The Sanctuary Beach Resort — Hotel in Marina

We have been frequenting the Sanctuary Beach Resort (SBR) for the past 16+ years and average 3-4 stays a year and usually stay in room 613S (an oceanfront suite). We typically celebrate birthdays and other special occasions during our frequent stays. We have gotten to know the staff there so well that they feel like part of our family. We refer to it as our “home away from home.” ||By far, the current management and staff are the most friendly, accommodating, and customer-oriented that we have experienced during all our years of coming to this resort. The resort offers a unique combination of privacy, seclusion, and beautiful ocean views while still being just minutes from downtown Monterey and Carmel. The hotel staff are very professional, accommodating, and make every effort to make you, your family, and your pet feel at home. In the rare case that you have any issues with the room or need any other type of assistance, they are quick to respond and eager to make things right and to your satisfaction. The current management and staff are also very receptive to feedback on your stays as part of their philosophy of continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. ||There is a private beach in front of the property with fantastic views of the greater Monterey Bay, and one can sometimes see pods of whales and dolphins making their way through the bay. You can also see large flocks of pelicans, herons, and egrets gliding through the sky as they make their way around the bay. You even get complimentary binoculars to enjoy these sights from your patio or balcony! The resort-sponsored, nighttime bonfires fires on the beach and the evening “wine and cheese” sessions are a great way to finish your day, wind down, and network with the other guests. If you forgot anything at home, there are stores in downtown Marina, such as a Walmart Superstore, to fulfill your last-minute needs, and it is only about a 5-minute drive from the resort. There are also various other on-site activities, such as weekend yoga and nature hikes, for the family to enjoy. ||Recently, the new management undertook a large renovation project to update all the rooms on the property, which is now completed. The rooms are now much more warm, modern-looking, and inviting with all the modern conveniences and amenities you will need. The rooms come with a refrigerator/freezer and a microwave for your snacks and drinks. The free-Wifi is strong and very responsive, making your online experience a breeze while in the room or outside on your patio or balcony. There is also a very wide selection of movies on the in-room television for you to enjoy. ||The resort also purchased the formerly independent, on-site, seventies-style, restaurant known as Kula Ranch and rebranded it as the Saltwood Kitchen and Oysterette a few years ago. They emphasize the use of local suppliers with sustainable practices for the ingredients they employ in their unique culinary creations. And if you like oysters, this is the place to come! They are a full-service, evening, restaurant, bar, and oyster bar that also offers room service. The in-room breakfast menu gives you the opportunity to relax on your balcony while having a cup of coffee and one of their creative breakfast selections. So, if you just want to spend a lazy day and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, like we often do, you have plenty of quality dining and entertainment options available. ||I see by some of the reviews on this thread that the resort received some lower scores for value, presumably because of the rates. But you don’t assess value by price alone. Value entails a combination of factors that contribute to the quality of your overall experience. For us, it represents a great value since nowhere in Monterey Bay can one find such a unique, secluded beach property with so much to offer while being just a few minutes away from all the tourist activities available in downtown Monterey. They frequently offer special rates and packages on the rooms, so make sure you check the website for seasonal deals and special offers well in advance of your stay to get the best rates available. ||You truly feel like you are on a resort and a sanctuary, and part of the SBR family when staying there. We feel so lucky to have found this resort and plan on coming for many years to come. Before discovering this resort in 2009, we had stayed at numerous lodging options in the greater Monterey Bay, and this resort is second to none. Our only regret is that we did not discover it sooner! We lost our beloved miniature dachshund Sophie about a year ago. She frequented the resort with us for about 15 years and used to love long walks and playing ball on the resort beach. When we decide to get another dog, we look forward to the day when she can pick up where Sophie left off and carry on the tradition. Indeed, this resort is one of the most pet friendly that I know. ...

