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WorldMark Oceanside Harbor - Resort Review |
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WorldMark Oceanside Harbor |
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submit your review of WorldMark Oceanside Harbor
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| Author: |
RichM |
| Visited on: |
01/24/2010 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
06/18/2004 |
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Pros:
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Great central location for Southern California activities.
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Review:
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This is a great drive-to resort for people in Southern California. It can be used as a jumping-off point for San Diego activities (Sea World, San Diego Zoo, etc.) and, possibly, for activities in Orange County like Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.
The rooms are excellent and on par with other newer resorts like Big Bear, Rancho Vistoso, etc. The grounds are neat and accessible. The underground parking is nice for keeping your car nice and cool during the summer. If you're traveling in a group, there's a very large parking lot just across the street from the resort for additional vechicles.
The beach is within walking distance - about 10 minutes across the aforementioned parking lot, under the train tracks and down through the marina area. There are some shops and a couple restaurants on the marina. You can have a nice italian meal or pizza sitting outside then walk a few feet and grab some ice cream for desert. The kids love the various quarter rides along the marina as well (EDIT 8/29/2004 - All the quarter rides are gone :( ). There's a nice playground area on the beach a bit to the north with two climbing sets, one for older and one for younger kids, right on the sand. Just beyond this is a small McDonald's.
The pool area at the resort is excellent. The kiddie pool is spacious. The rec room area has a pool table, some computers and a TV. There were some "video nights" for kids while we were there along with some breakfast functions, an afternoon sundae social, and some arts and crafts activities.
There has been discussion of the freeway and train noise for this resort. We have never been bothered by either while we were there.
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| Author: |
medina |
| Visited on: |
01/26/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
3.00 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
02/04/2005 |
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Pros:
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Mid-way between San Diego and Orange County |
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Cons:
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Too close to freeway and parking lot is not pretty to look at. |
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Review:
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I stayed only two days at this resort. I loved the room. It was so spacious and nicely laid out. The decor was great. The patio was huge and with it's own grill. Loved it! BUT, it was very, very dirty. It needed scrubbed from top to bottom. It was if a man was doing the cleaning (ladies you know what I mean), like it was just being picked up but not thoroughly cleaned. Which was really too bad, because I loved the room.
I also loved the recreation room. It was a very inviting and social atmosphere in the evening. It had two computers for use for free, which was nice to catch up on email while the kids were playing. THe only thing that was missing was ping-pong tables for the little kids, as they just don't enjoy pool very much.
THe pool area was very nice.
I loved the harbour area, it was very quaint. We had lunch and walked around. The beach was very accessible, only a short walk away.
If they would just clean the rooms properly, I would love to visit again. |
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| Author: |
lilrhino |
| Visited on: |
03/04/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
4.25 |
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| Submitted on: |
04/04/2005 |
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Pros:
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Location, beach access, relaxation |
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Cons:
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Location, access to grocery was poor, train tracks bothered some, not me |
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Review:
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First thing when you check in, ask for info about the public transportation. You would think that they would have a packet available at check-in that explains what is available and how to use it but they don't. So ask. Due to this fact, we did not know that the train took tours to tijuana. We did not know we could take the train to the zoo and seaworld. We did not know the train even stopped!! Consequently, we missed out on doing some things that we would have enjoyed doing. This was my only disappoint at the resort but it was a biggie.
Room was excellent, pool was warm and hot tub was hot which is great after an all day stint at seaworld. I think the central location is perfect for enjoying the area as well as if you want to just take a relaxing break from reality. I came away impressed as usual with our Worldmark membership and we will definately return.
I didn't notice road noise and although it could be a little loud, the train did not bother us as much as others have pointed out. I think the train is a small price to pay in return for the great centralized location of this resort. |
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| Author: |
Paul |
| Visited on: |
05/30/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
4.50 |
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| Submitted on: |
05/30/2005 |
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Pros:
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Location, Very Clean, Staff was great |
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Cons:
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Hwy 5 and Train, Size of Unit, Wireless Internet |
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Review:
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Checked in Friday and had to change room on Saturday, Desk was great to call us when room was ready for us.
Location was great for our needs. Saturday went to a Christian music day at Del Mar. (19 miles) Sunday we went to Sea World, not sure how far, but I would guess 30 miles. For Disney I would guess about 50 miles.
Beach and Harbor are right next door, beach a extra 5 min. walk. Most rooms you can see the beach.
Pool and grounds very clean, Right now the whole building is being painted on the outside.
The train and Hwy 5 are not bad, if you have a window open you can hear it but not that bad, Our second room was 2ed from the Hwy and we were ok with it.
The wireless internet only worked in our first room and only if we sat outside. Better than nothing!
