The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

Like one of those Scottish or Irish castles seen or read about in movies or books, the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay is truly a California treasure perched on the rugged cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean coastline. 

I was having a little travitude (“the fear of not having any trip booked”) right after the conclusion of our Round The World Honeymoon Trip. And seeing that this former Category 7 Ritz Carlton property was going for 50,000 points, I didn’t hesitate to book us a night here at this property. 

After changing the date of our stay twice, this booking eventually became my wife’s birthday staycation, and the location was just perfect for our maternity shoot. More on that later.

As at the time of this stay, the cash rate of the standard Guest House Room we booked was pricing at a little over $900, while the Guest House Partial Golf Room with Fire Pit that was assigned to us on arrival was pricing at $1,300.

We arrived at the hotel around 1pm and our Guest House with Partial Golf View room was ready to be checked into. As a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador elite, I had received an email from the ambassador team regarding this stay and couple other stays asking, “are you celebrating anything special…and how we could make your stay memorable.”

On a side note, during the check-in process, we were given the option between the Guest House and the Main Building, but we chose to remain in the Guest House since it provided a little more privacy, and parking is free when staying at the Guest Room. That saved us $65+.

Although, seeing these dirty dishes and glasses by the entrance of our room didn’t leave a bad taste, we decided not to pay much attention to that. Instead, we focused on all the positive aspects in and around the hotel.

For those that have been following my travels/posts for a very long time, some of you can attest to how much I love a “Welcome Note” from hotels. Especially when it’s a personalized one. The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay did not disappoint in this regard.

Since this was Mrs. The Points Engineer’s birthday staycation, and our maternity shoot, let me quickly cover that aspect before talking about the room aspect.

Being a special occasion, the special treat from the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay did not end with just a personalized welcome note, a Happy Birthday fruit cake and bottle of sparkling water were also delivered to our room.

Everywhere around the hotel was picture-perfect, and we couldn’t have picked a better location for these double celebrations of ours. As seen in the picture below, Mrs. The Points Engineer poses for a picture on the picturesque ocean lawn with amazing views of the pacific coastline.

 

THE ROOM:

As aforementioned, we were upgraded from a standard Guest House room to The Guest House with Partial Golf Room with Fire Pit. This 495 sqft (45sqm) room featured the custom-designed pillowtop Ritz Carlton 1 King size bed by Stearns & Foster, a love seat, a fireplace, a large work desk with chair, and ample closet space with shades of gray.

 

Read More: W Hotels New York Times Square

 

The room also featured an outdoor space with a firepit on the terrace where guests can gather to keep warm while admiring the beauty of the golf course or watching the bagpiper playing at sunset.

 

THE BATHROOM:

The marble bathroom in the Guest Room with Partial Golf View at the Ritz Carlton Half moon Bay featured an oversized marble bathtub, a separate walk-in shower, a marble sink, and a lighted makeup mirror.

Like many other Ritz properties, Asprey bath products were also provided in the bathroom, as well as hairdryer, and 2 bathrobes plus slippers.

 

OTHER AMENITIES:

It’s worth mentioning that there’s a $50 daily Resort Fee charged by this property, and amenities provided varies. During our stay, the only amenity we used was the in-house vehicle between the guest house and the main house a couple of times. If my memory serves me right, the house vehicle was a Chevvy Suburban.

Though we didn’t use any of these, but the tennis courts and indoor pool are in the Guest House area. There’s also a fitness center and spa located at the hotel.

We decided to have dinner outside of the hotel and did a short drive to downtown historical half moon bay. As a result of this, we missed the bagpiper which plays daily one hour before sunset.

 

OUR VERDICT:

We received a top-notch customer service from the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. The personalized note and birthday cake were a great touch from the team. The views and the grounds are aesthetically pleasing, the room and the bathroom was well apportioned, and the bed was comfy.

Overall, this is no doubt a solid Marriott Bonvoy 50K points redemption for us.

Have you stayed at this hotel before and what do you make of this property? Leave your comment below.