Boraxo

Here for three nights with our kids. One of the nicer US properties under the Sheraton brand but somewhat weak as a "resort" property.

On the plus side:

(1) Great place to stay with small children if you are going to legoland. Literally 5 minute walk (with stroller) to private park entrance, no wait, no key required. Be sure to go online to get $8 off coupons (or better). Legoland is great for kids under 10, better than just about any amusement park including Disney (though older kids will be bored stiff as the rides are pretty tame).

(2) Great pool area, much better than the other SPG optinos in downtown San Diego particularly for kids. Very sunny, in fact better than being on the beach if you want the sun. Lots of plush towels, no towel cards like some idiotic timeshare places. Lots of families so your kids will meet others to play with.

(3) Good kids menu, food prices did not leave me with feeling that I was being gouged. Good size portions.

(4) Rooms are above-average size - easy to fit crib and rollaway bed with room to spare. Large bathrooms. Good free wifi.

(5) Many good chain restaurants (eg. PF Changs) within a 5 minute drive; also outlet mall. So you aren't stuck with the one restaurant on premises.

(6) Very quiet location. A short drive to freeway but not as close as many other chain properties that all seem to be adjacent to freeway.

On the minus side:

(1) Strike 1 - Had to wait to 4pm Wed. at checkin. Ok so it's a busy week, and the property is pretty full. Then you call at 4:10pm and assign me to one of the worst rooms next to the ice machine and maid closet? Is CorpPreferred worth anything? If this is the treatment you give me when pay the normal rate I might as well book through priceline and save some $$$. Then you lie to Mrs. B and tell her you don't have anything else (at 4pm -right) and then magically the manager comes up with a decent room.

(2) Strike 2 - Service. Front desk attitude is condescending. Nobody offers to ask us if we need help with luggage (apparently this is only done when you pull up even though your room is hours from being ready). No poolside service. Now admittedly I don't expect the same staffing as Four Seasons Houston (where the ratio was close to 1:1 at the pool) even though the rate was cheaper there, but get a clue: you could sell a lot of drinks and food if you hired a couple of servers.

(3) Floors are paper thin, so if you aren't on floor 3 you better pray that you have midgets over your room (but more likely a large family).

(4) Parking is a gouge as is the "resort fee" which doesn't cover any resort services . Convenience store is fairly mediocre. No views worth mentioning.

Would I stay here again? Only if visiting legoland, or perhaps if they upgrade treatment of SPG guests. Definitely not as a romantic getaway - better off in Vegas or at Arizona or Palm Springs area resorts.

Hope this helps some undecided folks.

ehud

Any recent experience as how does the property handle "resort charges" for Platinums?

Totoro

In March 2011, the front desk agent informed me (without prompting) that resort fee will be waived for me as SPG Plat. Enjoy your stay!

ehud

How was your stay overall?

BearSmart

I just made a reservation in August for 1 night to go to Legoland with my family (4 of us). We managed to transfer enough AMEX rewards points to SPG for the room charge. So the stay will only cost us resort fee and parking for 1 day.

I'm wondering if anyone have recent experience with their Club Lounge. I got an email saying that it "only" costs $40 to upgrade for access to Club Lounge. Not sure if it's $40 for the whole family or $40 per person. My big question is what are the types of food/drink do they provide in the lounge. Do they allow us to take food/drink outside of the Lounge, just in case the Lounge is too crowded and we want to bring it back to our room to eat?

Thanks in advance for any input!!!

aslsigner

I was here last month for just one night. So I have a little perspective...

$40 seems excessive. Even at $10 a person, or $5 per entrance (evening and the next morning), for the selection they give, I'd pack my food and save the money. But it's also convenience. You still gotta eat and if your family can survive on the selection, it might be worth it.

Probably for the room (ie. the whole family). That's how it works at other hotels that charge for use of the lounge. This would be a different answer if they weren't staying in your room (not that they would check). Some places have been accused of charging $5-10 per additional guest.

I missed the cocktail hour on the night I checked in but breakfast was bagels, cereals, oatmeal with hot water to make your own, fresh fruit, muffins, yogurt, and fruit juices. Nothing exciting but enough to fill the belly.

Yes, this is what I did. I grabbed my food and ate back in my room while I got dressed for my meetings.

It's also a really nice pool and would probably be a good respite in August. Have fun!

BearSmart

Thanks aslsigner for the helpful info. I think we'll pass the "upgrade".

derekisphat

at SCR, Platinum members get waive resort fee, free club lounge access, spa discount, and free dessert in the restaurant. still have to pay parking though, and very few suites, so not always a suite upgrade

Si_Ting_ca

Any recent updates on this property?

My family and I will be visiting this property next month on points (7 nights). My boys (3 and 6) will hopefully enjoy Legoland (bought a 5 day all access pass for the price of 1 on the Legoland website), and maybe visit Sea World and the SD Zoo.

A couple of quick questions:

1. What are my chances of getting upgraded - I know not to expect much cuz I'm only Gold?

2. Is it worth paying $40/nt for a club floor?

Thanks in advance for your comments and advice.

ST_ca

TriNorm

Any other recent stays at this property? I'm planning on burning 1-2 Free Resort Nights here and would welcome any up to date feedback.

Also - Many folks mention the parking fee, but is there not free self-parking right in front of the main entrance? (gated lot, but no charge)

Boraxo

See my review from April - I don't think much has changed in 3 months

Upgrade chance - slim, the rooms are all pretty standard as the hotel is laid out more like an HIX than a resort-quality property, few suites from what I could tell.

I would not pay that much for Club Floor here but YMMV.

BigE

We're finishing up a stay here. Boraxo pretty much nailed it, but I'll just add a few notes.

I agree that the hotel is very nice (attractive rooms, well-kept exterior), but not anything like what you'd expect in, say, Palm Springs or Hawaii. It's a resort because mainly because it's next to Legoland. The pool is a bit bigger and better than your usual city Sheraton, but not a big deal (no water slides or other cool features that I could see). There appear to be some tennis courts.

Checkout: It's designated a "resort", so the 4 PM check-out is not guaranteed. In fact, my negotiation skills couldn't get them to budge from 11:30 AM! (regular check-out time is 11 AM. This doesn't really make sense, since check-in is like 3 or 4 PM.

Views: Very nice. Try to get a third floor room, preferably facing the ocean. We didn't think to ask, so we got a regular room facing the hills (still nice, though).

Lounge: Similar to other U.S. Sheratons. The evening meal was quesadillas with salsa and sour cream, plus some veggies. Tiny little plates only. Breakfast was insane. In other threads, people sometimes complain about an unruly child in the lounge. Well, what if every family in the lounge brought in some kids? Chaos. Try to go before 8 AM.

Parking: Yes, $12 (garage or outside). Not sure if it is possible to avoid it by parking outside somewhere.

Resort fee: waived for plats (was added to the bill anyway, but they removed it when prompted)

Free dessert: fine print says you have to buy an entree first

Summary: It's an attractive property, but not exciting. I would only consider if you're planning to go to Legoland or desperately need to burn a resort free night.

cricketer

I'm here right now at the property -- apparently there's no lounge, no breakfast benefit, and no platinum amenity. That's what I was just told at check-in. No upgrade either.

nazca8

Might want to double check with another front desk person about that, just to be sure. Last time I was there, the lounge is on the first floor, on the building closest to the lobby. It's between room# 1111 and 1121.

cricketer

I did call guest services and they told me the lounge had been closed, that there was no compensatory breakfast, but they would give me 1,000 points for the inconvenience. So I guess no more lounge in Carlsbad!