WARNING: I, like many people, thought that the Desert Wind Inn would be an all inclusive event…read more Wine tasting and dinner in the evening, sitting around the fire in the backyard drinking a glass of merlot. Experience a wine tasting in the quiet serenity of the wine country. This is the experience that is advertised on the website and we paid handsomely for it. This dreamy experience is just that: a dreamy image of what this could be which could not be further from the truth. Instead, we were met with rude indifferent service, a room that we could not easily leave past 5 PM (or 7 PM if you're lucky to be here Friday-Saturday), a loud uncomfortable room, and poor quality wine. DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL IF YOU WANT A WINE COUNTRY EXPERIENCE; ONLY STAY HERE IF YOU ACTIVELY SEEK OUT DISAPPOINTMENT.
What was supposed to be an incredible afternoon and evening in the wine country turned out to be a disappointment. The expectations created by the property in its advertisement plummeted the second we set foot on the property. The warm welcoming mentioned in previous recent reviews was no where to be seen when we arrived at the property on May 29, 2025 at around 12:30 PM. A cold and rather indifferent hostess meets us, no greeting, no welcoming remarks but a cold "what do you need". The hostess only expressed distain that we were checking in, giving us an annoyed glare while informing us that check-in was not allowed until 3 PM despite the hotel being seemingly empty. In the same annoyance and disdain, she told us that all information we needed should be in an email (that never arrived) and the turned her back to us and walked away. We did not expect an early check in, we just wanted to make sure that all of the information is there and whether there was more to do about it prior to us getting our room. The attitude was entirely discouraging and unwarranted and it continued to do so over the course of the next couple of hours while we waited for 3 PM.
It was only when we said that the email did not arrive she begrudgingly gave us the information on a card with a random code without any explanation roughly 30 minutes after we arrived. In hindsight, that meant the room was ready, but she did not bother to tell us that fact nor inform us what the code represented.
While we waited, we sat down for a glass of wine. The hostess continued to treat us like we were unwelcome guests being incredibly rude and lacked curtesy at every turn. No smiles, no small talk about the place, no indication on what to expect from our stay based on what was advertised on the website regarding the tasting and other opportunities of the sort. No wine recommendations were given nor what to expect from our choices nor any indication that she would be happy to help at all with our questions. She just coldly informed us that there are no truffle fries or soup. We proceeded to "guess" what wines would be to our liking based on previous experiences. We tried four different wines by the glass and truthfully, the wine was rather mediocre which fueled the unexpectedly unwelcoming and unpleasant experience. Bad wine and bad attitude just don't mix well together for a great experience. This was topped up by a very slow service (45 minutes with nobody else in the restaurant) for a Caesar salad and warm bread with butter.
Once 3 PM rolled around, we were not shown or told where to go, instead we were left to figure it out which was difficult as the place is big. We finally found our way to our room where we were met with the startling insight that the rest of the property closes at 5PM (or 7 PM Friday- Saturday) no dinner service, no bar service, no access to the back patio. All nicely taped to the door. This made it sound like we were practically only allowed to be in our room after 5 PM (or 7 PM Friday-Saturday) with no control of the thermostat and a massive highway outside, polluting the room with unpleasant smells of gasoline and constant car noise. This "curfew" made us feel hostages in our own room. After 5 PM and before 11 AM, all you have available for "leisure" is the hallway with all the rooms and the side door. No staff around, nothing. Just a hallway and a side door.
The all-inclusive feel is cut short by the lack of a breakfast option or any other hospitality services. In order to get dinner, miles down the road (goodbye wine tasting experience elsewhere - the place is not walkable, so one must drive there), we had to exit through a back door, down a metal staircase, that leads you behind the dumpsters and makes you feel like a criminal.
Overall this experience was not at all what was advertised by the property. This was an extremely expensive room with worse service than a comfort inn. I felt like I was living an episode of Gordon Ramsey's Hotel Hell. I cannot recommend at all that anyone spends this kind of money for this experience. 1/10 would actively avoid this and everyone should.
