Carneros Resort and Spa

We have stayed at Carneros 5-6 times over the last 10 years and this was one of our favorite trips. The property is so well maintained and the recent-ish changes they made to the front part of the resort (near FARM) are really great. Staff were lovely and helpful and the room was fab as always. Our 3 year old had a blast at Otto's pool!

We had a wonderful stay at Carneros but were disappointed that the stay was not as good as our last visit in June 2024. We were very pleased with all the staff at the front desk (except for one incident) and at the hilltop pool and breakfast service. Everyone was nice and attentive. Some people have complained about the lack of choices for the free breakfast but we thoughy it was adequate but do find it strange that they charge you for espresso drinks. The adult pool is very peaceful and we used the hot tub at night. The poolside food and service were very good. The gardens are beautiful and filled with fresh produce. We used the pickle ball courts and enjoyed the live music at night. Needless to say, we enjoyed all the hotel amenities! There were 2 areas where we felt the resort came up short. We stayed in 1 Sparrow and there was mold on the lower tiles in the shower and the 2 bathroom sinks drained very slowly. I pointed this out to housekeeping but I noticed there were still some mold after cleaning. Also, the shade around the light fixture in the bathroom was broken in the back. The unit just needed a little maintenance and I would think the resort would have someone to keep an eye on these things. Despite this, our room was lovely with lots of space and we enjoyed spending time in the outside patio area. Our worst experience was with the Farm restaurant. They were clearly understaffed the night we went and we had to wait 15 minutes for our table even though we had reservations. It was odd because there were only about 4 occupied tables for inside seating and the rest of the restaurant was empty. We ordered 2 glasses of wine and our entrees. After waiting over 15 minutes and no wine, we had to ask the waiter for our wine and he replied he was going to bring them with our entrees. I found that quite strange. The food was good (I ordered the duck) but my husband ordered the Margherita pizza and noted that he got 4 VERY tiny pieces of basil on it yet the resort has many planters filled with fresh produce growing which was a bit ironic. I would also like to mention that I called the front desk one night to ask how to turn on the firepit on our patio. The woman who answered ( I think her name was Bridget but I can't be sure) was REALLY rude and seemed very bothered at having to help me. I had another question but she hung up before I could ask it. I was quite shocked at her rudeness. I called back 10 minutes later and a very nice gentleman helped me so I am not sure what hole "Bridget' climbed out of to answer the phone the first time. We had a nice time but will be debating whether to come back next year.

The hotel has shuttle service. They dropped us off at an event & we were told to call the back of the card & we told the driver we would be ready for pick up at 8:15pm. He agreed to pick us up. They never did. We still had to contact an uber for a ride, after getting disconnected from the front desk Deseray.

Deseree at the front desk should be in the back. Horrible service, left us stranded for over an hour downtown and lies multiple times in the phone. We won’t be rebooking this careless resort. We have never been left stranded anywhere until Carneros Resort. What a nightmare.

The Carneros felt like a glammed up trailer park organized around small courtyards. Most rooms have no view and loud freeway noise. My “upgraded” room, which goes for $1500+ night, was a gussied up she shed. While I understand the hotel can only do so much about the small rooms, the real slap was the “free breakfast,” which was a sad table of pastries and granola and dented pre-peeled hard boiled eggs. They even had the gumption to offer us espresso drinks as part of the free breakfast service and present a surprise bill for them. The level of service would be good & expected from a $3-400/nt hotel, but feels incredibly cheap for the prices they’re charging.

We recently returned to Carneros Resort & Spa after having a great experience two years ago, but unfortunately, the service and overall attention to detail have noticeably declined. While the property itself remains beautiful, the service was just average, with small but frustrating lapses in quality. For instance, there was still soap from a previous guest left in our shower—an oversight that shouldn’t happen at a resort of this caliber. Additionally, we were charged for a four-person double king room but were unable to access the second suite due to a poor design concept, which felt misleading. Breakfast is technically “included,” but the offerings are extremely limited—no eggs, no yogurt to accompany the granola, just toast and fruit—so unless you’re okay with a sparse selection, you’re forced to order off the menu at an additional cost. Compared to our last stay, the level of service and attentiveness from staff has decreased significantly. Given the premium pricing, we expected a much higher standard, and unfortunately, Carneros did not deliver. We won’t be returning and wouldn’t recommend it based on our most recent experience.