The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

California
United States

The Experience

Driving south from San Francisco along Highway 1 on a foggy morning—and the odds are depressingly good, in summertime, that you'll hit such a day—you'd swear you're not in sunny California but on the rocky, brooding Ayrshire coast. Which is probably why, back in 1973, the first of two championship golf courses (true seaside "links") was built just south of Half Moon Bay, 30 miles from the city, and why Ritz-Carlton opened a rambling, cumulus-gray, cedar-shingled resort next door, overlooking seaside cliffs, in 2001. Now it's become a popular offsite meeting destination for Bay Area corporations, but you can still almost smell the heather.

The Rooms

Although the main building looks quaintly idiosyncratic, the 450-square-foot "deluxe" (i.e., standard) bedrooms stick to the traditional hotel template: bathroom by the door (granted, one with a whirlpool tub, separate shower and an old-fashioned sink the size of, er, the Ritz), king-size bed (or two doubles), bank of vaguely nautical built-in closets and sitting/desk area furnished à la Ethan Allen. Ground-floor rooms have patios, with Adirondack chairs and gas-fire pits, facing the sea--and anyone who happens to be crossing the courtyard. Club Floor rooms are no larger but provide that you're-particularly-special feeling, with canapes and other meal substitutes set out in a private sitting room throughout the day.

The Service

Staffers work the Scottish angle for all it's worth (up to wearing kilts), but they manage to keep a sense of humor amid the efficiency, even when simultaneously checking out one harried business traveler and checking in a wedding party of dozens. Valet parking is mandatory—annoying, given that you're out in the countryside, where parking lot space shouldn't be a scarce commodity—but the valets do stock your car's cup holders with Ritz-Carlton water.

The Highlights

Golf is, of course, the big draw, attracting business types attending offsite meetings and road warriors redeeming frequent-stay awards (Ritz-Carlton is a Marriott brand) for a weekend getaway. With non-golfers in mind, the resort offers the pricey Prada line of spa treatments—interesting bedfellows, given the hotel chain's conservative image and the fashion house's hip one. And for everyone, the wooden, barrel-vaulted ceiling of the main restaurant, Navio, creates a subtle maritime air that suits the seafood-centric menu of chef Aaron Zimmer: Think bacon-wrapped sturgeon and poached loup de mer. Each Tuesday night, the restaurant offers a special “Navio Seafood Experience” for $45. Request a seat in a window alcove, facing the wild sea.

 

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