Paradise Found
Written: Jul 23 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lushly landscaped grounds, plenty of activities, and a fantastic staff!
Cons: Quite expensive, but as part of a package it is doable.
The Bottom Line: Just a wonderful, beautiful place to stay! The staff is friendly and extremely helpful and the direction sheet they give you for local attractions is dead on!
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| pokemonsick's Full Review: Paradise Point Resort & Spa |
The Paradise Point Resort and Spa in San Diego, CA is indeed a little slice of heaven transplanted down to earth! This luxury resort is one of the nicest my family has ever stayed at yet never made us feel uncomfortable or out of place.
Your journey will probably begin with the drive in from the airport. You are only approximately 7 miles from paradise. To your right about halfway through your drive will be a beach with sparkling blue waters, to the left a center road divider lined with magnificent swaying palm trees and flowering plants. You make a left onto Vacation Rd onto Vacation Island, a man made island, to reach your destination. A sign welcomes you to Paradise Point Resort and Spa. You are in for an incredible experience!
Driving down the main road you follow the signs to the lobby to check in. You can't help but notice all the lush greenery, trees, and flowering plants you pass along the way. A true delight for the senses! A stunning lagoon with spouting fish fountain, showering fountains, and smaller islands scattered within stands next to the lobby with many deck chairs for sitting a spell to watch the ducks float by, stare at the scenery or just catch your breath. An 81 step up observation tower is located here for guests to climb and see some incredible views of the resort and beyond! If entering at night you will also have the lobby marked by a lit torch in front surrounded with more lovely growing things. You will encounter many smaller versions during your stay and they sure are pretty!
The lobby you enter is loaded with things to see. On two sides are large carousel horses with multicolored glass globes overhead that function as lights. All around there are cozy seating areas (many different styles of seats) decorated with a summer cottage type of feeling. Off to one side toward the back are bathroom facilities that are beautiful. Here you will also find the check in desk and around the corner the concierge desk.
The resort has 457 bungalow (one story) rooms of which several are suites set amongst the 44 acres you will occupy. All rooms are non-smoking, but you are allowed to smoke on the grounds or on your private patio. Each room receives USA today at no extra charge. Rooms are divided into sections by villages. The resort has 5 pools (2 are heated) and a child’s pool plus a hot tub located next to the main pool and spa. Check in was a breeze and we were assigned to Hibiscus Village room 735. We were directed to go to the front of the lobby to meet a golf cart, which would show us to our room and assigned parking space. My girls and I hopped on the cart chatting up the driver and my husband followed in the car. The bellhop who was driving helped my husband to unload all the luggage while I unlocked the door.
The room had a spacious king-size bed covered with a blue comforter. On one side was a round table with an alarm clock, the other side had a bed stand with 2 drawers and an open bottom for storage. Just beyond it was a pull out sofa for the children that was a red and white large check pattern. At the foot of the king bed was a bench that could be used for seating or to place luggage upon. On the far wall across from it was an armoire which held the TV and a dorm sized fridge. Located in this cabinet were 2 bottles of water for purchase and a 4-cup coffee maker with packets of coffee and the accessories. This unit also had 4 large drawers in front so you could unpack if you wished. On the side toward the door was a luggage rack.
On the wall opposite the sleeper sofa was a glass desk/table for writing or eating. There were 2 brown wicker type chairs with cushions one on either side. Another larger chair stood in the corner and had a pull open bottom kind of like a magazine rack for storage.
Between the desk and the sleeper table on the furthest wall from the door stood the glass doors to exit to our private patio with two oversize white wooden chairs with a small square wooden table between them standing ready to receive tired bottoms. The doors had both a lock latch and a lock bar for added security. We faced some more of the resorts incredible landscaping- palm trees side by side with towering evergreens flanked with flowering shrubs.
Entering in the door and turning left there was another luggage rack. Continuing on you entered the bath area. On one wall was a large walk in closet with full length mirrored doors. Directly in front was a large vanity area with sink and mirror and 2 rings held hand towels as well as wash cloths. This is also where the built in blow dryer was located. A half wall concealed the tub, and the toilet was also on that end of the room. A shelf unit was above with plenty of towels available on it.
We were lucky enough that directly across from our room was the entrance to the waterfall pool, which is one of the two heated options (the main pool is the other). Several chaise lounges line the poolside area for soaking up some sun. A waterfall flows into a small pond beside the pool that has a channel running from it that leads else where on the resort. Not sure quite where I did not track it, but I suspect it meanders back to the lagoon. Most mornings would find a mama duck swimming with her babies in it. Here you also find a building with restrooms, showers, pop machines, ice machine, and coin operated laundry facilities.
