Alderbrook Resort & Spa — Hotel in Shelton

Disappointed. Food: Subpar. Very hit or miss with a lot of misses. Ex., vegetables were regularly not fully cooked (like they fell out of a freezer bag, got warmed up and put on a plate), lack of good seasoning(s), regular to very small proportions and all for the cost of an arm and a leg. They also seemed to have more breakfast options than any other meal (lunch or dinner) - just a side note. I could’ve easily made decent food myself for 1/3 the price. But that brings me to my next point: Al la carte: everything, I mean EVERYTHING is out of pocket. Generally I understand it, but the fact that a two-plate meal totals go over $80 is ridiculous and not worth the price. Water can be included by meals but there’s no water at the gift shop, no vending machines, not water(s) in the room. Nothing. Currently water bottles are $2 per pop but given how much water one needs to drink in a day (+ adding other people), it gets a bit pricey. Amenities/activities: the pool & hot tub are nice. I love the vines and greenery. Wasn’t able to go to the spa. The pet program wasn’t too great. Originally I ended up asking when we got there and the woman smirked at me and said “No.. there is no pet program…” and looked at me like I was on drugs. Then I asked her to double check the time/day we’d be checking out (because so much had been going on + I was exhausted) and she said “11am. Everyone checks out at 11am.” I asked for the day again and she just repeated “11am”. On the website it says that a dog bed, dog treats & other accommodations will be included ($30 fee per night). So first we got a hesitant, small handful of cheap dog treats. And I had to ASK for it. Then another person was kind enough and Informed enough to call in a dog bed and two bowls but that was on the last day we were there. TV. Don’t get me started with the TV. They offered music - but you had to pay extra for it. TV movies/shows - had to pay for it. So we tried “live tv” (maybe around or less than 50 channels) even that wasn’t correct. A lot of the listings were incorrect - I’d click on a movie that seemed interesting only to be brought to a completely different movie/tv show no matter how many times I re-clicked on the listing. I did like how we were able to see the menu on the tv though. There were some chess games as well. Service: Hit or miss (again). Some lovely people but also some who came across as standoffish, coy or didn’t know/care. It does impact the experience. Bedroom: fine. I was honestly disappointed with the bathroom - one shower but nothing special. No bath with the one we got. Bed was comfortable enough. The blanket was really thin though, so we asked for more. The room had a pretty view. Room service came at a bad time & they said that they’d come back at a certain time but they never did. Gift shop: no bottled water, limited items that were way overpriced. They had sweatshirts, a swimsuit or two, some cookbooks and children’s book(s) and some other very random things plus a couple pharmaceutical items. views: Probably the main reason why people come. If the views had been nonexistent, I wouldn’t want to go back there at all, honestly. There’s not much to do in the area, everything is spread pretty far apart. But I love the views. Inside of the hotel was really nice (the main lobby) with a lot of wood architecture and we got to see the two kitties which was nice.

Would I go back? No. Would I go back to the area at a cheaper place (or camp)? Yes.

Overall it’s way too pricey for the quality of things and I honestly don’t think it’s worth it. What would make me go back? Cheaper food (or better quality food) + more options, better hotel service, more easily accessible bottled waters or just water in general, and in personal preference, some more activities to do. Maybe some complimentary cooking or herbal...

