Tamarack Beach Resort at Carlsbad on the coast, just above San Diego, was a great exchange to a wonderful resort and a neat little town. The resort is across the road from the ocean and a lovely beach (and a nice sidewalk just above the…Read More

Tamarack Beach Resort at Carlsbad on the coast, just above San Diego, was a great exchange to a wonderful resort and a neat little town. The resort is across the road from the ocean and a lovely beach (and a nice sidewalk just above the beach).

Near the resort's swimming pool are two hot tubs—the one for adults seemed hotter than the one that allowed children. The patio near the pool and recreation room had several really nice gas barbecues built into a generously sized tile counter. The rec-room staff lit the grills for the guests, and the recreation room had pool, ping-pong and snooker tables, a video arcade, and a book/game-lending library, plus a fairly extensive VHS collection. Guests were allowed to check out two tapes overnight for free (DVDs cost $1 per night). The resort also organized a lot of different activities for all ages, including a wine-and-cheese party, Bingo, crafts for children and adults, and ping-pong and pool tournaments. The rec-room also kept a big urn of coffee going from early morning to closing (about 11pm) that my husband enjoyed—he’d go down early to pick up the free newspaper and enjoy that with a cup of their coffee before I ever woke up. All in-resort activities were free. They also had group sightseeing tours to Mexico and/or San Diego.

Monday morning was the manager’s informational talk, which really was very informative, on the different activities at the resort and in the little town of Carlsbad, as well as in nearby locations. There was no mention of sales; however, if you were interested, a desk in the lobby (occasionally manned) had a handout listing the timeshares that were for sale.

We barely scratched the surface of things to see and do in Carlsbad, much less in nearby San Diego. We really enjoyed the "Coaster"—a train that runs about every half-hour to 45 minutes from just above Carlsbad, into San Diego. The train station is just about four blocks from the resort. A lot of the route is along the coast, and the price and time beat driving and parking. We took it and got off in Old Town to spend one day. The San Diego trolley system is coordinated with the Coaster, so you could get off the Coaster, walk about 15 feet, and get on the trolley to go the Seaport Village or Mexico or to downtown shopping. The only disadvantage is that the last Coaster leaves San Diego at about 6pm, so you can’t use it if you’re planning on spending the evening in San Diego.

Carlsbad has neat little antiques shops and lots of nice restaurants. Of course, Legoland is also in Carlsbad. I couldn’t drag my husband there—maybe sometime when we have little ones with us. We really enjoyed our free tour (1 hour) of the Gemological Institute of America, located in Carlsbad. The G.I.A. offers instruction for jewelry designers, gem cutters, and graders—it’s the institute that set the world standards for rating precious and semi-precious gems, and it also has fantastic displays of them, as well as a great resource library on gems and a small gift store. There’s one tour each week—not always on the same day—and you have to call to make a reservation, as you can’t get by the security gate without being on the list.

I’m sorry we didn’t get to the Making Music Museum. Other resort visitors did and said that it was great and very interactive, with all sorts of musical instruments. Maybe another time, as this is definitely a town and a resort that call me back.

The Giant Tecolote Ranunculus (Ranunculi?)is (are?) coming! " After a 2 week delay in blooming, the result of too warm weather at seeding time, the "star(s)" of the Flower Fields is (are) ready: this Saturday, March 16, the Flower Fields will open. Anticipated by locals,…Read More

The Giant Tecolote Ranunculus (Ranunculi?)is (are?) coming! " After a 2 week delay in blooming, the result of too warm weather at seeding time, the "star(s)" of the Flower Fields is (are) ready: this Saturday, March 16, the Flower Fields will open. Anticipated by locals, as well as ever-increasing numbers of tourists who look forward to this Spring event, the hills to the east of Palomar Airport Road and the I-5 will become a colorful carpet-sea of dazzling brightness to mark that our "Spring" has arrived.

