Stay in La Jolla or Del Mar or Oceanside?

[c&m]

We're heading to San Diego in July to go to Legoland, the premium outlets, Old Town, and hang out at the beach (most likely Encinitas Beach). We are also visiting friends who live in Carlsbad.

I have narrowed our hotel choices to 3 hotels:

1. Hyatt La Jolla
2. Hilton Garden Inn Del Mar
3. Residence Inn Oceanside

Which hotel is in a better area, has some shopping close by (I love Target and Whole Foods), and is great for families? We have stayed at the Hyatt many times before so we know what's there and we really love the place...however, the hotel costs a bit more and we don't like paying the extra $$$ per day for parking...the other 2 hotels come out a bit cheaper than the Hyatt. I have read Tripadvisor.com and they are all have good reviews but I have no clue about the Oceanside and Del Mar locations.

Please advise. Thanks very much!!!

 

[Mililani Mouser]

why don't you consider West Inn in Carlsbad? It's right off the freeway and they serve hot breakfast (complimentary). I was considering the hotels you listed when we went last year, but I did my research on Trip Advisor on West Inn and I have no regrets.

 

[c&m]

Hi,

We would love to stay in Carlsbad. However, after looking at the rates ($200+ before taxes), we were completely turned off. We looked at the West Inn, Sheraton Resort and Spa, Homewood Suites, and Hampton Inn. We're going during high season, so that doesn't help us.

Last night, I narrowed our choices down to:

1. Hyatt La Jolla -- been there, know the area well.
2. Hilton Garden Inn Del Mar -- new to us, any opinions about the hotel and area?

After some feedback from Tripadvisor.com, I decided to cut Residence Inn Oceanside from my list. The hotel itself would be nice, but the location is quite isolated.

Thank you!

 

[Easy2Putt]

La Jolla or Del Mar ..you're close to LL and they're both nice locations.

 

[pumpkin5156]

Hi,

We would love to stay in Carlsbad. However, after looking at the rates ($200+ before taxes), we were completely turned off. We looked at the West Inn, Sheraton Resort and Spa, Homewood Suites, and Hampton Inn. We're going during high season, so that doesn't help us.

Last night, I narrowed our choices down to:

1. Hyatt La Jolla -- been there, know the area well.
2. Hilton Garden Inn Del Mar -- new to us, any opinions about the hotel and area?

After some feedback from Tripadvisor.com, I decided to cut Residence Inn Oceanside from my list. The hotel itself would be nice, but the location is quite isolated.

Thank you!

Check out the Marriott Courtyard in Carlsbad off of Palomar Airport road. I used to work there. It is a business hotel, so the rates are cheaper on the weekends than on the weekdays. They give AAA, military, government, senior, and lots of other discounts. It is a nice hotel and is really close to Legoland. They even have a free shuttle to anywhere within 5 miles of the hotels (which would included Legoland, the outlet stores, malls, etc). Also, they have free parking and a good breakfast buffet that can be added into the cost of your room. Sometimes other websites will give better rates (like hotel.com, etc.)

Check it out, as Carlsbad is an amazing town.

 

[honeymom]

While Hyatt La Jolla is by the freeway, not the beach, it is a really nice hotel. I used to stay there on business a lot and it was one of my favorites (going back so many years though).

You could always do the timeshare tour and stay at Grand Pacific Palisades (look up legoland timeshare promos) if you need a good deal in Carlsbad. We've stayed there, the Hampton Inn Carlsbad and Holiday Inn Carlsbad. All had pros/cons. You can probably get a decent rate at the Holiday Inn, but the rooms are older/more worn. But, we still enjoyed it because they were large rooms, onsite TGI Fridays and convenient location to Legoland.

 

[c&m]

Thanks for your advice!

I did check out the Marriott Courtyard in Carlsbad -- unfortunately, no availability for our datesgh.

I will look into the Grand Palisades hotel about the timeshare tour to check out their rates. DH hates those timeshare pitches, and does not like to waste his precious vacation time listening to the spiel. I'll have to see if the savings is worth it.

Still have our 2 fallback hotels: Hyatt La Jolla and Hilton Garden Inn Del Mar. I'm sort of leaning more on the Hyatt. Like Honeymom, we've always had a great stay there.

 

[pumpkin5156]

Thanks for your advice!

I did check out the Marriott Courtyard in Carlsbad -- unfortunately, no availability for our datesgh.

I will look into the Grand Palisades hotel about the timeshare tour to check out their rates. DH hates those timeshare pitches, and does not like to waste his precious vacation time listening to the spiel. I'll have to see if the savings is worth it.

Still have our 2 fallback hotels: Hyatt La Jolla and Hilton Garden Inn Del Mar. I'm sort of leaning more on the Hyatt. Like Honeymom, we've always had a great stay there.

