Another hotel rec request - San Diego/Carlsbad

[gennyu]

Any recommendations for a reasonably priced hotel in the San Diego area? We have a family of three (DS is 9) and will be flying in to San Diego over April break. Plans include a day at Legoland, a trip to the SD zoo, and the flower fields in Carlsbad. (Also would appreciate any restaurant/activity recs as well!)

TIA

[lilac05]

If you have room in your budget and your DS is really into Legos, I recommend splurging on a night at the Legoland Castle Hotel. (Especially if he’s a young 9...into playful things.) When we stayed, I think the room included dinner buffet and tickets to the park. It balanced out the cost some and added to the fun that we had.

“Reasonably priced” in that area can be tough unless you don’t mind driving quite a bit to get to your destinations. I’m sure others here will have some recommendations, though!

[nancybotwin]

Agree with legoland hotel. Another fun spot is the Omni la costa. There is a fun water park as part of the hotel. My kids had a blast there.

[isabel]

I stayed at the Sheraton right by the airport for a conference a couple of years ago. I think the room was under $250 a night for double queens. The location was actually pretty great. It was walking distance to Balboa/zoo and I used the bikes/scooters to get over to all the restaurants downtown. Very easy to Lyft around there too.

Have fun. I loved SD!

[bc1206]

I have been there a few times for work travel. I stayed once at the Sheraton by the airport and the other two times in the Gaslamp District at a Westin and Omni. I preferred the hotels in the Gaslamp only because everything is walkable. There are tons of restaurants and shops whereas the Sheraton by the airport has nothing. You couldn’t walk anywhere and had to call a Lyft/Uber to take you downtown. There was a Hard Rock Hotel right by the Omni as well that looked nice. Plus with being downtown your near the Midway and Seaport Village. There also is a nice trolley tour around the city and Coronado Island that you can quickly access while staying near the Gaslamp.

Have so much fun! San Diego is beautiful

ETA: Go to Breakfast Republic restaurant but try and get there early. It gets crowded quickly.

[sloan]

We have family in that area and stay at the Residence Inn when we visit. Nice rooms with a kitchen- we didn’t really cook but having a fridge and microwave at a minimum is really nice, and we were traveling with my mom too so being able to get a two bedroom suite but stay in one room was really nice. Free breakfast and they had a reception on weekday evenings with some complimentary drinks/snacks.

ETA: this was in Carlsbad. Budget wise that’ll be lower than downtown, especially because parking is free in the suburbs (confirm that wherever you stay but it should be on the hotel website).

[ally83]

Echo the rec for the Legoland Castle Hotel if it's within your budget. Totally worthwhile for ambience and convenience.
Dining in Carlsbad: there's a unique spot called Park 101 with solid food (served almost cafeteria-style), good drinks, and a big outdoor play and dining area. Perfect for kids.

[sunflower17]

I’ve stayed at the Omni which is attached to Padres stadium in the gaslamp quarter. It was not during baseball season, but we were able to tour the stadium. Everything is very walkable in the gaslamp and the train is easy on and off if you don’t want to walk as far and go to little Italy and old town.

[pooh8402]

We stayed at the Omni La Costa this past summer and it was a hit! My 4 yo loved the pool (he was there every day) and I took the baby in to the shallow/walk-in pool sometimes. Very easy driving distance to everything on your list, but downtown SD is about 30-45 minutes depending on traffic.

We loved going to Encinidas (sp?) for food. Lots of great spots there.

He also really enjoyed the Museum of Making Music, in Carlsbad, right across the street from Legoland. Kids are allowed to actually play instruments, like an old Strat!

Also the Birch Aquarium is close but I thought it was overpriced for what you got to see/do.

