II recently stayed at this hotel during the Fourth of July weekend. The location is fantastic—right across the street from the beach and conveniently close to Legoland. I had booked a pool view room, but unfortunately, the view was disappointing. I could barely see the pool, and the room only had a window instead of a sliding glass door. A sliding door would have been much better! For the price of approximately $450 per night, not including resort fees, I expected a more comfortable room. To make matters worse, the toilet in the room was running when we checked in. I tried to fix it by jiggling the handle, but it didn’t work. I complained about the inconvenience, but the hotel staff didn’t apologize. Instead, they said they would fix it the next day because it was late. As a light sleeper, this issue kept me up all night. On the day we checked out, I requested a late check-out, but the hotel informed me that they had reached their capacity for late check-outs. I have gold status with Hilton, and apparently, my gold status isn’t sufficient to get a late check-out. On a positive note, the restaurant is nice, and the food was delicious on the two evenings we ate there.

Beyond exceptional! Staying at Cape Rey in Carlsbad was like having our own little place in a resort paradise. The location was perfect! The pool is so pretty and so much fun! The restaurant on site, Chandler's made the best pina colada. We had the shrimp tacos which were also very good. Chandler's offers free coffee in the morning for guests. Or, for purchase, they made a tasty vanilla latte. Our room was perfect! Nice and comfy with a gorgeous view of the ocean. There is the state beach right across the street that you can walk to with chairs and towels provided by Cape Rey or, schedule a ride to south Ponto Beach with the free shuttle for full lounge chairs and umbrellas! There are bicycles available to borrow as well if you want a fun riding adventure along the shore. Ralph's grocery store is a 5 minute dtive for snacks and beverages. Don't miss Pellys Fish Market in that same plaza for fresh fish tacos! And, a special thank you to Chris, the front desk supervisor at Cape Rey for makng us feel so welcomed and at home during our stay. We will be back, we loved Cape Rey!

I have a hard time understanding how this hotel has earned 4 star status. The rooms are like a Hilton Garden Inn. Not a 4 star experience at all room-wise. There were stains on the walls in our bathroom and on the toilet seat. Housekeeping did not empty the trash, did not refresh toiletries, and left dirty cleaning rags in the room. It took almost two hours for the front desk to send up a couple towels and a blanket. The pool is great! They did movies on a projector screen at night which was fun and they had popcorn and cotton candy which was exciting for our kids. The location is excellent. Close to Carlsbad Village, the beach, Legoland, and only 30 ish minutes away from San Diego Zoo area. Apparently they have a shuttle to the beach which we only found out on the last day from another guest. It would be nice if we knew that on check in. I'd probably stay here again but I was disappointed on my first stay as I was expecting a 4 star hotel and this just truly is not.

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.

I just recently got back from a two night stay. I usually go every year for my staycation for a little me time. I will say positive notes that the bar was great, the bartenders were really nice and personal. Food was good I will say . I had chili wings, margarita pizza, hazelnut bar, and the lobster roll. Drinks were really good. I decided to try the pineapple rum my first night. It was sweet but good. Pool service was ok. I felt like they could use more help. But overall it was a decent stay this time.

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.