Canyon Ranch Woodside - Woodside, California

Ghufran Z. E.

The restaurant :
High quality food everyone is so nice !
The manager Jose is welcoming.
I want to mention Liis the sweetest waitress ! And has a beautiful smile she gives positive vibes and is very efficient and helpful!
I also want to mention pasha ! He is nice , polite and very kind! I would recommend this place ! The tree room is beautiful and everyone is nice !
And definitely take classes with Evon ! She’s very spiritual ! The hike guy rowan very knowledgeable!

Julianne B.

Unfortunately, very underwhelming. Far from relaxing - noisy airplanes flying over and the sound of racing cars nearby. Food was decent. Service was ok - certainly not what you’d expect at the price point.

Ellen W.

What a wonderful spa. The food is exceptional as was the staff especially Lisney who gave me a great facial and maya who gave me one of the best massages I’ve ever had. My only criticism is that they don’t offer manis and pedicure. otherwise I most highly recommend this lovely spa. And a beautiful setting.

Gabriel T.

Warning: 🚨 Here you'll be driven away like an animal 🦌

During our California trip 🌴, we wanted to make a stopover on our way from San Francisco 🌉 to Carmel-by-the-Sea 🌊 to have a coffee ☕. We weren't sure if we were in the right place, so we asked at the gate 🚪 if we could have a drink here. We were almost laughed at 😂 and condescendingly told over the intercom 📢 at the gate: "No, only for guests." 😠 Instead of a normal, human response, an alarm 🚨 was then triggered, basically telling us to "get lost." Even with the car window 🚗 closed, it was still loud and clear 👂. Very unpleasant 😒. I'll never stop here again 🚫, and I certainly won't spend my vacation here ❌. I usually write good reviews, but for this negative experience, I'm making an exception 👎.

Marcelle O.

Canyon Ranch was incredible! My mom and I felt much happier and healthier after the first day. By the end of our visit we were glowing ✨

The staff is fantastic, they make you feel like family. The treatments were lovely as well! (I recommend Soul Journey and Forest Massage)
The entire facility was beautiful with easy to access hiking trails.

Hope to be back soon!

Ben G.

We stayed at Canyon Ranch in early 2024.

What we liked:

• The staff. Beyond just being friendly, the staff was a joy to interact with. And, there were plenty of them around at all times.
• The room. We stayed in a detached building on top of another unit, which didn’t seem to be occupied during our stay. The view was of the forest was sublime, and fully sold the illusion that we were isolated in a peaceful setting. The room itself was nice. No complaints.
• The overall vibe. A peaceful and lovely forest setting.
• The food. Every meal was delicious and the portions hit the right balance between sufficient and indulgent.
• The guests. We engaged many other people in conversation, and everyone was universally friendly and interesting. My wife tells me two of the guests were television celebrities, but I didn’t notice, which says something about the chill atmosphere.

Things we didn’t appreciate as much:

• The gym. A few rudimentary cardio machines, an anemic dumbbell set that topped out around 20 lbs, and a full array of kettlebells. Some other things, but we were hoping for a proper set of equipment.
• The pool. Was hoping for something outdoors; the pool and hot tub were indoors, and didn’t seem appealing.
• The classes. While we enjoyed most of the half-dozen classes / activities we participated in, it felt as though some of the instructors were winging it a bit, and didn’t really know how to teach the subject very well.
• A few snafus. Nothing that spoiled our visit, but in a review, I feel I need to mention that (a) the staff messed up our meal orders on two occasions, and (b) right after we arrived we were trying to enjoy some peace and quiet in our room—a well-deserved break from our kids for once—and within ten minutes the front desk called our phone, and when we ignored it, called again, and then finally came over and knocked on our door repeatedly. It turned out they told us to park our car in the wrong spot and forgot to take our car key, as apparently they need to rotate cars around. Not a big deal, but also not what you expect at this sort of place.

Finally, I’ll take the blame on this, but they told us they’d alert us when it was time to sign up for activities. And, when I received the email, you can guess what I did first: tried to sign up for massages. And, there was nothing available the entire weekend of our stay, until Sunday around noon. No facials, either. Apparently the spa takes reservations from guests much earlier than the rest of the activities. I should have guessed this, but it was a very sad outcome for us. Upon arrival, I asked if maybe they might squeeze us in. The manager said, “Absolutely, there are usually openings in-between the hours, and some cancellations,” but the spa staff quickly disabused us of that possibility when we tried to follow-through on it.

So, why four stars? Well, I wouldn’t travel from afar to this place; it’s not a destination resort, nor does it claim to be. But, as a local escape? It’s great.

Diane W.

I had a lovely, relaxing 2 day spa vacation at CR Woodside with my friend. I wish we would have stayed Thursday-Sunday to experience everything they had to offer. The staff, headed by the fabulous manager, Rona, were all so friendly and responsive. The food is incredible, service is impeccable, treehouse room is large and lovely, setting is peaceful and wooded and spa treatments are wonderful. We went on two hikes that were amazing where we got to know some of the other guests well. We loved the Yoga Nidra class in the evening. I’ve also been to CR Tucson and would say that Woodside is more down to earth and peaceful.

Sara S.

Very disappointing, sadly. Basically, you get the amenities and service of a three-star hotel, but for the price of a five-star hotel. By any means, it’s not a luxury resort. Everything is so old and outdated! When Canyon Ranch took over the property a few years ago, they did the bare minimum. The vinyl floors in the rooms are so cheaply done and they are all squeaky and sticky. The door handles look like a public restroom’s door handles. The spa is a joke. I’ve never seen anything that scary in my life. The pool is gross. Looks outdated and not well-kept. And don’t be fooled by the “all-inclusive” classes all led by the same guy (yoga, aqua aerobics, meditation). Aren’t you supposed to have different people for each practice? The food had very limited variety. All the waiters in the restaurant were very nice though, so that’s the some positive feedback. And the nature and the trails are gorgeous. But you don’t have to spend an insane amount of money and stay at Canyon Ranch to enjoy them. All the trails are available and open to the public. You can drive 30 minutes and stay in a real luxury 5-star hotel in Palo Alto for 3x less and just drive to the woods for the hiking. Even the trails are not walking distance, they have a minivan to take you to all the trails, and the vehicle is smelly, moldy and dirty, something you’d experience in a third world country, not at a luxury resort. So, unfortunately I’d never recommend Canyon Ranch to anyone, nor would I ever return.