HOtels near LegoLand / Sea World in San Diego?

[cheeseliz]

We are planning ou first trip to California theme parks & need advice on wher to stay - We plan on staying at the Howard Johnson Anaheim ( looks like fun pool) for the Disneyland visits, but then want to go do Legoland and Sea World - maybe even San Diego Zoo for a few days - Any suggestions on a nice family friendly place to stay? Fun pools are always a draw!

 

[mgmgbooks]

We've stayed at the Ramada in Carlsbad which is very near Legoland. We didn't get a chance to try out the pool but the layout of the place was nice because our bed was in one room and the pull out sofa bed for the kids was in a separate room. Their continental breakfast was good too. It's not too far from San Diego so we're planning to stay in Carlsbad even on the day we travel to Sea World. The Days Inn we stayed at in San Diego on our last trip is not one I'd recommend.

 

[cheeseliz]

Thanks! I'll check it out! Any other suggestions?

 

[jodeja]

We have stayed at the Grand Pacific Palisades twice – once in a 2 queen hotel room in 2007 and then in a 2 bedroom condo in 2009. We had a great stay both times, but noticed the service and quality had gone down a bit between ’07 and ’09. That being said, I think this is a great hotel for families with kids: walking distance to Legoland (this is the second closest hotel to LL, but the closer hotel is a Sheraton which I found to be not as appealing for kids and quite a bit more expensive), there is a little play area for kids near the kid pool which has some fun features, a game room which the kids really liked, and a small arcade. The rooms were comfortable and the staff was friendly. My advice would be to set your expectations for a moderate, family-friendly property and not for a luxury experience.

 

[jodeja]

We plan on staying at the Howard Johnson Anaheim ( looks like fun pool) for the Disneyland visits,

We also stayed at Hojo for the Disney part of our of trip in 2009 and it was really fun. Unfortunately, it was a bit too cold to swim but it was a great hotel. We liked watching the dump bucket at the pool from the balcony. They also have a convenient gift shop with a surprising amount of grocery items at reasonable prices.

Have fun!

 

[cheeseliz]

Thanks for the confirmation on the DisneyLand HOJo - We actually postponed our trip (scheduled for March) - in part - for warmer weather where we can do some water stuff - We are going the first part of June, so hopefully it will be warm enough - We're looking for a similar type place with fun pool around LegoLand or Sea World. Any thoughts?

 

[lisaradz]

In Carlsbad, we have reservations at West Inn & Suites. We got a great deal thru a boutique travel website. Just happened to hit the time we will be traveling. They have complimentary breakfast, shuttle to Legoland, evening milk & cookies for the kids. I will report back after our trip the beginning of April. If you are specifically looking for a great water park for kids, then Pacific Palisades is your best bet, but it is pricey. We figured that our kids would rather play at the Legoland water park anyway.

 

[cheeseliz]

Thanks for your input - Clearly, we are not looking for super fancy - I was just hoping to find a kid friendly hotel that might have more than just a pool (like a splash area, etc. like the HOJo Anaheim) for the kids - While we will certainly hit the LegoLand water park, after a day of theme parks, we love to kick back at the hotel & let the kids play there - rather than chasing them all around a water park! Maybe there just isn't any such place around LegoLand, but I thought I would ask!

 

[jodeja]

Have you looked at the Grand Pacific Palisades online? It really sounds like it is exactly what you're looking for. I just looked at their website, which they have updated a LOT since we stayed there, and unfortunately there is not a very clear picture of the kids play area. But, there are some great pictures on Trip Advisor which show the splash fountains for the kids. They are really colorful and fun. There is a wet play area near the family pool as well as a small play structure on a grassy area.
Since Legoland closes rather early, it was important to me to stay at a fun hotel with things for the kids to do in the evening. I think I looked online at every hotel in Carlsbad before making my choice and the Grand Pacific Palisades definitely had the most kid-friendly ammenities, in my opinion.
Another thing we did in Carlsbad, on our non-Legoland day, was take the kids to Playwerx. It is a giant indoor play structure - kind of like the ones that they have at Burger King but H U G E! http://www.playwerx.com/index.html

 

[cheeseliz]

I looked online at Pacific Palisades, but didn't see any of the features you mentioned - so I'll definitely double check it - It sounds like we are on the same page for kid friendly stuff to do on our down time! Thanks for tip on Playwerx - I'll be checking that out too!