Bernardus Winery — Attraction in California

Avoid Bernardus Hotel – Overpriced, Underwhelming, and Not Worth the Hype

We stayed at Bernardus Hotel for one night to celebrate my birthday and my wife’s baby moon. What should have been a special, relaxing experience turned out to be a massive letdown. Yes, the grounds and ambiance are beautiful—but don’t be fooled. The service? Barely 2 stars, and that’s being generous.

Let’s start with the spa. We booked 50-minute massages and asked to extend them to 90 minutes while en route. We were told they couldn’t accommodate because there were appointments right after us. Fair enough—except no one used the massage room after we left. Suspicious.

We asked to check in early (and were willing to pay for it) but were denied right as we arrived. At check-in, they offered us a glass of wine—nice gesture—except they never actually gave us any. Just…forgot?

Then the valet. We specifically asked him to bring in my wife’s Yeti water bottle (she’s pregnant and didn’t want to carry it around). He assured us he would—but of course, it never showed up with the luggage.

And those massages? We were charged a staggering $680 for two 50-minute sessions that were easily the worst we’ve ever had. My “deep tissue” massage had no pressure at all, and my wife’s prenatal massage was essentially an oil rub. No real technique, no relaxation, no skill—just a waste of time and money. It honestly made us wonder if these massage therapists were even licensed.

Staff were generally friendly but not the least bit proactive or accommodating. There’s clearly no focus on customer experience here—everyone we encountered seemed indifferent and undertrained.

When we finally got to our room, we were greeted with a small plate of dried fruit and two macarons. Nice touch—but when we tried to order more macarons through room service (they weren’t on the menu), we were told “no,” but that they could bring us cookies instead. What kind of luxury hotel can’t offer more of a basic amenity they already gave us in the room?

This stay cost us nearly $1,400 (yes, one night + two massages), and what we got was a below-average experience at best. Food was okay—nothing memorable. Service was unpolished and inconsistent. For a property that markets itself as upscale and charges accordingly, they completely miss the mark.

If you’re thinking about staying here—don’t. There are plenty of other places in Carmel Valley that actually understand hospitality. Bernardus is a textbook example of style over substance. Huge...

It's really too bad.The customer service is horrible! We visited from out of town a month ago. Our experience at the tasting room was fantastic. The wine is wonderful. We purchased 6 bottles of wine to be shipped to us for Thanksgiving, and joined the wine club. We were given a ship date and date to expect delivery. When nothing arrived we called 5 separate times and left detailed voice messages, asking them to please call us back. We heard nothing. On the day before Thanksgiving I emailed them, and the reply was simply that they were short staffed and busy, and what do I want to do. At that point we decided that we no longer wanted to purchase the wine or be in the club. When I emailed, letting them know how disappointed we were in their customer service and that we would have understood the delay had they contacted us to let us know, the assistant manager replied that I was an unforgiving person and to never contact them again. I forwarded the message to the manager, explaining again that we loved their wine but because of their customer service we would not be buying from them. She apologized and said she would get to the bottom of this, and get back to me. I replied that I would appreciate that. It's been another week, and no response. Silence. Don't buy wine to be shipped or join their club. Don't expect any sort of customer service. They are totally...

We stumbled upon Bernardus Winery during our 2-day stay at Carmel Valley. We went in on Day 1 to ask for info on wine tasting. We came out a few hours later after tasting 4 different types of wine: Rose, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Marinus Bordeaux Blend ($30/person) We sat in comfy chairs in the patio area. Very relaxing latmosphere for wine tasting particularly on a warm September day. Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. They allowed us ample time to enjoy each wine before introducing the next one. We like the Marinus Bordeaux Blend 2015 so much we even bought a bottle! We totally enjoyed our wine tasting experience. Thank you Rouark for looking after us so well. Highly recommended if you are...