Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

Had lunch at The Oak restaurant yesterday. Never been before so I thought it would be a good lunch date with hubby. As I had heard, the view from terrace is peaceful and beautiful but the food was not worth the money. Very overpriced for what you got. It was just o.k. I wanted it to be delicious for the amount we had to pay. I’m glad we went because now we know we won’t go back.

Look at the birds. Look at the trees. Do a little work. Nap. Repeat.
My routine at the Ojai Valley Inn was pretty set. I didn’t make time for spa treatments this trip, because, frankly, the grounds are serene enough.
The tranquility of the resort overshadows quite a few of its shortcomings. Nothing about this place shouts new or clean, which is a bit of a bummer when it comes to overworn towels, stained bathroom showers, and outdated facilities. However the Inn provides a great retreat to escape the hustle of the city.
Staff is warm and go out of the way to make guests feel welcome. I love that bell boys circle the property in golf carts, offering complimentary lifts to and from different destinations within the sizable resort. Check-​in & concierge staff come across very green though.
The OVI appears to be going through some renovations, which may help the current lack of dining & café options. The greens of the golf course are also particularly yellow at the moment — blame the drought — but either way may affect the resort’s desirability.
Is the OVI on par with its competition? Perhaps not entirely — some prices seem a bit high for the return. However the legacy and location keep clientele coming back.

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is officially my favorite place to escape to when I need a break from the CF that is LA.
My boyfriend & I planned a weekend getaway to OVIAS in November. We were won over immediately by the friendly & attentive staff, who offered us a complimentary upgrade to a Villa after we had been accidentally double-​booked for our spa appointment.
Speaking of the spa – it’s amazing. There are separate male & female lounge areas complete with saunas, showers, & steam rooms. There is also a co-​ed lounge where we sipped on champagne & passed out in our robes on the outdoor patio. Yeah – we were THAT couple.
While at The Oak for dinner, we were also offered complimentary champagne & dessert after mentioning that our anniversary was coming up.
Overall… the staff, spa & incredible views make this place a solid 5. It’s definitely not cheap, but don’t be afraid to splurge & treat yo’self.

The views are great, as is the customer service. The inn is very dog friendly.
The spa is wonderful. Nice steam room, sauna and pools. No gym though. Massages are definitely worth it.
We rented bikes, which you can do on the premises; even got to rent a carrier to tow our little dog. And there are bike paths nearby, so that’s nice.
The only reason I didn’t give 5 STARS is – the food. They have a fancy (expensive) Italian restaurant there that’s amazing. I highly recommend the octopus.
But the other two or three restaurants are just so/​so and are vastly overpriced, as is the room service. If you’re traveling with the whole family, I’d highly recommend bringing food with you. Just be advised that the rooms (at least ours) have neither microwaves nor refrigerators.

Beautiful hotel to just get away and relax. The spa is very nice, a bit loud, the massage amazing. Rooms are comfortable. I recommend eating at Jimmy’s Pub or going into town. Hotel food is always overpriced but I was really disappointed that I paid that price for okay food at The Oak and felt like I was eating at Denny’s. The ambiance and décor is bad. 4 stars due to The Oak. Town is really small but enough restaurants for a quick weekend trip.

Truly a gem! My husband brought me here for a birthday getaway and we could not be more pleased! The staff is extremely friendly and go above and beyond to meet your needs, even when you don’t even know you have them haha. The grounds are beautiful, amazing food and drinks options at the restaurants/​bars and a fantastic spa. Cannot wait to go back!

