Zachari Dunes evaluation – The Factors Man

Seashore lodges in California aren’t precisely novel. But it surely’s tougher than you would possibly suppose to discover a resort situated proper on the sand.

Nonetheless, a bit north of Los Angeles, within the laid-back surfer city of Oxnard, the one factor between Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Seashore and the Pacific is a beautiful stretch of seashore.

What’s extra, this Hilton-owned Curio Assortment resort is a uncommon oceanfront all-suite property, so even whenever you guide the most affordable room, you may nonetheless unfold out in a spacious one-bedroom lodging. Plus, on-site perks embrace a big lagoon-style pool, California-inspired eating, seashore gear leases and loads of actions.

I just lately checked into the resort with my husband and two youngsters for a household seashore trip. This is what our getaway was like.

Associated: The perfect coastal lodges to go to throughout your subsequent seaside getaway

What’s Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Seashore, Curio Assortment by Hilton?

Previously an Embassy Suites resort, the nine-acre, 250-suite hacienda-style resort was reimagined in 2022 as a member of Hilton’s boutique Curio Assortment.

Associated: Your final information to Hilton resort manufacturers

In response to Hilton, the property was renamed in honor of the sugar mogul Henry Oxnard, who needed to develop sugar beets (the resort’s informal breakfast and lunch spot, situated in an Airstream trailer, is known as for this) within the space within the early 1900s and had plans to call it Zachari, which implies “sugar” in Greek. The resort’s rental and grab-and-go store, Henry’s Sundries & Gear, can also be named for him.

Now, following a full-scale renovation from its Embassy Suites days, the resort has a California cool meets Mediterranean really feel with terra-cotta tile, darkish wooden furniture and arched walkways alongside manicured grounds with picturesque ponds, cascading waterfalls, lush landscaping and bistro lighting over a central courtyard that results in the seashore.

The foyer, particularly, is open and welcoming with dramatic excessive ceilings, attractive lighting and modern sitting areas with a hearth and coworking areas.

Getting there

Situated a bit of over an hour north of Los Angeles, the Zachari Dunes resort is located the place the LA space and California’s central coast meet. Mandalay Seashore in Oxnard is about 35 miles south of Santa Barbara and fewer than 10 miles south of Ventura.

I drove from my dwelling in Southern California close to Palm Springs, and the journey took me about 3 1/2 hours.

Whereas simply accessible by automotive from all of those factors, you will positively want one to get there. A ride-hailing service from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX), which is roughly 70 miles away, could be fairly pricey. Even Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), which is 45 miles away, would value at the very least $100 by way of Uber.

Plan to fork over $38 day by day for in a single day self-parking on the resort. Alternatively, valet parking prices $42 per night time. Each have full out and in privileges.

I opted to self park within the parking storage, the place an elevator linked me straight with the constructing the place my room was situated.

Reserving particulars

Zachari Dunes has 250 visitor rooms, most of which have a one-bedroom structure with both one king mattress or two queens within the bed room and a pullout couch within the dwelling space; they differ in worth based mostly on the view. These rooms even have two full loos and include a balcony or patio and sleep 4 to 6 folks comfortably.

There are additionally presidential suites, with two bedrooms, that sleep as much as six folks. One has a king mattress, and the opposite comes with two queens; these suites even have two balconies.

In response to the resort’s web site, normal rooms begin as little as $267, or 68,000 Hilton Honors factors, in summer season for midweek stays. Over winter, that worth drops right down to $234 or 63,000 factors per night time. Weekends all year long, nevertheless, will value a bit extra, relying on whenever you need to go to.

I deliberate my go to whereas trying to find a summer season getaway for my household after receiving the 170,000 Hilton Honors welcome bonus (now not obtainable) after I enrolled and fulfilled the preliminary spending necessities for a Hilton Honors American Categorical Surpass® Card. The present provide is 165,000 Hilton Honors factors after spending $3,000 inside the first six months of card membership.