My last item which I have not read about is the size of the unit. We had a 2 bedroom and it was the smallest 2 bedroom I have stayed in. I looked at the others when the maid was cleaning and they all seem to be the same size. The Big Bear and the Palms Springs were bigger. Oceanside seemed to of cut back on the Dining Room and a little in each room.
But with all this said, I am going back! I want to spend more time at the beach and Harbor area.
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| Author: |
jodie84124 |
| Visited on: |
09/02/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
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| Submitted on: |
09/02/2005 |
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Pros:
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Large, modern, really stylish, 2 jacuzzi tubs in the penthouse! |
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Review:
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We have a penthouse at the 'ocean' end of the resort. We look down on tennis courts and the trains. We LOVE watching the trains come zipping by every hour or so. And we have a wonderful view of the harbor and the ocean.... and the sunset. Can't ask for more than this. I doubt I'd be as enthusiastic if I had a 'freeway' end of the building. Both king bedrooms have jacuzzi bathtubs in them. We dubbed one the 'master' because it also had a shower. The other does not. The 3rd BR has 2 twins. All three bedrooms have TV's and and VCR's. The living room has a 25 inch TV and a DVD/VCR, plus a nice music system. The kitchen is spacious and really nice dishes. The spices are individual packs.
We're here for 4 days if you have questions.
Jodie |
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| Author: |
decari8 |
| Visited on: |
02/20/2006 |
| Average Rating: |
3.25 |
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| Submitted on: |
02/26/2006 |
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Pros:
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midway between San Diego and Orange County and units are a nice size |
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Review:
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We weren't crazy about this resort. I saw brown streaks running down the wall in the bathroom and a few of the glass dishes were dirty. There was a bag of old moldy potatoes in one of the kitchen cabinets.
The staff wasn't helpful or friendly. We checked in at 10pm on Tuesday night. I was ecstatic to see the pancake breakfast listed on the activity calendar. That meant that I didn't have to turn around and go grocery shopping for breakfast items for the next few mornings. WRONG! We got up bright and early to head down for our breakfast and there was a sign inside of the elevator saying that "all activities, including breakfast, canceled until Friday." That was a huge last minute disappointment.
The only walkway to and from the units goes right in from of the bedroom windows. We didn't get a good nights rest between kids running, voices, and the pushing of those carts going past our bedroom all hours of the day and night.
Make sure you go to the Rite-Aid down the road on PCH to get a scoop of the Thrifty ice cream. The manager makes huge scoops!
One last thing. Right after we checked out my 10 year-old-son discovered that he left his very favorite movie in the dvd player. It's a hard to find dvd that I had to special order for him. He called the resort immediately and explained. He got off the phone and said, "She's not going to go look. I can tell by her attitude. She asked for our number but I doubt she'll even call me back." We placed that call on Thursday and she still hasn't called our cell phone back yet. I know that it was our fault that we left the movie, but they could have at least went up there, got the movie, and called us back. That would have been the courteous thing to do.
~Cari
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| Author: |
lconnors |
| Visited on: |
09/30/2004 |
| Average Rating: |
3.50 |
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| Submitted on: |
07/16/2006 |
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Pros:
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Pretty good location, very nice layout and size unit. Had a view of the ocean and harbor. |
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Cons:
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The construction of the floors. There were cracks in the tile and uneven floors. Could hear people above us. |
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Review:
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This was our very first stay at any WorldMark property. While we were disturbed by the poor construction went as far as the floors, we were actaully impressed by the other aspects of the unit. We could hardly wait to use a resort after becomming owners so we were thrilled to get in on short notice.
We stayed just one night, a Thursday night. We walked in and were so excited that even with a late booking we had a unit with a view. We weren't close the the ocean at all. None of the resort is, but it was still a view. We loved being able to BBQ on the balcony, do laundry, and have a fire in fireplace. We were used to hotel travel so this was luxury.
We have been back a few times and have reserverd units for a wedding next month. We'll visit this resort often. |
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| Author: |
platinum |
| Visited on: |
12/06/2006 |
| Average Rating: |
3.75 |
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| Submitted on: |
12/10/2006 |
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Pros:
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Location, amenities, weather |
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Cons:
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Unruly children, pancake breakfast made me ill |
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Review:
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Just back from 6 days at Oceanside. Wonderful location and the resort generally met my needs. I had a studio with a view of the parking lot and across the San Luis River to the construction on the other side plus a peek of the ocean beyond the palm trees. I was in 2133. All studios are close to the Coast Highway and I-5 and away from the train side of the building.
The train noises were delightful (I love trains) but leaving the windows open can be very loud. Although I left my patio door open at times for fresh air, I didn't spend much time on the deck as the people next door were very loud and constantly using their cell phone on the deck. You could hear all their personal conversations, on-and-on. They probably thought they got better reception out there, but they were much louder than the Highway and trains.
