[2011] San Clemente Inn upgrades

[UWSurfer]

I arrived yesterday for my week at the San Clemente Inn (SCI), after renting it out for the past two years. They have been making improvements to the property and it shows!!!

They have slowly been renovating the buildings beginning with buildings 1 & 2 a few years back. I'm staying in building 4 this time which had the 80's aquamarine motif but that is now long gone. The renovated unit is really well done. All new appliances including the electric cook surface, new solid surfaces and faucets, the shower completely re-done with a solid surface enclosure and nice new glass door. New lights and light switches, ceiling fan in the bedroom with dimmer and speed control on the wall, refaced cabinets, new flat screen TV's, alarm clock, new furniture and furnishings, carpet, paint & curtains & even improved free wifi (you don't have to log into it each day). I'm very impressed.

Our MF's increased this year by approximately $150, but that works out to $93/night for the week which is not bad. The property has always been well looked after but the needed improvements are happening.

This is also the first time I've stayed in a "summer" (school is out) week and it has a bit of a different feel with all the families and kids here. Let me know if anyone is curious about the place while I'm here and I'll try to find out the answers.

Adele's, the on-site restaurant has a S.F. Le Cordon Bleu graduate doing her externship as a dessert chef, which samples passed out this morning at the orientation meeting and my-o-my they are worthy of any top flight restaurant anywhere you could think of.

It's going to be a good week. :whoopie:

 

[JudyS]

Thanks for posting! I own there, too, so I'm happy to hear this update! Are the renovations causing noise or disruption? (Or maybe the renovations mostly take place off-season?) Any idea how much of the resort still needs to be renovated? Is building 3 done?

 

[UWSurfer]

There is activity in my building (3) where there essentially carpenters and workers sawing and installing things in the units down from me.

On building 2 (facing the tennis courts) they've removed the facing on some of the supports for the walkway above and it appears there is work to repair some of those supports.

I got a call a bit ago the water is being turned off between 3-4 pm in our building as they do their work. I'm not sure how many of the units are complete but I'll certainly find out. They are certainly working on the place but the disruptions appear to be minimal.

I'll asked about the progress of the renovations and the percentage of those completed.

 

[JudyS]

Thank you for the update! Glad to hear that the disruptions are minimal.

 

[Karen G]

We will be there July 17 for our first visit. Any tips you can provide would be appreciated. We'd surely love to stay in a renovated unit.

 

[UWSurfer]

I just finished up a conversation and unit tour with Lisa, the long time manager of the property who has been deeply invested in the upgrades and construction here. The answer isn't as clear as I thought, but none the less encouraging.

Renovations are being done over a long period to stay within the refurbishment budget, with the first ones begun in 2007 with building 1. They redid furniture and furnishings, but left the original TV's, showers and appliances. With the success and lessons learned from that project they continued with building 2, adding flat screens & new toilets with that effort. These are the units closest to the tennis courts & the former children's play area. These units are going to be closed in January as they do major work stabilizing the hillside these buildings are built on. They literally must jack up both buildings and reform the ground beneath these with compaction & grout injections. They expect to have this completed by July 1st, maybe earlier. Remember though this is construction and rarely do things go on schedule.

Building 3 overlooking mini golf & the shuffle board courts has just had it's units renovated. Everything inside has been replaced & re-done completely including the showers and bathrooms. The only item that isn't quite as nice is the kitchen facets as they were required by the city to use facets which didn't contain any lead. Thus there is a very plain looking kitchen facet in these units. The furnishings though are very stylish and well coordinated. These would be the units to attempt to get when you are checking in.

The only remaining building to be done is building 4, which turns out is the building I'm in. Units 100 & 102 were model units and as it happens is one of the units I'm in. 100 I'm told is a tiny bit larger (breaker unit) as it originally was the manager unit, closest to the lobby. There are slight differences between the model units and the latest renovations in building 3. There is a recessed can light over the bathroom sink & combination light/exhaust fan in building 3 units, a wall fixture & traditional vent fan above in the model. The furnishings are a little nicer in building 3. The shower stall has a nicer swinging door in the model units but can collide with the bathroom door, which is why they didn't incorporate it into future renovations. Building 3 has a sliding door on the shower stall. Both have new appliances and solid surfaces on the counters & a stylish ceiling fan in the bedroom.

The remainder of building 4 will be renovated in 2013 after the stabilization work for 1 & 2 are complete. The sawing & work I heard on Monday was some repairs and general maintenance to building 4.

Once this is all finished and done, they return to building 1 for a cycle of upgrades and replacements as things wear out.

Now back to my vacation. :ignore:

 

[UWSurfer]

A couple of ps's:

The pastry chef has been at Adel's for the past two months...but her last day here is this Friday. Staff doesn't want to see her go...neither do I, but she has a bright future ahead of her.

