Kristi D.'s Profile

My husband and I came here for our 6 month anniversary. Cypress Inn was recommended by friends for being dog friendly and for their live music. Here is the break down.

PROS:

+Dog friendly rooms, side/bar area of the restaurant/bar, courtyard, and living room.
+Very comfy beds, rooms and bathroom are clean and well heated.
+ Cream sherry and fresh fruit in the rooms as well as bottled water. *
+ Live music in the living room Friday - Sunday night
+ Heart of carmel, walk to shops, eateries, and beach.
+ Quiet for the most part. *
+ Complimentary champagne and flowers for our anniversary.
+ Tasty food which I will review separately.
+ Comfy and ambient gas fireplace in their living room.
+ Big Gilchrist and Soams shampoo, condition, and shower gel dispenser in bathroom. Good for the environment and no worries about running out with the tiny containers if you are staying for multiple days.
+ Very friendly hotel staff with the exception of the people working the breakfast shift on a Monday in the lounge (separate review will follow).  The fellow that ended up cleaning up when our dog threw up sand was very polite and non-judgmental which we appreciated.
+ Ipod radio.

CONS/SUGGESTIONS:

- Ambiance was not enforced during the tea. A couple turned their cell phone on speaker for a good 15 minutes and were talking really loudly essentially driving us away. I suggest the hotel and wait staff consider a polite sign asking to keep cell phone use to a minimum in the living room and eating areas for the comfort of all the guests.
- Consider "romantic" wings in which there are no TVs or guests with children. Otherwise consider grouping the rooms with double beds away from the rooms with king/queen beds so those on romantic getaways can have the ambience.
- Jet tub not working. We didn't realize until it was late and night so too late to fix, but still a bummer. Things like this should be check prior to guest check-in.
- The door in the room with Veranda squeaks a lot in the wind. It's old. Bring a portable noise machine if you are sensitive to it.
- Room was not ready for our dog (no bowls or blanket) so we had to ask for the materials. No biggy but for an upscale boutique hotel these small details should be taken care of. Would have been nice to have a small bag of treats or something.
- Leave more than two full-length towels in room, that is never enough for the ladies that need a turban or for people traveling with a dog.
- The hand soap took forever to wash off and was so slippery I almost lost my ring! I've never had this issue with hand soap or this brand. I suggest trying a different kind.
- Needs a bathroom vanity. While the bathroom was small, there was room, possible even for a duel sink. I ended up having to store toiletries on the bar counter in the bedroom because there was only a tiny glass shelf above the sink.
- Jacuzzi added to upstairs courtyard? :)
-  A doggy bathroom area would be a nice benefit in the upstairs courtyard or something closer to the hotel since the nearest trees only have rocks and when it's raining it's an inconvenience.
- While the large dispensers of shampoo/etc are nice, it's also nice to have small samples for those of us that like to collect them from our trips. :)

We were very pleased with our experience all in all. With a few small improvements this would definitely be a five star hotel for sure! I also am still awaiting to hear back from an email asking if they have a mailing list so I can be informed of future specials and return. It's always nice to have small incentives for future repeat loyal customers. :)

* In case it's not mentioned, you need to go down to the bar to ask them to fill your glass bottle for water.

* It can be a little noisy at night on weekends because of the live music. We were enjoying the music but just something to be aware of. As mentioned, the windows and doors are old so if you have a hard time sleeping bring a portable noise machine. A family with a child checked in right next to us and they were a bit loud at times, yelling, and slamming doors. It took away a bit from the romance.

Let me preface by mentioning that this review is not for the food or overall service but merely for an initial impression of the atmosphere and employees for first five minutes. My husband and I were drawn to Forge In the Forest for our anniversary weekend because it's supposed to be dog-friendly and the idea of a dog menu is really cute. So we make a reservation for a chilly evening and walk on over.

We approach and are struck by the sight of a beautiful lush and romantic patio surrounding a cozy outdoor fireplace in which only one other couple was seated A really friendly gentleman greets us and our dog and lets the hostess know to seat us in the "dog pound." We were then taken to a side "patio" which felt more like a converted alley way and smelled faintly of garbage. I expressed to the hostess that I didn't  realize it was a separate courtyard and she seemed very cold and unfriendly to both myself and my husband, explaining that the dog patio is separate. We took our seats next to a large group of 6 or so people (not very romantic). Granted there were some random plants as well as an additional fireplace, but the group was already seated by it. A couple of minutes pass by and the faint smell of garbage really started to bother me so we expressed to our waiter that we were sorry but didn't realize the patio situation and were not comfortable and would be leaving. He seemed kind of weird about it but we hadn't ordered or received water yet so I found that to be a better alternative than being unhappy the whole time.

This may very well be a great place and I know many restaurants have separate dog areas, but it's just the fact that the other courtyard was sooo much nicer, and right in the front, so it's not like you have to enter through the restaurant to get there. I'd rather go somewhere where the outdoor patio is equal opportunity for dog and non dog patrons alike. Especially considering there were hardly any customers that night and it's not like our dog would have been crowding people. The prices are not exactly on the lower end for American food either. Either you are dog friendly or you're not, and separating the patios and giving the dog owners a side converted alleyway is not dog-friendly, and we will not be returning.