Note that I am a gluten-​free vegan. All I can say is that I am not impressed by Ojai Valley Inn, for a variety of reasons.
***NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW DOES NOT APPLY TO ARNO, A MASSAGE THERAPIST, AND ROBERT, WHO WORKS AT THE SPA. UNFORTUNATELY, Unilocal WOULD NOT LET ME WRITE A SECOND REVIEW GIVING ARNO AND ROBERT 5 STARS***
ARNO 5 STARS: I like deep-​tissue and athletic massages with a lot of pressure. I find it difficult to find a therapist to meet my needs. Arno was seriously amazing. His movement patterns were deliberate and targeted, and he seriously maximized the time we had together. Also incredibly professional and delightful. Loved the experience on the massage table.
ROBERT 5 STARS: Robert is so kind and accommodating. My mom and I were in a rush to make our massages, but hadn’t eaten in a long time. As you will learn later from my post, spa café closes early and had one employee working with a line. We had to pick between getting food and being late, or staying hungry until dinner. Enter Robert, who kindly picked up our food and held it up front for us. As if that wasn’t enough, when my mom’s therapist stored my mom’s necklace, it got freakishly tangled. I spent a long time trying to unravel the mess, to no avail. Robert took the necklace while my mom and I enjoyed ourselves and untangled it for us.
THE RESORT: The expansive resort grounds were neither charming nor personal to me, nor were they luxurious (despite beautiful surroundings). Actually, the rancher décor is quite tired and, in some instances, gross (see picture of spa floor). This is NOTHING like, for example, Kohler Spa in Wisconsin. Next time I am in Ojai, I will explore the bed-​in-​breakfast scene.
THE SPA: Not impressed. I would go so far as to say the floor is gross. If you live in LA, trust me when I tell you that the Santa Monica Burke is a better spa experience. The womens’ jacuzzi is incredibly small. I would have rather spent the day at the Four Seasons Westlake. I’d also like to add that, as you read above, Robert picked up food for my mom and I from the Spa Café.
Also, interestingly, the SPA would not let us eat food from the SPA Café inside of the SPA. Didn’t make sense to me at all. As I mentioned, we hadn’t all day and were incredibly hungry. The Spa front desk told us we had to eat outside – even though it was very cold and we were only in robes. I was so hungry I shivered outside and ate instead of going at it with receptionist. Glad that, as I clenched my muscles to cope with the cold weather, I undid all of Arno’s great work.
SPA CAFE: I appreciate the green juices, smoothies, and salads here. However, these things are staples, and nothing is really great. Note that the smoothie selection is better than Jamba Juice, but nothing to write home about. I will say I do appreciate the raw vegan protein powder.
On a separate issue, the Spa Café closes altogether at 4, and the kitchen closes at 2. This is grossly inadequate to meet the needs of guests. I was very disappointed and surprised. During my stay, the Café only had one employee. Made absolutely no sense, as the lines grew long while one person struggle to make a series of smoothies. Not impressed. Also, coffee here is not good.
THE OAK: This establishment has charming out-​door seating. I ate inside, as it was very cold that night. Inside is nothing special. I will say my server was absolutely lovely and kind and friendly and fun, and she understood very clearly my needs as a gluten-​free vegan. The restaurant had gf/​v bread on hand, and made me a special dish of sauteed potatoes and vegetables. It was not anything special, but glad I was able to eat.
In short, I will never come back here.

Love the resort. We have stayed here several times. The reason for the one star review? We arrived at 12:30 and were told our room was not yet ready, but that the cleaning service was in the room right then and the room would be ready shortly. So we sat in the lobby. Over the next hour, we heard the front desk tell the exact same thing to every single guest in each case, the cleaning service was in the room right then. After an hour I asked for status. The front desk called (or purported to call) housekeeping. They reiterated they were cleaning the room right then, but would even put a rush on it. Amazingly, we heard the same thing being told to all other guests in each case, the front desk was knowingly lying. Well over two hours later, we finally were told our room was ready.

Beautiful hotel and great spa. Our family has been coming here for more than 20 yrs. They have made many changes and many for the good. So close to LA and easy to get to while feeling a world away. Great golf! Nice pools. Close to Santa Barbara. Great food in town. Kind staff! Would I call it a 5* as they say they are striving for? No. Would that stop me from coming here? No. Why not 5*? Long phone waits, seating outside in winter months with little planning for cold (few heaters and not enough seating for guests, long walks to the buffets. Not well thought out). Showers broken in spa and low pressure. First world problems, right? True! But also expectations of a 5*. Definite great place to go just not a 5*

Exceptional service and this place is beautiful.
Love the golf course I’ve only been here twice to play golf but I’ve had a great time each time that I’ve came. The food here is decent it could be better but the environment and the layout of the hotel makes up for it. Very child friendly and it’s a great place for families to get together.
The hotel rooms are very clean and has really nice architecture. Got a great deal through hotwire. Will be back

Very tranquil and relaxing environment. Best concierge service ever!
Very nice lounge and restaurant on site as well.
We hang out at the bar and lounge. Had dinner at the oaks! Amazing view. Amazing outdoor patio.

Can’t believe I haven’t been here until now!!! From the moment we checked in, everything and everyone was perfect. The staff — Amazing! The resort — beautiful! The spa — I’m speechless!
Definitely recommend using the spa while you’re there, whether you get a service or not. Also, the newly renovated adult pool is great.

