The Hotel: The Surf and Sand Resort & Spa, Laguna Beach CA (photo courtesy Preferred Hotels)

The Skinny: Situated on 500 feet of oceanfront property, the 60-year old Surf & Sand has 164 rooms and suites, all with private balconies. The exterior is reminiscent of the old Howard Johnsons, with exterior doors to all rooms and very blocky architecture, Décor is sleek, contemporary and neutral in each of the guest rooms.

There’s a oceanfront pool with cabana-type lounging, a small clothing store / gift shop and a coffee shop on premises, with the terraced Splashes Restaurant offering indoor and al fresco dining with a spectacular view, the beachside Splashes Lounge offering libations and limited food service, and the Aquaterra Spa. Rates start at $459 and go up from there, but I found my rate of $259 on luxurylink.com, which often has special packages and pricing for the resort.

The Raves: The location is excellent, a bit out of the bustle along the main drag in Laguna, but still an easy walk to some excellent galleries, boutiques and restaurants. The atmosphere is very relaxed yet elegant; there are cozy seating areas around the open-air parts of the hotel for relaxing. The staff is super-friendly – our room was not quite ready so they sent us to the bar with some drink coupons; we had dinner and two breakfasts at the hotel and all the food was excellent, especially the breakfasts. I did not schedule a spa treatment.

The Rants: Can’t quite get over the whole ‘feels like a Howard Johnson’ thing; of course it makes sense for a beach hotel to have exterior (outdoor) entrances to the rooms, and despite all the fabulous furnishings, the lush linens, the stone in the bathroom and the incredible view, the room still reminded me of a HoJo, albeit a really dressed up one. Getting around is kind of a pain; a dark corridor brings you to the restaurant and lounge, navigating to the pool took quite a while. Couldn’t find a beach chair (on the beach) – not because they were full, but simply because there were none available. Could be that because it was March, it was too early for sunbathing – but this is California, right?

The Rating: It’s a 3 and a half; the service and location are wonderful, the furnishings are wonderful, but the user-friendliness of the hotel and the omnipresent feeling of being in a rehabbed discount hotel is hard to overcome, especially in this price range.

 Our rating system:1 Suitcase: Don't bother2 Suitcases: Paging the GM! You've got some serious work to do!

3 Suitcases: Some minor issues, but overall an acceptable experience

4 Suitacses: Worthy of your dollars

5 Suitcases: Book it at any price!