La Casa Del Zorro Resort & Spa

Pros: The room was quiet, the bed was comfortable, and we liked the pillows so much we ordered some for our bed at home! We also liked having both a Starbucks-esque cafe and a full service restaurant on the property. Cons: Although the room was quite large, it did not have enough lighting, so it felt a bit cave-like. They do not provide maid service, which is weird - especially at these prices, and the in-room fireplaces have apparently been “retired” which is also weird. All that being said, we enjoyed our stay and would definitely stay there again. This was our 3rd visit to BS and we’ve learned that it’s just…quirky - beautiful, but quirky.

Easy to get to, quiet and safe location outside the downtown area. Nice rooms, great pools and other facilities. Good restaurant for evening meals - lunch and breakfast not so much, but good coffee and a good bar.

Always enjoy staying there. The pool and hot tub were just outside of our unit.

The hotel room was a little outdated, but nice. We also specificcally paid extra for the fireplelace in january just to get there and find out that we werent allowed to use it.

No hot water and the toilet didn’t flush! It took several hours for the maintenance person to show up, it wasn’t fixed for the time we stayed. Total disappointment%!

Pros: The grounds are well maintained, attractive and peaceful. We arrived in the evening and there was a pleasant warm breeze . The room was tastefully decorated and clean, situated in a cluster of rooms that faced one of the swimming pools. Cons: The problems were communication with the staff. They seemed so eager to be pleasing, however their information was not accurate. In the long run I regret trusting their information as a basis to decide to make reservations at Casa Del Zorro, Borrego Springs. 1. The solitary reason for our stay was astronomical observation and we were sorely disappointed. When I called the receptionist on May 12 the first thing I asked was whether they had seen the northern lights. I explained to the receptionist that we were several hours away but would be willing to drive if there was a chance. Of course she said there was no guarantee - which we fully understood; however she told me that their guests had witnessed the northern lights for the past TWO nights, May 10 and May 11. I had not seen any reports in SoCal for May 11, so we immediately booked a $200+ room. The receptionist also told me they had a dark sky observation area, the “star theater”, which we were looking forward to. Upon arrival after driving several hours, the two receptionists at the front desk told us there had NOT been any northern lights sightings reported by their guests the previous night on May 11. I explained our disappointment because our impromptu trip was based solely on the report we were given by the first receptionist over the phone - that there had been consecutive sightings the previous two nights of the northern lights. We would not have made the trip if we had been told the actual situation - that the sightings were only on May 10 and not May 11. I contacted a professional astronomer in Borrego Springs on the day we checked in and he said “They were visible on Friday [May 10] … We had nothing last night nor do I expect anything tonight or for the future.” It appears the receptionist was so excited to make a booking that she did not check her facts and it was my fault for trusting her words. As far as the “star theater” astronomy viewing area, it was not very dark for observing the stars. It was a large open area, an abandoned archery range with high wooden slat walls that reduced some of the light from the city and the adjacent hotel parking lot. But it did not measure up to the “dark sky” conditions we have found in surrounding areas. 2. We made advanced reservations for dinner at Casa Del Zorro because we were told by their receptionist that they would be busy since it was Mother’s Day. When we arrived at 6pm there was a live piano player and a lively audience, and we were anticipating a fun evening. We asked how long the piano player would be playing, but the two receptionists did not know. When we came back for dinner less than an hour later, the whole place had emptied out. There was

I wasn't very happy that we were not told that they do not do daily housekeeping. I believe that should have been mentioned when we check-in. When I informed that about it the response was that in was in the welcome package. When they gave us the welcome package, the reception noted certain items on the welcome package such as the yoga and internet but not about "new" housekeeping rules. Also, everytime we have stayed in here, we seem to always be put by the ice machine which is a bit noisy. La Casa Del Zorro is not as good as it used to be.

People need to know there is no Internet available when we stayed there. This goes also for the room phone and television. We were also on the fringe of Verizon coverage with 1 or 2 bars, and many times no connections. With temperature at 104 deg F, the air conditioner could not keep up with set temp. No wonder the windows are all single pane glass. Our casita was sold to us on the basis that astronomers love the far away location from the lights. However, the area is lit up with dark sky unfriendly lighting. There were crickets in our little kitchenette, tons of bugs in the pool. The manager was very nice as well as the front desk person. The casita appears to have been built in the 1950s, with the building surfaces having been repainted too many times. I asked if the buildings would be refurbished and was told, no, but they will be refreshed. Otherwise, it has beautiful grounds and very nice competent staff.

Beautiful grounds. Easy check in, nice room. Received upgrade