Golden Door - San Marcos, California

Paige A.

This is the best vacation/rest/rejuvenation I’ve ever experienced. I’ve stayed at some amazing hotels but I’ve never experienced the luxury of being cared for and nourished this way. Massage each day, herbal wraps, body scrubs, hikes, art, flowers, meditation, community. I met amazing people. It’s the only vacation I want to take.

I was ready to return to my life because I was thoroughly rested and had new habits to take home. I can’t say enough.

Alexis P.

***I WILL NOT BE RETUNING***||||Let me start by saying my first visit to Golden Door in January 2024 was one of the most magical, transformative, spiritual and relaxing experience I have ever had. From the food, to the choice of classes, the tranquil property and all inclusive amenities really stood out from anything else I have experienced. I have worked in the hospitality industry for 20 years and this was a very special and memorable place. ||||I had such a wonderful experience the first time I decided to use my savings to return in 2025. The past 5 years has been filled with trauma and major life changes and I felt I deserved to treat myself even though I really couldn’t afford to do so. ||||I arrived Sunday, January 19, 2025 and until Tuesday afternoon my experience was exactly as I had remembered. I was so thrilled to be there. Tuesday, January 21, my massage therapist came to my room to give me a massage. The therapist was pretty firm with their pressure, but I assumed this would be good since I normally get soft pressure and my muscles were a bit tense. We discussed their type of massages and they explained they are prone to give deep tissue massages. The massage was ok, although slightly painful. During the last couple minutes of the massage, the therapist focused on my shoulders and neck area. They turned my neck to one side and pressed firm with their knuckles, then flipped my head over to the other side and continued firmly pressing my neck. At one point, for a couple seconds, I thought I may pass out, but soon recovered. I got up from the table and walked to the bathroom and at that moment I felt the room spinning. I told the massage therapist I felt dizzy and they directed me to sit down and drink some water as I could be dehydrated. Then they talked about common dizziness after massages and proceeded to tell me about a time when they gave someone a massage and when the client left, they got in a car accident. I was disturbed by the story but continued to focus on drinking fluids. The massage therapist left 15 minutes later. About 45 minutes later, I called the kitchen to send some coconut water, a banana and some cheese. I thought it was possible my blood sugar was low. Around 8 pm I went to bed, hoping that it was just a minor episode of dehydration and low glucose although the spinning continued after eating and drinking. In the morning I woke up and as I rolled out of bed, again felt the room spinning and became nauseous. At that time I called the front desk to ask about a car to Urgent Care. I spent 2 hours at Urgent Care to be told by the doctor I could have a “cerebral stroke” and I needed to head straight to the Emergency Room for a CT Scan. I spent 6 hours in the Emergency Room to thankfully be told I did not have a cerebral stroke and diagnosed with peripheral vertigo. ||||I want to give you the facts of the story in case there are any future incidences, it could be a liability. I spent Tuesday evening in my room, all day Wednesday in the hospital, through my departure on Sunday mostly in my room trying to limit my movement due to the vertigo. My trip was more than ruined. I was extremely disappointed and disheartened Golden Door only offered to cover an acupuncture session while on property. I sent a letter to the Manager following my return home and they offered to take $2,000 off $12,000 on my next visit. I don’t make six figures and don’t have a lot of savings. I spent all year looking forward to this return. I had planned to return again next year if my finances allowed, but I will not be returning.

Susan L.

This was my first visit to a destination spa, and I will be back. The model at Golden Door ensures it will change your life. I started every morning with a hike, and it was perfect. Returning to my room after a wonderful hike to be met with a delicious breakfast while enjoying my Zen garden view was so special. My daily massages were amazing. I loved that I could upgrade to a hot stone or a Thai massage which I did. The classes are amazing from relaxing yoga to intense circuit training. The personal trainers are excellent as are the choices of facials. I even had a back facial. My massage therapist and aesthetician were wonderful, and I loved having them for the full week. The food was delicious and healthful. The personal growth classes were amazing and so fun. There is no spa that empowers you and enhances your health more than Golden Door.

L S.

Golden Door strives to be perfect. The landscaping and planning that has gone into creating an oasis is remarkable. I have respect for every single person that works there. ||They will go the extra mile to please you and treat the new folks with as much respect as the people that have been there many times. They want you to come back and they earn your patronage. No matter how many changes we requested and how much we asked for help with our aging Mom, they smiled and did their best. We were so pleased that we are coming back. It was me, my partner, and her mother. They had something for each of us to do and fill our days, minds, and hearts.| |See you next year, friends.

