In 2006, my husband and I ended up at this hotel for one night spontaneously, as another hotel for which we had reservations was not working out. We enjoyed our stay so much that we planned our whole vacation around this hotel in October, 2008. We spent 8 nights at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach and were just as impressed this time as we were two years ago.
When first pulling up to the hotel, valet parking attendants quickly rush to greet you and someone assists with luggage. The friendly parking attendants whisk the car off to the underground parking garage. A doorman opens the sparkling glass entry door to an elegant rotunda, featuring a huge, luminous chandelier with cone-shaped glass. Elegant floor tile and wood accents give a warm welcome to visitors, and the alcoves containing giant crystals add a decorative touch.
The attendants at the front desk are all friendly and welcoming, and are glad to accommodate guests in any way they can. The young man (Chad) who checked us in, was happy to upgrade us to a full ocean view King room. (I highly recommend signing up for the free Hyatt Gold Passport card.)
Our room was wonderful! It overlooked the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean. I have read other reviews about how noisy the traffic was on PCH, and yes, there is a lot of traffic during the normal business hours....In 2006, my husband and I ended up at this hotel for one night spontaneously, as another hotel for which we had reservations was not working out. We enjoyed our stay so much that we planned our whole vacation around this hotel in October, 2008. We spent 8 nights at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach and were just as impressed this time as we were two years ago.
When first pulling up to the hotel, valet parking attendants quickly rush to greet you and someone assists with luggage. The friendly parking attendants whisk the car off to the underground parking garage. A doorman opens the sparkling glass entry door to an elegant rotunda, featuring a huge, luminous chandelier with cone-shaped glass. Elegant floor tile and wood accents give a warm welcome to visitors, and the alcoves containing giant crystals add a decorative touch.
The attendants at the front desk are all friendly and welcoming, and are glad to accommodate guests in any way they can. The young man (Chad) who checked us in, was happy to upgrade us to a full ocean view King room. (I highly recommend signing up for the free Hyatt Gold Passport card.)
Our room was wonderful! It overlooked the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean. I have read other reviews about how noisy the traffic was on PCH, and yes, there is a lot of traffic during the normal business hours. But it decreases in the evenings when we would sit on our terrace and watch the beachgoers gather around the fires in the fire pits. We could smell a bit of the smoke from the fires, but it wasn’t bad at all. We captured some excellent photographs of the sun setting behind the palm trees over the beach and ocean. (See posted photographs)
The bed was so comfortable that we wished we could take it home! The light-weight bedding allowed for very restful sleep. Every morning we would wake up at sunrise and look out over the Pacific Ocean, joking that it was still there. However, on the fourth morning, I looked out and exclaimed to my husband, “Well it’s still there, but something happened to it during the night - mountains formed!” We were amazed to find hills and mountains out in the ocean, which hadn’t been there the first three days. Upon questioning the attendant at the front desk, she informed us it was Catalina Island, which isn’t always visible from the hotel, depending on atmospheric conditions.
Our package, booked through hyattvacations.com, included breakfast for two. I highly recommend this option if it is offered. The breakfast is not a run of the mill continental breakfast, but offers anything off the menu at the Californian Restaurant, located at the hotel. The food is amazing! It is prepared fresh, and served appearing as if it were something out of a national food magazine, or a work of art. My favorite was the Crab Cake Benedict. They offer indoor dining, complete with a fireplace, or dining near the fountain outside on the terrace. If you are paying for the meals separate from the room, plan to spend $20 to $25 per meal, which includes unlimited fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee or tea. Our breakfast bill for the two of us averaged $52 each morning, but was taken care of with the free breakfast coupons included in the package. The coupons also included gratuity, which made them even more of a value.
The valet parking, at $25 a night, is a bit expensive, and was not included in the package we booked. I did see it included in another package online, but in that one the breakfasts weren’t included, so shop wisely and pick the things of most value to you. It was great after a long day of sightseeing, to return to the hotel, drive up to the front door, hand the keys to the valet attendant, and not have to worry about finding a parking spot.
We picked an excellent week to stay at this hotel, as although there was a conference going on the first day, and a couple weddings over the weekend, it was fairly quiet. Since it was in the “off season,” and children were in school, there was no noise from the pool area. This hotel is in the process of building a family pool by next summer, which will keep kids entertained and cut down on the noise from the main pool area even during tourist season.
We ate lunch one time during our visit on the terrace of Pete’s Sunset Grille, located on the property, and as expected, the meal was delicious. We purchased a few gifts at Surf City Trading Company, and bought groceries at Surf City Grocers, both located in the retail courtyard.
The walkway from the hotel property across the Pacific Coast Highway is very convenient. You may take the stairs or use the elevator to get down to sea level. After just a short walk across the parking lot, you are at the beach, complete with all the sea air and salt water aromas, and the sounds of the crashing waves as they break near the shore.
We love this hotel not only for it’s elegance, but also for it’s convenient location to the activities in the Los Angeles area. We planned day trips north to Universal Studios, Long Beach, and Venice Beach, and to the south to Newport Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, and San Juan Capistrano. The activity we enjoyed the most was driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at various piers to take photographs of the surfers, and stopping to eat at seaside restaurants such as Joe’s Crab Shack in Seal Beach, and Tequila Jack’s in Long Beach.
We only had a couple of minor annoyances with the hotel. The wireless Internet connection kept dropping out, but when we brought it to the attention of the front desk attendant, she immediately credited our Internet charges and suggested we switch to the wired, Ethernet cable connection. Also, when returning one evening after a long day of sightseeing, we found that the housekeeper had moved everything around in our room. Things left near the sink in the bathroom were stuffed into my cosmetic bag, which was then zipped up and stashed on a shelf. It took me two days to find my dental floss! While I don’t mind things being moved for cleaning, this housekeeper was a little too thorough!
We recommend this hotel to anyone who wants elegance at a moderate price. We are already planning our 2009 vacation, and definitely plan to choose the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa in Huntington Beach!More
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