1. As others have mentioned, there is a $25 service fee added to the bill no matter what. I booked the room through Hotwire, which normally takes care of all taxes and fees, and still got a separate charge on checkout of $25. This was after I left a nice tip for the cleaning staff in the room. This is way out of line.

2. The property itself is beautiful. And the rooms are nice. This is the only reason I even give the place 2 stars.

3. Service was bad. We arrived at about 4:00pm, and had to wait 20 minutes for a room to be ready. They had no rooms with two beds available, which was a bummer.

4. The spa is located in the tennis center, which was a long *drive* away from our room. Determined to make use of the spa, we drove there only to find it was closed. The front desk person didn't mention this when I called to inquire as to the whereabouts of the spa.

Overall, a rather lackluster stay for the $200+ I ended up spending. I'm normally a $50 a night sorta guy, and when I splurge, I want things to be great. The last couple times (the Venetian in Vegas, Jury's in Washington) its been entirely worth it. This time I just felt like wasted a bunch of money.

We've been here twice and loved it both times. This time we were lucky enough to have a cottage with a fireplace. Part of the charm is the real wood fireplace ready for you to light with the s'mores kit waiting for you by the side. The other part of the charm is how dog friendly this property is! You are greeted with bag of dog cookies and this is no little bag either.

The property is really pretty with a stream by the check-in desk and a great looking pool. The breakfast is really hearty and in a beautiful lodge with a lit wood fireplace overlooking the mountains.

The decor is a little outdated, but you are going for a country getaway (not a modern sleek hotel) and that is exactly what you get. The rooms are clean and quiet.

The only complaint we had is being a bit chilly, but the fireplace made the place toasty in no time.

The accommodations were dirty, loud, poorly kept, and uncomfortable! The LACK of AC made it very stuffy and hot, and the carpets had obviously not been vacuumed recently. Mattresses had protruding springs, internet did not work in the rooms, and staff was not helpful. For $100 less each night, we changed to a much, much nicer hotel down the road. Would not recommend this hotel to anyone...get a kennel for the puppies each night or find other pet-friendly accommodations; you'd be better off in a tent.

We just spent New Year's weekend at the Carmel Valley Lodge and had a wonderful time. It is comfortable and cozy and most importantly-- very dog friendly. The staff was wonderful, the complimentary breakfast was filling, and the grounds were very beautiful. I didn't have super high expectations since it is realitively inexpensive and the photos on their website make the place look kind of dingy and I was very pleasantly surprised. It is very clean and simple. I highly recommend it.