Surf and Sand Resort Reviews

My husband and I just got married at Surf a few weeks ago and I can’t even begin to express how perfect the event was. From Alana being the most perfect and detail oriented coordinator, to Emily being amazing for the room block, I couldn’t have dreamt for a more perfect day. The out of town guests (and even in town guests) were floored by how amazing it was and I highly highly recommend this event space for your big day!!!

In January 2019, we visited Surf & Sand and met with Alana for a tour. She showcased the beautiful property and explained all of the costs and minimums associated hosting our wedding. It was stunning and within our budget and quickly became an instant "yes" for our original date in April 2020. Trust me, you cannot beat the magic that exists at Surf & Sand, especially for the price (compared to other resort weddings in the area). As you may remember, a global pandemic came through and ruined our plans. Immediately, Alana helped us pivot and reschedule our wedding for later that summer. This was during March 2020, the beginning phase of the pandemic, when nobody knew anything about how long it would last or what rules would dictate and all I was reading were horror stories from other brides online. This whole process with Surf & Sand was absolutely seamless. We originally booked an off-peak date and were given a peak date to accommodate without extra fees. As the late summer date loomed closer without any end in sight for the pandemic, we opted to postpone a second time, to July 2021. This, again, was absolutely seamless. Alana was always quick to answer my questions via email and was immensely helpful throughout the entire TWO AND A HALF YEARS I worked with her. Major kudos to her for her professionalism and quick response times when I was a little panicked. The day of the wedding was also as seamless as the entire experience thus far had been. I can honestly say I don't have a single regret about my wedding day. Everyone at the resort was friendly and accommodating and SO professional. We ended up hiring several of the vendors listed in the packet provided by Surf & Sand and were so glad we did! Everyone around really knew their stuff and provided the best service imaginable. The dining room host constantly checked in on us and even provided cake cutting for free the night of. The food was INCREDIBLE and my only wish was that I got to try any of the appetizers because I heard from guests that they were so delicious! All of our guests were beaming that the food and accommodations were absolutely spectacular. We were truly spoiled on our wedding day and I can safely say that Surf & Sand Resort (and Alana!) played major roles in that.

We found Lav two weeks prior to our wedding due to last minute cancellation. But Lav with her super responsiveness streamlined everything for us in a fast turnaround. Can’t believe we were so lucky to find such amazing reception venue without any issue!!

Our guests enjoyed the food. Lav, Danny and the team are super sweet!! Strongly recommended to any bride who is looking for a stressless wedding planning experience!

We had our ceremony at the Catalina Terrace and couldn't be happier with how beautiful the ceremony turned out. A gorgeous ocean front venue in Laguna beach. Lav was our wedding coordinator and catering manager, she did an excellent job helping me throughout the 6 months planning and being responsive to my never ending emails. On the day of the wedding staff was extremely helpful, and we got so many compliments from guests on how delicious the food was. Thank you so much!

You cannot beat the view at Surf and Sand- I fell in love with the Catalina Terrace as a ceremony location as soon as I saw it over a year ago. I think it's the perfect venue because you can get the beautiful beach views and vibes, but allow your guests to dress up and not stress about having to go into the sand. We also had the cocktail hour on the Catalina Terrace which let everyone enjoy the sunset and take pictures with our decorations and the ocean view. The beach access made it super easy for us to take photos on the beach before the reception. The Pelican Room is beautiful and intimate, and all of the food we had was delicious. The staff was extremely courteous and helpful throughout the entire weekend, which my guests also commented on and appreciated. Lav Seatres was our catering manager and we could not have pulled this wedding off without her help! She answered all my questions through the year of planning, was extremely helpful and flexible when we had changes, and overall was a joy to work with. Surf and Sand was my favorite venue from the beginning, and we feel so lucky to have held our wedding there. All members of their staff, from the first check in, to helping us with bags, to all the personnel during the wedding itself were friendly, helpful, and great to be around. Thank you so much!

