We rented week 31 at Carlsbad Inn for the final week of our 2-week summer vacation.  We spent Week 30 at Grand Pacific Palisades, and used the week that week to run around San Diego and catch up with friends and family.  Week 31 was all about beach time.  This was our first time back to Carlsbad Inn since our summer vacation in 2019.  This week was all about beach time, although we did spend time getting ice cream in Carlsbad Village (Handels!), making "sun catchers" at the resort, and playing foosball with new friends.

​This week went exactly as we hoped.  During overcast mornings, we slept in, tidied up, and ran minimal errands.  Once the sun came out in the afternoon, we walked to the beach and spent the rest of the day there.  Sooooo relaxing!!!  We checked out beach gear from the resort, and the kids spent hours playing on the beach.  Our two-year old even went down for a 2-hour nap on the beach one of the afternoons!  We also spent lots of time in the pool and watching the summer Olympics.  Our older kids (8 and 6) made friends with other kids staying at the resort (hi Baylor and Tommy!), and were sad when they had to say goodbye at the end of the week.  

The resort is almost finished with major refurbishments.  The major work done on the Oak and Elm buildings has been completed.  The only part of the resort that was still closed for construction was the adult spa and deck.  I really hope the resort gets around to updating its internet service.  It was unreliable and slow in our unit.  The laundry room under Oak also needs updating.  Whereas the machines at GPP accepted credit cards, the machines at Carlsbad Inn still require quarters, and there is no change machine on premises.

​Going from a spacious 2BR/2BA at GPP to a tight 1BR/1BA at Carlsbad Inn was a little challenging, but the rewards of being steps from the beach made it very worthwhile.  Like many other families we met, we love coming back to Carlsbad Inn in the summer, and will definitely be back!

Like many others, 2020 was a difficult year for our family, especially with our children doing remote learning from home.  One silver lining was that we accrued a lot of unused vacation time that we now get to enjoy this summer.  We used GPX to exchange our week 52 at Carlsbad Inn into week 30 at Grand Pacific Palisades.  This was our first time staying at this resort.

We were in a 2 bedroom/2 bath unit overlooking Armada Drive (“garden view”).  It was very spacious, with plenty of room for our 3 kids.  I took pictures of the unit before moving in.  Here’s a few:

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Although GPP is not walking distance from Carlsbad’s beaches, the resort offers a shuttle service that will bring you to and from the beaches.  We didn’t use the shuttle, and never made it to the beach this week, because we were busy enjoying San Diego’s parks and catching up with family and friends.  We tried to get all our sightseeing and visiting done this week because the following week we had reservations at Carlsbad Inn, and we wanted to enjoy as much beach time as possible.  During our stay at GPP, we spent a day at Legoland, which was lots of fun, and so easy to walk to.  In fact, after spending the morning at the park, we came back to GPP for lunch and a little rest, and then walked back to Legoland in the late afternoon to enjoy their water park.  We also spent time at the San Diego Zoo (it’s huge!), Old Town (lunch and shopping at Fiesta de Reyes), and La Jolla Cove (sea lions for the kids, boutique shopping for mom).  With all the time we spent running around San Diego, we needed a couple days of easy pool time at the resort, and GPP was great for this.  The pool has a fun splash pad for the kids, and we met lots of nice families from all over the country (hello Michigan friends!!). 

GPP would not be our first choice for a beach vacation, but for a very comfortable place to enjoy Legoland, and all of San Diego’s many other attractions, this is a great choice.

Last summer, about three months after our third child was born, we packed up the minivan and did the 8-hour drive from Rocklin to Carlsbad.  We love staying at the Carlsbad Inn during the summer, since it's right on the beach.  It was a little cloudy and cool when we got there, but our older kids, Jeremiah (5) and Penelope (4) were so excited when we got to the beach, that they went right into the water - with their jackets still on!  The weather got warmer during the week, and we had some great beach days.  We also went to Legoland for the first time, visited with some friends and family in San Diego, and ate at some great restaurants.  The resort was doing major construction on the ground floor of the Elm building, so it was pretty noisy during the day, but I can't wait to see the renovated rooms next time we go!  The resort shows movies on the lawn at night during the week, and we watched some of it from our balcony.  Here's some photos from our trip below.  Please call or email me if I can help you buy or sell your timeshare at the Carlsbad Inn.

We recently spent a long weekend at the Red Wolf Lodge in Squaw Valley.  This is a Grand Pacific Resorts property, and you can find exchange weeks available on the GPX exchange.  The resort is a little on the older side, but it's really charming, and the location is unbeatable!  This is a true ski-in/ski-out property, with quick access to the Funitel and Red Dog chair lifts.  If you get a room with a mountain view, you can sit on your couch and watch people ski down the mountain all day.  Here's the view from our room:

What the resort may lack in amenities, it more than makes up for in its location, friendly staff, and fun activities onsite.  Once you get to the resort, you park your vehicle below the building, and check-in at the lobby.  The Village at Squaw Valley is a quick three-minute walk from the resort, and there are lots of great restaurants (Twenty-Two Bistro), bars (Auld Dubliner), shops (Spruce), and even a little market with some good wine and craft beer.  Besides skiing, we took the kiddos up the tram to High Camp to show them where Mom and Dad got engaged many years ago!

This is a great resort for the whole family.  Besides our family of 4, we had Grandma and Grandpa, and an aunt an uncle stay in another room directly across the hall from us.  Their room had quick access to the on-property hot tub!  It was fun cooking dinners together after a full day of skiing and shopping in the village.  Squaw Valley shot off fireworks over Red Dog on Saturday night, which the kids loved!  If you're an annual skier, you should consider looking at this resort, a Welk Platinum Points package for booking stays at Northstar, or Marriott Timber Lodge.  This is a great place to spend a long President's Day weekend.  Happy skiing and pray for snow!

Our week at the Carlsbad Inn in Oak 322 is almost over. Our family has had such a great time, even with all the construction going on in the Oak units. It looks like the units are being completely upgraded. According to the staff on property, construction is scheduled to be completed sometime in January. There has been lots of construction noise during the day, and the water was off for most of yesterday. But with the beach on one side of the resort, and the Carlsbad Village on the other side, no wants to spend the day indoors anyways!  Here's some construction photos:

Yesterday we did some beach time, and then hit the farmer's market on State Street, an easy walk down Carlsbad Village Drive from the resort. My husband has also made several trips to Texas Wine & Spirits down the road to pick up some hard-to-find craft beer that he can't find up our way in Rocklin. 

This has been a great trip to get a feel for the resort and meet some great people here. We have three weeks listed (6, 7, 8) in Elm 201, an oceanfront unit. I was able to get into this unit and get some pictures of the view from the balcony (below). As you can see, these are some of the best views in the resort!  These weeks are priced to sell quickly ($3,500), and I have the feeling someone is going to pick these up soon. 

We are at the Carlsbad Inn, enjoying sunny, mid-80s weather with the kids during this Thanksgiving week. We're staying in unit 322, almost an oceanfront unit, with a beautiful ocean view.  Here's the pictures of when we arrived:

This resort is amazing!!  It's about as close to the beach as you can get, and there are so many nice restaurants, ice cream shops, and bars at the Carlsbad Village right next door. Once you get here, you can park your car and pretty much forget about it. One thing we probably should have done was have groceries delivered to the resort when we got here, so we didn't have to do grocery shopping first thing the next day. But it worked out fine, because we had a fun dinner at Norte's our first night.

We're having so much fun here! Going to the beach during the day, cooking a nice dinner in the room while the kids nap, and then walking to the Village for ice cream or chocolate at night. Easy to see why the Carlsbad Inn has the highest trading power of any Southern California resort through RCI.  We've learned a lot about day use (future blog post) and yesterday we did a trip to the Coronado Beach Resort, maybe 2nd best Grand Pacific resort in San Diego County (also future blog post).

Happy Thanksgiving 2017 to everyone!

Courtney Jex
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​Every year our family takes a “stay-cation” in our beautiful city of San Diego.  This year we decided to stay at a Carlsbad timeshare, which is an affluent seaside resort city located about 35 miles north of downtown San Diego.  It is known for its beautiful and uncrowded beaches, local street fairs and art walks in the Village and the famous LEGOLAND® California and SEA LIFE Aquarium just off the coast.  We stayed at Carlsbad Seapointe Resort, which is a nice family friendly resort just off the Pacific Coast Highway, making it easy to get to and from other locations.  See our review of our stay at the Carlsbad Seapointe timeshare.