The location is FANTASTIC. As others have said, it is not on the beach but is a short walk from the stunning harbor and the Oceanside Harbor Beach. If you like boats and marina scenery, the locale is ideal. All you have to do is walk into the big parking lot below the resort and take the path to go under the tracks (easy and short walk) and you are at the harbor. I spent a lot of time there, talking to the people with the boats and going to the gift shops and to several of the restaurants (Dominics, Robin's Nest, ice cream shop, etc.), using the coupons from WM. Also, I had a wonderful meal at Monterey Bay Canners at the harbor (called a "Sunset Special" from 3pm-6pm everyday) which was about half the cost of any other meal the whole week. $8.95.
I rented a car and drove all over North County --- to downtown Oceanside (Farmer's Market on Thur AM, the pier, the beach, several museums, including the Quilt Show at the Oceanside Art Museum and the California Surf Museum, etc.) and also to the Mission San Luis Rey. Very Historical. Next time, I may take the train from San Diego Airport as the Coaster comes into Downtown Oceanside and the bus drops off near the resort.
The locals are very friendly. The staff at the resort was also friendly, however there were quite a number of problems. Children took over the computers all day Sunday and Monday, to the point that people trying to print their airline boarding passes could not get on. The kids would not budge and several of us complained to the staff. It would be better if the computers were in eyesite-range of the staff and they actually monitored them. When we would complain, the staff would say (this happened twice, that I heard) --- "the rules say 15 minutes." But, they didn't do anything about the kids taking over for hours at a time unless someone complained. Awkward.
I didn't get into the pool, but enjoyed sitting on the deck. The pool and hottub and children's play area and basketball court and tennis courts were well used during the mild December weather.
Also, they have a pancake breakfast 5 days a week. $4 for all you can eat pancakes, plus sausages and juice/coffee. I got violently ill shortly after having it, so it was probably the sausages. Proceed with caution.
This location and facility are great but posted rules (which are designed to help all residents and protect our investment) seemed to be ignored, in general. If unruliness bothers anyone, Oceanside is probably not a good place to go. I will return to the area/resort but probably not spend much time at the resort itself. |
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| Author: |
bigghoggee |
| Visited on: |
06/22/2007 |
| Average Rating: |
4.25 |
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| Submitted on: |
07/01/2007 |
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Pros:
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Nice resort layout. Nice size pool. |
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Cons:
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Spa was a tad too hot. Need a car to get anywhere. |
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Review:
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I had reserved a three bedroom for five nights. After spending six nights in a two bedroom at Dolphin Cove, Oceanside Harbor was paradise. The 3 bdrm was slightly smaller than a 3bdrm at Windsor. We had a nice view of the pool, spa, kiddie pool, tennis court, basketball court, and the beach. After we checked in and spent a few hours in our room, the front desk called to see if everything was all right. We thought everything was all right until dinner time. I had to call about missing utensils which they brought up in about 15 minutes. The rail to the inside frig door was previously broken, a wheel was missing on the turntable for the microwave oven and so were the screen doors. We called and they sent a maintenance guy up to fix it. No more problems.
We BBQed on the balcony a couple of times. The train noise is no problem as long you have the windows closed. I had no problem getting on the internet after 11:00pm. There were two computers available free for use. The lobby had three billiards. I wish one of them was a ping pong table instead. We didn't participate any of the resort activities since we spend everyday going somewhere. It was only a 7 minute drive to Legoland. Unbeknownst to us, it was Star Wars weekend at Legoland. They gave the guest a free lego with Star Wars stamped on it. It was amazing what the park did with those legos. They built mini cities such as Las Vegas with the Hotels on the Strip, New York, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., etc.
My husband and I tried the Rockin Baja Lobster and got the "Original Bucket". It was walking distance from the resort toward the beach. I guess my expectation was too high after reading the review for it. It was good, but their prawns tasted somewhat similar to the chinese dish called, "salt and pepper prawns." My mom had the Fajita with chicken, beef and shrimp. It was oily and they forgot the shrimp. The shrimp that they brought was just regular shrimp for the Fajita. We were given a small plate of rice and bean which I guess was supposed to be shared by the three of us??? With four adults and three kids in our party, they only gave us a plate of tortillas. We had to ask for another plate. We didn't bother asking since it was late and those employees can't seem to get their act together. We were tired of asking him repeatedly for napkins and water. I probably should've left the place with no tip, now that I can reflect back on it.