My husband and I had always wanted to get married at the beach and the Surf and Sand Resort is the most incredible oceanfront wedding venue in Southern California! Not only are the views and grounds amazing, Alana Zee the on-site coordinator is a total rockstar! She made me feel so relaxed and I complete trusted that she had everything under control. Everyone at the resort was quick to respond to emails and made the whole planning process and day of as easy as possible. If you’re looking for a dream beach wedding, I would 100% recommend the Surf and Sand.

So my husband and I decided to plan a wedding at the last minute instead of waiting until next year. Fortunately for us the Surf and Sand and Lav our catering manager was available.
It was beautiful on the Ocean Terrace for our intimate wedding over looking the ocean right before sunset.
Then we moved to the Sand Castle patio which was pretty with the lights in the bushes, high top tables and open bar.
Then they open the doors to our adjacent ball room. I made just a few upgrades with lighting and chairs and we picked the surf and turf meal. The food turned out wonderful and the service was exceptional!
From the moment we checked into the hotel until we left I can honestly say I had the time of my life! Lav made herself available for all my needs!

My husband and I were married on 4/27/19 and it was the best day of our lives (as it should be), thanks to the Surf and Sand Resort. First of all, Alana Zee, who was our coordinator throughout the whole wedding process could not have been any better. She was SUPER responsive, honest, helpful, and overall amazing. The day of, she took care of everything and made the day run smoothly. The weekend of the wedding, all the staff were incredible- from the valet, bellhops, servers, bartenders, and concierge. They all went above and beyond to make sure that myself and my guests were taken care of. The venue itself is stunning, and our guests raved about the food. My husband and I are from the East Coast originally, and when we walked out of our tour after seeing the ceremony views, he told me "I am going to be groomzilla, I have to have it!" I'm so glad that we had our dream wedding here.

It's absolutely beautiful and they responsiveness was amazing. My review is for initial RFP only, as we aren't reserving the venue. because it's outside our budget.

Our wedding at the surf and sand was an absolute dream! It was everyone my husband and I could have asked for. Our coordinator was Lav, I would recommend her to anyone looking for a stress free wedding. She was absolutely amazing and went above and beyond to make sure everything was in order.

Alana Zee was our wedding coordinator and she was fabulous! She was so knowledgeable and helpful throughout our wedding planning process. She was always very responsive, professional, and friendly. On the day of the wedding she was so calm, helpful and organized. We are so impressed with how smoothly our wedding day went and could not be more pleased. The Surf and Sand Resort is a stunning wedding venue and all of our guests were blown away by the ocean views. The food st the reception was also amazing. Everyone from the valet, front desk, room service, coffee shop, and especially the wait staff at our reception were a pleasure and always so friendly and helpful. It was the best day of our lives and we are so grateful to Alana and the Surf and Sand Resort!

Lav was exceptional, and the venue was beautiful.

I recently had my wedding at Surf & Sand Resort on 6/30/18. We worked with Alana Zee and she was absolutely amazing!! From the beginning, she was quick to respond to emails and phone calls. She answered all of my questions in a timely manner. She was flexible and made my vision come to life! On the day of our wedding she was calm, collected, professional, and made my wedding day as smooth as possible! She is a friendly, outgoing person that made our experience wonderful! Surf and Sand is an absolutely beautiful venue on the coast and all of my guests were extremely impressed! The food was fabulous and the staff very friendly. As the bride and groom, we received a complimentary suite the night of the wedding, which was gorgeous! They even decorated it for us which was a nice surprise as newlyweds! I highly recommend getting married at Surf & Sand to any future bride and groom! The views are worth everything and the whole experience was absolutely amazing! We also enjoyed spending time at the pool, beach, and Splashes (restaurant on site) the whole weekend with friends and family!

We had our wedding at Surf & Sand in July and we couldn't be happier with everything!! We worked with Alana and she was on top of every aspect of the event. She worked seamlessly with our wedding planner (Ashley Powell) and our day ran so smoothly.