Since we stay in a scorching desert space, I needed to get out of city for so long as attainable. And with a toddler and a child, I wanted a collection the place my youngsters’ differing bedtimes would not create chaos at night time. I had round 330,000 factors sitting in my account and I thought-about a couple of choices earlier than touchdown on Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Seashore. I used to be in a position to guide a five-night keep in a standard-view suite for 80,000 Hilton Honors factors per night time, and obtained the fifth free as a part of a promotion provided on the time of reserving. I solely paid 320,000 Hilton Honors factors for your entire keep.

When reserving Zachari Dunes, you will need to use one of many bank cards that earn probably the most factors for Hilton stays, in addition to one which presumably provides computerized Hilton Honors elite standing for value-added advantages. These embrace:

• Hilton Honors American Categorical Surpass Card: Earn 12 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton lodges, computerized Gold elite standing and the flexibility to improve to Diamond standing via the tip of the following calendar yr by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar yr.
• Hilton Honors American Categorical Enterprise Card: Earn 12 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton lodges, computerized Gold elite standing and the flexibility to improve to Diamond standing via the tip of the following calendar yr by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar yr.
• Hilton Honors American Categorical Card: Earn 7 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton lodges and computerized Silver elite standing and the flexibility to improve to Gold via the tip of the following calendar yr whenever you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar yr.
• Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card: Earn 14 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton lodges and computerized Diamond elite standing.

The data for the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

The room

My reservation was for the standard one-bedroom suite with a king mattress. That meant I would not have a premium view going through the ocean or pool. Initially, I used to be okay with it. I figured we would be out of the room for many of the journey, and as an skilled traveler with little youngsters, I knew it was unrealistic to count on that my husband and I’d have a lot time to take a seat and clink drinks on the patio in peace.

As I adopted the posted instructions to my room, I used to be shocked to see that the hall was flanked by loads stuffed with dumpsters and parked vehicles. Fortunately, my room’s home windows confronted the opposite approach.

After I opened my door, I used to be greeted by a spacious room with a high-top eating desk and 4 chairs a couple of steps in entrance of me.

To my proper was an empty closet, except for a bedding equipment for outfitting the pullout couch.

To my left was a full lavatory. I used to be pleasantly shocked to seek out that there have been two loos within the suite. This was particularly helpful when my child was napping within the bed room, and the remainder of us had been out in the lounge.

On this first lavatory, nautical-inspired wallpaper wrapped the room, and there was additionally a bathroom, sink and walk-in tiled rainfall bathe.

Again in the lounge, throughout from the eating space, a kitchenette housed a minifridge, a microwave, a sink and a espresso machine stocked with a couple of pods and occasional accouterments.

The wood-style tiled ground led to a carpeted front room with midcentury-style furnishings that included a luxurious purple sofa and an armchair, in addition to a flat-screen TV over a mod-looking leisure unit and sliding doorways resulting in a balcony. Whereas this space initially struck me as modern, upon nearer inspection, I spotted the couch was a bit worn out, with threads coming unfastened.

From the dwelling space, a door led to the bed room. Right here was the king-size mattress going through one other flat-screen TV with a bench beneath it.

The nightstands had lamps on both aspect, every with built-in plugs. I particularly appreciated the multicord charger cables offered for numerous USB machine sorts. This got here in helpful after I realized I forgot the charging cords for my daughter’s journey night-light and sound machine.

The bed room had an extra closet the place I discovered an iron and ironing board. I used to be shocked that neither closet held a protected.

The bed room additionally had an en-suite lavatory with a double-sink vainness, a bathe and tub combo and a bathroom separated by a door. The lavatory was so massive, this was really the place we positioned my child’s pack-and-play at night time for her personal separate sleep area. Each loos got here stocked with multiuse toiletries branded by BeeKind and loads of fluffy white towels.

From the bed room, I had a view of an inside courtyard of landscaped paths and waterfalls that spilled downward into the car parking zone beneath. I believed it was a reasonably space however since my window confronted three flooring of open corridors and some room balconies, I saved my curtains drawn more often than not for privateness.

