Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa

Rancho Valencia is a hidden gem, ideal for total relaxation, a memorable family gathering, a romantic wedding, or a seamless meeting. The property is breathtaking, with beautifully appointed rooms that offer peace and privacy. The on-site restaurants and bar are truly top-tier, offering exceptional cuisine and service. And the spa? An experience in itself — the perfect indulgence for any visit.

Having read all of the positive reviews about Rancho Valencia, my husband and I were really looking forward to our 4 night stay at this 5 star resort. We had hoped to spend a fair amount of time at the spa relaxing. For reference there are 2 pools at the resort. A family pool (only for resort guests) and an adult pool which is located at the spa. To start off, check in was smooth and we were taken to a lovely 1BR suite. Dinner that night at The Pony was very good. The trouble started on our 2nd day. My husband and I ventured down to the spa in the afternoon hoping to relax at the pool before our massages. First warning there was something wrong was the spa parking lot was completely packed and there were flow over cars parked up and down the roadside. As a guest of the hotel, you could easily walk to the spa, so something didn’t seem quite right. We walked over to the adult pool in the spa and it was packed to the gills. An arrogant, young blond female employee at the entry informed us that there was a wait list for chairs at the pool and there were 3 couples ahead of us. She could provide no estimate of how long that wait might be. We told her we were hotel guests paying quite a large nightly fee and this was not really acceptable. Her surly response was “everyone here is a guest of the hotel and I don't see what the problem is”. When I asked her name, she quickly covered up her ID badge and accused me of being “aggressive”. I came to discover the true fact is, the resort has sold large quantities of family memberships to the public and also for the purchase of a simple spa treatment, you can use the spa facilities for the entire day. You, however, as the high paying resort guest have no priority here. The other amenities: sauna, steam room and hot tubs were equally packed. The locker room was uncomfortably full and there were no attendants. It was difficult to find an empty locker with a robe. All of the showers were in use. The seats in the waiting area for the treatments were also full. After complaining to the hotel manager, she did arrange for us to have seats at an empty cabana later in the afternoon following our treatments. Of course by then it was late afternoon, the crowds had significantly died down and my mood unfortunately had soured. The spa was basically a rat race. Not at all relaxing Perhaps we were super unlucky, as it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. This place has SOLD OUT to the public hoping they won’t get much resistance from their out of town, high paying resort guests. Our massages were excellent, but loud groups of young women in the waiting area could easily be heard during our treatments. For a true relaxing experience, go elsewhere. If you still want to have a day at the Rancho Valencia spa, it would be more economical to stay at a cheaper local hotel, book a treatment at RV spa and then spend the day there. Get there early so you can get a locker and seat at the pool (sigh, ridiculous but true)! It was

I think I've finally found the Spa resort of my dreams. I travel all over the world and here it is right in my back yard of California. This location is absolutely gorgeous, but not stuffy or snoby. Staff is super nice (and honesly love working there). Everyone I met had been there for 6 - 10 years or more. One guy was there for 30 years. Service, rooms, grounds, spa - all super nice. I've been there twice. This last time with my 2 girl friends. Everyone joked we were the White Lotus girls. But joking aside, it makes a fantastic girls get away. The shopin on site is pretty decent, really good merchandiser in the shop. The spa is lovely and all the services top notch. I think my facial was the best i've ever had in 30+years. I'll definitely be back again. My only suggestion is to book your spa treatments as early as possible, because they book up.

Outstanding resort with superb accommodation, excellent food, ample activities and a well trained and managed staff. The room was a Casita suite with oversized bedroom, large, circular tub, walk in closet, comfortable den/sitting area with gas fireplace and free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks in the mini-bar. The suite had three over-sized flat screen TV, comfortable bed and linens and lots of drawer pace. The room amenities are rare these days even in fine hotels - over-sizd umbrella, wooden clothing brushes, Dyson hair dryer, portable iron and coffeemaker The spa is beautiful and open for all guests to use without extra charge or paying for a spa service, it had a relaxation room with hot tea and snack, and multiple health and fitnesses classes throughout the day, The large property size gives you a feeling of space everywhere with crowds visible in the public spots. This is an American Express listed resort property so it comes with some extras we certainly appreciated - noon check-in, 4 pm checkout, free breakfast for two for each night in the room, a $100 resort credit and possible room upgrade if available (don’t know how our room could have been any better. Another nice feature is no need (or cost) for valet parking. Guess parking is right adjacent to each Casita with an assigned spot for each casita. It was a great getaway.

All of the individuals we met were very kind and attentive to our needs. We stayed at the Valencia Suite and it was amazing!! The suite was very clean, comfortable and relaxing. The resort was secluded, quiet, and made us feel like we were transported to a hideaway. We love to hike and were close to trails in all directions and difficulties. The Concierge was VERY helpful with the trails and restaurants. The Pony Room had amazing food and the bar served tasty cocktails. The drive from the airport was very easy. We can't wait to return!!

This review is mainly about the Spa but I will start with the resort first. We stayed in an Agave Suite and it was beautiful, very clean, and amenities were great! Minor detail missed on our third night - we got truffles on our pillows the first two nights with the turn down service but not on the third night for some reason? And I missed it because the truffles were really good! Room service was also mostly prompt and staff were mostly helpful! Now about the spa... I have gone to multiple spas (not an expert but well traveled and have some experience). For the price paid for the services I got the overall impression I left with was subpar (what I would expect from an average spa). When I arrived at the spa the first day the lady that greeted me took me on a very brief tour after finding out that this was my first time at this spa. She left out a lot of important details that another guest was so gracious to help me out. When I was out by the pool that first day I was seated at my lounge chair and given a menu but nobody stopped by to ask if I wanted anything. There was a group of three ladies that were sat next to me after me that got waters, drinks, and great service immediately. Lastly, the day that I had two treatments I took a shower and it was very cold. When I exited the spa I informed the gentlemen at the front desk to the spa that the shower was very cold (not even close to warm after 10 minutes of running it) and he acted very nonchalant about it and diverted me by stating "but the treatments were great?" He completely minimized that I spent a lot of money ＞$1500 (a lot for me anyway) that I had a cold shower in a 5 star spa and did not offer any kind of amend or rectification for the experience. Then he asked me if I was with another person (stated the person's name) because they had not checked out yet?? He acted like he was annoyed and wanted to get out of there - very rude. So that was the last impression I had as I left the spa. Lastly, the spa is beautiful but needs some restoration work - it looked a little run down and there were plumbing issues along with the cold shower. The massage I got was average. I have had better massages but the girl who did it was very sweet and otherwise did a great job.