Week in Carlsbad California

We stayed at the Carlsbad Seapointe Resort during February school vacation. We were on the third floor (the top floor) in a 2 bedroom – 2 bath end unit that had wrap around windows and sliding glass doors. There are views of the Pacific Ocean across the street. The living/dining room has one sofa and two stuffed chairs. All of the furniture and appliances were in excellent repair. There’s a glass coffee table and end table in the living room and a glass dining room table with six rattan chairs. A gas log fireplace adds to the atmosphere along with a wall unit that holds a 31-inch TV, VCR, CD Player, and Stereo.

The kitchen has a full size refrigerator, full size gas stove and oven, microwave, dishwasher, toaster, blender, electric can opener, coffee maker, and garbage disposal. There’s also paper towels, liquid and automatic dish washing soap, and sponges. There’s a good assortment of pots and pans and utensils and table settings for six people.

One bedroom has a comfortable king size bed, desk with chair, 19-inch TV, a bureau with three drawers, two side tables with two small drawers, a large closet with mirrored doors, a double sink with granite counters and a hair dryer. Behind pocket doors, there is a toilet with a bathtub with a shower. Bar soap, liquid soap wall dispensers, facial tissue, and toilet tissue are provided.

The second bedroom has one double and one twin bed, a bureau with three drawers, one side table with two drawers, a 10-inch TV, and small closet. The second bathroom has a shower stall, single sink vanity, toilet, and hair dryer and one door opens to the second bedroom and one door opens to the dining room. The balcony has a lounge chair, a small glass table with four chairs and it faces the ocean. On the property, there’s a spa and adult pool open 7am to midnight and a family spray and play and spa open 9am to 10pm. Towels are available at the activities desk. Washer and dryers are available for a fee.

The fitness room has treadmills, nautilus equipment, free weights, and a sauna open from 8am to 8pm. A mini golf course, BBQ grill, children’s playground, basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts are available. There’s also a weekly activities calendar that’s posted in the elevators. A computer and printer are available free of charge. There’s a gated underground parking garage.

You do have to walk across the highway to reach the beach, but there are traffic lights to help you cross. You need a car to see the area. It’s easy access to Interstate 5. Ralph’s supermarket is a few miles away. There is a commuter train track immediately behind the property. The train runs from about 6am to 10pm during the week. The staff were very friendly and they kept the grounds immaculate. There was a complete cleaning of the unit midweek. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Albert’s Restaurant is the only full service restaurant inside the San Diego Zoo. It’s open limited hours 11am to 2:30pm Monday through Friday, and 11am to 3pm on the weekends. The setting is in a tree house on the third floor in the Gorilla Tropics. There is inside and outside patio seating. The decor is minimal inside with large glass windows to enjoy the feeling of being in a tree house. The menu has appetizers, sandwiches, pastas, fresh fish, soups, salads, and desserts. Beer, wine, and alcoholic drinks are available as well as soft drinks.

I had an herb roasted chicken dinner, which was excellent. The chicken was moist and very hot. It had a good rosemary flavor. Mashed potatoes and saute mixed vegetables (onions, red, and green peppers, yellow and green squash) accompanied the chicken.

My husband ordered shrimp with four cheese ravioli and he loved it. It was served in a lemon cilantro sauce.
For dessert, we both ordered the apple caramel torte that was wonderful. A warm piece of pie made with Granny Smith apples was served with two scoops of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel. Appetizers and entrées ranged from $6 to $20. Desserts were $7. Our total bill for two was $55 before tip. The waiter was very friendly and accommodating. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable dining experience.

The San Diego Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world. More than 4,000 animals are on display. There are walk through aviaries, koalas, giant pandas, monkey trails, and polar bears. There’s a sea lion show at the Wedgeforth Bowl and a wild animal show at the Hunte Amphitheater. There’s also a children’s petting zoo and Horn and hoof mesa. Our favorite part was the Hummingbird Aviary. You can stay inside as long as you like, and the hummingbirds are flying all around. The birds are tame and actually landed on the palm of our hands. I think they were looking for food.

There are nine different restaurants to choose from and assorted snack carts throughout the park. There’s too much to see in one day, so you have to decide what you want to see and arrange your route. I would recommend two days to fully enjoy the park. We visited two days and still didn’t see everything, but saw most of what we wanted to see. There are two sets of escalators that transport you from the canyons to the upper mesas. The express bus stops at five locations to save some walking time and wear and tear on your legs.

I would recommend the deluxe ticket that includes admission, a 40 minute bus tour that gives a great overview of the park, an aerial tram ride and unlimited rides on the express bus. The zoo is beautiful, clean and the variety of animals to see is amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed our two days at the zoo.

This is a huge pipe organ built into an outdoor pavilion and it's said to be the largest in the world. There are free concerts held here every Sunday at 2pm.They give a brief history of the organ and the concerts before the music starts. The concert lasts about one hour and is mostly classical music and familiar patriotic music – America the Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner. The setting is beautiful. Water is directly behind the pavilion and you can see people enjoying water sports as you enjoy the music. There are lots of metal benches. The day we visited, there were plenty of empty seats available. Food carts are located at the entrance for snacks during the concert.

After the concert, you can go backstage to tour the inner workings of the organ. They also had photos displayed along the wall that showed the construction phase of the pavilion as well as some significant historical events. They also had a small gift shop. Arrive early to find parking since many people enjoy Balboa Park on Sundays. We found a big parking lot off of Presidents Way. We had a great time. If you enjoy music, this is a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Carlsbad Premium Outlets are located off Interstate 5 between Palomar Airport Road and Cannon Road. This is an upscale open-air mall. There are over 90 stores to choose from including Jones New York, Crate and Barrel, Anne Klein, Harry and David, Bass, Reebok, The Gourmet Chef, Coach, and Gap Outlet. There are about 10 restaurants including Ruby’s Diner, Panda Express, San Sei Japanese Grill, and Bellefleur Restaurant. I wanted something quick for lunch, and went through the buffet line at Panda Express (Chinese style food), sat on the patio and people-watched while I had lunch. I had mushroom chicken, fried rice, and spring rolls. The food was hot and good.

There is plenty of free parking and valet parking is available on the weekends and holidays near Ruby’s Diner. The city bus also has a bus stop in front of the Mall. An ATM and restrooms are available. If you show your AAA card at the information desk, they’ll give you a coupon booklet. The mall is open from 10am to 8pm. I would highly recommend this mall, even if you’re not that interested in shopping. You can buy an ice cream cone and sit on a bench and just relax. There are flowers all around and it’s an enjoyable place to be.