Lodging

As with most tourist attractions, there are plenty of hotels around the Legoland theme park in San Diego, California. But until now, there hasn’t been an actual hotel at the popular attraction.

Las Vegas' Excalibur Hotel at Legoland

That will all change as Legoland says they are planning on building a Lego-themed resort.

The local Carlsbad City Council gave the approval for the proposed 254-room hotel to be built right next to the park at its October 27 meeting.  According to Legoland, the hotel will reflect the different aspects of the park, and of course, heavily feature Legos in the decor.

Basic rooms will feature bedding, carpets and wallpaper with instructions on how to make different Lego creations. Premium rooms at the hotel will borrow from different popular areas of the park. For instance, there will be a pirate-themed room that continues the fun of the Pirate Shores area of the park.

The hotel itself will reportedly have a serpentine shape around the pool, with a colorful exterior reflective of the way Legos come in many colors. Legoland says their hotel will very much appeal to families with younger children.

There is no time frame attached to the completion of the hotel, yet, but most likely it will be two to three years before the hotel is built, given the current economy.

This sounds like a fun hotel. It’d really be cool if they actually built some of the furniture out of Legos. After all, if a Barbie suite in Vegas can have plastic furniture, why not a Legoland hotel?

What do you think? Would you stay at a Lego-themed hotel?

[Photo courtesy of Legoland]

The Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego is really taking hotel promotions to the extreme with two packages that ask if you want to splurge or purge.

Typical Rancho Bernardo Inn Guest Room

The first package is the Survivor Package that asks how much you are willing to sacrifice to get a low rate.

The resort starts out with the base rate of $219 per night for deluxe accommodations and breakfast for two. Then as it takes away amenities, it lowers the price.

Here’s the discount chart:

• $199 without breakfast
• $179 without honor bar
• $159 without A/C or heat
• $139 without pillows
• $109 without sheets
• $89 without lights
• $59 without linens
• $39 without toiletries
• $19 without bed

That’s right if you are willing to go without everything in your room but basically plumbing, four walls and floorspace, you can stay at this luxe hotel for only $19 a night. Think of it as camping indoors.

This package is available from August 17 through September 17, 2009.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Spoil Me Package, where everything from golf to spa treatments to food is included in the price of $289 per person, per night rate (based on double occupancy).

So basically for $578 a night you get all of this:

• Luxurious guestroom with wine amenity on arrival
• Dinner in El Bizcocho
• a Signature Spa Treatment
• Unlimited championship golf
• All dining in Veranda
• Coffee and snacks at Café Granada
• 2 tickets to a San Diego attraction
• Honor bar drinks and snacks
• All resort fees and parking

This package is available from now until September 13, 2009.

Talk about extremes, right? Either package can be booked via phone at 877-517-9340 or at the Rancho Bernardo Inn website.  The award-winning resort is located on a golf course in north San Diego, about 30 minutes from the airport.

Which package would you choose? The one that favors price over comfort or the one where everything is included and then some?

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Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort & Spa
17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive
San Diego, CA 92128
877-517-9340

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[Photo courtesy of Rancho Bernardo Inn]

It felt like we’d been driving for hours to find the turn-off road. Of course my traveling companion had to take an alternate route from the directions on the website, but still, how far out was this place?  Quite far as it turns out. But we eventually ended up at our destination, the Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino near San Diego.

Barona Valley Ranch Resort - Front View

The resort is very upscale, and seems themed after a Texas oil baron ranch. We had a two-bed queen room and it was spacious with a equally large-sized bathroom. It also came with in-room Wi-Fi and small touches like slippers for use during the stay. Each room also had a small standing-room balcony. Ours looked out towards the back of the resort, where the desert gave way to a lush designed golf course.

My companion had a spa treatment scheduled shortly after we arrived, so we headed up to the AmBience Day Spa on the 7th floor. I opted to sit out on spa’s larger balcony and watch the sun set over the hills, sipping some tea before supper. Very relaxing.

We ate at the Oaks Steakhouse, which is actually located in the casino building next door. Service there was impeccable – quite possibly the best we received the entire trip, aside from the spa personnel. After every dish, crumbs were instantly whisked off the table, and after my friend’s napkin fell to the floor, the server immediately gave her a new one without her even saying a word. That kind of attention to detail was wonderful to experience. The food was excellent, too, with everything cooked to order. Expect average entree prices in the $20-$30 range, and they do have a dress code.

