Cape Rey Carlsbad Beach, a Hilton Resort & Spa

The rooms are dated and could use a deeper clean. I found crumbs under the glass on the desk. Parking costs $40, and having just one USB-A port made charging devices a hassle. The shared areas, including the lobby, pool, and bar, are gorgeous, and the staff were friendly, especially at the restaurant. The app-based service was incredibly efficient. I had a decent staycation while attending an event. The upper-floor ocean views are nice, though they also look out toward an RV park and come with some street noise. If you’d rather have quiet, ask for an “inside” room facing the residential side.

This isn’t a four-star hotel to me. I’d call it three stars, mainly because the location is beautiful. The rooms are ordinary, and room service was fair, though we had to ask three times for special accommodations, including once when booking. The bar menu looked good and the portions were large, but my spicy shrimp taco wasn’t spicy at all and was a little bland. We went back for breakfast the next night, which was a mistake: the server was cranky, the tea was cold, and the food wasn’t very good. It wasn’t worth the price. I also left an $80 item in the bathroom under some towels. I called the next day, but the phone connection was awful. I was told the cleaning manager wasn’t in and to use the lost items website. The site said they hadn’t found it, even though I’m completely sure I left it there. I called again and left a message for the manager, but got no call back after two days. I know it was my fault for leaving it, but I’ve forgotten things in hotel rooms before and have never had them say they couldn’t “find” the item. I won’t stay there again. **Update 1/21:** A business representative responded to my negative review, but it felt like PR and damage control. I contacted them and got the same scripted reply I heard the first time. No compensation for the missing item or overpriced food. To me, that’s more proof this is a three-star hotel charging four-star prices. Look elsewhere. There are plenty of beautiful hotels in Carlsbad!

UPDATE: When I checked out, I couldn’t get my receipts. They mentioned a computer reboot or shift-change issue. Since I was paying for my coworker and myself, I asked them to send both receipts, but only received one digitally. When my coworker’s bill arrived, we saw a car charge even though we’d told the check-in clerk at 9:40pm on 2/24/26 that we did not have a car. She was also charged a $10 daily upgrade fee that she hadn’t requested. We’d tried to get rooms on the same floor, and she’d asked for one close to mine, but her room was moved because of supposed “maintenance” issues. The call center said she requested an upgrade in the app. I was in her room, and she was on the second floor. We’d already paid for an ocean view, so this feels like theft. I called the call center, was transferred to the front desk, then accounting, where no one was available, then the operator, then the front desk again to find a manager, who wasn’t there. I’ll be doing a chargeback for the $40 daily parking fee and the $10 daily upgrade fee. I originally rated this three stars, but the bizarre hassle of trying to get it fixed made me lower it. Nobody could help. The first time I called, the front desk never put in an engineering work order. I called again after 9pm when I got back, and said the engineer still hadn’t received it. Only then did they admit they hadn’t sent it. They asked how I wanted to resolve it, and I requested points, but none have been added to my account as of this review. Quick grab-and-go food wasn’t replenished regularly, the Wi-Fi was hard to connect to and keep connected, and the rooms were dated and worn. For a resort, there’s no room service beyond snacks.

We enjoyed the pool and hot tub, and the view was nice. The room was pretty good, too. The valet was great when we returned from dinner, and the meal at Ocean Blue was amazing. We also had dessert from the restaurant, which was delicious. The next day they gave us a 2pm checkout, which was great. Getting here took most of the day. We transferred from another Hilton because its pool was out, and the transfer alone took over an hour. As Diamond members, we were told our room type would stay the same, but they charged us $60. The hotel is out of town, which we should have checked, and we waited at least 15 minutes for valet. At check-in, the woman wasn’t welcoming about my husband’s birthday. I felt she should have done more for a Diamond Hilton member. If not for the front desk experience and the out-of-town location, the stay would’ve been much better. I’ll probably not come back.