When we were searching for wedding venues, we knew we wanted something with an ocean view, but also had a larger guest count. Many of the venues we looked at could only fit about 100-150 guests max. Surf & Sand was able to accommodate our wedding size of 180, and had the BEST VIEW by FAR!! When we stepped out onto the ceremony space, I immediately fell in love with it. **heart eyes emoji**

Everyone we worked with from the front desk staff to the waiters were professional, kind, and helpful. Our wedding food was to die for - All of our guests said it was the best food they'd ever had at a wedding.

We stayed in a suite for our wedding night and it was absolutely beautiful. The staff made us feel so special and we truly had the most incredible wedding weekend. We can't say enough about how much we love this resort and we can't wait to go back and relive our wedding day!

Chiara from the Surf and Sand Resort catering team was a dream to work with. She was all I needed for a wedding planner. Every meeting up to the wedding and the execution at the wedding was perfect. I want to thank Chiara for everything she did and highly recommend her for your event!!!!

We had our wedding at Surf & Sand this past December and the day could not have been more perfect. Not only is this a breathtakingly beautiful venue, but the staff was absolutely amazing. We worked with Chiara and she was there with us every step of the way. I always felt like she had everything on track and was never worried about them dropping the ball. She was one step ahead of me the entire time. I can't thank her enough for ensuring that our wedding day was perfect. As for the venue, the food was phenomenal. Our wedding guests continue to tell us how delicious everything was. The staff was very friendly and attentive and every last detail was taken care of. Everything that we asked for Chiara made sure was done for us. I can't say enough great things about this venue. If you are looking for a beach wedding this is the venue for you.

Best venue ever for the "Best Day Ever"
Our guests were Wowed
Everything was perfect !!
The staff treated us like a member of the family
Every detail was taken care of
The food was cooked to perfection
Our wedding coordinator Erin was there every step of the way , she went above and beyond
We even bought our favors from the Spa and they wrapped them for us
Night of wedding suite was specially decorated and made everything perfect
The Catalina Terrace was a perfect site for the ceremony , the views of the ocean were breathtaking
Can't thank them enough

We were married here on 11/7/15. I cannot say enough good things about the staff, service, & FOOD. Everything was amazing. Everyone thought the venue was absolutely beautiful!

Location, food, service and staff were all topnotch. Our guests had a great time!

I can not say enough wonderful things about this Hotel. I was able to have my dream Wedding here. It's a beautiful location, (we check out over 15 different places to have our wedding). Lauren Bergmann who is the Catering Sales Manager is outstanding. She is there for you every step of the way. The food is stellar. Everyone at the wedding was commenting on how great the dinner was. If I had to do all over again it would still be with the Surf and Sand Resort. We will return again for our first anniversary and future special events!

This was my dream venue! Lauren & her team were the best & so helpful at all times. Lauren was so accommodating to all of my requests & inquiries. Everyone was so impressed with the venue. It's absolutely beautiful & the food is fantastic. Thanks for making all of my wishes come true!!

I could not be more thrilled with how our wedding turned out. It was SO gorgeous. The staff was so accommodating. I am still hearing raves from our guests. Food was on point. And Lauren was THE BEST!!

The Surf & Sand is the best resort to get married at! Not only does it have the most gorgeous views on this oceanfront property but they provide you with tables, chairs, linens, table numbers, candles, glassware, etc... The food options are delicious and they provide with a wedding coordinator. Our coordinator was the best!!!

Kat and the Surf and Sand Team,

Words cannot express how much we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all that you did to make our wedding a pure joy and a success. When we started planning this fairytale we never imagined it would ever be so amazing and weddings can be stressful. As a bride you made this the easiest journey to take and that allowed me to treasure each minute in our time that brought us to May3, 2013. As a partner in the industry you have set the bar of what this business and customer service should truly look like. I haven’t had a chance to get the written letters out yet but wanted you to know that YOU, Kat Lawrence defined our wedding day and made it spectacular. The staff of Surf and Sand, hats off to each of you as well….such an amazing team of people. Thank you!

