After our long day at LEGOLAND we were ready to lay our head down and call it a night. We decided to stay at the Grand Pacific Palisades in Carlsbad, which was particularly convenient as it is less than five minutes away from LEGOLAND.
As exhausted as they were from our fun-filled day, the boys perked up as soon as we entered the stunning hotel lobby. In fact, it had the same effect on me. The place was amazing and so beautiful and that for the first time the realization set in that I was really on vacation.
As we checked in the gentleman at the front desk told us about the amenities. We received 15% off any purchases made at the kiosk booth, he shared information regarding the buffet breakfast at the Karl Strauss Brewery, located just steps away in the hotel parking lot. While waiting, I noticed a family next to us checking out games and movies for their room. Of course, the boys noticed that, too and immediately asked in we could play a board game and rent a movie. This from two children who only moments ago complained of exhaustion and begged me to push them on the luggage cart up to the lobby. In addition to the ambiance, I’m guessing that the cool, refreshing strawberry water that they drank from the beverage dispenser in the lobby contributed to their newly discovered second wind.
Have you ever been to a hotel only to discover that the pictures on the website look nothing like your room? That’s certainly not the case here. The pictures I saw when reserving my room didn’t do justice to this property and I don’t think mine will either. You will just have to experience this one for yourself – and you will be happy you did.
We stayed in the One Bedroom Villa Suite with an ocean view. The sofa also converted into a full size sleeper, which, along with the HDTV and fireplace mesmerized my children.
We had a full kitchen including an oven, sink, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, toaster, can opene. Best of all, it was fully stocked with every utensil along with had pots and pans, mixing bowls, cups, dishes, you name it they had it. Every detail was covered down to the ice in the freezer.
I don’t ever want to check out, can I live here PLEASE?
On the counter was a welcome basket filled with goodies including coffee, tea, popcorn and hot chocolate.
After we I rummaged thru the gift basket my kids and I were off to explore the rest of our Villa Suite
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| This cute little towel creature welcomed me into the room |
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| This was the view from our room |
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| They had a patio table and chairs to enjoy the view or |
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| My little one immediately claimed the lounge chair as his own. |
In addition to the beautiful rooms, the resort has a recreation room, a game room, laundry room, tot lot, and two fabulous pools. One pool is for the guests 18 years and older and the other pool is for the younger guests to enjoy and includes a water play area with a slide, water spouts, and a raining mushroom (as my boys call it).
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| The adult pool |
They also have cabanas for rent, lounge chairs, work out room, and refreshment area to buy ice cream. I swear I thought I was dreaming. There are different activities each day such as face painting, health and wellness consultations, shuffle board, farmers market, ice cream sundaes, poolside bingo, sand art, in room movie night, craft time, palisades gold outing, root beer floats…I could go on and on. This is such a family friendly resort!
For those of you staying in the Villa Suites they have terrific barbecue areas surrounded by such beautiful plants.
The ambiance of the hotel along with the smell of the ocean air puts you in such a great mood.
No matter where you are on the property you can’t help but feel relaxed and happy. They have something for everyone in your family. In addition, the staff is extremely accommodating and every one of them walks around smiling.
Upon arriving home from our visit (as Mommy’s law has it) I realized that I had forgotten my littlest tot’s life-jacket. I called the hotel and housekeeping confirmed it was there. They told me it was no problem and that they’d be happy to ship it to me via UPS. I did have to pay the shipping (which is to be expected), but it it was worth it and I was so happy they were able to do this for me.
If you just want a little getaway to relax and keep the family occupied and happy this is the spot. In fact, my only regret was that we chose to stay for just one night. We were sad to check out, however the breakfast buffet kind of made up for it
As mentioned before I stayed in the one bedroom villa suite, which is in the condo section. However, they do have a hotel on the property as well. The Grand Pacific Palisades has 12 locations in California and Hawaii. After this stay I must say that I certainly plan to visit all of them!
