I wanted to love this stay, but it got off to a rough start. I received a notification early in the morning that my room was ready, so I checked out of my previous hotel sooner than planned and headed over. When I arrived around 1 PM, I was told the room wasn’t actually ready yet but should only be “about an hour.” Three hours and several bar tabs later, I finally got access around 4 PM. What made the wait especially frustrating was that I had already checked my luggage with the hotel. Had I known I would be waiting three hours, I could have gone into Carlsbad Village or explored the area. Instead, I felt tethered to the property because all of my belongings were being held by the hotel while I waited for a room that I had been told was already ready. Then came the mystery of the soaking wet carpet. Not a damp spot here or there—the carpet was wet enough that it immediately raised questions about what had happened in the room before I arrived. Given the three-hour delay, my imagination was left to fill in the blanks, and none of the possibilities were particularly comforting. I had also specifically booked an ocean-view room rather than a pool-view room. While the room technically had a view of the ocean somewhere beyond the pool area, it was directly above the pool during a reggae festival weekend. Instead of the peaceful ocean-view experience I expected, I got a soundtrack of reggae and a front-row view of the pool scene. The location is beautiful and the staff was pleasant, but between the inaccurate room-ready notification, the three-hour wait, the soaking wet carpet, and the questionable interpretation of “ocean view,” the experience didn’t live up to expectations. I just checked in too! I have three more days of this… I used my Amex rewards for nothing.

Looking for a beautiful beach front hotel with exceptional hospitality? This is it. My wife and I traveled from the east coast to stay at this gem of a property with a breathtaking view of the ocean. Sean and Bob as well as the valet greeted us and made the reservation process hassle free when we needed help. You won’t find nicer people anywhere. Enjoy this experience as everyone needs time to relax and enjoy the day for any occasion.

We had a great stay and truly appreciated the exceptional service. Kevin at the front desk went above and beyond by acknowledging my birthday and arranging a thoughtful amenity for my family. Julissa was wonderful and incredibly helpful—she even helped us find milk for my daughter. Eric took great care of us at breakfast, making the experience seamless. At departure, despite a busy valet, Michelle assisted us with our ticket, and Robert retrieved our car with water and a warm smile. Overall, a fantastic experience—we felt genuinely cared for and look forward to returning.

This review is for Cape Rey as a wedding venue: We hosted our April 2026 wedding at Cape Rey Hotel for about 80 guests. The team here was stellar throughout the whole planning process (venue tour, menu tasting, hotel block, countless questions from us) and they helped us pivot the day before the wedding when the forecast was calling for rain!! We of course loved this venue for it's coastal feel and gorgeous sea views and were disappointed by the weather... but they assisted in keeping the ceremony outside, with the cocktail hour in the foyer which still has awesome views and great natural lighting. The team was so professional and responsive. Our guests loved the resort.

Had a decent staycation here while attending an event, though a few details missed the mark. The shared spaces (lobby, pool, bar) are gorgeous, and the staff is friendly, especially in the restaurant. The app-based was incredibly efficient. However, the rooms feel dated and could use a deeper clean (found crumbs under the desk glass). Parking is pricey at $40, and the lack of modern charging ports (only one USB-A available) was a hassle. Note on Views: High-floor ocean views are nice but include RV park views and some street noise. If you prefer quiet over a view, request an "inside" room facing the residential side.

UPDATE: I was not able to get my receipts when i checked out they said something about a computer reboot/start of shift issue. I requested both my coworker and my receipts to be sent to me since I was paying for both. I only digitally received one. I called this evening and upon receiving her bill we were charged for a car we told the check in clerk at 9:40pm on 2/24/26 we did NOT have a car. We also did NOT request an upgrade - we actually tried to get on the same floor and my coworker requested a room close to mine. My coworker's room was moved and cited to 'maintenance' issues. Yet an UPGRADE FEE was placed on her bill. I argued this when I Called and the call center individual cited that my coworker 'requested' this in her app. I was in her room and she did not receive an upgrade - she was on the second floor. The rate we paid was already for an ocean view so this is theft. After calling into the call center, transferred to the front desk, then transferred to accounting (no one was there), back to the operator, then back to the front desk looking for a manager WHO WAS NOT THERE. I will be conducting a chargeback for the $40 daily parking fee, and the $10 daily upgrade fee. I had a 3 star rating initially but the HASSLE of trying to make this right was bizarre. No one could help me. Front desk never called for engineering work order the first time I called. I called again upon returning after 9pm at night. I called the front desk to state the engineer never got the first work order and only then did they admit fault that one was never sent in the first place. They did ask how I would like to resolve it. I asked for points. As of writing this review no points have been deposited to my account. Quick grab food options not regularly replenished. Issues connecting to the wifi and staying connected. Rooms dated and worn. No room service option beyond snacks for a resort.

Chandler’s and their staff were amazing. The food was excellent and the drinks and services from the restaurant staff were great as well. The reason for my one star is because I had an appalling experience with the vallet service. Specifically with Ramon the vallet man who was rude and snarky with me when I valeted my car. I made a comment about Ramon’s attitude to the front desk manager who did say he’d talk to him. Upon returning to the front stand I politely asked Ramon for my keys , and as my fiancée were walking away he says “oh and thanks for the complaint by the way” in the rudest snarkiest manner. I asked him why he would say that to me, and he said because “he can” to which I said “I’ll go ahead and make a second complaint” and he said “go right ahead”. After speaking with the front desk manager, I told him exactly what just happened and the manager did apologize was very professional but essentilly let me know there’s nothing other than the warning he can do to Ramon since in his words “Ramon obviously doesn’t care what I say”- which obviously he does not. All this to say, Ramon the valet completely ruined our Valentine’s Day outing and I feel like I paid $350+ to essentially have a valet be rude to me. Not to mention I specifically asked Ramon and the valet gentleman not to move or drive my vehicle as it is currently in very sensitive condition when I got back, my vehicle was in a completely different spot when I asked Ramon about this. He lied and said he never moved it even though I have a dash cam to prove otherwise also Jared the other valet also backed up a Ramon and lied to me and said nope I can assure you no one moved your car even though I checked my dash cam when I got home and it was very clearly moved without any lights on, and my E brake was still on causing damage to my car.

This was a solid 4 Star experience PROS Located adjacent to beach Friendly Staff Hotel very clean Grounds are beautiful Bus Stop 5 min away Restaurant and Spa on site Bicycles avail - Cost included in Resort Fee Shuttle available - within 5 miles Cons Far from town Cost seems high Didn't really feel like a 'resort' Room decor rather plain Parking is expensive We asked for late check out, but we were told the latest time available was 12:30p due to 'high occupancy'- this felt off : it is February and hotel didn't feel busy. I rated 'up' because: - Check in experience was super. Bob was very welcoming, and provided us with an upgrade. He explained the 'Blue Chip' program- which I love. We were given a blue poker-like chip to hand to any employee who we felt provided excellent service. We were provided a $30 food & beverage allowance as Diamond members Figuring out who to give the blue chip to was difficult. Everyone we met was very polite and friendly. Standouts were Riley and Eric at the restaurant. Ultimately, we gave it to Blake, in valet. He brought us to the village in the hotel shuttle. Super polite and professional. All in all, we had a great stay

Not a 4-star hotel. Make that a 3-star mainly because of the beautiful location. The rooms are very ordinary. The room service is fair, although we had to ask for special accommodations 3 times, including when we booked the room. The hotel's bar menu was really good. Large portions. My spicy shrimp taco wasn't spicy - in fact, it was a little bland without seasoning. It was good enough for us to have breakfast there the next night. Mistake. The server was cranky, the tea was cold, and the food really wasn't very good. Definitely not worth the money. I accidentally left an $80 item in the bathroom. It was under some towels, so I missed it. I called the next day, and through a horrible phone connection, I was told the cleaning manager wasn't in and to go to a lost items website. After the website said they didn't find my item I am 100% sure I left and where, I called to speak to the cleaning manager. Two days after leaving a message, still no call back. Yes, it was my fault for leaving an item, but I've left items in hotel rooms before, and I have never had them say they didn't "find" it. Will not stay there again. ** Update 1/21 - another response from a business' representative that is merely for PR and damage control after a negative review. I reached out to the representative that responded to my post only to be told the exact same scripted response I was told the first time. No compensations for the stolen item, overpriced food, etc. More proof this is a THREE STAR HOTEL, with 4-star prices! Look somewhere else! There are many beautiful hotels in Carlsbad!

Cape Rey was a nice resort stay, however not to the 4 Star hotel level. Scuffs on walls all around, in room and hallways. Elevators smelt of burning rubber and shook for a few seconds at every stop. Restaurant has huge breakfast portions, matching the price. Staff though out the hotel and restaurant are very friendly. But could be slow at times. The in-room phone to lobby/ room service was very staticy and hard to know if you would actually connect as no one pick up the phone. There are multiple QR codes to give you hotel information in the room but they all lead to different sites with different information, including from the Hilton app and the information provided on the official sites are wrong after speaking with the front desk. Parking is a walk across the street (residential) or around the building and down hill for each, $40 for self parking, $50 for valet. The parking fee can be used for as part of the AMEX Hotel Collection credit. Getting to the Hotel is easy right off of I-5. Beach access is across the PCH and through an RV park.