Great views from an overpriced dirty room. I stayed at this resort for three years in a row. This was sort of our tradition to go there to celebrate anniversary. Not anymore. Let's start with the good. Restaurant and spa. Nice welcoming people who care. It was nice to see the same servers I remembered from last year. I would expect the mandatory 20% service fee helps to retain people. Now the bad. It starts with the check-in. We arrived at 4:10, right after the check-in started. Hot time, many people tend to check-in early to spend the rest of the evening relaxing after 2+ hours of driving. One guy at the reception though. After the backlog was 7+ people, he called his colleagues saying, "Sorry to bother you guys, but we have customers". Then the room. 324. We stayed at the same exact room two years ago. A room with the view you pay extra for. $309-475 a night depending on the day of the week. Plus resort fee of $25. Plus resort fee 25. Plus sales tax. Plus room tax. Sounds like enough money to hire a handyman to tighten the cupboard hinges, right? Wrong. The door in front of the minibar/fridge needed some help to get closed. Now the sanitary situation. The bathroom has enough space but the ventilation is extremely poor. We had to run the fan for 3-5 hours every time we took the shower to get it dry. Many people before us didn't which resulted with black mold in the grout between the tiles. Does that conform the health code? Not sure. Now the blanket. Not many people see it, because it's hidden under the white cover that they do wash. Because the bed was done fairly and I wanted to figure out why the "feather-filled" blanket was so thin, I decided to redo it myself. It used to be white a long time ago and it still has feathers in the corners that are tucked under the mattress. Nothing in the middle anymore though. And it's yellow while it's supposed to be white. What's also tucked under the mattress is the blood stains on the blanket. Are those safe? Probably, they stayed there for months if not years. Now the room service. Again, the restaurant room service was great (although they disabled the online ordering option on 12/23, so we had to call to get the food delivered into our room. The other room service, when they take the trash out, bring in fresh towels etc.. it's not there. I even stopped by the reception requesting the trash to be removed (no service for 3 days) and get fresh towels (humid bathroom with bad ventilation). The receptionist even took a note. Guess when we got the fresh towels. Never. I mentioned it when checking out and the guy at the reception was really surprised to hear that our stay was "so-so". Final notes. We checked out on the Christmas Day. The only breakfast option was the buffet. I understand why. The servers need one day of rest to spend with their families. Yet $69 + service fee + taxes for breakfast.. Seriously? That's per person. It was a nice place AFTER THE PANDEMIC. How could it become worse when things got better? Being understaffed? Pay people more, like you do at the restaurant. After all it's not my problem. I pay $400 a night to not care about the staffing problems. If at checkout I said, "I have money problem, so here's $50".. I don't think they'd feel compassionate to my financial problems, right? Either way, advice to potential visitors, take your business elsewhere, rent a room or a house on an online platform, eat at their restaurant, visit their spa, travel the area, but don't stay...

Earned the opportunity to go here to assist with recovery from surgery. Definitely a get away. Recently reopened from the pandemic, I could see some of the toll that has taken - but that is virtually every where, and Alderbrook is definitely rebounding quickly. Dining was good, with very attentive staff. The more front line the staff, the more attentive they appeared, showing the high standards Alderbrook strives to uphold. I highly recommend taking a stroll upon the grounds after enjoying a meal, whether just down the dock, around the courtyard, or even a trail. I don't think there is a bad view from any of the rooms. Highly enjoyed the saltwater pool facility. The pool is large enough and deep enough for those that are strong swimmers and enjoy not touching the bottom. The temperature was just right - not too cold and not chilly, which is amazing for salt water swimming. The hot tub was in working order and great for soaking or looking out onyo Hood Canal. Unfortunately, the steam room I was looking forward to was undergoing maintenance so I missed out on that. I did the sauna instead, which looks like guests before me have used it quite hard. The graffiti that people etched in with probably finger nails had been sanded, but my attentive eye caught it. All I could think was the saying "Fools names and fools faces appear in public spaces.". Be sure to wear swimwear shoes of flip flop sandals for showering in the men's shower area because the fiberglass shower pan is cracked in three places, which makes avoiding that near impossible with my size 14 feet. So glad I had the shower shoes on my visit else I would have to fight my allergy to fiberglass contact. All soaps and lotions were the same across the facility, and it is quite concentrated, so half a pump is all I would need. I couldn't understand why people seemed to be so hard on these; from trying to take the pump apart to trying to get multiple full pumps with vigor or anger - just wasteful people I assume. A little goes a long, long ways. I also appreciated the hard work in keeping the rooms clean, and public areas, using high technology gear for sanitizing to tried and true low tech methods. My room did have a mini fridge, and I put my water bottle in it, but the fridge being in the cabinet, my water was warmer than when I put it in. This may have been a setting too, but fridges in built in cabinets is problematic. All in all, these are extremely minor things which surely they are aware and working on because this is a very well planned and thought out destination. I wish I had been able to save this trip for later in the year, such as the off season, and stayed multiple days instead of just one night. There is quite a bit to explore, lots to do, and definitely an unforgettable experience that has the charm and beauty of the Pacific Northwest. When I do get to go again, I will want to take an excursion on the Lady Alderbrook, and have time to unwind, enjoying the scenery no matter what...