LegoLand - Help us WOW the grandkids on special trip.
Apr 11th, 2004, 06:17 PM
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LegoLand - Help us WOW the grandkids on special trip.
Author: f0d0rfan
Date: 04/11/2004, 10:04 pm
Message: I am taking 4 grandchildren to Legoland in June. They will be visiting from Michigan. I really want to make it a fabulous trip. Staying in a hotel will be a huge part of the thrill for these guys and I want to make it very special since I don't get to see them as much as I would like. Any suggestions on a great hotel near Legoland? It would have to have a pool, and better yet some sort of special water play area. Any ideas? Any suggestions greatly appreciated. We have planned extensive vacations to Europe, but nothing as important as a getaway with the grandkids!
(Please excuse the duplicate post...I forgot to post under California on first try.)
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Date: 04/11/2004, 10:04 pm
Message: I am taking 4 grandchildren to Legoland in June. They will be visiting from Michigan. I really want to make it a fabulous trip. Staying in a hotel will be a huge part of the thrill for these guys and I want to make it very special since I don't get to see them as much as I would like. Any suggestions on a great hotel near Legoland? It would have to have a pool, and better yet some sort of special water play area. Any ideas? Any suggestions greatly appreciated. We have planned extensive vacations to Europe, but nothing as important as a getaway with the grandkids!
(Please excuse the duplicate post...I forgot to post under California on first try.)
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Apr 11th, 2004, 09:27 PM
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Try the Grand Pacific Palisades resort in Carlsbad. They are on a hill overlooking the ocean and flower fields and are within walking distance of Legoland. They have three pools including a water play area.
The Carlsbad Company Stores are very close by with shopping and a very kid-friendly Ruby's. Island's restaurant is also very close by. They have great hamburgers and a surf theme.
June will still be strawberry season and the U-pick strawberry fields in Carlsbad may be a fun place to spend an hour with the grandkids. My niece and nephew ask to go pick strawberries every time they visit.
The hotel website is www.grandpacificpalisades.com . They have vacation villas as well as hotel rooms, so a larger unit might serve you well with so many kids. The villas will also have a kitchen which is handy. The villas come up frequently on Skyauction.com. It may be worth checking out.
Have a great time with your grandkids!
Sandy
The Carlsbad Company Stores are very close by with shopping and a very kid-friendly Ruby's. Island's restaurant is also very close by. They have great hamburgers and a surf theme.
June will still be strawberry season and the U-pick strawberry fields in Carlsbad may be a fun place to spend an hour with the grandkids. My niece and nephew ask to go pick strawberries every time they visit.
The hotel website is www.grandpacificpalisades.com . They have vacation villas as well as hotel rooms, so a larger unit might serve you well with so many kids. The villas will also have a kitchen which is handy. The villas come up frequently on Skyauction.com. It may be worth checking out.
Have a great time with your grandkids!
Sandy
Apr 12th, 2004, 07:24 PM
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Dear Sandy,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful suggestions. I checked the hotel site and it certainly looks like a spot that would please the troups. I think the kids would enjoy the strawberry picking also.
If anyone has any other ideas of fun activities in the area for our large family group, I would appreciate the input.
Thanks again Sandy!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful suggestions. I checked the hotel site and it certainly looks like a spot that would please the troups. I think the kids would enjoy the strawberry picking also.
If anyone has any other ideas of fun activities in the area for our large family group, I would appreciate the input.
Thanks again Sandy!
Apr 12th, 2004, 08:32 PM
#5
Within a few miles of Legoland is the San Luis Rey Mission. Depending on their age of course, but quite beautiful and cool for a short visit with kids.
Oceanside harbor is close too, an ocean boat trip would be exciting for Mich. kids.
Legoland has a cool new thing. a dinosaur skeleton ( fiberglass) that they cover with sand and children uncover it with tools and brushes.
Beware The Gloom!
Oceanside harbor is close too, an ocean boat trip would be exciting for Mich. kids.
Legoland has a cool new thing. a dinosaur skeleton ( fiberglass) that they cover with sand and children uncover it with tools and brushes.
Beware The Gloom!
Apr 12th, 2004, 09:04 PM
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The San Diego Wild Animal Park is quite different from a zoo...and the kids should really enjoy it.
www.TamarackResort.com is a nice spot with special kids' activities.
A restaurant nearby called ISLANDS has a great kid's menu and the greatest FRENCH FRIES!
www.TamarackResort.com is a nice spot with special kids' activities.
A restaurant nearby called ISLANDS has a great kid's menu and the greatest FRENCH FRIES!
