Hotel review: St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort (Starwood)

by David Eckoff · 0 comments

I stayed at St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort September 2003 for a one week vacation. Was favorably impressed. One of the few times I have stayed at a Starwood property without some sort of weird service problems happening. A refreshing change!

Room:

  • At the time of my visit, I was Starwood SPG Gold (currently Platinum) and the hotel provided a courtesy upgrade to a room overlooking the pool area.
  • The room was ultra-clean.
  • Very nice bathroom. Marble accents, oversized bathtubs, separate showers.
  • Comfortable bed. 400 thread-count goose-down comforters and 300 thread-count sheets.
  • Nicely decorated.
  • Very satisfied with the room.

    Dining:

  • The Sunday brunch at the hotel was fabulous. Bring your appetite. The quality and variety of food was outstanding.
  • We very much enjoyed the restaurant “Motif” at the hotel. “Small plates cuisine defined by a world of international flavors.”

    Beach:

  • I would prefer the beach to be just outside the hotel like it is at the Ritz across the street. But even having to take a golf cart shuttle across the street, the beach is stunningly beautiful. And the hotel’s private beach club is a very nice perk. The golf cart shuttle back and forth worked out most of the time. although there were some minor delays at peak times.
  • Very helpful staff at the hotel’s private beach club. College kids working their summer jobs, provided guests with beach chairs and towels. They were very attentive. Tip them well, they tried hard and were enthusiastic. (Nice summer job… I’d love my job there, too!)

    Front Desk:

  • The staff at the front desk, while professional, was a bit cold.

    Parking:

  • I asked the front desk about street parking and they said they said I might be ticketed. Turns out there were several free parking spaces on the north side of the hotel near (your mileage may vary, of course). It was a very short walk into the hotel and I saved a lot of money. I suspect the hotel doesn’t want it well-known that you can park there because there are a limited number of spaces.

    Pool:

  • There is a separate pool for children but too many parents broke the rules and allowed their children to run wild in the adult pool area. The hotel should have done more to enforce its policy with these guests with their kids going crazy at the adult pool. I am not anti-kids, but when I am trying to relax on vacation, and the rules for the pool are very clearly posted… guests with children should follow the rules, and the hotel should enforce the rules.
    The Verdict:

  • The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort favorably impressed me and I would return – and recommend this hotel to others.

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