This being the first time I had ever been in the San Diego area for a national figure skating competition with my daughter (the skater) and her mother, I did not know what to expect. But, knowing the Marriott name, and SpringHill Suites being one of their brands, I did have some expectations. Marriott did not disappoint. This SpringHill suite is located in the Rancho Bernardo/Poway, a section of San Diego immediately to the north of San Diego's city limits.

We arrived at Carlsbad Airport (a less crowded/busy airport just north of the San Diego area...about a 30 minute drive) via LAX. This location is right next to the freeway, the "I-15". But, don't let that scare you. Not only was it very convenient to all area points and "highways" (as they are known on the east coast, "freeways" as they are known on the west coast, and "motorways" as they are known in the UK) north, south, east and west in the area, but it was quiet and very well maintained. In fact, the uppermost floor was being renovated at the time of our stay and we hardly ever heard any noise except for one day, but not until it was mid-day.

This location has a very friendly staff at the front desk, and a spectacular breakfast room right off the lobby. Complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate is available in the lobby 24 hours a day, along with a variety of fresh local fruits like oranges. Anyone who knows me when I travel knows that I prefer to stay at a place with complimentary breakfast. This place had some of the best variety of breakfast buffets to choose from and it rotated daily so you'd never have a repeat of the prior day's breakfast. They had cereals, buns, pastries, bagels, sausages/bangers, make-your-own waffles, milk, juices, eggs, yogurt...and the list goes on. You'd be hard-pressed not to find something you'd eat for breakfast to start your day right.

The location had a small, very modest fitness room, and likewise a very small outdoor pool area. Maid service is daily, but one day someone did "screw-up" and failed to clean our room. A call to the front desk resulted in a very humble apology and a query of there was anything that may be needed as a result, like clean linens and the like. Linens were quickly and cheerfully delivered to the room by a maintenance/night housekeeping person who likewise apologized for the inconvenience. The room itself was similar to a large hotel room, but had a king bed, sleeper sofa, desk, refrigerator, microwave oven, sink and bath. One thing I did not like was that the king bed was very close proximity to the exterior window and its air conditioning/heating system. When the AC blew, you could really feel it if you were on the bed. A plexiglass deflector shield to blow the airflow upwards would have been good.

Restaurants like Chili's, another Marriott branded hotel, a restaurant and a gas station are all interconnected with the property's parking lot. However, other restaurants, churches (St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church is just a few minutes drive east of the hotel and is a beautiful, modern and unique church building to visit!), grocery stores, malls and the like are all within a very short drive...usually less than 5 minutes.

All major attractions, like the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park (Escondido just a short drive to the north), Old Town (a State Historic Park a short drive south), beaches (like Torrey Pines State Park/Beach in the LaJolla section of San Diego...a short drive west) are all within a 20 to 30 minute drive.

I would highly recommend this location to anyone visiting the San Diego area due to its high quality, value, convenient location and amenities.