A conference I was attending was hosted here at the Town & Country, so I stayed at the resort. The first building I was placed in gave me a headache from the horrible smell of smoke as soon as I walked in - it was a low two-story building with room access on the interior. I decided to give it another try and after checking in for my conference came back and again, was nearly knocked over by the smell of smoke (not in the room, but in the building hallways). I called the front desk and was promptly moved to another building - which I very much appreciated.
The bellhop arrived in about 5 minutes' time, and moved my baggage (as well as me!) via golf cart to my new room. He was super friendly and nice and gave me good tips on running in the area (I am a runner), which I was able to take advantage of for most of the week. The new room, although the furnishings were a little dated (like my original room), was pretty clean. The bathroom was not as clean, I noticed a little later (the tile floor had a few hairs from previous residents particularly behind the door), but not worth calling about. I did not have a mini fridge or microwave which was fine - bananas make a great breakfast! Every staff member I interacted with (including a maintenance man who replaced a broken light bulb) were incredibly friendly and seemed willing to go the extra mile to make sure I was appeased. A few of my colleagues said that they had requested and reserved rooms with King beds and were given rooms with two doubles (maybe queens) but not told that - honestly, not a big issue in my eyes.
I ate at Kelly's Steakhouse my first night there - I am not much of a steak fan but enjoyed the Chicken San Diego that I purchased from their "Early Bird" section (on the back of the menu). The molasses baked beans left much to be desired, but my chicken was great and the service was friendly (although a little slow - but with the quantity of customers, you can't expect it all!).
The proximity to the mall, as others have mentioned, was great. A few friends had rental cars so we went to the GasLamp District (about 20 minutes away from the resort) one night (highly recommend Rock Bottom Brewery's happy hour - $3.50 beers and great pretzels! - as well as Henry's Pub - great service, good beer, and good food!). We also went to Lucha Libre Taco Shop (15 minutes from the resort) another night - quite an experience and a great burrito! I also made it to Cabrillo National Park (20 minutes away from the resort?) to see Old Point Loma Lighthouse - it is positively gorgeous and has such a phenomal view - well worth the $5 or so it cost as entrance fee.
The conference facilities were very clean and well set-up. Our "group" had classes in varying sized conference rooms, which was interesting. There are a TON of mirrors here! hahaha But we had gorgeous weather, so I welcomed the walk to- and from- classes and my room. We also were given use of the fitness center for free as a part of the conference (thank goodness!), which was pretty nice and well-"furnished" for a hotel fitness room (it is in the Spa! I was confused about that at first).
During one of our classes, which was primarily focused on military housing, one other attendee said that this family-owned resort makes their facilities available to military families if they are available (at a low or minimal cost I think) - which I think is wonderful. It totally made me overlook any of the minor negatives this site may have had. I don't know the truth to the person's statement, but I hope it's true!
I would stay here again for a conference - it was very convenient and clean!
Room Tip: Ask to be in the towers and, if available, one with a balcony. I had a great view from my room but h...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
6 February 2012
We are so pleased we were able to accommodate a room change for you which made your stay with us better during your conference. It’s nice that you were able to not only enjoy Kelly’s Steakhouse on property, but Downtown San Diego as well during your stay. Again, thanks for visiting and for posting a review online.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC