Hello! We recently returned from a fall trip to LEGOLAND California in the beautiful seaside community of Carlsbad. We were excited to check out Brick-or-Treat, LEGOLAND's Halloween celebration! SeaWorld and a day at the beach were also on our list. This trip was especially fun because my sister recently moved to Southern California and she visited LEGOLAND with us!

We spent four nights at Homewood Suites by Hilton Carlsbad – North San Diego County. I had heard good things about it from my friends at Get Away Today. It's one of their most popular hotels near LEGOLAND. We needed to give this hotel a try.

Homewood Suites Carlsbad made a great base for our LEGOLAND and San Diego family vacation. Here's what you can expect.

Our Room

Two big reasons for families to stay at Homewood Suites are extra space and full kitchens.

We had a Two Queen room, which gave us one bedroom with a living room, kitchen and bathroom. I think that the beds were full size, not queens, though. The living room had a pull out couch. Both the bedroom and living room had flat screen televisions. Having two rooms with a door in between gave our family the space and privacy we needed to relax. My sister spent one night with us, and we still had space.

The kitchen had a full size refrigerator and freezer, two-burner stove top, microwave, coffee maker and dishwasher. Towels and detergent for the sink and dishwasher were included There was no oven. We had a set of dishes, utensils and drinking glasses for four. There were a couple of pots and pans, and a handful of basic cooking tools and accessories in the cupboards.

We only ate dinner in our room one night – easy microwave meals from Trader Joe's, which is about five minutes drive from the hotel. We packed picnic lunches nearly every day for SeaWorld, LEGOLAND and the beach. It was great to have a full size refrigerator and clean counter space to prepare sandwiches.

Family-friendly amenities

The hotel pool is the most important amenity for my children. Always.

The heated pool and hot tub at Homewood Suites Carlsbad are small, but serviceable for families. My kids spent quality time in both during our stay.

Other amenities for families include complimentary Wi-Fi, fitness room, high chairs and cribs, family movie rentals and guest laundry facilities.

Complimentary Meals

I've seen plenty of complimentary breakfasts at the hotels we've visited, but Homewood Suites Carlsbad is the first to offer complimentary dinner (!) as well.

Homewood Suites Carlsbad provided a complimentary light supper on each weeknight (Monday-Thursday) of our stay. Soup, salad and pulled pork sliders were on the buffet one night. Loaded nachos and tortilla soup were served the next. Adults are invited to enjoy a complimentary beer or glass of wine with their meal.

We enjoyed the complimentary hot breakfast each morning. The breakfast included hot eggs, potatoes, sausage, waffle makers, fresh fruit and yogurt, hot and cold cereals, the usual assortment of breads and pastries, juice and coffee.

Location

We have visited Carlsbad several times, and have found it to be an easy place for newcomers to find their way around. Restaurants, grocery stores, shopping and fun activities are all a short drive from Homewood Suites Carlsbad.

Homewood Suites Carlsbad is located across the street from the McClellan-Palomar Airport. It is less than 10 minutes drive from LEGOLAND California and the Pacific Ocean.

We saw no restaurants, activities or other services within walking distance of Homewood Suites. It shares a parking lot with the Hampton Inn and is situated in an upscale industrial neighborhood. This hotel used to have a complimentary shuttle, and we are disappointed that it has been discontinued. The views and location are not very exciting, but we loved the comfort, amenities and affordability at Homewood Suites Carlsbad.

Disclosure: Get Away Today sponsored our stay at Homewood Suites Carlsbad for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own. 

How else can we help?

We recommend booking your LEGOLAND trip with Get Away Today. Homewood Suites Carlsbad is one of Get Away Today's most booked hotels near LEGOLAND.

Find a cheaper vacation package? Get Away Today will beat the price by $10. Learn more about our partnership with Get Away Today here.

ANYTIME: Save $25 on any San Diego vacation package of 2 nights or more that includes 2 tickets (San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, etc) when you use the coupon code SDFamily.

Allison

Hi there! I am the founder of Tips for Family Trips. I am a married mom of two children, ages 17 and 20, living near Salt Lake City, Utah. We took our first child on a two-week road trip when she was four weeks old and we have been traveling as a family ever since. We love to get out of the house to see and do fun things, both far away and in our own neighborhood.