So...to my 2 readers out there who were waiting for me to actually write something new, sorry it's been such a long wait. In the period of time since my last blog post, I have been on 1 other multi-day trip to Disneyland. We stayed at the new Courtyard Waterpark hotel across the street for Disneyland and it was absolutely worth the cost of the rooms. Unfortunately, my pictures of the room got deleted and the trip itself was a disaster due to quite a few circumstances that did not involve anything that could have been controlled, so no detailed reviews, sorry. Sadly, my annual passes expired at the beginning of this month. We are trying to save money to go to Disney World in 5 years or so, so we're not renewing. Never fear, we will still go to Disneyland at least once per year...just not monthly. That being said, we're trying something new this year...Annual Passes to Legoland.
Before you skewer me (the Disney fan in me is kicking myself), keep in mind that it's a great place for kids. My kids (5 and 2) love it. So...I'm trying to make the most of it. Legoland is great, as I've written about in the past. Not as great as it could be, but it should be an exciting year for Legoland. And, my plan is to help you with your planning. Families of 5+ often struggle to find accommodations. I've done the Legoland Hotel, and it's great, but let's face it, how many larger families can actually afford $300+ per night? I'm determined to find good deals that work.
First up was the new Fairfield Inn in Carlsbad. This was our first trip on the passes, a Christmas gift, so we went during the week directly following Christmas. We paid about $140 for the 2 queen bed room. The hotel was new and gorgeous. Hotel staff was friendly. Unfortunately, our room did not have a tub, which was not good for our kids. We made it work, but oddly enough, when I complained to Marriott about this, they told me I should have gotten a 2-queen room as all 2-bed rooms have a tub. Umm...okay? I had a 2 queen room. When I told them this, I got no further reply. Hmmm...I won't go into detail because it's been a while, but I'd say it was a mixed blessing. Rooms were nice and beds were great. The tub thing was annoying, but not necessarily a deal-breaker. And, hey, free breakfast! But, what really bothered me was the noise. At 10PM, we could still hear people talking loudly in the hallway. There was approximately a 1-inch gap under the door, which was extremely frustrating. And...well, let's just say we felt really bad for our neighbors having to listen to our kids cry all night since we could hear everyone else's problems. The hotel in general gets great reviews, so maybe it was just a singular bad experience, or maybe it just wasn't the right hotel for our family with young children. I'm not sure. Good proximity to Legoland for the price though (about 2 miles, 10 minute drive).
Legoland for the holidays was fun. It wasn't terribly crowded and they do a snow play area. The cool weather was nice, too. We missed the fireworks, but they do run fireworks the week after Christmas along with other special holiday events. I have to say, while it was great, I missed the water parks...can't wait for them to open in spring.
This past President's Day weekend, we went on a second trip. This time, we stayed at the Homewood Suites across the street from the small airport in town. Comparatively, it was a much better experience. The cost was relatively similar (about $130) for 2 queen beds, a living area with a sofa bed, and a small kitchen with a full size refrigerator. This is a slightly older hotel, so there were some signs of wear and tear, but it was within reason. The room was clean. There was a bathtub. And, most importantly, it was quiet. They also have a free breakfast. It's the exact same food offered at most hotels, but the space was much bigger and there was plenty of seating when we went at 7 (breakfast runs from 6-9). A perk we didn't know about but might make use of in the future is that pets are welcome for a small cleaning fee. This is nice for us as if we come for a week, we might want to bring our dog instead of trying to find a sitter. Overall, this was an exceedingly nice hotel for the price.
I thought Legoland would not be too crowded in February, but I was wrong. It was probably the combination of President's Day Weekend, Valentine's Day, and gorgeous 75-85 degree weather. Anyway, aside from the surprising amount of crowds and the well-known but frustrating nonetheless wait times/lines, we had a great time. With it being so warm, we really missed the water park, indicating to me yet again that Legoland is more of a spring/summer trip unless you have annual passes, but otherwise, we saw quite a bit and my oldest got to ride on everything he wanted to.
We're looking forward to another visit during Spring Break, a longer on in June after the Ninjago themed area opens, and a couple more in the Fall. The plan is to stay at a new hotel each time so we can share our impressions with you, but I have to say, we're pretty much sold on the Homewood Suites for now. I know in June we'll be doing 4 night at the Hyatt House. If there are any other hotels (especially those with suites) that you're interested in hearing our impressions of, let me know. We'll try to get as many in as possible on our trips.