Again in the lounge, my balcony was up towards an open-air hallway resulting in an elevator. It felt odd to have patio seating adjoining to a busy walkway. Because of this, we did not use it very a lot.

General, the room was a very good dimension for the 4 of us, although not soundproofed very nicely. The primary night time was so noisy, I needed to alert the entrance desk. Whereas I attempted to appease my child to sleep, I heard the shouting of rowdy youngsters subsequent door who had been so raucous, it made my mattress jolt. Fortunately, the criticism helped resolve issues, and the next nights weren’t fairly as dangerous (but it surely was by no means fully quiet throughout our keep).

The perfect components of staying right here had been the pool and the seashore

We liked the pool and seashore entry at this resort.

The pool was massive sufficient to suit the crowds with out feeling chaotic, and I preferred the fake rock detailing that framed an extra-large scorching tub, an outside bathe for rinsing off and one other ornamental waterfall space behind the pool.

Whereas shaded seating was restricted, pool loungers and towels had been by no means briefly provide, and waitstaff served food and drinks from Dive, an adjoining bar space.

It was only a brief stroll from our room to the sand, and Oxnard is an actual gem in that the seashore is huge, clear and exquisite and in some way by no means felt overly crowded, even throughout a vacation week.

The walkway alongside the seashore was pretty for a stroll, and a park subsequent door had a playground my youngsters liked. The resort’s location was central to the native marina, too, so we may stroll to some eating places as an alternative of driving.

The resort price did not embrace a lot, and it was particularly evident on seashore days

The resort doesn’t service the seashore or have any setup on the sand.

As a substitute, as a part of a $35 day by day resort price (excluding tax), you may borrow seashore chairs and umbrellas. However there is a catch. Company could lease gadgets without cost for 2 hours per day. Something further incurs a cost. And it is not simple, both. For instance, for a full two-hour rental, it may solely be one merchandise. If we needed to borrow two seashore chairs, we would be able to use every one for an hour. In different phrases, every merchandise “prices” an hour. A seashore chair and umbrella collectively had been collectively solely free for an hour.

And whereas the ocean was shut, should you’ve ever frolicked on a California seashore, you will know these are extra-wide stretches that may simply take quarter-hour to stroll from one aspect to the precise surf. If I solely borrowed gadgets for an hour, I’d have spent at the very least half of that point going backwards and forwards from the store to the sand.

We borrowed two seashore chairs for an hour the primary day after which ended up going to Walmart to purchase our personal since we wanted some anyway. They value across the identical as sooner or later of resort charges, and now now we have them perpetually. Nonetheless, the store does lease all kinds of attention-grabbing gadgets as a part of the day by day two-hour allowance, they usually go far past seashore chairs (like surf and boogie boards, wetsuits, hoverboards, board video games, basketballs and even a guitar or a Nintendo Swap).

The resort price additionally included web entry, health/wellness courses, PressReader entry and reductions on parasail, Jet Ski and kayak leases.

The resort did provide extra day by day actions that I initially needed to hitch till I noticed they weren’t included within the resort price. A cookie-decorating class, for instance, was obtainable for $20 — per particular person.

Whereas some issues had been free, like bubbles on the seashore, I used to be dissatisfied that so many actions weren’t included and rental instances had been restricted.

The meals we tried was dear however good

Likewise, meals wasn’t low-cost.

The resort has three eating venues. The upscale Ox & Ocean, which connects from the foyer and flows right into a central courtyard going through the seashore, is a fantastic venue, however we skipped it to maintain issues extra informal with our younger youngsters.

As a substitute, we had breakfast at Sugar Beats, a parked Airstream trailer behind the pool serving restricted breakfast and lunch menus.

Within the morning, we tried the breakfast tacos ($15), a breakfast burrito ($18) and a decadent plate of French toast coated in Nutella ($16). The meals was good, however brewed espresso was solely obtainable on one morning of our keep. A employees member let me know that because of the Airstream setup, it will take round an hour to warmth up water and brew espresso, so espresso-based drinks had been the one possibility. After the primary morning, we got here for our Americanos and ate groceries within the room, as an alternative.