Super yummy! Love the fire feta!

Minus 2 stars for not allowing reservations in such a small location. I'm not sure of the reason for this, that they worry they will lose customers?  I've only attempted to eat in once and there was an hour or so wait on a rainy night and we didn't live in the area at the time so we didn't bother.

Anyway, will continue to go back for take out because it is tasty and we can walk there, but I really wish they would revise the reservation policy. I would choose John's over Opa for eating in because they accept reservations.

We get takeout from here a couple times a month. The food never disappoints! Have had both lunch and dinner. Coworkers loved the lunch. Some highlights I recommend:

Roti
Corn Cakes
Tom Ka
Chicken Yellow Curry
Choo Chee Prawns

Make sure you are phoning the correct Thaibodia when you call, there is also one in Santa Clara. Make sure you have the item number handy, they don't always understand your order in English. Sometimes they forget a couple of items on take out so just make sure everything is there. No biggy. The food is so delicious it's worth it. They are also very nice there, too.

We love John's! Family run, delicious food (both breakfast and dinner), and excellent service! Recommend highly!

We came here for a New Year's dinner and it did not disappoint! There was live guitar music, the hostess was very sweet and personable, as was our waitress. It was a special menu so I don't know if it's items they typically serve.

FOOD:

Pluses:
Mushroom soup served almost immediately to start as well as bread.
Crab Cakes (possibly the best I've ever had!).
Calamari - Perfectly cooked, not too greasy, with amazing sauces!
White Chocolate Ravioli - Amazing!!! Perfectly tender, delicious sauce.
Baked Salmon
Chocolate Fondue with an array of treats: Yummy!

Meh:
Mixed green salad was very basic. Only greens, tomatoes, and carrots. The portion was huge, which is good, but could be livened up with some fresh parm or mozzarella.

Scallops and mussels over pasta. The scallops were amazing, but there was something strange about the way the mussels were cooked. Pasta was good but needed a little bit more sauce. I actually thought the sauce on the ravioli was better and that was not the main course.

I would like to see some kind of berry or fruit tart dish added to the pre fix menu for next time. I see that Peer tart is an option on the online menu. :)

WINE:

Pino grigio (forget the Italian winery) complimented the seafood perfectly. Wine came pretty quickly even though they were packed.

Need more selection of dessert wines.

SERVICE:

Everyone was attentive and nice.  We weren't able to sit next to a window per our request but it was super packed. They did seat us in a booth by the door though which was really nice because we could get a great view of the guitarist and also some fresh air since it was warm with all the people.

We will definitely be returning, maybe for Valentine's Day! :)

We've been coming here for a couple of years now and the woman that runs it (Nancy?) is very sweet. She always remembers us and our clothes always turn out great. It seems to be priced the same as other places, haven't really compared. She always uses clips for skirts, and not safety pins which result in little holes, like another place did. Even though my husband and I  moved we will keep coming back here for our dry-cleaning.

This review is for their email communication alone a few months back (not sure if they have changed management as one review mentions). I attempted to make an appointment for a specific service and they were really slow to respond over several days. It seemed as if they didn't really clearly read my email.They never answered my questions clearly regarding whether my consultation would be with a registered nurse (for medspa appointments it really should be). As another review mentions the Dr. does not have his medical license from a reputable school. I wouldn't trust coming here for a service beyond a standard facial. Again I can't vouch for the services but the email customer service was lacking. If they cannot respond in a timely manner and clearly answer questions then email appointments should not be an option they offer.

We just moved in to a new house and needed to have the locks re-keyed. My husband called Darrin and Modern Lock & Security as he was pretty close to where we live and has excellent reviews. Well, the reviews don't lie! Darrin gave us a short-notice appointment, arrived on time, and completed the job very quickly. His prices were very reasonable for re-keying 6 locks! Highly recommended.

Plus:

Our first few appointments were great. We were so happy we signed up for a year. All the ladies were relatively nice (very nice at first and then gradually less friendly).

Nike and the other customer service people were always been pretty responsive and also lowered our monthly fee when we complained about the place not being thoroughly cleaned.

Decent price. After our lowered rate we paid about $90 per month for approximately 2 hours of cleaning for our 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment (although that is still almost 50 per hour so I am not sure how competitive that is).

Minuses:

There was a bit too much inconsistency with different teams.
At least three times, while the overall place was clean, there were things overlooked, such as the toilets not being thoroughly cleaned or mildew left in the shower. We maintenance cleaned in between so it wasn't like we were leaving them a really messy place. There were two occasions where it was obvious they didn't clean the toilet or counter at all.

There were also a few times with last minute schedule changes with no apology.

The whole point of using a maid service is that you want your place spotless.  We always tipped very well and so it's disappointing. All in all there were far too many experiences where we were left unsatisfied with the cleanings. It may be a decent deal  at $90ish for two hours for a two bedroom-two bath, but we'd  rather pay more and have a cleaner place. Show owner comment »