We just stayed here for 3 nights with our 2 older dogs (April 27-30, 2025). We were upgraded to a nicer room for my birthday which was nice. The view here, if you can afford the pricier Ocean Front rooms is the star of this place, but that's where the good ends. First, we signed up for a sound bath experience when we arrived, asked the front desk staff where it was in the Lodge, and we told "upstairs." Upstairs is a kind of big with lots of rooms, so that did not help. We wondered around and finally found the room, though it was a couple of minutes after the start time, but room was dark and no one was in there. We told the front desk staff, and they kind of shrugged, and wasted our time. Monday, we were awakened to a staff member loudly talking in the hallway outside our door, delivering breakfast to our suite mates, in 612. It was 8 am on the dot, yes, past quiet hours, but come on...we were on vacation, burnt out from work and wanted to sleep in a bit. He was super loud, then slammed the hall door as he left so hard it rattled our door. So we got up. Then, it started....workers were making repairs on the hot water heater closet outside our room. Only, the workers opened like 5 water heater closets on 5 different buildings and worked on them all at the same time, meaning they spent all day intermittently banging with hammers, scraping, drilling, using a circular saw cutting wood and banging some more. ALL DAY. When they left at 4 or 5 pm we sighed and thought: Tomorrow we will get some rest. Nope. They showed up again on Tuesday, same noisy thing for the second day. More banging and drilling and scraping, and ...also, there were also window cleaners. All Day noise again. The room: Gas fireplace is the only heat, and while it works well, there is no thermostat nor timer, so you have to turn it off before bed and it got cold over night. No ceiling fans either. No AC. The "kitchenette:" Things all over the counters, in the fridge, on the shelf. Storing a quart of milk or 1/2 and 1/2 or anything tall in the fridge is a joke. There are no door shelves (where milk products typically go in a small fridge). But the most offensive part of this "kitchenette?" There is no lighting. There is a light above a shelf over the counter, but the shelf casts a shadow on the counter. Literally, I am chopping food with my chef's knife by braille. Can't see to wash dishes. The hot water was not on, I had to crawl under the sink and turn it on myself. Furnishings: Bed is super soft, and not in a good way. You can't comfortably sit on it, like to watch a movie or work on your computer. Too soft for intimate fun too. There are no tables in the room, so if you want to eat in your room, there is a tiny, uncomfortable couch, but no coffee table or anything. We used our ice chest. Bath: is huge, but the sink is tiny barely room for a toothbrush. Just a poor design. Parking: You can't park anywhere near your room, yet, the people who work there zip by almost on 2 wheels with their golf cart. So watch out for them. It's super inconvenient. Restaurant: We had a few drinks and the Monday night burger special. They were out of 1/2 their draft beers, and the ones we tried were 'meh.' I also got a mixed drink (Cherry lemon something), and all it tasted like was lemon. It was horrible. $18 drink so not worth it. Bar tender was OK, but they had a huge event and he was by himself and overwhelmed. Service sucked, in fact people sat next to us at the bar, did not get served after a while and just left to go somewhere else. Burger was dry, not cooked to order, it was well done (I asked for medium well, my husband was medium rare---over cooked both) and not worth it at all. The garlic fries were the star. Of the drinks we had and the food, the fries were the only thing I would recommend. No peace, no rest, unprofessional staff, stupid car situation that makes things difficult, uncomfortable furnishings, inconsiderate hired construction workers managed poorly, classes offered had no follow-through, and disappointing...

I want to start by saying I really hate that I’m writing this negative review. We stayed at this beautiful location back in April and our experience was much different hence why we booked a second stay. I booked TWO rooms for 3 nights, an ocean front deluxe and suite together they call it a family cottage. We were celebrating my daughter’s birthday and brought a few of her friends. FIRST night the girls were setting up the pull out couch for bed and I heard a scream from the next room, they found a dead rat under the couch. I called the front desk and they sent someone to come pick up the rat and they wiped the spot which the rat was laying. Finding this the first night definitely made us uneasy for the rest of the stay. Disgusting and absolutely unacceptable. Regardless of this being a common area for wildlife this should have been found and taken care of before we checked into the room. Streaming service NEVER worked for our entire trip. My daughter and her friends entertained them selfs during the day but at night they couldn’t watch movies/shows on Netflix etc. As for myself I was really looking forward laying in my bed listening/looking at the ocean from my room catching up on my shows.. every moms dream right? But that never happened. Dog friendly resort? When I booked my first trip back in April I asked can my dogs go in pool area being the heated year round pool is a big reason for booking this resort they said yes, they can go in pool area just not in the pool which was obviously understandable. First trip went smoothly with our dog laying under the chairs while we enjoyed the pool. Our second trip, we got to enjoy the pool when it was actually heated (pool was out of order of half the time)with our dogs no issue and the hot tub at night. Our last day we were at the pool with the dogs again well behaved sitting by our chairs. We had a World Mark staff member come and tell us no dogs were allowed. I told them yes they were, this was our second trip here and never had issues prior. To make a long story short a manger was sent out and I was told I had to leave with the dogs, dogs were not allowed and they were sorry of the misunderstanding. This cut our last day short being I wasn’t going to leave 4 teenagers unattended at the pool. Pool was only heated half our stay which was a bummer since I had 4 kids with me. The problem was resolved the end of our 3rd day and we had to leave due to the dog debacle our last day so didn’t get to enjoy the pool much unfortunately. No screens on the windows in rooms. I noticed this last time as well on our trip in April, we stayed just a few rooms over. Big screws on the sand outside our rooms back doors facing the ocean. I know renovations were just completed but thought this should have been addressed especially being a family and pet friendly resort.

During our stay I had asked to speak to manager multiple times in which I was told he was in a meeting or away from the office and would call me back. I never did hear back. I decided to go into the front desk to check out. The manager Robert was able to come speak to me. I explained our whole situation to him. At first he seemed to be apologetic but then just gave me basic excuses as if he was trying to rush me out the lobby. He did mention the screens were apart of a check list for completion of the renovations, which obviously didn’t get double checked.. also that other guest were offered free movie rentals since the streaming was out which we never received, even though I called multiple times questioning the status of service. Robert did apply a SMALL credit to my stay, which he called “very reasonable”. Compared to the incidents we encountered and amount I paid for this stay at Sanctuary Beach Resort, what was waved is insulting. This last experience and the way it was handled will definitely keep us from going back. Which is very unfortunate since it’s such a...