Opinions SANCTUARY BEACH RESORT Monterey

Beautiful property, extremely serene, soft spoken staff, beautiful rooms. Being a hotelier myself, I love to check out the room amenities. Thoroughly impressed by the Linen & Terry quality and comfortable duvets.

I didn't get any help when I requested some.
The parking can be a pain depending on where your room is. A still water brings millions of mosquitoes that get attracted to your door from the lights. One bathroom had no conditioner, one did. The washer sounded like it was going to die. No a.c. when the winds pick up you can get blasted by the dunes. The t.v's were good, although the ones in the bedrooms were so tiny like 15 inch.

Great place to relax stayed two nights and never left the resort. Room was recently renovated still had a new house smell. Views are awesome and the overall would highly recommend. Staff, Service,and food all great. If you want to un plug for a few days this would be a great option.

I had an absolutely wonderful stay at this resort in February. Upon arrival, we were delighted to find that we had been assigned one of the recently renovated rooms. The room boasted elegant wooden flooring and homely furniture that immediately made us feel at ease. The shower area was spacious and well-designed, adding to the overall comfort of our stay.

One of the highlights of our room was the breathtaking beach view, offering an unparalleled vista of the ocean that was truly a sight to behold. It’s worth noting that the resort is undergoing extensive renovations to upgrade other rooms as well, indicating their commitment to providing guests with top-notch accommodations.

The resort’s cart service deserves special mention for its punctuality and convenience, effortlessly transporting us from our room to the lobby and back. This thoughtful service ensured that we could navigate the expansive resort grounds with ease.

One of the most memorable experiences during our stay was the bonfire evenings. These gatherings provided a fun and relaxed atmosphere to enjoy the stunning sunsets on the beach, allowing guests to mingle and share their experiences.

The resort has one restaurant on site with lovely ambience and is close to many other restaurants and shopping centers.

In summary, my stay at the resort was nothing short of perfect. The combination of a beautiful setting, exceptional service, and a wide range of amenities made for an unforgettable.

I wish I had read the reviews here before booking. There was construction going on everywhere at the resort and there was no mention of this on the website before booking or at any other time. When you pay for an ocean view balcony you expect to relax with a glass of wine, not hear the sounds of table saws and hammering. The hot tub was also being serviced the day I was there so that was also unavailable. The rooms are very outdated, and we also had ants in our bed. The staff were wonderful and the restaurant was pretty good too. I realize this place will improve when the renovations are done, but that doesn't really help me as my money and time were wasted staying here.

Edit: It's been two weeks since emailing Sylvain like he asked below in his response to this review and I have received no answer.

When you book a beachfront room its not actually beachfront. Its a room which is away from the beach and has lot more rooms infront of it blocking the view and you get a bare minimal view of the beach. Thats certainly not called beach front. It should be called partial ocean view.

The room didnt have floaters and I had to ask for them.

We have visited here many times. However, this is our first time back since the pandemic. We would have returned earlier. However, the prices have almost doubled. What once was somewhat expensive ($400/night on a weekend) for an Ocean Front Jr. Suite turned into $750-$1,000+ for the same room, depending on times of year.

I gave up staying here but stumbled across a "deal" I came across a couple of months ago. It was the same amount as years past. To confirm, they sent an email for 25% off for a stay. Looked up some dates (even the ones we stayed currently) and the cost were again doubled.

The only real benefit is access to a beach that no one is on and dog friendly. Just note, what used to be $50/day fee for a dog(s), turned into $50/a day per dog. Also, they started renovating the majority of their Ocean front suites. We got ore of a view of dunes, as well as someone that had a room above us. It sounded like they were running wind sprints. I mentioned my concerns to the front desk, but they are well trained to deflect and not care.

This hotel has so much potential. we were looking forward to our getaway. Our experience was awful.
We booked an ocean view suite for a thanksgiving holiday. Our bathroom and room had mold. The window sills had cog webs. We expressed concern to front desk but unfortunately there was nothing they could do. We were downgraded to a standard room due to availability from their property construction project . There was no mention on their website of construction on property. This hotel is not worth the price. Better to stay in Carmel or in Monterey.

One star is given because of the "snotty service". We came to stay with family in their time share at The Sanctuary. On multiple occasions we were snubbed but the office staff because either we said we were visiting using my in-laws time share or they said they looked us up and the demeanor changed to "oh your with world mark"... and the service plummeted. The reaction of the office staff or phone answering staff was so obviously rude, that it was almost like it was scripted for a movie.
This also happened 2 years ago as well when staying but I brushed it off. This time it needs to be known.

I've stayed here off and on since 2018. Unfortunately I can't say you get a good value staying here when a nearby Airbnb or lower cost hotel would be perhaps $180-225 per night vs $600-800 here, and with all the $40 "environmental fees" that the Sanctuary tacts on, could be even more. You still get access to the beach since it's all public... and you can still eat at their restaurant, but save a ton of money staying somewhere else. The prices have been going up too which is crazy. Even with their "Black Friday discount" which is hardly a discount from what I can tell, you're paying 4x 5x other options in Marina. I don't think they understand their hotel is located in MARINA, not MONTEREY or CARMEL.

I was there Oct 29th to 31st. Beautiful location, BUT not worth the money spent. In total spent close to $800 for room 608. View was gorgeous, but room wasn't great. The magic of photography definitely didn't match reality. I blew two fuses while there. One in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. We were told that I couldn't have the TV on amd blow dry my hair at the same time. We also accidentally tracked sand into our room. We called for the vacuum and had to vacuum ourselves. We also requested a linen change that day and no one came. Room service was ordered and the food was mediocre at best. Lobster pasta was flavorless. For what I spent, I expected more.

How have I lived in the Bay Area for 30 years and never heard of The Sanctuary?!?! Stayed here with three out-of-town friends this past weekend. I was the planner for the trip and I looked at SO many properties and am so glad I chose The Sanctuary. We requested two king suites close to each other and were upgraded to kind of our own two-suite location right on the sand, ocean right outside our patio. The rooms are lovely, very clean and well appointed. Top shelf toiletries in the shower and bathroom.

We had dinner and brunch at the Salt Wood Kitchen and Oysterette and enjoyed it very much. There are bikes available to use which we unfortunately did not have time for. Also didn't get a chance to participate in the yoga on the beach in the morning but what a great activity to have available.

We had a small mix-up with our billing (due to our error in using our two breakfast credits properly) and the issue was resolved quickly and a credit given. We also left a jacket behind and quickly received notice that it was found and given the opportunity to have it mailed back to us.

I only wish we had stayed longer than one night at this beautiful, peaceful resort property, but I will definitely be back. A perfect location for a "staycation" for us the next time we need a break and don't want to travel too far. Highly recommend The Sanctuary! The photo I've attached is steps from our room. Just stunning.

Saltwood Kitchen is the place to be on Friday night with live music featuring brass solo musician. Bar is surrounded the burger and oyster grill with oak woods. Ambience is fun and lively with impeccable service. Grill masters cook burgers and oysters to perfection. Will be back this hidden jewel in Marina.