Kat, thank you…

Barb and Matt

We just had our wedding at the Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach and couldn't be happier. Yes, it is a little expensive but not in comparison to other Laguna Beach venues! They provide free of charge a wedding coordinator who helps the day of your wedding go as smoothly as possible and helps get you ready up until the day of! The food is AMAZING... NOT your normal lame wedding food. ALL of our guests told us that our food (the Luau buffet) was the BEST food they had ever had at a wedding! Highly recommend and we'd do it again in a heartbeat! :)

We had an amazing wedding coordinator, Michelle, who took care of everything and made sure that our wedding didn't have any problems or disasters. She truly is awesome. My wife didn't have to worry about anything except when to get ready and when to come to the ceremony. Michelle made sure all the vendors were on their game and had everything set up exactly how we wanted.
The Surf and Sand staff will do all they can to make sure your guests experience how a 5 star resort treats their guests.
Highly recommended and go with the preferred vendors if you can. Makes it really easy to get married.

Thanks Michelle for everything.

This hotel is amazing! From the start they took care of our every need and everyone was very friendly. They knew we were getting married that weekend so they upgraded us to the penthouse suite and brought us Champagne and Strawberries to our room, which made it that much more special for us!
We could not have had a better experience and will recommend this hotel to everyone! Thank You for an unforgettable wedding weekend!

I could not have asked for a more perfect venue. The Surf and Sand made our wedding day something to remember. It was such a gorgeous location overlooking the ocean. Our pictures look amazing. The reception was in a beautiful ballroom with just the right amount of space for our guests. Sandy was awesome to work with and was always quick to respond to any and all questions we had along the way. The food was so delicious and I heard nothing but praise from all of our guests!

The Surf and Sand was the absolute perfect place for our wedding. My husband and I had a deeply emotional attachment to the resort itself because we had celebrated many milestones in our relationship there already. When we decided that we wanted to get married there it was like the stars aligned and everything we wanted became a reality. My fairy godmother for the day was SANDY!!! She is everything I could have hoped for and so much more. She answered every single one of my bridezilla emails (even though I swore I was not a bridezilla, I know I got a little crazy from time to time) she worked with us on every detail of the ceremony and reception. She even (magically) pulled the chairs we wanted out of thin air the day before the wedding. This place is not only breathtakingly beautiful, it is a full service experience that will make any bride feel like a princess. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Love, love, love this place. It's Laguna Beach's gem.

We came up with a wild idea in August 2009. He had a big family, my family had too many fantasies about what our day should have been. So...1 trip to Vegas together, we decided to do it our way. Let's do an engagement party turned surprise wedding. We were put in touch with Sandy, the head caterer.

Let me tell you. Sandy WAS our wedding coordinator. She made everything a reality. She was really quick in responding to our questions, answered emails faster than I could ask the next question. They say no one is a mind reader. Sandy was. And she made things happen. Like for instance, I don't like pretty wedding food. Our favorite meal? A full on Thanksgiving meal. Turkey and all the trimmings, down to the biscuits from our favorite recipes. Ever heard of anyone NOT liking Thanksgiving? Not us, and definitely a surprise to all of our guests who devoured the meal, thankful that the Surf and Sand had catered our big day.

Sandy is detailed, organized, funny and capable. I have the ultimate respect for her. She even came up with the awesome suggestion that we buy 4 flip cameras so that our day could be secretly documented (by our friends that were "in the know"). A collaborator, a confidante and a friend for life.

In my opinion, Sandy is the Surf and Sand. Sandy was the reason our day was perfect. Sandy, Sandy, Sandy. Ask for Sandy. :)

The Surf and Sand Resort was the perfect place for our wedding. Sandy helped by answering all of our questions and referred us to the best vendors. We would 100% reccommend the Surf and Sand Resort for your wedding venue. Our guests loved the beautiful views and great service.

Lauren is a super hero! I could not have been happier with the service and experience start to finish. Everything about our wedding and ceremony was perfect!

The only thing was that the dolphin room where we got ready was very hot and I was really uncomfortable getting ready and waiting for the wedding. My fiancée was treated to use our honeymoon suite! I wish that option had been given to me as the bride.