I would definitely like to return to this resort. |
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| Author: |
spencersmom |
| Visited on: |
12/19/2008 |
| Average Rating: |
4.75 |
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| Submitted on: |
12/22/2008 |
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Review:
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This was our first Worldmark adventure and we were so excited to go on BT to just try it out. We had a great time and can't wait to go back. We booked a 1 bedroom and it surpassed our expectations. There just felt like there was so much room in there (remember we are coming from staying at hotels primarily!) We didn't use any of the amentities but will next time when we go in July (we already booked to go back!) The grills on the deck were fantastic-the size of the deck was more than we expected-you definately had room to move around. I know people mention the trains and we saw/heard them but it didn't bother us. I think the only thing that wasn't up to par for us was the cleanliness of the kitchen-you could still see coffee mug marks on the countertop. Leaves you with the impression of "is it really clean?" |
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| Author: |
SeabeckStinky |
| Visited on: |
01/16/2009 |
| Average Rating: |
4.00 |
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| Submitted on: |
01/23/2009 |
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Pros:
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Pool,Spa, Grounds well maintained
Good central locale for seeing San Diego and Anaheim
Decent restaurants nearby |
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Cons:
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Noisy, Noisy, Noisy...I5 noise at one end and Coast train tracks at other end.
Oceanside not a great destination.
Units need updating. |
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Review:
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We decided at the last minute to head for So. Cal. over MLK weekend and wanted to do both Disneyland and San Diego Zoo so Oceanside seemed ideal (was also much less credits than Anaheim).
The staff was very attentive and the resort is well maintained. There are also some good restaurants nearby. Vinnie's at the harbor marina (short walk)for excellent Italian. Anita's (short drive) for homestyle mexican.
Safeway also short drive away.
Oceanside itself is not a destination. Being on the edge of Camp Pendleton, it has a strong military influence. Not that this is bad but you get businesses that cater to single GI's as evidenced by the \"gentlemen's club\" right down the street, or the several storefronts offering \"walk in massage\".
The resort is very noisy due to the close proximity to I5 and the RR tracks.
Staying on the 1st or 2nd floor will help minimize this but not eliminate it.
The bedroom window is right on the common walkway so people walking by at night will wake you. And there is always the late check-ins that feel everyone should be subjected to their kids running up and down and yelling.
We stayed in unit 2128. I advise you not to stay in 2128 or 2127 as they are directly above the parking garage entrance. At night, when the gate is down, the unit vibrated and runbled each time somebody entered the garage and raised/lowered the gate.
There was also a fuzzy blob of mold on our patio table and several stains in the carpet. The living room furniture (sofa and chair) were very hard and uncomfortable.
In my opinion the loud paint job gives the place a cheap \"hony tonk\" look.
Also the units need updating, countertops were chipped, decor very dated.
We would go back but only as a place to sleep after being gone most of the day. Of the 4 resorts we've been to (Camlin, Leavenworth, Victoria, and Oceanside) this was by far our least favorite. |
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| Author: |
bdsbjmin |
| Visited on: |
06/09/2010 |
| Average Rating: |
2.25 |
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| Submitted on: |
06/23/2010 |
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Pros:
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Nearby beaches. Easy access to other Southern California areas. |
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Review:
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Drive to the beaches, don't walk. When we go to the beach we take towels, drinks, toys, etc. There is ample parking at all the beaches there. We just returned from there a few days ago.
The negative attributes of this resort are the noise from the freeway and the trains all day from 5am until midnight; there are no blackout drapes in the master bedrooms to prevent the morning sun from shining in at 5am; the first unit we were in was not cleaned and lacked basics, ie a coffee pot, enough pillows/blankets - we cleaned it ourselves and requested the necessary items which were provided despite a smart aleck girl at the front desk; the pool and hot tub were dirty - acutal black foam floating on the surface of the hot tub with a layer of dirt settled upon the bottom, and child fecal matter in the pool; there is only 1 onsite parking spot allocated to each unit though many units accommodate as many as 6 or eight people who usually bring more than 1 car; the sales team member, \"Tim \" I believe was his name, called and bothered us even after being told to stop he still called again during our stay; the internet access even with the proprietary service was spotty and unreliable from room to room and area to area; the manager acknowledged these issues, and offered a one night refund on credits as well as a move to the second \"better\" unit - which was cleaner - though there were mouse droppings under the kitchen sink, even after we cleaned them out ourselves, there were more droppings the next morning. He was unresponsive to requests for further amends even though we spent 2 nights in the unclean sub-par unit and he acknowledged the other issues with his property.
The San Diego area activities are all convenient.
The Los Angeles area activities are all at least an hour prehaps even two hours drive.
The weather was perfect for June, usually S. Cal. has gloom, but the days were sunny and warm, the evenings were cool but not cold.
Might stay again, probably would not. If we did risk it, we would expect the manager to have prepared a spotless unit with all reasonable and expected amenities. We would hope the blackout drapes would be added to the master bedrooms.
In the area there are better choices, and in Worldmark there are also better choices. |
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1 June 2005:
Hot forum topics are presented on website.
23 May 2005:
Featured owner Boaterkathy.
29 Aug 2004:
New version of the website is released!.
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