Our family booked this hotel for what was originally going to be just a 4 night stay, with another 3 nights to be spent in Orange County. We changed our travel plans to the full 7 days in the San Diego area and extended our stay here, partially because it was a great hotel to use as a base for all our excursions.

This place was perfect for a family with two very young children. The bedroom in the suite was large, and could accomodate a crib without crowding the room. The living area of the suite was also large enough to accomodate a sofa bed (which we didn't use), a coffee table, an easy chair, and a small play area. The kitchenette had a full sized fridge, dishwasher, two burner stove, and a venting microwave unit. The room was always spotless when we came back from our excursions, and we were happy to tip our housecleaning staff generously.

For the most part, the rest of the hotel was fantastic too. The exercise room looked fantastic (I couldn't use it due to an injury). The pool and hot tub were great to have. The breakfast room was large, as was the breakfast buffet itself. Was the food the greatest? No, but it was edible, and well stocked. The only complaint I could find with the hotel itself was the parking lot. It seemed to us that the parking stalls were a little smaller than normal, because we found many people taking up more than one stall, or you felt like sardines whenever someone parked next to you.

For our purposes, the location was great. We visited Orange County a couple of days, and the one hour drive was quite easy. The 30-45 minutes drive to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World were quite manageable as well, so long as you didn't try to come back up I-5 in rush hour. If you went west on Palomar Airport Road to the end, you wound up on Carlsbad Blvd., and the beachfront there. You were less than 3 miles away from the I-5 and Carlsbad Premium Outlets. Costco, Albertsons, Target, CVS, and several restaurants were also nearby.

Without hesitation, we will book here again in future!

Everything about our stay was perfect! Very nice hotel, large comfortable rooms, uber clean. Ian and his staff went out of their way to accomodate our large group, and everyone was very happy! Would absolutely stay here again, and will look for other Homewood Suites in other cities.

There was 3 adults and 3 kids (4,6,8), we stayed in a 2 king bedroom suite- (grandma had her own bedroom, husband and I had our own and our 3 kids had the livingroom area with pullout couch, a great kitchen area, 2 bathrooms(time saver in the morning and evening). A great free breakfast - lots to choose from hot (oatmeal, waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage etc.. switched up every day or cold - bagels, cereal, bread, muffins, fruit, yogurt). We also took advantage of the free suppers mon-thurs with free beer and wine 5pm-7pm. Everyday was something different and posted in your room the menu - it was enough to eat and keep some extra easy stuff in your room (with fridge and microwave) if there is someone still hungry or didnt like the food - but you save lots of money if you can do this. There is other options to eat at - mostly 10 mins away. Legoland and sea life 5 min drive, seaworld and zoo - 1/2 hour, beach 10 mins. LA - 2 hours (we did tar pits, car museum and pirate dinner) - (but really depends on traffic and time of day).
Bontanical Gardens - 15 mins (beautiful place with lots to look at and see all kinds of fruit, plants, flowers, herbs from around the world. We were there for 10 nights.

We've tried vacation rentals for our visits to SoCal grandkids, but over the years, we've yet to find the perfect VRBO unit in Carlsbad. So, we keep coming back to our favorite -- Homewood Suites. The downside is the proximity to Legoland. On the holidays, this place is jammed full of families with small children. But, that's also the upside for adults. Most of the parents don't have time for workouts, so we use the excellent fitness room while they're having breakfast. The place clears out during the day while the families visit Legoland or the zoo, leaving the pool, laundry, and other amenities free for us. If you really don't want to be around kids when you travel, this place is not for you. But, we've found it suits our needs perfectly.