Chiucat / A.
Google
Destination spa & stay experience complete with luxurious accommodations and 2 meals/day included. The rooms, provisions and overall spacious layout make for a easy-paced, almost languid, get-away. We didn't make use of the spa services. Though the amount we played pickleball could hardly be called languid 😅
Pluses:
* Spacious cottages w large bathrooms (Live Oak & Red Oak for a party of 5 in mid-Oct), closet space, kitchen (1 stove top w pots & pans), big living rooms, robes & nice "software" (shampoo, body lotion, etc.) Thick towels & big pillows.
* Quiet oasis of a library w 24x7 coffee & ice tea. A really nice escape if you want some alone time. No books though!
* The verandah near the lodge offers an expansive view of the horizon and sunset. Chairs and a swing provide another shady place to hang to enjoy the breeze. Steps away is a fire pit where one can make use of the s'more kits the kitchen offers (we didn't get any but enjoyed a fireside chat).
* The highlight of our stay was the great pickleball courts. Four new courts with good surface with not much demand meant we got to play for many hours every day, morning and night (24x7 access with fantastic lighting). Comfortable seats, shade sails and pavilions made the times between games very comfortable. Bathroom, towels and drink station showed the thoughtful way the resort provisioned all their spaces.
Only negative was the continual (strong) winds, often very gusty. It really changed how we needed to play the game.
* The in-room mini frig was stocked with still & sparkling drinking water, espresso pods & ground coffee. The staff also brought a huge cooler with a lot of ice, which kept our drinks cool for 3 days!
* The service from staff was endlessly accommodating and generous. Except for the lady on the morning shift at the front desk who tended to be argumentative and dismissive, everyone else, including the GM, was polite, friendly and helpful.
Areas in need of Improvement:
* Continental breakfasts were 85% starch. In this day of healthy eating, this truly flies in the face of what's good for the guests... unless this is calculated to get guests to pay up for the hot stuff.
* At the time of the reservation, the resort asked us to share our food restrictions (dairy for us). Yet upon arrival, we were surprised that there was NO plant-based yogurt - the only item in the Continental breakfast that was protein. And no remedy - they order their provisions weekly and could not flex or improvise. The dairy yogurt made 2 of our party suffer for an entire day. The curious thing was that they had almond milk and lactose-free ice cream, so why not plant-based yogurt? 🤔 If you ask about food restrictions, you should provision accordingly.
* Dinner was passable (B only). The entrees (2 selections nightly) had fresh ingredients and good sides. But pork, chicken and salmon were all just on the side of overdone. Cheese & broccoli soup was too gooey (like glue); the beet soup was too salty. The tomato soup was good. The very same choices for desserts every night for 4 days straight became boring! There needs to be more variety on the menu, especially since it's all-inclusive and extra people pay extra per person ($109 + tax) even for a four-person cottage where there were only 3 people in residence. I expect better food offerings more capably prepared. This is a main factor for me to be unwilling to consider a return.
* Due to the severe drought and Sage Hill drawing its water from the aquifer, there is no laundry facility except at the Ranch House (one of the cottages). That forces all other guests to either bring extra clothes or wash their own clothes. This is not expressly pointed out on the website, so people can't prepare for this before arrival. Yet there was no provision for drying one's clothes. And too few hangers in the closet = awkward laundering.
* Furnishings in the rooms feel a bit dated, and some of the bathroom fixtures didn't always work right, including flush lever (toilet) and drain (sink).