Make sure you call for in house reservations at the Courtyard. They will always book 4 or 5 people over every night because of cancellations. And always ask..."is that your lowest rate for the night?" You'd be surprised at what you might get. Weekends run around $129-$149 a night.

 

[c&m]

Make sure you call for in house reservations at the Courtyard. They will always book 4 or 5 people over every night because of cancellations. And always ask..."is that your lowest rate for the night?" You'd be surprised at what you might get. Weekends run around $129-$149 a night.

Thanks for the tip!!!! I will give them a call tonight and see what I can get.

 

[c&m]

Well...after all the indecision I had over hotels, I decided to try Priceline.com for our San Diego hotel, just to see if I could get the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa for a decent rate. Their rack rates were $220+.

I got lucky and managed to get the hotel for $150 a night!!!

We really wanted to be in Carlsbad and this was a fabulous win on Priceline.com! Now I really can't wait for our vacation to begin. Thanks everyone!

 

[pumpkin5156]

Well...after all the indecision I had over hotels, I decided to try Priceline.com for our San Diego hotel, just to see if I could get the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa for a decent rate. Their rack rates were $220+.

I got lucky and managed to get the hotel for $150 a night!!!

We really wanted to be in Carlsbad and this was a fabulous win on Priceline.com! Now I really can't wait for our vacation to begin. Thanks everyone!

Yay! It's an amazing hotel and has a back door into Legoland. How fun for you guys!

 

[bltimami]

I think you made the right decision. Carlsbad is a fantastic town. Be sure to check out the Carlsbad Outlets (about 1 mile west of your hotel). You may also wish to consider taking the Coaster to Old Town or Encinitas. The gas prices make it more appealing. Have fun.

 

[pumpkin5156]

I think you made the right decision. Carlsbad is a fantastic town. Be sure to check out the Carlsbad Outlets (about 1 mile west of your hotel). You may also wish to consider taking the Coaster to Old Town or Encinitas. The gas prices make it more appealing. Have fun.

Good idea. We often take the Coaster to old Town or downtown SD. So fun and you can walk everywhere from the train station. Cheaper than driving and no traffic!

 

[c&m]

Thanks for the idea! That would be fun to do. We are planning to go to Old Town because we enjoyed it so much last year. We all love Mexican food too. We also want to wander to the Gaslamp area. Can the trolley/coaster take us from Old Town to Gaslamp and then from Gaslamp back to Carlsbad??

What is the coaster? Is that the train? And where is the closest station to our Carlsbad hotel?

Also, which restaurant do you recommend in Old Town? Last summer, we stumbled into one -- can't remember the name -- but it was so-so, not excellent. If there are special ones that you could recommend, I'd love to hear from you!

 

[pumpkin5156]

The Coaster is the train that runs from Oceanside to SD along the coast. It takes about 40 minutes to get downtown from the Carlsbad station. The closest station for you would be Pointsettia Station, about a 7 minute drive from your hotel. You can just leave your car there.

I think the rates are $10 per adult, that's round trip and that includes the trolley fare once you're in downtown. The Coaster has stops in both Old Town and close to the Gaslamp. The trolley can take you around the Gaslamp once your down there.

Zocolo is an excellent place to eat in Old Town. It's pricey, so maybe you could eat there for lunch instead.

 

[c&m]

Thanks, Pumpkin! Sounds great. I am so ready for my vacation.

 

[bltimami]

The Carlsbad Village Station is another option. It's slightly further than the Pointsettia Station, but is in a more interesting area. Pointsettia is $1 cheaper round trip because its one "zone" closer to Old Town. It also has a much larger parking lot. The Village station has less parking, but there is a lot to see in the area (within walking distance) should you misstime the train.

Pointsettia is southwest of your hotel. Carlsbad Village is northwest of your hotel. Both are accessible from I5.

 

[c&m]

Carlsbad Village is on our list of things to do this year. We've heard about it but have never been in all our years of visiting SD. Bltimami, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[ktnryansmom]

Last summer we did a package through the Grand Pacific Palasaides resort in Carlsbad.

We got 4 legoland tickets and 2 nights at the resort for about $199 a night (considering we'd have spent 200+ on legoland tickets this was great).

The hotel was nice, has a great pool and you can walk to lego land and drive about 5 minutes to the beach.

We did have to commit to the time share stuff...but that only took 5 minutes as they didn't want to mess with people who weren't truly interested. Loved that they had a "kids club" type area for the kids as well.

They also have packages for the hotel and the zoo/sea world etc...

you should check it out--it's their "HOT DEALS" on their website.

 

[ktnryansmom]

here's the link:

http://www.grandpacificpalisades.com/hot_getaways.htm