Open from 9-5 every day until April 3, when, if we have no blistering warmth, it will be open daily from 9-6,till May 9, 2004. The Fields will be dotted with visitors and local volunteers assisting the explorations. Admission for adults- $7.00; for seniors 60+- $6.00; for children 3-10- $4.00. Children under 2 are free. This year a season pass is available-$13.00 adult, $11.00 senior, and $7.00 children.What about "2 to 3?" asks the preschool teacher in me. Maybe they don't want any "terrible two's" trampling the flowers? I am just reporting what is stated on the web site(www.info@theflowerfields.com.)Also new for 2004 is a "Click n' Print" feature for ticket purchase is available at the web site.

We cooked the fish from the deep sea fishing on the grill one night. The front desk had someone go down and turn on the grill and bring down grill utensils to cook with. The grills here are fantastic. Great grills in great shape with…Read More

We cooked the fish from the deep sea fishing on the grill one night. The front desk had someone go down and turn on the grill and bring down grill utensils to cook with. The grills here are fantastic. Great grills in great shape with a large cooking area. It was my daughter's birthday so we purchased a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cake at their store around the corner from the resort.

As part of signing up for a timeshare tour, they gave us a coupon for a free large 13-inch pizza from Pizza Shuttle. We also ordered two extra to have leftovers at $9 each. Our last night we got pizza from Pizza Port (www.pizzaport.com). For about $30 we got two large one item pizzas and one of their Portzels, a soft whole grain pretzel made with sun dried tomatoes, feta, garlic, basil and oregano mixed in. The pretzel was a bargain at $1 and came with salsa-like tomato dipping sauce and mustard packets. Three locations in the area, Carlsbad is (760) 720-7007. Better pizza than Pizza Shuttle but still not like what we were used to back on the east coast. The place was hopping though. If you choose to eat there, they have picnic style tables and they are also a brewery. Port Brewing is located in San Marcos at 155 Mata Way Suite 104, San Marcos, CA; where you can visit a tasting room and check out what is brewing. The brewery is open Friday from 4pm to 7pm and Saturday from 11am to 3pm. They also have some beer you can order to go from the restaurant.

Jack in the Box was our fast food stop this week for their Oreo shakes and great curly fries. My husband and daughter wished we had one of these back home.

Three of us ate at the Fish Market one night. They fly in fresh fish from areas all over the world. The fish was tasty and not too overpriced ranging from about $15 to $25. The fish is grilled behind a window where you can watch it being cooked and comes with three sides of your choice. They have a bunch of aquariums in the restaurant and large stuffed fish on the walls. You can also buy fresh fish to go here.

I just wanted to add a few more things to the journal entry I already submitted regarding Carlsbad Seapointe. I just can't say enough good things about it. The staff was soooo good to us. We called the front desk to ask about…Read More

I just wanted to add a few more things to the journal entry I already submitted regarding Carlsbad Seapointe. I just can't say enough good things about it.

The staff was soooo good to us. We called the front desk to ask about directions to one of the restaurants they had listed in their directory (which was a really helpful guide the resort put together and left in each room) and they said, "Stop by the front desk and we'll have them ready for you." When we left for dinner, we stopped at the front desk and sure enough, they had the exact directions printed out for us, which made it so easy to find. (We usually spend forever driving around looking for places on vacation).

My kids got to play tennis for the first time. The activities are endless: swimming, miniature golf, ping-pong, billiards, crafts, board games, ice cream socials, pancake breakfasts, s'mores night, beach toys, pool toys (my son was devastated that we didn't bring his swim goggles, so he said "Ask if they have any." I was shocked when they said, "Sure!"), basketball, tennis, videos, and probably even more!!! The adult pool has big comfy pool lounges, a jacuzzi overlooking the beach, and a bonfire at night that makes getting out toasty and romantic. The kids’ pool also has a bonfire at night and there's a "family" Jacuzzi, which my kids ABSOLUTELY loved since they usually aren't allowed to go in them and splash around. (The temperature is very mild for the kids.) We all got big fluffy bathrobes from the front desk and never felt like we were rushed to return them. In fact, they even brought them up to our room for us to save us the trip down to the lobby.

The place is JUST BEAUTIFUL. I'm already planning to go back! There are a couple other resorts there, but I don't think they could get any better than this, so I probably won't even try them.