We additionally had lunch at Sugar Beats on our first day, making an attempt the fried rooster sandwich ($18) and the fish ‘n’ tots ($17). Each had been good, however with such a small menu, we did not really feel the necessity to come again.

There’s additionally a spa, exercise amenities and a recreation room

Close to the pool had been a variety of different leisure choices.

A part of Dive (the bar space serving meals and drinks to folks on the pool) was a recreation room with board, card and arcade video games, in addition to darts and pinball. All of those had been free to make use of on a first-come, first-served foundation. Most of what they needed to play with was geared to older youngsters, although my 3-year-old nonetheless preferred it.

Subsequent to the sport room was a spacious health heart with loads of cardio tools together with Peloton bikes, in addition to free weights and weight machines and separate areas for stretching.

On the opposite aspect of the gymnasium was a small spa. I took a glance inside and noticed a properly curated store with jewellery, candles and garments. The spa itself was a small facility with only a lavatory in lieu of a locker room and a handful of therapy rooms.

Behind Sugar Beats, a path led to pickleball or tennis courts, in addition to basketball courts. To make use of these, you might allot your day by day gear rental for racquets and balls at Henry’s or pay to lease them.

Accessibility

The resort is ADA-compliant and has wheelchair-accessible entrances all through the resort. I observed that the Jacuzzi had a chairlift, however the pool was not accessible.

There are additionally a number of accessible room sorts, together with a typical king bed room, a two-queen pool view, a two-queen ocean view and a presidential suite possibility, which all include lavatory seize bars, handheld bathe wands and lowered options reminiscent of mild switches, peepholes, bogs, shelf storage, sinks and thermostat controls.

Company can discover probably the most data on the resort’s web site by navigating to the Suites web page and deciding on Accessible Facilities. This pop-up particulars the options all through the resort, together with accessible parking, public entrances, eating, routes across the property, doorways with 32 inches of width, registration desks, Braille signage and extra.

Standout options

• The most affordable normal rooms listed here are all one-bedroom suites.
• The suites are massive and price a fraction of what they could at different Hilton properties, particularly Curio-level resorts.
• The resort has an unbeatable location with direct beachfront entry and a enjoyable pool.
• There are a number of well-designed, placing frequent areas, from the massive ethereal foyer to outside sofas and a big communal firepit lined with Adirondack chairs.
• The sundries store is nicely stocked with distinctive leases, snacks and toiletries.

Drawbacks

• The resort may be noisy, relying on the place your room is situated. For a quieter, extra peaceable escape, guide a beachfront, top-floor room — however know there nonetheless is perhaps some noise bleed.
• Whereas the bottom worth is inexpensive, count on to pay further for parking, actions and leases over one to 2 hours, even whereas paying a resort price.
• The on-site eating is restricted. There is just one actual restaurant.
• Regardless of a latest renovation and opening solely two years in the past, the resort is displaying indicators of damage and tear.

Testing

The all-suite format and inexpensive worth level, even in summer season and over vacation durations, make this beachfront keep an approachable alternative that is naturally in style amongst households like mine, and I noticed loads of {couples} right here, as nicely.

I used to be in a position to keep in a collection in a beachfront setting for a prolonged five-night interval — and over a vacation — for simply 320,000 Hilton Honors factors. This felt like a feat that was unmatchable wherever else.

I would come again, however solely in an oceanfront lodging the place I would have higher views and a quieter location with much less foot site visitors from different visitors.

In the end, I do not remorse utilizing my factors to remain right here; nevertheless if I used to be doing all of it once more and reserving the identical room kind, I would keep solely two nights to take a look at earlier than the noise grew to become a nuisance and all the additional prices added up. Then I may have saved extra of my factors for a splurge someplace fancy and indulgent.

But Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Seashore remains to be an incredible worth, maybe an unbeatable one, given the prime seashore entry and the truth that all normal rooms are suites. It is particularly a very good match for households with older youngsters who can use the enjoyable leases and will not thoughts a bit of hubbub — simply deliver your personal seashore chairs.

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