[tacom]

Cape Rey in Carlsbad is right on the ocean and has a pretty good restaurant and excellent outdoor area (pool, spa). Priceline has rates right now for $161; it will be an easy drive to LEGOLAND and the flower fields. Won’t be too bad getting to the zoo since you’ll have easy access to the 5


Omni la costa is one of the most beautiful resorts I’ve ever seen. We often go there just to walk and window shop or grab coffee etc. but it’s quite a bit more than the cape Rey, and you don’t have easy ocean access (you can certainly drive though)

ETA pooh8402 Encinitas we love going to the 101 for food ... the taco stand is my favorite. In Carlsbad, the village is good for parking and walking. Lots of restaurants and cute shops plus beach access. A bit north of the LEGOLAND area though.

The windmill is a new “food hall” that’s supposed to be kid friendly and has some outdoor / indoor stuff. Directly across from the premium outlet mall / flower field

For kid activities, we love the zoo, LEGOLAND, birch aquarium, Alga Norte park (with splash pad), La Jolla cove (spotting the seals), moonlight street beach (easier parking than most and there is a playground on the beach)

Family friendly dining in Encinitas and Carlsbad (casual, outdoor play area for my high energy toddler) includes Mendocino farms, eureka, and the crack shack

[Gato]

We stayed at an AirBnb near Sunset Cliffs, which was a very relaxing way to end each day. There’s a great Indian restaurant out that way called Sundara.

We also ate at Azuki Sushi—sooo good. Both places were very relaxed and kid-friendly.

[alleinesein]

Restaurants in Cbad- Campfire (they have a kids play area on the patio) for weekend brunch or dinner any day, Shorehouse Kitchen for breakfast, Handels for ice cream, Pizza Port for pizza.

Up the road in Oceanside, I like Panca Peruvian and Beach Break Cafe.

If the weather is nice, I prefer the Crack Shack in Little Italy but if the weather is crappy, the Encinitas location has indoor seating.

What else do you want to do in the downtown area? If you only want to do the zoo and the rest of your time will be spent doing stuff in coastal north county, definitely get a hotel in that area. Traffic on the 5 can be a bitch and you dont want to have to deal with it every day that you want to do something.

[sdlaura]

Lurker here - My office is right next to LegoLand and I was just there with my 3 kids today I haven’t spent time at the legoland hotels, but the other two hotels walking distance to legoland are the Sheraton/Westin Carlsbad (same campus) and the Grand Pacific Palisades (which also overlooks the flower fields). I prefer the Sheraton/Westin. It’s more upscale and has a nice spa. There’s a new food hall right near legoland called the Windmill. Park 101 in downtown Carlsbad is a good kid friendly place. I recommend the Safari Park over the zoo - it is owned by the zoo and is just more unique. If you go there you should stop at the Stone Brewery flagship restaurant nearby in Escondido.

I’m not sure where you’re coming from, but keep in mind that it probably won’t be hot here for spring break and the ocean water is freezing. I grew up on the east coast and we always have go remind visitors to bring warm clothes.

[ellipses84]

There’s lots to do in North County, so if you want to stay in Carlsbad, the area around Carlsbad Village is walkable to the beach and to shops/restaurants. I know there’s a Best Western overlooking the beach and some others nearby. Legoland is on the other side of the freeway with the Legoland hotels and an outlet mall. Omni La Costa is an amazing resort, but further from everything. For the money, I’d prefer to be closer to the beach and restaurants. For casual, kid friendly dining we love Pizza Port (pizza and beer) and Board N Brew (subs). Karl Strauss Brewery and tons of others are in the area. We also like Ruby’s (50’s diner) at the end of the Oceanside pier. I like the Safari park as much as the zoo because the tram ride is amazing to see animals in more of their natural habitat.

There are tons of beach condo rentals and hotels along the coast between Carlsbad and San Diego. My other favorite areas are La Jolla, Coronado, Del Mar and Encinitas.

I don’t have many great hotel recs since we don’t stay at them here and most of our out of town guests stay with us. I’ve heard positive things from people who stayed at Catamaran or Bahia Resort hotels which are near Mission Bay/Beach / Pacific Beach, a more touristy area with the boardwalk.