River View Garden Resort

I travel for work very frequently, and this was the most disgusting, unprofessional hotel experience I’ve ever had. Do not stay here. It would probably be more pleasant to sleep in your car than at this hotel. I booked the room for a work trip and couldn’t check in. Before the check-in date, the manager, Jay, called and said he would leave the key in the door of room 17. When I arrived, there was no key, the office was closed, and nobody answered the door. The hotel looked very run-down and depressing, so I had to drive an hour back to Santa Rosa to book somewhere else. My supervisor told me to contact the hotel about a refund. Jay was extremely rude and disrespectful, blamed me for not checking in, and insisted I had checked in on Saturday. He described me as driving a white Chevy and said the lights were on in my room. He even claimed to have security camera footage. I told him that couldn’t be right because I never entered the room, and my car isn’t white or a Chevy. My supervisor then told me to contact the third party I booked through. They contacted the owner, Jay, and he told them I checked in on Sunday. My corporate credit card was charged over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for a room I never even entered. It wasn’t even my money, but it was still very upsetting. Disputing the charge with the credit card company has become a huge hassle for both my supervisor and me. Jay has absolutely no idea how to run a safe, clean business. If you need a hotel in Monte Rio, I highly recommend Highland Dell Lodge. The women there are professional and nice, and the rooms are clean. I’ve recommended Highland Dell to my supervisor and coworkers so nobody else at my company has to go through what I did. I can’t imagine how depressing it would be to book this place for a vacation.

We paid top dollar for two queen beds and got one queen downstairs and an air mattress on the floor three flights up. The place was old, which I can handle, but it was dirty, with cobwebs and rotting wood throughout the room. There was an ant invasion in the kitchen even though there was no food in sight, so we never used the kitchenette we paid for. The outdoor chairs were covered in bird waste and looked like they’d never been cleaned. Our room was right next to the road and very loud. I could have handled that if everything else had been good. We called the front office on the day we arrived and, no surprise, they never called back. The stay was non-refundable, and the pictures do not match reality. That was a costly lesson with no reward, and it’s the only review I’ve ever written. I felt it was worth the time.

The private river entrance and deck were lovely, and the location was convenient. Manager Jay was kind and flexible with our last-minute requests. The room was comfortable, though it could use some work.

The owner, who goes by Jay, made me very uncomfortable. He kept asking whether I had a boyfriend and when my other guests would arrive, then remarked that he wanted to be friends. After my stay, he asked if the phone number on my booking was my actual number. Solo women travelers, beware. As others have said, the property isn’t maintained and isn’t worth $100+ a night. It does have a beautiful view and access to the river.