Originally Posted by
PoincianaKings
In California it has to be Aviara. Hands down. We go a couple of times a year and the kids love it. V good pool. Staff great with kids. Some reports of long waits for breakfast but we’ve never had an issue. Beaches nearby, Lego land, cheaper eats close by and a Jenni’s minutes away.
Seabird also v good but a different vibe to Aviara.
carmel Valley was a disappointment. Not sure why folks rate it so highly- old rooms and a restaurant that didn’t cater for kids (but they may have changed) and was full of outside locals meaning hotel guests struggle to get a table.
HR in Huntington Beach also looks good and has positive reviews but we have never visited.
The HR Huntington Beach is also very good, it's right on the beach although the pool area gets a fair amount of street noise and the rooms could use a refresh at this point but with all that said it's a great family property. So is the Everline and the Hyatt Regency in Lake Tahoe.
Still my two favorite family based properties in California are the Park Hyatt Aviara and the Carmel Valley Ranch. I'm not sure what type of room you had at the Carmel Valley Ranch but we had one of the large Ranch Suites and the room was awesome. We were just there over the summer and I thought the resort was extremely kid friendly. The place definitely does have an unique feel while being close to Carmel by the Sea, Monterey, and Big Sur. It's not quite as fancy as the Park Hyatt Aviara, but I loved our experience at Carmel Valley Ranch.