Originally Posted by
italdesign
I'm looking for a room on NYE to house my partner and I. We plan to watch the fireworks at night, so proximity to that would be good. Googling a bit, I see previous year's fireworks have been at both Mission Bay and Legoland, hence the two hotels in question.
Which property would you recommend for this purpose? Do we have to go to Legoland to see its fireworks, or can we see it from outside? I know Aviara is the nicer property, but if we have to drive to Mission Bay to see the fireworks, then the hotel there may make more sense (I imagine bad traffic after the fireworks).
BTW, I'm a platinum member and this will be an award stay.
Home is San Diego for me so I'll give you my opinion, yet I have never stayed at either Hyatt's (been to the Aviara for weddings...).
The best fireworks are going to be downtown over the marina. You may be able to see a little bit of them from Mission Bay, but not as spectacular as being downtown. Is the Manchester Hyatt out completely? That would be the best for those fireworks and my family and I actually grew up hanging out at that Hyatt before we would walk down to the marina! Another option is to pay to board the USS Midway and watch them from there. It's truly a unique experience.
Between the hotels you've stated, the best would be Mission Bay. You will see fireworks from Sea World and the ones that are directly on Mission Bay. If you wanted, you could take the 10-15 minute drive into downtown and see them there as well while staying at Mission Bay.
Personally, I think the Aviara is far out and you would have to probably go to some country clubs in the area to see the hotels in Encinitas/Carlsbad. Unless you purchased tickets to Legoland, you would probably have to drive to a nearby park or pull off to the side of the street to view them. I highly doubt you will be able to see them from the hotel itself. You could travel south a bit and hit the Del Mar Fairgrounds as well. I have a great park in Del Mar if you need, where you can see about 3-4 shows at once.