Bernardus Lodge

Hidden in Carmel Valley, the Bernardus Lodge is a fabulous retreat and spa. The rooms are spacious, have built-in fireplaces, and are kept in a rustic design that makes this truly a place to "come home" to after a long journey.

As the valet takes care of your car and luggage, you are greeted in the lobby, which is really a super comfortable living room with crackling fire in the fireplace. You are offered a glass of wine while you wait for the concierge who escorts you to your room - and you do the check-in right in your own room. Truly a clever idea and a wonderful way to make the arrival process even more comfortable.

We stayed only one night on our trip up the west coast, but the breakfast was certainly one of the best breakfasts we had on the entire trip. And we were sad that we had to leave without enjoying some of the highly recommended spa treatments. We will need to come back one day and stay for a week...

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Madonna Inn

The Madonna Inn near San Luis Obispo seems to be a fun place to spend a night on first glance. Located enroute from Los Angeles to San Francisco on the California Central Coast, the hotel's claim to fame is that all of its rooms have been decorated in different styles and that pink is a favorite color of the owners.

Unfortunately, the rooms appear to never have been redone in their 30+ year existence, leading to a rather unpleasant smell as you enter the rooms. The carpet is a grayish and worn color where one stain blends into the next, the bed covers look faded and the entire room had a creepy feeling to it.

My daughter had rack of lamb in the "Gold Rush Steak House" that is part of the hotel and is decorated entirely in pink (despite the name). Unfortunately the lamb did not appear to have been fresh, as my daughter became rather ill that night and managed to add another stain to the carpet....

We were very happy to leave the place in the morning and continue our journey. In retrospect, we should not have stayed there in the first place. Any Best Western or even a road-side Motel 6 is almost certainly a better choice!

Our rating: ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ (0 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel

If business or pleasure brings you to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, or Los Angeles, consider a stay at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, which is now a Four Seasons property. Everything about our stay was simply perfect and the hotel managed to exceed our expectations in various areas - even for the standard we are used to see at other Four Seasons locations.

The service was simply amazing and everything was executed on a level of perfection that your rarely see. To give just a few examples: the concierge called us a few days ahead of our arrival to see if we needed help with any reservations and organized VIP experience tickets for Universal Studios for us. Upon arrival, the door man inquired about my name as he opened the door of our car. By the time he had reached the rear of the car to unload the luggage, he greeted my son with the words "And you must be Calvin" - obviously having received all our family member names from reception via some secret service wireless gear. Very clever!

The rooms were great, the beds super-comfortable, and the breakfast was flawless as well. We can highly recommend the Wilshire Eggs Benedict with black truffles.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Breakfast at the US Grant's "Grant Grill"

The US Grant in San Diego certainly has a great reputation and is part of  Starwood's "The Luxury Collection" of hotels. It also came recommended by our American Express travel counselor.

When we arrived on Saturday, the service quality was excellent - from the valet staff to the front desk to the concierge, the hotel lived up to our expectations. The hotel has undergone substantial renovations a few years back, and the lobby is extravagant, yet inviting. The rooms have been redecorated in a stylish way, although it appears that a fashion statement was more important to the interior designer than the comfort of guests. The sofa in the above picture is opposite the TV in the suite, and it is perhaps the most uncomfortable sofa I ever sat in. Also, the choice of fabric does no accommodate high traffic use, the settees look stained. We know for sure that the rooms are being cleaned, because a dirty rag was left on our suitcases.

For breakfast we went to the Grant Grill in the hotel. The breakfast menu was well designed and the Wedgwood china, silverware, and table setting looked promising.  

Imagine our surprise, when we were told upon being served our coffee and tea  that they were out of English breakfast tea. But this was only the foreboding of things to come. Even though the restaurant was only 20-25% full, it took forever until we were served. When the food finally arrived, the pancakes that my daughter had ordered were covered with blueberries, but once she pushed those aside, the entire stack turned out to be severely burnt. Needless to say, we sent them back. One would imagine that an egg over-easy is one of the more-easy items on the menu to get right. Au contraire, the egg was undercooked and covered with grease. Likewise, the "Gold Yukon Potatoes" turned out to be hash-browns that were raw on the inside and burnt on top and bottom.

This was also the point in time, when service quality went downhill. Not only did we have to wait for the toast and pastries for another 10 minutes, by which time the eggs were already cold, but we were also confronted with an empty salt shaker and no sight of the waiter for those entire 10 minutes. When the pastries finally arrived, they turned out to be soaked in fat to the point where a huge grease stain was left behind in the bread basket. Upon serving the check the waiter asked if everything had been alright, and instead of waiting for our answer concluded for himself "All is well, that's good to hear."

We respectfully disagree...

Our rating: ♦ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ (1 out of a possible 5 diamonds).