The Surf & Sand is one of the best venues in southern california. We were married at the Surf & Sand on August 23, 3014 on the Catalina Terrace over looking the ocean and our reception was held in the large ballroom after the ceremony.

The Surf & Sand is perfect if you are looking for a venue that will do half the work for you. We didn't have to worry about bringing in outside rentals and the catering team at the resort did a fabulous job! The food was ouststanding, the attention to detail by the catering staff was beyond our expectations, and overall we had an amazing wedding!!

AMAZING!!!!!! I had the wedding I had always imagined. The wedding coordinator Lauren would do anything I asked and made our wedding go as smooth as possible.

Beautiful resort for ceremony and reception. Our guests really enjoyed the place and loved the food.

Incredibly helpful with all of our requests. Food and venue were excellent. Sandy and Michelle did an amazing job coordinating. It is not necessary to have a wedding coordinator here. The list of preferred vendors was also incredible. On the day of, service was excellent and helpful in every way possible

The Surf and Sand is the only 4-star hotel that's on the beach. While we were there, the surf was about 100 ft. out at high tide! The service was awesome. Being in the Penthouse suite, they knew exactly who I was whenever I called by addressing me by name when they picked up the phone. The difference in attitude is noticeable: never a "you're welcome" but rather a "it's my pleasure"---you wouldn't believe that slight attitude difference is remarkable. It is! My only complaint which is the odd 4-star, is that we needed our penthouse cleaned by a certain time for the wedding and through some sort of communication error between the night and day shift, it didn't happen as planned. But, they quickly corrected their error and had a maid up there in 30 minutes who did a really great job in less than an hour, plenty of time before the ceremony. I gave 4-star for value because like anyone I want everything for nothing. Our family stayed across the street at a really nice Best Western for slightly over $300 less per room than at the Surf And Sand (I'm not comparing to our penthouse suite but the regular Surf and Sand room). They're just across the street! So yeah, I'm nitpicking about that but yes, 4-star vs. 3-star with all the differences that that entails so I really should be giving 5-star but again, I can't help thinking about that the major cost difference.

The Surf & Sand Resort is a beautiful facility to host your wedding. I love this location because I was able to have the ceremony and reception at one location. There are various options for the ceremony location, but I had my wedding at the Catalina Terrace, which is a GORGEOUS terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was a very warm day, but the view was spectacular. The food at the reception is high-quality, very tasty, and presented beautifully on the plate. I also loved the passed appetizers they had.

Sandy, the event manager, was very easy to work with and very accomodating to our needs and requests. If you have a very large wedding over 200 people, the Surf & Sand is not the place for you. But if you are able to cut down your guest list to under 200 people, I would highly recommend this location.

Highly recommended. The venue was perfect- so beautiful. The food was exceptional and service was fantastic. I wish I could do it all over again.

The venue is outstanding. The views from the Catalina Tce our breathtaking and blew our overseas and local guests away. The rooms at the hotel are first class. They provide a wide range of meal and beverage options to suit budget and taste. Juliann took over as our wedding co-ordinator half way through the process and worked tirelessly to make sure everything as was we planned. She was excellent! The Pelican ballroom has just been very tastefully renovated and the carpet is probably the nicest I have seen in such a venue- sounds quirky but if you have seen others you'll know why I mention it! I would definitely recommend this venue to a close friend or anyone reading this review.

Waiting to see at the end of this month

Surf and sand was a beautiful backdrop for my daughters wedding. Alana was our coordinator and she was great! Loved her the whole event went beautifully. As far as the hotel itself. It used to be a 5 star hotel. As it is now it is rundown. The suite I had looked like it was decorated in early 80s and not touched since. When laying out at the pool there was a balcony filled with crap. not the view you want to see when you spend good money to be at a fabulous hotel. Everywhere I looked it was run down and shabby. We had the suite to get ready in for the day. It was nice but when we showed up it was dirty from previous people and once again looked like it was from the 80's. Probably looked great. Ack then. Surf and sand really needs a major overhaul. Really disappointed with the rundown appearance