Sharaton Spa and Resort

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Sheraton has a great reputation. This hotel was full of families and they were great. On Saturday it was family movie night - a full bbq w/bar and a free movie in the pool. The pool (great shallow pool) was full of kids and parents were enjoying the pool too. The pool is open 24 hours - the patio area has ping pong table and Foosball table too! The restaurant was cuisine - so so - kid friendly.
Amenities include: health club, spa, child care, refrigerator, internet access.

Hotel restaurant was expensive - high cuisine - the menu had wine paring suggestions too. Good bar and wine list. Food OK - after eating at Legoland I was looking for something more homemade than high cuisine.

Leogland speaks for itself. We spent two days at the park. We did not venture into the new Aquarium - it was $10 a person - the kids did not mind and enjoyed the H2O park instead.

We went from Goleta to Carlsbad in the Amtrak train. It was great for us and the kids. We took a taxi from the train station to the hotel for $20. Once we were at the hotel we did not need to go anywhere.

We used the free Lego Land tickets from the Santa Barbara Library summer reading program. It was great. Costco has the best ticket prices for Legoland. I booked the Sharaton on line - 21 advance purchase was a good price.

I think the kids enjoyed the pool more than Legoland. The hotel pool was great for kids - huge shallow end (3 ft) and the deep part (5) was in the middle. This pool was created for little kids and families. I was impressed by the outdoor movie too! Lego land is perfect for kids under 10. I think we can go one more time in two or three years. I enjoyed seeing all the creative structures made with legos.

Staying at a family friendly Resort Hotel was great for parents. I did not take part of the Spa or work out room but was impressed with what I saw.

Pros It was a great car free vacation. I would do it again. My son loves the train and I enjoyed not being stuck in the 405 freeway. I would return to this hotel and Lego Land. It was nice not to have a car - so we were not tempted to pack in more sites or other entertainment sights in San Diego.

Cons Once we decided to go car less one is stuck at the Hotel. This is not for everyone. Most other guests were shocked we did not have a car - it saved us the $12 a day parking fee. I was also grateful to skip the outlet mall or in and out burger. This vacation was pleasant due to the fact we could not add on to the vacation. We did all we could in the area and that was more than enough.

Train is a great way to get to Lego Land. I would encourage all of you to try it. If you are on a budget you can also bring a cooler of snacks and drinks. Sign up for local hotel web sites for special deals.