The Resort at Pelican Hill

Pelican Hill is luxury at its finest. The staff a friendly and accommodating and the property is gorgeous!

This is by far the finest resort in Southern California! Entire resort & staff were amenable to every single need and we will be coming back.

A resort with stratospheric prices needs to deliver superb service. The Pelican was more of a wounded duck. We attended a wedding here with high expectations. The views over the Pacific are stunning, with the Catalina Islands in the mist. The staff is California-friendly. The huge (if shallow) circular pool is pleasant. There is also a miniature "adult pool," too small to really swim in, and a hot tub. The spa was nice, although the exercise equipment appears dated. Those are the positives. We notice that several recent reviews have commented on the decline of the property since Marriott took it over. We agree. 1. Housekeeping did not service our expensive room ("bungalow") for three days until we complained. 2. The Cafe, which serves overpriced coffee (everything was overpriced, as anticipated), is understaffed, which meant service far slower than a Starbucks. We cancelled our order for two lattes after 15 minutes. The barrista should at least have warned us that there would be a delay. The long wait was surprising, given that the line wasn't long. 3. We requested a lift from our bungalow to the resort event space, for a party to which my wife had to wear high heels. The cheery receptionist promised us a pickup at a specified time -- but no lift ever appeared. Not good, at these prices. We were eventually rescued by an employee who was dropping off new arrivals and kindly took us there. 4. Worst, the resort tried to charge us for an extra day because we were part of a group rate (which was still astronomical). We had clarified at booking and on check-in that we were only staying for three days, and the clerk assured us that would be fine. On check-out, however, they tried to charge us for a fourth day. Are these the amenities of a five star resort? There are far better places to stay, for a third or a quarter of the price, on the Pacific Coast.

Excellent service, beautiful location, fantastic spa, and overall just really nice professional staff.

Pelican Hill is a beautiful resort. It is expansive. The room was well appointed and large. We had an ocean view suite. The views were stunning. Yuri at the front desk was warm, friendly and professional. Almost every employee we encountered was very nice and professional. The gym is dated and could use a significant refresh. The golf course was very nice although the golf carts need to be replaced as they are worn out. All in we had a terrific stay. Everything is expensive but we knew that going in. I would definitely recommend the hotel.

Hotel and grounds are beautiful. The pool is large but it was a little too cool when we were there to enjoy it much. The room was very large and the view is incredible. Would highly recommend.

A beautiful resort! This was my 13th visit to the resort and it was fantastic! The bungalows, grounds, pool and restaurants are all fabulous! The pool is the best and the service is great there. The entire property is gorgeous with beautiful views. The Coliseum is a wonderful place for breakfast. The staff at the resort is friendly and professional. Looking forward to going back next summer.

Spectacular golf course, comfortable bed for a restful stay, and excellent poolside service. Unfortunately, some service fell short. At our first dining visit, we were told to seat ourselves and then ignored for nearly 10 minutes. The bartender was fantastic, but the poor start kept us from dining here again. Housekeeping was attentive, but rooms need updating; our sliding door wouldn’t close and visible wear was noticeable. Underwhelming for a 5-star stay.

The property of Pelican Hill is very good for many reasons to include climate and golf. A few things I did not like. The arrival center (check in etc) is a free standing facility. Guest rooms are in detatched bungalos that require shuttle to every venue. Shuttle drivers are very nice but wait times for a shuttle can be longer than expected. Limited breakfast offerings in very small coffee shop. Expect to spend a lot of money on any activity. Food and beverages are truly California west coast resort prices.

Everything was great.