Land of Blue Skies and Sandy Shorts
Written: Oct 23 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You know the drill...read the review!
Cons: Service, service, service
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| ttee06's Full Review: Hilton San Diego Resort |
Yep, we had a great time. My family met up one fine Memorial Day weekend and stayed at the Hilton. All the siblings and spouses, their children and our parents...everyone that is, except grandma...she wasn't feeling well. :-(
In spite of the fact that we were less one family member, we managed to find a way to enjoy ourselves. And this, also in spite of some of the less than stellar experiences we had at this hotel.
Let's start with those and end on a high note...shall we?
1. When my partner and I arrived at the hotel to check in, they would not let us. It seems my parents had booked the 4 rooms in their names and they had not arrived yet. After the argument that ensued, the moronic desk clerk said that we could call my mother and she could give them permission to check us in. (Darn it, mom forgot to pin the darn note to my chest before I left that morning.) Well, gee, golly. I called my mom who was enraged at this, and she told them in not uncertain terms to take care of us. All the while, my partner and I wondered how he knew that we really didn't call Ol' Mother Hubbard or Granny Goose instead of my dear sweet mum.
2. The restaurant food and service was mediocre at best. Granted it gets a little difficult to take care of a party of 11, but c'mon, this is the Hilton, they should have a handle on this.
3. The poolside manner left a little to be desired. Case in point. The "cabana" sells drinks and burgers and ice cream while the cute servers come around and...well you know...like, serve! Now, the main restaurant is right next to the cabana with a full menu. So, I'm babysitting my nieces and nephews (read making sure they don't drown while playing in the pool...) and ask the server for a grilled cheese sandwich. Her reply is that I can't get that from her. I have to leave poolside and go inside the restaurant to order it myself. For heaven's sake, how ridiculous. So, I manage to flag another family member down to take over watch...go inside to order....and wait. And wait. And wait. (really, I was waiting.) I make grilled cheese sandwiches at home and they take less than 5 minutes to prepare.
4. Upon checkout, each room was charged a different rate, which was different than the rate quoted to my mother. She had to spend a great deal of time afterward trying to straighten out the bill.
Okay, I'm done ranting. Some of you may think I'm being a bit over the top with my criticism, but geeez it's a HOTEL for crying out loud! I'm on vacation....SERVE ME! :-)
Okay, so here's the rest:
1. The rooms - Neatly appointed, clean and comfortable. Our room ran about $149 a night.
2. Lots to do for the family! Here's a sampling:
Large swimming pool: The pool was plenty big for all the people who flocked here for the holiday weekend, and it was clean. Also, for a price, they rent out inflatable play toys for the kids to float on. I believe it was somewhere around $14 for an entire days rental.
Toddler Pool: The mommies and daddies can hang out here with their non-swimmers to relax or teach little ones to swim.
Hair Art: There was a lady braiding beads into youngsters hair. It was quite pricey, but my mom treated her grand-daughter anyway.
Boats and Jetskis: The jetskis were renting for somewhere around $80 and hour and the boats were around $100. (Don’t quote me on these, but it’s close.) We took all the youngsters out for a ride around the Bay for about 2 hours. They had a blast! Uncle Teddy drove really fast! I believe the place is privately owned but it is right on the hotel grounds and you can charge it to your room. (Thanks Dad!)
Private Beach: If the pool is not your thing....go rest up on the sandy beaches of Mission Bay. Try it, you'll like it. (But watchout for jellyfish; they were abundant when we were there.
Bicycles: We rented 11 bikes and rode around the bay with even the baby in tow. What a great family bonding activity and great exercise too! Sorry I don't remeber the cost, but they weren't that expensive.
Shuttle to the ballpark: You don’t have to stay at the hotel to have fun. My brother-in-law took the kids to see a Padre game. It was easy to get to from the hotel premises.
3. Fun stuff for the adults, too. I got a wonderful massage from a very skilled young lady. It was around $20 for 15 minutes and I think it was $50 for a half-hour. She did it poolside, so I never had to leave the family.
All in all, I think the Hilton is good value for family vacations. Perhaps our bad experience were just attributed to one or three ignorant or unknowledgeable persons. There is much to offer here. I would recommend the place with a word of caution: Go to have fun, don’t expect to be treated like a king..or queen.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ttee06
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Location: The Capitol, CA
Reviews written: 31
Trusted by: 25 members
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