Lauren H.
Yelp
DECEPTIVE PRICING! (Now illegal in CA)
Warning others because I wish I had read the bad reviews on Yelp.
View my attachment to see how a $328/nightly rate became $450 with bloated fees. $328 is expensive for what they offer, even in coastal Cali, but $445/night is a joke for a renovated motel 9 blocks from the beach. Parking is not secure. There's no staff past 6pm.
CITY LODGING TAX: $32.80
DESTINATION FEE: $30.00
DESTINATION FEE TAX: $3.00
The photo of my bill shows the LATE CHECKOUT FEE: $50 WAS ADDED TO THE ROOM SUBTOTAL, and the SUM was taxed! Never seen that before; tacky
To clarify: no pool, tub, sauna, etc. here. No evening activities. The day-time offerings are NOT included in the room price, so a destination fee makes no sense. They should call it a breakfast fee if that's what it really is; if so, one should be able to opt out.
False advertising + a sprinkle of herbs around the property to distract you from being ripped off.
Don't be fooled the "yoga luxury" facade. It's all fake and the place just isn't that nice.
I held off on a review hoping the mgmt. would fairly refund the late fee for accidentally oversleeping due to blaring, incessant train and street noise that kept us up 'til 6am. The awful noise problem was not disclosed in any communication even though they were annoying about over-communicating everything else.
My mom called the manager, Luisa. Not only did she not apologize for the noise, or compromise on the late charge, but Luisa made up a blatant lie that we had smoked in the room, "finding ashes all over." We do not smoke and wouldn't in a hotel room. Hmmmm; smells like the defensiveness of someone who knows their establishment's a sham!
I chose this among the abundant choices in Encinitas because of its "WELL" certification. With an anaphylaxis-type mold allergy and fragrance sensitivity, I seek good airflow. BTW, the Moonlight Suite room is NOT a suite. It's a large room with a couch unsuitable for sleep, but that's a minor gripe. The important detail is the room's sliding door onto a patio, which is neither private nor peaceful. I thought I could open the door if the room was musty, but lo-and-behold...
We arrived to a room with sad-looking tea candles flickering their last flames, and a sickly floral scent emanating from an infuser. A noise machine whirred at concerning volume. Opening the door to air the smell, we understood.
I couldn't sleep, even with a sleeping pill & the machine at max. You can't request a wakeup because there's no room phone.
Suddenly, an employee knocked to notify us it was check-out time. Groggy and panicked, I accepted their hefty late checkout fee so I could pack up. It felt way more aggressive than a normal hotel paging you through the phone system.
Then, I noticed the staff hadn't left the breakfast at the doorstep as promised. I asked, and was told by a snotty voice (maybe the manager's?) that the basket was likely taken back some time after delivery, so it wouldn't spoil.
Having requested breakfast to-go the night before, we received a basket with glass mason jar containers (the type that $3 yogurts come in) and a passive aggressive note to return the containers. This seemed like an oversight, when they were rushing us to leave. Also, so cheap of them!
$450 would be well spent for a refreshing night at a lux hotel with great amenities. But $450 for zero sleep, weird smells, motel-room style lodging, chaotic noise all night...don't make my mistake.
As to Luisa's false accusation us of smoking in the room: what a a low-hanging lie, and a bizarre one, when the staff leaves candles burning for hours in unoccupied rooms. Frankly, the room was okay and the snack touches were nice, albeit overpriced. But being accused of doing something I'd never do is really a gut-punch. Some people should stay out of hospitality.