Housekeeping! They have gone to DAILY housekeeping here which consists of emptying the trash, making the bed, replacing used towels including the kitchen towel and vacuuming. You can put out the do not disturb sign if you want them to pass you by. I think this is a by product of them operating as a nightly for rent property in addition to being a points & weeks timeshare.

Ever notice how a very little baby can cry so LOUD?! I always thought that about the little dish washers they have in these galley kitchens, but alas, these have been replaced with the other appliances and while not as quiet as our new LG at home, these have the stainless interiors and are noticeably quieter, even tolerable to run while still in the living area.

Don't skip the Monday morning orientation. You'll learn some things about the property you might well otherwise overlooked, be introduced in activities available & be given coffee, pretty good doughnuts & in our case dessert samples by Adel. There is a drawing at the end for about a dozen items, including some things provided by the activity vendors. 10 am Monday.

 

[UWSurfer]

I'm back.

I figured out I'm actually happier without lots of little kids running about...lesson learned from last year.

Major construction going on as the resort takes on hill stabilization of buildings 1 & 2 which are now closed. This is long planned and finally underway. Signs say this should be completed in July and a quick peak last night appears to have forms in place for footings to do this. I'll know more after the Monday into meeting they hold, I hope.

Got the same unit as last time, which while it offers no real views makes it very easy to take in and out my large surfboards and bicycle that I bring down here to play with. So far construction noise is minimal this morning with the usual warning beeps from construction trucks moving about.

Good to see this work taking place.

 

[csxjohn]

Just wondering if you've ever been to Iva Lee's right there in San Clemente?

Wonderful place for food and music when a live band is performing.

 

[UWSurfer]

I can't say I ever have. I'll keep it in mind this week while I'm here. I'm meeting a friend for lunch later in the week and would head there but they don't open until 5pm.

Finished with the Monday orientation and discovered Jennifer Finey, long time popular assistant manager has been laid off along with a significant number of staff while the construction is taking place as SCI only has half the units available right now. That's very unfortunate because most of the people working here are long time, loyal and dedicated employees of the resort.

Summer season is very popular here so hopefully they'll get the construction done and staff up before the end of season.

 

[csxjohn]

Also

I can't say I ever have. I'll keep it in mind this week while I'm here. I'm meeting a friend for lunch later in the week and would head there but they don't open until 5pm.

Finished with the Monday orientation and discovered Jennifer Finey, long time popular assistant manager has been laid off along with a significant number of staff while the construction is taking place as SCI only has half the units available right now. That's very unfortunate because most of the people working here are long time, loyal and dedicated employees of the resort.

Summer season is very popular here so hopefully they'll get the construction done and staff up before the end of season.

My wife also enjoyed visiting the Casa Romantica. If you haven't been there, check it out.

We stayed at San Clemente Cove last August and many of the people we met there 10 years earlier were still working there. It makes it feel like you're coming home in a way.

 

[UWSurfer]

Maybe there's been an upgrade or maybe it's because half of the buildings are off-line, but wifi here has been blazing fast this week.

Also had need to make a bunch of work related calls over the past 24 hours and the Magic Jack in my bag worked beautifully over the Wifi while plugged into the laptop. I was able to borrow the room phone and plug it into MJ with no issue.

With a little luck, I'm done with work and can enjoy what's left of the week here. :ignore:

 

[UWSurfer]

We'll as I wrap up my week here at SCI, a few additional notes.

1) Since I live close enough to drive here, I brought my bike and surfboards. This week the surf wasn't too hot and I ended up leaving our van in the parking lot most of the week, using the bike to commute around town and down to the beach. There are some substantial hills here but also some very well defined bike paths and lanes so it is do-able to get around by bike here if you are fit...or at least ride regularly.

2) It was very quiet here this past week, or so it felt. I'm told there were maybe 5 units sitting unused this week prior to memorial day and frankly as I rode through the neighboring campgrounds everything has been light...up until yesterday. NOW the place is humming and dare I say a bit noisy.

3) Construction has been no problem as a guest here given it's on the other side of the property. I'm in a unit closest to the work and outside of a couple of backing up trucks beeping it's really been smooth. Again work should be complete in July.

4) I really like our week here. There's just enough to do for me to feel at home both in and out of the unit. This just one of those little places that offers up enough both in location and things to do around town to make it a great place to come. It's not one of the big name branded resorts, but it ain't bad either and has improved quite a bit since we bought here some years back.

5) That said, if you are looking for great views of the beach or the water from the resort, this is not the place. If you are looking for large units with multiple bedrooms, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a great launching place that is relatively close to a number of things, &/or a beach person who likes to surf, swim or lay out, this place is within walking distance to the beach and is a contender. If you like a friendly hard working staff, you'll like it here.

 

[Tedman]

Thanks for the updates. I haven't been there for a few years. It's good to hear our increased MF's have been put to good use. Sad to hear about the lay offs.