We just returned from a 6 night stay on a GLONP2 reward. My DH was attending a professional meeting and we were delighted that it would be held at a Hilton property that would allow us to make good use of points.

The resort is a sprawling property that is just across Cabrillo Blvd. from the beachfront. I can honestly say that I have never stayed at a property with such pleasant staff. To a person, everyone was wonderful.

At check-in, we were given our warm cookies and breakfast certificates good at the Los Arcos cafe. Breakfast was off the menu Mon.-Fri. and included a sumptuous buffet on Sat. & Sun. The hours ran from 6am to 11:30am (12pm on weekend). We indulged ourselves with the eggs California--poached eggs over crabcakes & avocado with hollandaise--and we'll never enjoy regular eggs Benedict again! We were'nt limited in any way when it came to ordering. The vouchers included entree, juice, coffee/tea--and perhaps additional items that we just didn't happen to order. Had we paid for these breakfasts, they would have easily added up to no less than $18/person. The cafe staff is wonderful, too, even holding off placing an order until 11:29 am for a late arriving diner so that the food would be fresh and warm when served.

The hotel itself is undergoing some renovations in a variety of areas, but the updating didn't create any hardships that I could see. The most unexptected "problem" was the train whistle that takes some getting used to on a daily basis--by night 3, we were used to it.

We stayed in the Bougainvillea building and our room was large, with updated bedding (very comfortable) and amazingly quiet heating & cooling. We purchased wireless internet for the duration of the stay ($9.95/day) and we had some problems with the connections holding. I mentioned this at checkout and the charge was removed without my asking. The desk clerk said that they'd been having problems with internet connections in that building and have made multiple attempts to diagnose and fix it.

Another highlight of our trip include wonderful banquet and concierge service.

Some travel tips for this area are: If you fly into Burbank (Bob Hope Airport), you can cross the street and take a beautiful 2+ hour train trip (Amtrak) up to Santa Barbara and you'll never need a car once you get there. One there, you can ride an electric trolley for .25 from the zoo to the beach to the shopping district on State Street. There is also a great city bus system that will take you out to Carpenteria or the Mission and if you want to go to Solvang, you can get back on Amtrak. For whale watching, you can't beat Condor Express--they have Park Service naturalists on board and if you don't see any whales, they'll give you a whale check for an in-season return trip for free. If wine tasting and vineyards are on your agenda, you can find many options for tours to places less than an hour away. Seafood is great at Enterprise Fish and don't miss the Courthouse and the art museum. On good weather Sundays, local artists and craftspeople set up along the Cabrillo Blvd. in the park and sell their wares. You can buy anything from exotic wood yo-yos to beautiful oil paintings.

This "Riviera of America" is a super place to spend a very relaxing, hectic-free visit and the Fess Parker Doubletree is a wonderful place to stay while you're there.

Rae