Carlsbad

 After venturing out to San Diego, opted to check out the HGVC timeshare in Carlsbad and booked a three night stay at the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort. I didn't get into the area as early as I thought and ended up arriving to the hotel at check in time. Since the hotel room wasn't ready, Karl Straus is connected to the property and offered a patio to hang out while the room was prepped.

Surprisingly, the hotel was fairly packed and I assume people were vacationing and hanging out at the beach in Oceanside or Carlsbad. The hotel pools were busy but not that busy. I did like that there was an adult pool and a family pool area. The families will enjoy that there is a mini water park area for the kids.

On this trip, I was destined for some more issues. On the last night, the bathroom flooded. Luckily I was in the room and was able to move quickly. I was able to see the difference between a one bedroom suite and a two bedroom suite in this stay. Both could have ocean views if it wasn't for the ashes in the air blocking any visibility. In comparing this hotel with the Mar Brisa, I liked the parking accessibility of the Mar Brisa. The rooms themselves are nice and there wasn't a noticeable difference in amenities.

Grand Pacific Palisades One Bedroom Living Room
Grand Pacific Palisades Patio View 
Grand Pacific Palisades Two Bedroom Living Room
Grand Pacific Palisades Bedroom

Dining

BJ's Restaurant and Brewery - I didn't want to spend too much time looking for a store and opted to buy beer from the restaurant. A growler is so cheap!

P.F. Changs - Ordered takeout from the restaurant. The food is decent but the chocolate wall cake was delicious!

Karl Strauss Brewery - the duck fat pretzels are decadent and not good for you, so have alot of them. I also enjoyed the Soiree cider and the Chai Me A River cider. The chai cider does have a very thanksgiving feel and you do need to like chai flavor to appreciate the cider.


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