Ugh I want to go back already!!!
We stayed here the night of our wedding and the day after, so kind of a mini honeymoon!
We were greeted in our suite with a red velvet cupcake with a sweet note, and soothing classical music. Perfect. Our suite had an automatic fireplace inside and a fire pit outside, and they were both the fabulous.
We had treatments at the spa the next day, and we’re suddenly turned into «spa people». The ambiance of the outside lounges were PERFECT. Loved that they also had nibblets for snacking (almonds and a trail mix). And loved the touch of the little spa gift to celebrate our honeymoon! So nice!
We did the private mud session, and I’m not sure it was exactly my kind of thing. I had a hard time relaxing: narration was a little soft for the mediating section, and then I found my thoughts wandering away from the narration when there were big gaps in dictation. I kind of like being taken on a journey and I felt like I got lost in stressful thoughts. Didn’t hear that I could put the mud on my face or I totally would have! I’ll take all the smoothness I can get!
Loved their showers after the mud session, they had everything!
After that, we got a couples massage… and this was amaaaaziiiiing. I had a woman with short blonde hair who was really nice and just had really good vibes. You never want someone massaging you who’s just over it, what’s the point of that. And the scent-​picking was a nice touch.
Dinner at the oak was delicious, the scallops and my lavender cocktail were amazing.
Breakfast was on point. They gave me and my husband a free breakfast cocktail to celebrate our marriage! And the guy who brought or breakfast specifically went back it the kitchen to pick it up and bring it to us.
I can’t imagine a better place to have celebrated our mini moon, and I can’t wait to go back!

This place is indeed a great resort to escape the hustle and bustle of «city» life. Located off the main street of Ojai, but my goodness, they have ACRES of land!
A «guard» awaits you at the entrance to ask if you want to valet or self park. Self parking is limited, but not impossible, lots available in the far back. One of my favorite parts about this place is that you can pretty much hail down a golf cart for a ride to any where on the premise. I’m even guilty of hitching a ride down a small hill, which would’ve probably been a 3 minute walk.
Lots of pools to choose from for your swimming needs or just lounging on a chair. Waiters and waitresses available for your drink needs, not sure ordering food was available by the pool. At one point, got bored and rented lawn bowling equipment. That particular afternoon was quite busy as croquet was unavailable. California is in a severe drought, yet the grass is lusciously green here…
Casper the bird was interesting. Food options are limited and way over priced, but you’re paying for convenience.
I tried to chase the «Pink Sunset,» but didn’t time it right. Also because I got lost of finding the «right side» of the premise.
Overall, I had a great experience and would love to come back again in the future!

Stayed here for 2 nights and absolutely loved this place. Our room was clean, very spacious, a tad bit old, but very quaint. Service was excellent. Grounds are huge, so lovely to walk around. The town of Ojai is only about 15 min. away, though shopping in town is at a minimum.
The only downside to our stay was at the adults only pool– it’s great if there’s space. We went one day and found seats with no problem. But the next day it was so crowded that there was a ½ hour waiting list. However, there are other pools and this wasn’t enough to merit any star deductions.
If you enjoy golfing, you’ll love the course, so beautiful! The spa caters to the new age-​y crowd so, if that’s your thing and you have money to burn, you’ll probably be very happy with it. It was a bit too much for us though.
All in all, a very wonderful getaway.

As you read in any of the reviews on Unilocal this property is gorgeous great location beautiful grounds just incredible, however there were many many flaws at this property.
First we called the night before make sure that we were all good to go with an early check-​in so the day we get there about 1230 and with our six month old baby we were told our room was not ready we were told that the room is vacant but it wasn’t cleaned yet they told us it would be pretty quick instead of took over three and half hours to get a room ready they called us finally at 3:55 PM letting us know our room was available that means we sat there with her infant for 3 ½ hours. Finally after getting the keys for the room it took about 20-​ish minutes for us to get a golf cart to get all the stuff in the car and then take us to the room which was a process in itself.
Our room initially was in the 400s near the pub I’m about 1030 at night that «joining room» was filled with a bunch of loud adults and teenagers which caused him our kid to wake up and the rooms are so poorly insulated in the door between both rooms was just a single door it was so noisy. Traditionally when two rooms are next each other if there is a door between the both rooms usually there’s two or three doors separating the two rooms this there’s only one door you could even see the light underneath and hear the voices like they’re in your ears. Management was able to move us at 10:30 at night they took my wife my baby in a golf cart and moved us to another room where I had to load up all my luggage and move us to another room.
Overall the rooms were not that good but see a couple stains I’m the screen door was broken on one of the rooms the exterior door to the balcony with a broken where you did and we’re not able to open it from the outside so we got locked out one time I had air conditioning unit one of the properties took over six hours to cool the room down it was terrible experience
On some instances we call to request a golf cart to take us up to the breakfast area or take it down to the pool. Took over 20 minutes for the golf cart come to my room and grab us some time just gave up and just ended up walking.
Food for breakfast and dinner was actually very good and the service was good.
Here are some suggestions;
1. Four seasons should acquire this property or take over management of this property when you’re spending four to $ 600 a night I expect higher service from this property
2. Property needs send maintenance including, installing better installation of the properties new sliding doors on the property installing new were entry doors and partition doors between the joining rooms and better insulation soundproofing.