Since we are timeshare owners and usually take a stay-cation every year, we wanted to check out some of the other Carlsbad resorts for future vacations.  The first one that we visited was Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort.  This resort is located right at the end of Carlsbad Village Dr and is steps away from the beach.  Its location is very ideal for the vacationer wanting to walk everywhere and not have to drive at all.  In fact, there is a local Mexican restaurant and bar called “El Norte”, as well as a Café called “Daily News Café” and other shops located right on-site!  If you cross the street, you are in the center of the “Village” where many events occur year round and there are lots of cute boutique shops, local pubs and pizzerias, ice cream shops, sidewalk cafés, and several local beach/surf shops to explore.  Besides the location of Carlsbad Inn being so wonderful, the resort itself is full of charm and many activities and amenities.  There is a beautiful Oceanview Courtyard with Lush Gardens in the center of the property, which includes many chaise lounge chairs and comfy sofa seats for a relaxing atmosphere.  There is a heated pool with spa, fitness center with sauna and an adult only hot tub.  The views from the resort are amazing, but it’s the easy beach access that makes it so desirable by simply exiting the resort through the courtyard, crossing a small street and you’re steps away from the sand.  As a resort guest you are able to check out complimentary beach items such as beach toys, chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards and even bicycles and jogging strollers!  If you are not a beach goer, then the resort offers weekly activities such as: Yoga, chair massages, nutrition classes, Art display, wine tasting and a succulent box class!  And for the more adventurous ones, the resort offers day trips to Catalina Island and Hollywood, as well as sailing trips.  The Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort is perfect for resort travelers that prefer walking everywhere and easy beach access.

The last Carlsbad resort that we visited was Grand Pacific Palisades Resort.  This resort sits above the magnificent Flower Fields, which is in bloom​ from mid-March through mid-May, and is located less than a mile from beautiful beaches.  The location is fantastic because it is close enough to the beach for the occasional beach goer, but right next to the Carlsbad Premium Outlets and LEGOLAND®!  The resort itself is very upscale compared to the other Carlsbad resorts we visited.  The main entrance has a grand feel and overlooks the adults only pool and spa, which has gorgeous views of the city of Carlsbad and the ocean.  The nice thing about the Adults only pool and spa is that is really does feel like “adults only”, with the pool-side bar and lounge music, relaxing chaise lounge chairs and sofa couches sitting next to a fire pit, along with private cabanas.  There is even a phone booth with a menu for the Karl Strauss Brewery, which is located on-site, to deliver right to the pool!  Although it may seem like this resort is not kid friendly, it is quite the opposite actually.  There is a Family Water Park, pool and spa located on the opposite side of the resort (far enough away from the adults only pool and spa), which has an incredible splash pad for kids with a fun playground and a good size pool.  As a guest, the resort offers discount tickets to LEGOLAND®, which is only about a 6-minute walk from the resort.  However, the resort also offers a shuttle that will drop off and pick up anywhere within a 5 mile radius from the resort, making it very convenient to get around without a car.  Overall, Grand Pacific Palisades is a great resort for families and/or adults wanting a luxurious getaway with new amenities and close to shopping, restaurants, beaches and fun local attractions.

Our family stayed at the Carlsbad Seapointe resort the second week of this October, 2015.  This resort is just one of many great Carlsbad timeshares in San Diego county.  The weather was beautiful, and we were fortunate enough to miss the summer crowds.  The Carlsbad Seapointe resort is located on a secluded bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  It sits along the legendary Pacific Coast Highway, which takes just a few minutes’ drive to Carlsbad Village; a cute beach town filled with shopping, restaurants, cafés and local pubs. 

This resort is family friendly and ideal for resort travelers that enjoy vacationing close to the beach, but also want easy access to local attractions, such as Legoland (which is less than 1 mile away), San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Seaworld and downtown San Diego, all of which are less than half hour drive away.  The beach is accessed by crossing the PCH, then walking 5 minutes down the PCH to the beach.

The property has a very lush and tropical feel to it and offers several amenities such as 2 heated swimming pools (one of which has a fun kids splash pad), a tennis court, a fitness center, 2 jacuzzis and BBQ grills through-out.  Being steps away from the beach, the resort also offers day use of beach equipment such as beach chairs, umbrella’s, beach towels, wagons, boogie boards, beach balls and sand toys.
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The resort features spacious one and two bedroom condominium-style rooms with either a patio or a balcony facing the ocean, which have spectacular sunset views!  One possible concern was that the units on the east side of the resort are fairly close to the rail line.  However, we didn't hear any trains after about 9pm, and our 2 year-old son loved watching the trains go by!  All in all, Carlsbad Seapointe is a really nice beach-friendly resort with a relaxing atmosphere.