Halfway between the lobby and our village on the main drive was the gift shop. Here you could purchase Paradise Point merchandise (t-shirts, post cards, magnets etc.), sundries, novelties, snacks, as well as some clothing and items necessary for beach visits. Bottles of alcohol were sold, and across from them small wall coolers held mixers as well as other beverages. Here too you rented clubs for playing the resorts 18 hole mini golf course putting green (no windmills or frills, but on real grass), rented bicycles, or quadracycles, and could buy pool toys. Our daughters favorite thing to do here was buy the $1 per bag duck food so they could feed the ducks swimming in the numerous lagoons on the property. Outside the gift shop on the side was a small snack bar cart which mornings featured coffee, muffins, fruit etc for purchase. Next to it stood a ping pong table for free play(paddles available at the gift shop.)
Beyond the lobby further along the same main circular drive were the resorts 2 restaurants. First was Baleen’s. This was the resort’s fancier eating-place. We did not eat here, but I did see both indoor seating as well as an outdoor raised deck overlooking Mission Bay with tables. Bet you could see some fantastic sunsets from there!
The second restaurant just around the bend was the Barefoot Bay Bar and Grill. This was our type of place- casual, bustling, and fun! On the Saturday night we first ate here a live band was playing on the outdoor patio adding to the fun atmosphere. Indoors has large high backed wooden booths with cushions on the bench seats, and also tables for guests. The outdoor patio has tables for different sized parties covered with umbrellas to provide shade. There is also a bar with stool seating on the patio. Your view is across Mission Bay. The food is typical California cuisine and is quite tasty. Dinner features pasta dishes, steak, pizza etc, and a children’s menu. Breakfast everything you would expect from standards like, omelet’s, French toast and egg combo dishes to Eggs Benedict and my new favorite Crab Benedict. Next to one side of the patio is also another waterfall flowing into a pond that has many fish swimming around, some break the water periodically. Along the other side is a pier that leads to Paradise Point’s marina.
At the marina guests can rent various types of watercraft by the ½ hour or hour. Included are jet skis, motor boats, sailboats, paddleboats, and water trikes. You can also take lessons for each type as well as water skiing lessons for pay. The views are heavenly- the blue water, the beach across, the brightly colored boats, and let’s not forget the sunsets!
Next door to Barefoot Bay are 2 buildings with reception type rooms. I imagine these are used for wedding receptions or other private party type functions. Tried to sneak a peek, but the doors were locked. They did appear to be quite large and the ever present landscaping surrounds their grounds.
Past this area and the next village is a separate business and conference center. Again lushly landscaped it appears to function as a convention center/ business center. This section has its own separate parking lot with room for plenty of cars.
The resort also has tennis courts and a section has beach access that we just didn’t have time to check out at all! After all 44 acres is a lot of ground to cover in a week. Room service is available from morning till midnight. There are also lawn croquet grounds available and a set up for sand volleyball. There is also a spa near the main pool offering several services including facials, massages, body wraps etc. Just call for an appointment and take your money. Unfortunately I didn’t get to participate as our family vacations do not lend well to mom being pampered- there’s always just too many other things to do!
Another nice perk, you are within a 10-20 minute drive from 2 beaches, the famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World, the Gas Lamp district, Old Town, and Belmont Park; so the location is fabulous!
We paid $2730 for the week for a family of 4 as part of our delta vacations package, but this also included our airfare. I’m not quite sure how to separate it into just the hotel fees. My AAA tour book does list the resort being priced from $275-329 per night per room during the time frame of our stay. This is one resort that if you chose not to you’d never have to leave. For us there were just too many other things to see and do in a week to take full advantage, but I’d go back to paradise any day!
*I have seen other reviews describing the rooms as kind of shabby, but the only flaw in ours was that the armoire could have used repainting being a little dinged up.
PS... If you visit over the 4th of July stay right at the resort! Traffic is brutal with no parking down toward the beaches, but at Paradise Point you can see 3 firework displays- one of the beaches, followed by the resorts unbelievable display (beats Disney World's), and if you walk toward the front of the resort Sea World's as well! Fantastic!!!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pokemonsick
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Member: Marla Hansen
Location: Niagara Falls, NY USA
Reviews written: 106
Trusted by: 30 members
About Me:
I'll be back sometime in mid July with some Myrtle Beach, SC reviews...
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