So, I am not happy about posting this review since the hotel, grounds, food, and location deserve 5 stars. However, I feel I must warn others based upon our overall experience, including the follow-​up, after I completed an online review which was sent to me by the hotel.
First, you will not be disappointed when you first arrive to the hotel. In a word «stunning». We had planned this three day, two night trip in order to relax and unwind. Upon arrival, we were quickly taken to our room and felt we had selected the right location.
After unpacking, we headed to Jimmy’s pub. Ordered the tacos, only to learn they had run out of meat. Disappointing, but not a big deal. Ordered chips and salsa, and two beers.
For dinner we made reservations at the Oak Terrace. Food and service were exceptional. Unfortunately, people bring their unruly kids and let them run around like uncaged animals. Now, I would expect kids to be kids at Disneyland, Legoland or some other family type venue, but a resort spa should be able to establish some boundaries.
The next day we decided to go to spa pool in order to avoid the kids. Unfortunately, some loud mouthed female trucker who insisted on singing out loud while dropping occasional «F» bombs quickly harshed my mellow. I kept waiting for staff to ask her to use her indoor voice, only to be disappointed. So my wife and I headed to our room in order to make our way to town to find a quiet place we could relax.
Now, here is where things get unreal. The place uses magnetic room keys which can be cool, if all works as planned. Ours didn’t. Apparently, the battery in the unit went dead and could not be recharged. So, three maintenance staff and two customer service representatives tried different methods to get us in our room. I suggested breaking the window, letting us gather our stuff and moving us to a different room. No such luck. So, after an hour or so they did manage to get us in with a coat hanger. They asked what else they could do and I said reinstall the screen door, replace the rubber under the main door and wipe the prints of the sliding room window so it doesn’t look like a crime scene. They did reinstall the screen door.
This wonderful experience set me back around $ 1,200. They did comp us breakfast as we were leaving so I suppose I should be thankful.
As mentioned, I did complete the online survey. In all fairness, they quickly emailed be back apologizing and asking me to contact them should I return. Not sure if I will.

LOVED Ojai Valley Inn! Me and my husband were there for our 1 year anniversary and it was fantastic, they upgraded us to a bigger room and had a yummy chocolate cupcake for us in the room.
The restaurants in the Inn were fantastic. Potato chips and the lavender lemonade cocktail at the pub were amazing. The brussel sprouts at the main restaurant were the best!
Activities were fun, spa was great and everyone treated us very nicely! I would recommend it 100%, it’s so worth it.

There’s a reason why this place has 4.5 stars! It’s wonderful! It really is an awesome oasis away from the hustle of LA. Only about an hour and half drive and you end up in heaven!
My company hosted our work retreat here in early December. The main lobby and grounds were so beautifully decorated for the holidays! Definitely puts you in the spirit! My room was wonderful! Super comfy bed, spacious bathroom and living area. I called ahead of time and requested a mini-​fridge for my room and it was right there waiting for me when I checked in. Service is beyond stellar here!
Now this isn’t an über luxury place, but it is über resort-​y. They have everything here, and golf carts to tote you around the ground as well! Aside from tennis, gold, trails for biking/​walking, they have all sorts of other activities. Crafts for the kids, moonlight yoga, bocce, tequila tasting… you name it they got it. I will suggest SKIPPING geocaching. This just really isn’t as fun as it’s described and felt like it was 2 hours of my day wasted. Plus, use of the spa, gym, and fitness classes. For the addition $ 25 daily resort fee, take advantage of all the activities they have to offer!
If your budget allows, I’d highly suggest a night or 2 at the Ojai Valley Inn. Breath the fresh air, walk the calming grounds, and enjoy all that they have to offer!

I stayed in room 672 there and have bites all over my body (picture attached) looks like bed bugs? I notified the hotel and they still haven’t gotten back to me after I called asking if they investigated the room. They said they are still in the process through an outside source. Hope they aren’t renting out the room.
Also when I checked in they told me we would have adjoining rooms and when we were shown to our room they were not. When I called the front desk they told me there was no such thing as adjoining rooms for double beds only for king beds. I wonder why the other front desk guy told me they would be adjoining then.
We also ordered room service for breakfast, the «breakfast to go» for $ 22 and one of the few items was a muffin which they forgot to include therefore I had to call and ask them to bring it.