It has become tradition in my house, that every October on fall break, I take the kids to San Diego. This has been the case for the last 5 years, and while it seemed like a heroic feat back when it started, it has become much easier as the kids have gotten older. My husband has no desire to visit California and stand in line at theme parks, and for some odd reason I quite enjoy it. Okay, maybe not the standing in line part, but I love theme parks so much, that it ends up being worth it at the end of the day. My eldest son use to come with us, and was a huge help, thank goodness as the twins were only 2 when we started these trips, but sadly he has moved away, and this mama is on here own.
Two years ago we had to skip our annual trip, I was in my first year of school for Radiologic Technology, and I just couldn’t miss class. My second year of school, I decided some time away with my kids was much needed, and so the trip was booked. We always go to SeaWorld as it’s the kids’ favorite, and this year we added Legoland to the trip, it was going to be our first visit to Legoland, and we were so excited.
I always find the hardest part of the vacation, is booking a hotel. SeaWorld and Legoland are not even close to each other, and I wanted to be somewhat central to both. We ended up staying at the Doubletree by Hilton, in hotel circle, and it was the perfect location. The hotel was only a 10 minute drive to SeaWorld, and just under an hour to Legoland. I was able to pull out of the hotel parking lot, and hop right onto the freeway to head to Legoland, so while it was almost an hour to get there, it was an easy drive.
Now I cannot say enough about the Doubletree by Hilton, the kids and I both loved it. I mean how can you not love a hotel, that gives you cookies when you check in! Yes you heard me right, the most amazing chocolate cookies ever. Now, I am not sure if you are only supposed to get them on check in day, but we asked nicely each day we were there, and they were more than happy to give us each one. If we haven’t convinced you to stay there, based on free cookies alone, don’t worry, there are so many positives to this hotel, that I will have you convinced in just a few minutes.
The hotel has all the amenities you could ask for right on site. The pool was amazing, I wasn’t convinced it was warm enough out to swim, but the kids had no problem jumping in every day. I was happy to curl up with a good book, on one of the lounge chairs poolside, while they burnt off energy. Now I am not even sure how kids manage to have any energy left after they walk through an amusement park for hours, one of the many wonders of the world!
The Doubletree by Hilton has a gift shop right in the lobby, for any snacks or incidentals you may need, which makes it super handy instead of having to fight California traffic to hit the store. They also have a great restaurant on site, where we had dinner both nights we were there. The food was not only amazing, but the prices were reasonable. They have a kids menu, with a great variety of options, the pizza and the chicken salad appetizer are a must try. The chicken salad comes with warm pita chips, and I had to actually fight the kids for it. They also have an ample bar, if you feel the need to have a drink after your long day, I may or may not have ;)
The hotel also has an amazing breakfast buffet, now were are not talking one of the typical hotel continental breakfasts, with some dried out danishes and bruised fruit. The breakfast buffet at the Doubletree is outstanding. They had everything from fresh pastries, to fruit, yogurt, juices, and hot dishes such as hash browns, sausages and bacon, to a make your own waffle station. I loved that I was able to get the kids all fueled up for a long day ahead, and no one was saying they were hungry the minute we got to the amusement park.
I sure hope I have you convinced by now, that the Doubletree by Hilton is a perfect family friendly hotel, for your next visit to San Diego. Well if you are still skeptical, I have saved the best for last, the room. The part I find hard when dragging three kids on vacation, is that I want the little ones to go to sleep, while I want time to unwind and watch tv. Now, if I have the tv on in the room where we are all sleeping, they won’t go to sleep for me. On top of that, there is always the argument as to what we are going to even watch on tv, with the littles battling against my older daughter and myself. Well the family suite at the Doubletree was perfect! The main room had two queen beds with a tv, and then there was a second bedroom with bunk beds and it’s own television. This allowed my older daughter and myself to stay up later and watch the shows we liked, while the littles could watch cartoons, and then go to bed at a much more reasonable time. We were able to close the door in between, and didn’t disturb them at all. The same thing worked the opposite way in the morning, when the littles were up at 5am, and my older daughter was still asleep.
So if you are a looking for a perfect family friendly hotel for your spring break trip to San Diego, then look no further. I have stayed at many hotels in the San Diego area, and I have to say that this was not only my favorite, but my kids’ favorite as well. They have asked to go back many many times, and it was the hotel alone they were referring to, not all the other fun things to do in San Diego!
Make your reservation HERE
