Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort And Conference Center

Ratings: Baby/Child Friendliness: Romance: More about the ratings... Contact Information One Old Golf Road Monterey, California 93940 Phone: (831) 372-1234 Fax: (831) 375-6985 monterey.hyatt.com

The Hyatt's relaxing lobby showcases the lovely, surrounding golf course.

April, 2009 Review

Revisiting the Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa in April, 2009, after its completion of the second phase of its $55 million dollar renovation, this resort now ranks on our ratings as one of the most comfortable and inviting family destinations. When I first reviewed this resort in October, 2001, it barely qualified as a best family resort. It has come a long ways from its time as primarily a business and conference center, and has truly ascended to a top pick for a family visiting the Monterey area. The suites are comfortable and spacious, the atmosphere is serene and relaxing, and visitors are just minutes from all of the amazing area attractions of Monterey (see highlighted area attractions at the end of this review).

The renovation updated all 575 guestrooms, including 32 suites, creating a warm and contemporary ambiance with earth tones and natural materials such as leather and warm walnut woods. My husband and I as well as our four kids all slept very comfortably in the Hyatt’s signature Grand Bed with its pillow-top mattress. We stayed in two adjoining suites, which gave us four rooms creating a feeling of a small house with all of the comforts we needed: 32-inch plasma televisions, individual climate control, internet capability, in-room refrigerators, coffee makers with Starbuck’s coffee, safes, and upon request, a microwave to reheat leftovers. Some bathrooms feature spacious walk-in rain showers, travertine flooring and marble countertops. The final phase of the renovation, not completed yet at the time of my stay, will be the addition of a new 12,000 square foot spa including a health club and 12 new spa suites, the only ones of their kind in the area.

The renovation also brought about the TusCA Ristorante which overlooks the beautiful golf course and provides Tuscan cuisine prepared with local ingredients. This restaurant also provides a daily breakfast buffet, which my kids enjoyed. The convenient room service offers a kids’ menu which includes hamburgers, chicken nuggets, turkey sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, pizza, and chicken noodle soup. The service was prompt and accommodating and the kids felt relaxed eating in the spacious rooms.

Other food options include the Knuckles Historical Sports Bar, voted by locals as the number one sports bar in the Monterey Peninsula for five years in a row. If you are traveling with tweens or teens, this restaurant was quite the happening place each night of my stay and most older children would love this social ambiance. The Fireplace Lounge also offers cocktails, salads, soups, coffee drinks, and a contemporary fireplace.

Especially for kids: My four kids just loved the family-friendly and gorgeous grounds of this location, especially swimming in the heated pool, with its adjoining basketball net so that they could shoot baskets from the water, and also the outdoor whirlpool. They played ping pong on one of the two tables and every morning wanted to go see all of the very nearby delights of the Monterey area.

For Mom and Dad: My husband and I enjoyed the natural beauty of the 22 tree-lined acres of this resort and, if you or your spouse golf, the resort is situated on the lovely 18-hole Del Monte Golf Course. In the heart of the resort is a bonfire pit within a charming gazebo that looks out onto the golf course and, throughout my stay, visitors were continuously seeking out this spot to read and just sit, as it seemed to invoke a very reflective and even meditative mood. Fixings for s’mores (chocolate, graham crackers, marshmallows, and long cooking sticks) are available from the kitchen for visitors.

Because of the Hyatt Regency’s convenient location to all the nearby activities of Monterey, I am highlighting some hot family spots here. The Hyatt sells two-day passes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and when you visit this resort with your family, you will want to take them to all of the destinations spotlighted here:

On April 6, 2009, the aquarium opened the exhibit, The Secret Life of Seahorses. The aquarium contains a splash zone and an outer bay exhibit, a million-gallon exhibit like an indoor ocean with sharks, tunas, and barracudas. We also saw a kelp forest, sea otters, and a jellyfish exhibit.

The creator of Dennis the Menace, Hank Ketchum, a long-time Monterey peninsula resident, created this park, true to his vision, as bold and colorful. Features a maze, climbing wall, a vintage locomotive, and more.

Contains a basilica, chapel, museum, gardens, cemetery and store. The Carmel Mission stands as a monument to Junipero Serra and provides a peaceful and historical destination for both younger and older visitors.

Although this hotel is primarily a business traveler's destination, the property affords enough of the dual features sought after in this site to be included. One notable feature of this hotel is its location on the Del Monte Golf Course which provides a relaxing and soothing view from your room or suite (make sure you book a room that overlooks the course) and from the hotel's Peninsula Restaurant. I pushed six-month-old Autumn in her stroller around the backside of this restaurant, to a pleasant sitting area overlooking the golf course in the Spyglass Pool area. Here, I collected my thoughts and unwound. The expansive green, heightened by the crisp Monterey air, was very refreshing on this September morning.

Also of significance in terms of child-friendliness was the comfortable suite in which we stayed. This suite overlooked the seemingly never-ending golf course, immediately creating a restful feeling inside. The suite was ample, the size of a large apartment with two bathrooms, a separate bedroom, and an expansive and complete living room that attached to a mini dining area. The hotel offers four types of suites: Studio; Monterey; VIP; and Hospitality. Ours was a VIP suite which gave us seven-hundred square feet of baby and toddler breathing area. Hotels that can provide such accommodations should always be flagged in terms of child-friendliness. Mandalin, two years old at the time of our stay, could truly toddle about comfortably after a long car ride from Solvang. Some of the other amenities offered by the hotel include: two heated outdoor pools (although when I walked by, I did not notice a lifeguard on duty); two whirlpools; tennis; golfing; a fitness club; and the gift shop. The gift shop, however, was not very stroller or child-friendly. Small and cluttered, it did not allow us to fit the stroller inside.

Especially for Mom and Dad: The hotel provides conveniences for parents, particularly for those traveling on business: in-room movies on demand; oversized desk and work areas; in-room fax machines; in-room coffee maker; and complimentary newspaper.

Baby/Child Friendliness:

In addition to the spacious suites, other baby/child friendly features include:

• Cribs available.
• Heating and cooling systems adjustable within the room.
• Long, indoor hallways in the suite wing where toddlers can walk when supervised by parents.
• Self-service laundry facility (important when traveling with youngsters).

Romance:

The Hyatt Regency's location in lovely Monterey makes the hotel an auspicious choice for romance-seekers; lovers will find themselves in the midst of a picturesque setting which includes the following spots all within a short drive from the hotel:

• The quaint shops of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
• The rustic charm of Big Sur.
• The scenic Seventeen-Mile Drive.
• World famous golf courses of Pebble Beach.
• Steinbeck's Cannery Row, which is filled with shops, galleries, and restaurants.
• Old Town Monterey and Fisherman's Wharf. Besides history and shopping, this area provides ocean-view paths for skating, bicycling, and walking.
• Bay activities such as kayaking (not for small children), sailing, and charter boating.
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a five-minute drive from the hotel and offers adults as well as children a glimpse into the underwater world of the Bay.