My wife planned a trip to the Aviara to celebrate my birthday and the hotel lives up to the Four Seasons' Standards. The entrance is very nice as is the lobby which is filled with nice touches like mango iced tea and lemonade. There is live music in the bar and all the common areas are clean and well kept.

The hotel is very kid-friendly and there are many young ones around. Also, the hotel is very pet-friendly, which we were very grateful for, they even providing a doggie dish and doggie bed.

The golf course and pro shop are very nice with excellent service and it is really a wonderful course that is challenging yet enjoyable.

Breakfast was nice and pricey and the service was fine.

The gym and spa are very nice and well attended.

The only two issues we had (albeit minor ones) were that the rooms were a little smaller than what we were used to at other Four Seasons Resorts and that the walls were a little thinner so that we could hear our neighbors (and their kids) if they were running around.

In summary, this hotel provided the perfect weeekend getaway from Los Angeles, especially if you have kids or small pets.

The Aviara is a beautiful, truly luxurious hotel but if you do not play golf, do spas or lie around a pool, you will be bored out of your skull. The rooms are huge and lovely - one of the nicest in which we have ever stayed. All have private balconies or patios with water or garden views. Bathrooms are large and lush. All this does not make up for the isolation of the resort. The beach is about a mile away. If you want any food other than overpriced hotel food, you must drive 5 or more miles. For any shopping other than hotel shops, again, you drive 5 miles. There are no historic sites or museums anywhere near by. You cannot stay here without a car, it is is the middle of nowhere so of course you can only valet park your car for an outrageous amount of money per day. I'd never stay here again.

I love the Four Seasons - especially this one! I stayed here on two occasions within a week and will stay again any time I have the chance! i love the outdoor bar area overlooking the ocean! The nice big bathtub in the room was perfect and as usual the service in this hotel is flawless. The shops in the hotel are cute too. I left my watch and ring in the room after checking out and they could not have been more accomadating in locating them and securing them.

The entrance was magnificient, with people greeting me and my now 'fiancee' (after our stay there :) ). Once I told the valet parking staff my last name, everyone had everything set for us. I didn't even have to pull a reservation number when I got to the receptionist who did an incredible job in up selling us to a panoramic suite for a discounted rate. The lobby lounge restaurant was a highlight, good service, good food, good live music. The game room was another highlite, with all kinds of different games for me and my girlfriend (except for a parent that will not let go of her kids for hours on the air hockey table which is not the hotel's fault). The pool was absolutely perfect on a Sunday morning, no one was there, sunny after the rain and staff very accomodating. The small criticisms, again, is towards some of the guests, like a drunk couple in the morning and one of the restaurants outside of the hotel were we had breakfast not up to par to Four Seasons Standards. All in all however, this was a perfect proposal and my now fiancee was very happy.