Shelly H.

Golden Door is nice but not great! The accommodations, spa services and classes are all fine. The food is disappointing. The price would be appropriate for excellence and that is not what they offer. ||||I theoretically enjoy many of the activities they offer. Theirs need improvement. The attention to detail is simply not present. Their motto you should be you get what you get and don’t get upset.

Ari P.

Not a place to relax. Exceptional classes, worldclass landscaping, fun and friendly vibe, good food, but the atrocious service overwhelmed much of that for my own experience.||||The concierge and housekeeping staff seem to be in some weird fight, or housekeeping runs the property.||||Example -||Setting: Midday half way into the week.||||Me: "Hi, I know you only change linens once a week. Any chance I could please get my linen changed today, I got my sheets pretty dirty."||Concierge: "I'll check with housekeeping."||Me (3 hours later): "Hey, any luck with the fresh linens?"||Concierge: "Sorry, housekeeping said no."||Me: "What?"||Concierge: "They won't change them after 12 pm noon."||Me: "Don't they enter our rooms for your 'turndown service' every night? Maybe they could bring them then? Or if they tell me where to get clean linens, I don't mind changing them myself."||Concierge: (calls housekeeping) "Sorry they said no again."||||||Example 2 - ||Setting: 10:30 AM on a Thursday||Me: "Hi, I think today is laundry service day, right? You guys offer that on Tuesdays and Thursdays? I left my bag of laundry outside my room."||Concierge: "Housekeeping will only pick it up if you leave it before 8:30 AM"||Me: "Okay, but today's the morning of laundry day and I really would like to be able to wear clean clothes."||Concierge: "I'll see what housekeeping says."||||There were 4 more examples of this throughout the week. I offered to pay extra if they wanted to send laundry to third party facility, and offered to wash it myself if they would give me access to the laundry room. Both requests firmly denied.||||The funniest was when I escalated this to a manager (Debian I believe) and she said, "we'll make a special exception for you this once, but you must hurry and bring it immediately, and housekeeping will only wash one pair of underpants and socks."||||||It was unfortunate that such a silly issue marred what would otherwise have been a great experience. Almost everything else was 5/5 or even better. Every class instructor (meditation, yoga, personal training) was exceptional. The kitchen staff and chefs were amazing. ||||My only other complaints (that would maybe have been worth 1/2 of a star off) is that the entire property is within earshot of the local highway. Even on hikes, you have to get 3+ miles away before you're out of earshot and eyeshot of the highway. Not ideal for serene contemplation. Lastly, there were some weird things with food and water. They default to serving "alkali water" in every room and even in almost every fitness center and water station. Alkali water can be made in a few different ways. They add a mild laxative to theirs and many guests were confused by that. At least half a dozen guests said at different points, "The food is great, I don't know why but my stomach has been hurting since I got here." Lastly, quite a few repeat guests said the secret to having a good time at Golden Door is to ensure you bring your own condiments and some extra food. Apparently this place used to be a "fat camp for hollywood" and they have some weird policies left over. Fortunately, the kitchen staff is awesome and if you go up to anyone of them, they're happy to provide any standard condiment as well as additional high quality food.

Rebecca M.

My experience visiting Golden Door was amazing! From the moment I walked in, I was warmly welcomed by the staff and felt like I was part of the family. The rooms were beautiful, the amenities top-notch, and the spa services were incredible. The grounds were beautiful and peaceful, and I especially enjoyed the outdoor yoga classes and the miles of hiking trails. All in all, spending some time at Golden Door was an amazing experience. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to relax and escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Mark A.

Absolutely transformative, Men's Week was nothing short of a revelation. The culture between staff and guests is unmatched and what ultimately transcend the experience beyond just the gorgeous amenities, tantalizing food, and luxurious treatments. You feel truly a part of something that is both new & exciting, yet so comforting and familiar. Your stay is perfectly curated, while still offering you the space to write your own adventure, a Goldilocks balancing act of structure and freedom that allows you to be in the driver's seat at times and just go along for the ride at others. While health and wellness are absolutely paramount to the experience, the underlying theme of being present and living more deliberately carries over beyond your stay, woven into the tapestry of fever-dreamlike memories from a time to remember forever. I loved it there and it may have even loved me back, as crazy as that sounds. I highly recommend.