The Resort at Pelican Hill

The Resort at Pelican Hill is absolutely stunning and delivers a true luxury experience from the moment you arrive. The property is beautiful, with breathtaking ocean views, immaculate landscaping, and a peaceful atmosphere that makes it easy to relax and unwind. The accommodations are spacious, comfortable, and exceptionally well maintained. Every detail feels thoughtfully designed, and the service throughout the resort is outstanding. The staff was friendly, attentive, and always willing to help make our stay even better. One of the highlights was simply walking around the property and taking in the incredible scenery. The pool area is gorgeous, the dining options are excellent, and the overall experience feels first class. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or just looking for a memorable getaway, Pelican Hill is an amazing destination. We had a fantastic stay and would gladly return.

The resort grounds are visually stunning, but the actual customer service at the spa leaves a lot to be desired. The front desk staff and spa attendants are cold, incredibly unwelcoming, and treat certain guests with visible bias and zero warmth. For a five star luxury property of this caliber, you expect a high standard of professional hospitality for everyone who walks through the door, not an uncomfortable, cliquey vibe from the staff. Save your money and go to a luxury spa that actually values all of its guests equally, without judging you based on your ethnicity.

Our server was amazing and very attentive, but unfortunately, the shady billing practices completely ruined the experience. They have you pre-pay upfront—which is fine—but days later, my card was randomly charged double the amount. When I called the resort to get it sorted out, the customer service was terrible. I was passed around to three different people, only to be told someone would have to call me back to explain the charges. It honestly feels like they just run people's cards hoping no one is paying attention, so check your bank statements carefully! Save your money. If you want a much better tea experience with superior food for less money, I highly recommend The Tea House on Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano instead.

I am pleased to say that I received the VIP treatment during my visit. I was personally given a private tour by Anthony Maltese and his assistant Tony. Both gentlemen were super awesome and educating me about the property the history of the property and basically sharing the vision of the owner with me. It was an absolute delight to spend time with them I think I spent over an hour talking with Anthony. Anthony was super down to earth and like such a cool dude. I feel honored to have spent time at the property. It was a delight to see the golf course, visit the pro shop, chat with some of the valets on the property and learn their point of view. I got to chat with some VIP guests while I was there. It was an incredibly positive experience that I will never forget. I think that the man who is responsible for the pelican Hill resort has incredible vision and business acumen. I am so grateful that this is something that I have done, it is kind of a bucket list item I think everyone should visit if they are in the Laguna Beach or Newport Beach area. I would describe the property as unreplicatable and unduplicatable and unparalleled.

I have been looking forward to our stay at this resort for quite some time for a one night getaway, and to see if it was someplace that I would like to return to. So far my favorites have been the Rosewood Miramar, Hotel and the old Biltmore Hotel, or Ysidro Ranch. All of which I can’t wait to return to, even though I don’t know when the Biltmore will ever reopen. I will say that the staff and the service was exceptional in the hotel portion. But overall, the resort just felt like it didn’t have any soul. We had a partial Ocean View bungalow as an upgrade with our rewards, there were two little tiny bottles of water, no magnifying mirror for us older ladies, very sparse on the decor and very very travertine. Even the lobby as gigantic and filled with ocean views as it was was cold, dark and not inviting at all. Back in the room, we could not get the TV to work to cast and had the Engineer call out and it would need to have some sort of an app upgrade on the TV, so that was a wash. Again, the service was lovely but the place just didn’t have any real charm or personality. The pool was packed with kids and I guess it’s spring break so it’s to be expected. Beautiful pool not very quick service for drinks and the bathrooms were not tidied up as they should be. It was the biggest warmest saltwater pool I’ve ever been in and it was quite spectacular. However, it would be nice if there was a deeper end. We did not eat dinner on property, but breakfast was sumptuous, and the staff again could not be more accommodating and kind.