Apr 13th, 2004, 08:58 AM
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Logandog and Tracys2cents,
Thanks for the suggestions. This is exactly the sort of information I was hoping to gather. The grandkids are 5, 7, 10, and 11. Their parents will be taking an "adult" vacation on their own, and we are looking forward to having the grandkids all to ourselves and spoiling them rotten!
Thanks again.
Thanks for the suggestions. This is exactly the sort of information I was hoping to gather. The grandkids are 5, 7, 10, and 11. Their parents will be taking an "adult" vacation on their own, and we are looking forward to having the grandkids all to ourselves and spoiling them rotten!
Thanks again.
Apr 16th, 2004, 10:43 PM
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We stayed at the Grand Pacific Palisades when we were house-hunting in Carlsbad, and it is very nice. It's restaurant is a Karl Strauss microbrewery, which has good food and welcomes kids, even though it does a big bar business as well.
The next closest hotel to Legoland is a Holiday Inn, which has a TGIF Friday's attached to it. It is across the street from the previously mentioned outlet mall.
Another nearby kid-friendly restaurant is Pat and Oscar's. It is a chain and it has a web site, so you can check out the menu if you are interested. (You can also find Karl Straus's menu on its web site).
A short drive away is a restaurant complex with a McDonald's and an In-and-Out burger for your fast food needs and a Sammy's Wood-fired Pizza and a Claim Jumper (very large menu of platters, sandwiches, salads, ribs -- something for everyone).
The next closest hotel to Legoland is a Holiday Inn, which has a TGIF Friday's attached to it. It is across the street from the previously mentioned outlet mall.
Another nearby kid-friendly restaurant is Pat and Oscar's. It is a chain and it has a web site, so you can check out the menu if you are interested. (You can also find Karl Straus's menu on its web site).
A short drive away is a restaurant complex with a McDonald's and an In-and-Out burger for your fast food needs and a Sammy's Wood-fired Pizza and a Claim Jumper (very large menu of platters, sandwiches, salads, ribs -- something for everyone).
Apr 17th, 2004, 05:24 AM
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Wow - this sounds like fun for you and the kids! And what a nice gift to the parents.
The things that kids think make a fabulous trip can be very different from adults. When we travel, my kids love to go to the grocery store and pick out those little boxes of sugary cereal I don't let them eat at home. They like to have me cut open the box to make a bowl. Better than a 5 star restaurant. Heaven for 10 year olds may be lying on a hotel bed, eating a box of sugar cereal and watching cartoons on TV. Let them have their beverages in wine glasses and coffee cups. Give them a little pocket money to spend as they choose. Leave lots of free time. If they want to play on the rocks next to the restaurant - go for it. Don't be a slave to a schedule. Turn off the TV and radio and talk. Tell stories about the parent when he or she was a child and about your life as a child. Every night at dinner, have each person say the thing they liked best and the thing they liked least. You may want to write it down. We try not to have people repeat but some things are really, really good or bad (like your son throwing up off the top of a double decker bus). The activities you are planning sound great but its the personal interactions that will mke the trip fabulous.
The things that kids think make a fabulous trip can be very different from adults. When we travel, my kids love to go to the grocery store and pick out those little boxes of sugary cereal I don't let them eat at home. They like to have me cut open the box to make a bowl. Better than a 5 star restaurant. Heaven for 10 year olds may be lying on a hotel bed, eating a box of sugar cereal and watching cartoons on TV. Let them have their beverages in wine glasses and coffee cups. Give them a little pocket money to spend as they choose. Leave lots of free time. If they want to play on the rocks next to the restaurant - go for it. Don't be a slave to a schedule. Turn off the TV and radio and talk. Tell stories about the parent when he or she was a child and about your life as a child. Every night at dinner, have each person say the thing they liked best and the thing they liked least. You may want to write it down. We try not to have people repeat but some things are really, really good or bad (like your son throwing up off the top of a double decker bus). The activities you are planning sound great but its the personal interactions that will mke the trip fabulous.
Apr 17th, 2004, 08:49 AM
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mscarls - great to hear another vote for the Grand Palisades. Thanks for the input. I'm adding to my list the kid friendly restaurants you mentioned.
keysmom - It is good to get a reminder about the simple things that can delight a child. (Isn't that why we enjoy them so much?) We will be taking your great advice to heart.
Thanks to both of you!
keysmom - It is good to get a reminder about the simple things that can delight a child. (Isn't that why we enjoy them so much?) We will be taking your great advice to heart.
Thanks to both of you!
