on the outside patio with warming heaters above was an elegant end to turning 60. (Again, forgetting our great server's name - not because I'm 60, but the Champagne and Manhattans were reminding me that I'm no longer 30 - but he was on point with his attention to our table). Finally the day after, 60 plus 1/365 (technically a Leap Year coming up so adjust the math days accordingly), a final glass of champagne at the main lobby bar where Genedy - spell check needed on my part - was as every other Montage associate was, pleasant and perfect for the stay. Too late for a 'long story short,) but Valet, Reception, Servers, perfectly suited to the ambiance expected for and delivered by Montage. If I make it to 70, and if my VW Jetta does too, I think I know where I'll reserve my spot....