Barona Valley Ranch Resort - Two Queen-Bed Room

Neither of us were huge gamblers, which is probably why we didn’t thoroughly enjoy our stay. The resort, which is operated by the Barona band of Mission Indians, is located on reservation land, and as such, it is so far away from the heart of San Diego (the nearest major city) that if you’re not here for the casino action, there’s really not much else to do.

It was also a bit inconvenient to have to go to a totally separate building for our dining options, even with the walkway. I was also a bit mystified that they made the resort building so nice looking, but the casino was housed in a barn-themed building.

Basically, as nice as the resort was, there’s no reason to stay here if you don’t want to gamble or play golf or just enjoy being in a luxury hotel in the middle of nowhere. But if you’re in Southern California – more specifically the San Diego/Temecula area – and want to get away for some peace and quiet with some gambling mixed in, this would be the perfect place to do it.

Weekday room rates start at $129, with weekends starting at $219.

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Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino
1932 Wildcat Canyon Rd
Lakeside, CA 92040
619-443-2300 or 888-722-7662

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[photos courtesy Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino]

Posted by Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

La Jolla Shores Roadtrip

While some folks visit San Diego for the surf and turf, we’re taking a roadtrip with a car load of females to check out the higher education opportunities. Yes, indeed, as sure as the whales migrate down to Baja to give birth to their babies, we’re following the path of numerous mother’s before us to participate in the spring break college campus visitation ritual.

Of course, what fun is a trip with all work and no play? My daughter and I are staying at the swank La Jolla Shores situated smack dab on the beach. We’re here with another mother/daughter duo and, hey, it’s our spring break, too. Why not live a little? Afterall, the website has promised that our stay at the hotel will create vacation memories that will last a lifetime. But can they guarantee that my daughter will be admitted to UC San Diego?

La Jolla Shores Ocean front room

Let’s put the GPA-angst behind us and concentrate on enjoying the So-Cal lifestyle. We booked a beach-front hotel room with a balcony and access to the outdoor heated pool and jacuzzi. Our room, with an AAA discount, rents for $359 on a Saturday night, dropping to $279 for Sunday and Monday night, of course, rates vary with the season. Check the website for specials.

For those traveling with a large family, or well-funded parent’s with toddlers, I’d recommend a splurge on room #334, two queen beds, a sofa sleeper and a wrap-around deck that is teen and kid-friendly.  The room overlooks Kellogg Park with plenty of grass for exhausting young children and a swing set, too. Teens can chill on the deck with their iPhones and parent’s will appreciate the child-proofed deck. We also enjoyed the Starbucks coffee and hot cocoa available in the room.

After our campus tour of the University of San Diego, we drove to San Diego’s historic Old Town and had lunch at Cafe Coyote. The fajita chicken salad came highly recommended. I liked the homemade flour tortillas, too. We liked that Piatti restaurant was within walking distance of the hotel. For those on a budget, there are plenty of cheap restaurants in San Diego. Tonight we dine at The Shores restaurant. I love vacation.

La Jolla Shores 1 (856) 459-8271 or 1 (800) 237-5211

8110 Camino del Oro

La Jolla, CA 92037

Twice my husband and I have taken the kids to LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad (just north of San Diego) from our home in Colorado. The first trip, it was all about the theme park — two full days of riding the rides, building with the little bricks, watching the live shows and eating plenty of hot dogs, pizza and ice cream.

For our second trip in March of this year, we explored other attractions around Carlsbad, including the coastline. My parting words to my children, as we exited the car on a brisk spring afternoon were, “Don’t get wet!”

Dipping toes in.

Mom said, "Don't get wet!"

Okay, lets back up a bit.

Yikes! It's going to get me!

I can stay dry!

Forget it! Game over.

Bathing suits on, let's get soaked!

Photos taken by Kara Williams, March 2008, during a stay at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa. Other family-friendly lodging options: Grand Pacific Palisades Resort and the ultra-luxurious La Costa Resort and Spa.