HGVC Carlsbad locations Which do you recomend?

[gunner13734]

I am planning a trip to San Diego next year and plan on staying at 1 of the 3 Carlsbad locations. I am traveling with my parents, wife, and 11 year old son. We will be staying in a 2 bedroom unit.
It looks like there are 3 resorts:
Carlsbad Seapointe
Grand Pacific Palisades
HGVC Marbrisa

Any thoughts or recommendations on which to choose? or any I should avoid? Thank You!

 

[seagila]

You may find these threads helpful -

Which is the nicest HGVC resort in Carlsbad, CA?

Carlsbad resorts - opinions?

Which California Resort?

Marbrisa or Pacific Palisades

 

[frank808]

Marbrisa if you plan on going to Lego land. Also marbrisa is closest to hgvc standards.

Grand pacific palisades is also close to legoland but you have to cross a busy street and resort is nice but not as nice as marbrisa for amenities such as pool.

Seapointe is closest to ocean.

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[SmithOp]

I would rate them:
1 Marbrisa phase 2. ( Proximity to Super Pool and LL)
2 Seapointe. (Proximity to beach and Coaster station)
3 Marbrisa phase 1. ( Older pool some units above road, some below)
4 Palisades ( Never stayed here but took a tour, older pool)


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[presley]

Seapointe is my favorite. Across the street from the ocean and lots of on site activities. However, no food close by and no convenience store on site. There are separate adult and family pool areas.

Marbrisa is very spread out. It has a Sheraton Hotel in the middle of it which has a restaurant.

Grand Pacific Palisades has separate family and adult only pool areas. It's very lively and the first thing that comes to mind when I think about it is loud running around children.

Since you'll have an 11 year old, I would suggest Marbrisa so that he doesn't feel left out by not being allowed to access the adult only pool areas at the other 2 resorts. While the family pools are fun, if he is mature for his age, he may not like being around the running around loud kids.

 

[GTLINZ]

We stayed close by a few years ago at Villa LaBerge (RCI trade) and I checked them all out. I have not stayed yet at any of them, but this was my impression (random order):
1) Seapointe - right across from the beach, best location, the coaster train runs right behind it. Villa LaBerge did not have A/C and we were there in Sept when it was warm so the windows were open - and it sounded like the train was in our room while they blasted the horn each time they came thru. Somebody who was stayed at SeaPointe could comment on the noise - I just think our situation was a bad combination. The rooms were fine - but not as nice as Marbrisa.
2) Palisades - not as far as Marbrisa, you could get somewhat of a view with a plus room. Again, the rooms were fine - but not as nice as Marbrisa.
3) Marbisa - very nice property, far enough away any view was a glimpse. Very beautiful property and next to LegoLand.

So it really depends on what you want. I personally would try SeaPointe since it is the best location, but I would poll our good fellow tuggers about the noise issue before I made a decision.

 

[RX8]

I’ve stayed at Marbrisa (before the new phase) and Grand Pacific Palisades(GPP). I have owned at GPP since 2012 with an option of 8400 HGVC Points.

Ever since I have owned GPP we have only stayed there. For kids (I have two boys) it is just about perfect. Lots of activities, their own pool and splash area and Legoland a short walk away. We will once again be back to GPP in 2019. That makes it every year of ownership, 7 years total, of choosing GPP over HGVC Points. As our boys are getting older we will do something with our HGVC Points eventually, maybe 2020. Until then, we will continue to enjoy GPP.

Edited to add - when I first purchased the rooms were dated. However, it has been refurbished twice since then. Most recently with added wood like flooring and stainless steel appliances. The beds have always been top notch, very comfortable.

 

[Ianneyan]

If proximity to Legoland matters, I would recommend Marbrisa’s new phase, near Captain’s Cove. My family and friends stayed there over Labor Day weekend and had a great time. Beautiful property!

 

[GrampaTim]

We own at Seapointe ( 3 units, Week 32, summer ) and we love it. We are original owners ( when first built ). We live about 45 minutes north, so the option for day use is a plus for us ( though we don't actually use it often ). We've visited all three mentioned properties. Last summer we took our grandkids to Marbrisa for a day at the pools, and they are very nice. However, when asking the GKs if they wanted to stay a week up there it was a unanimous NO. They love the traditions at Seapointe, the fact it is smaller and less crowded, and of course we love the water views and the sunsets. We don't live at the resort during the week. Legoland is a few minutes away, or we can walk to the Coaster station to head to downtown. There is a little convenience shop ( and Marbrisa said they don't have one ) for those snacks and emergency items. Beware of Palisades. They have the flower fields on the slope below them, and heavily fertilize when they are not in bloom. With the winds, well it's choking bad. Marbrisa has nice rooms but the bed options were not as good for us in the 2 bedrooms. If you want the "fancy" than Marbrisa might suit you, but if you want very nice, yet access to the beach ( and they supply boogie boards, sand toys, towels, etc at Seapointe ), then you will love Seapointe. Also, though there are restaurants at Marbrisa ( hotel prices ) and Palisades, most dining will be offsite. All are equal distance to the restaurants on Palomar Airport Road, but the most fun dining is in downtown Carlsbad, and Seapointe is closer. There is much to do in San Diego County, so you will likely not spend a whole lot of time at the resort no matter which one you choose.

 

[terces]

We are at Seapoint. Close access to the beach is nice for my morning walks, although when the tide is up most people except for the surfers exit the area, otherwise the beach is nice, but you have to cross the busy highway to get to it either through a camping area, or down a sidewalk/pathway and then dash across the road. The resort is sandwiched between highway 101 and the train track and the noise is relentless. It does not bother me too much and I got used to it quickly. It is an older resort, more of an RCI quality instead of HGVC, but it is clean and well maintained and I am quite fond of it.