The Flower Fields of Carlsbad are awesome. Each year from mid-March until mid-May, the Giant Ranunculus bloom on the 50 acres of land sloping from the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort down to the Carlsbad Company Stores. With pink, yellow, white, red and orange stripes of giant…Read More

The Flower Fields of Carlsbad are awesome. Each year from mid-March until mid-May, the Giant Ranunculus bloom on the 50 acres of land sloping from the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort down to the Carlsbad Company Stores.

With pink, yellow, white, red and orange stripes of giant Ranunculus blooms, Carlsbad’s world-famous Flower Fields attract over 150,000 visitors every year during this two-month peak season, many of whom return year after year to meander the fields. I have to use all my restraint to stop my wife breaking out in Sound of Music songs.

The flower is also known as the Persian Buttercup or Ranunculus Asiatic. They primarily grow the flowers to harvest the bulbs. The ranch harvests about 6-8 million bulbs per year.

The Flower Fields are owned by the Paul Ecke Jr. family and its affiliates, the same people that own the Paul Ecke Ranch, world-famous Poinsettia growers, in neighboring Encinitas. There is some uproar in the area at the moment as Mr Paul Ecke III is attempting to convert half of his ranch in Encinitas into medium-density housing. If the housing boom continues in the area, it will only be a matter of time before the Flower Fields too are replaced by zero-lot tract homes.

The Flower Fields are open to the public seven days a week March 13 - May 9 this year during the hours of 9am to 5pm. Guests are provided with free parking, restroom facilities, and handicapped accessibility. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for children. For more information call 760/431-0352 or visit www.theflowerfields.com.

The resort is in superb location for exploring Southern California. For anybody interested in water sports, this is a great place to go - you can hire boat, jet skis, and even go fishing as well. Carlsbad has it's own beaches, but along this coast…Read More

The resort is in superb location for exploring Southern California. For anybody interested in water sports, this is a great place to go - you can hire boat, jet skis, and even go fishing as well. Carlsbad has it's own beaches, but along this coast there are loads of beaches and definitely worth a visit.

On the second day at the resort, we visited Disneyland in Anaheim and it took us about 70 minutes to get there. Disney is situated south of LA, so you don't have to drive into LA to get to there. You can do Disney in one day. Set off early, as it gets busy from midday onwards.

San Diego is south of Carlsbad and definitely worth a visit. A multicultural city and it is beautiful -- watch the planes as they fly very low over San Diego city!!!! While in San Diego, if you drive for a further 30 minutes south, you will come to the border with Mexico at San Ysidro. You can go across and get some good bargains -- don't forget to take your passport. Also while at San Diego, visit the Gaslamp Quarter. If you don't want to drive south, take one of the trams from San Diego to San Ysidro.

Sea World and San Diego Zoo are both worth a visit. November was a brilliant time to go to Sea World -- not many people, so it was easy to get about.

I loved this part of California and I would recommend it to anyone -- the scenery, the people, the sights -- everything is brilliant. We went in November and the weather was brilliant.

19th Annual Acura Classic La Costa Resort and Spa Camino Real, just north of La Costa Avenue Carlsbad, CA One of the premier events in tennis, the Acura Classic will be held this year from July 27th through August 4, with a roster of tennis "names" competing, including Venus…Read More

19th Annual Acura Classic
La Costa Resort and Spa
Camino Real, just north of La Costa Avenue
Carlsbad, CA

One of the premier events in tennis, the Acura Classic will be held this year from July 27th through August 4, with a roster of tennis "names" competing, including Venus Williams who will be trying to win it again as she did the past two years. Also competing will be Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles, Anna Kournikova, Jelena Dokic, and Lindsay Davenport, to name just a few of the top seeds vying for "serious" prize money, 775 K! , and, for the "best", a new Acura luxury coupe car to go with the money.

For a complete list of competitors and ticket prices, as well as online booking, a service possible for the first time this year, see the official web site, www.acuraclassic.com. Tickets ranging in price from $10 to $45 can be obtained at the Tournament Box Office at 760-438-5683. On Monday, July 29, it’s Addidas Kids Day with free admission for kids under 16 if accompanied by an adult, an incentive to foster interest in tennis among the young.

If you’ve never attended one of these stirring tennis matches and/or never seen the lovely, flower-filled grounds of the La Costa Spa, you’ll be in for a treat. We South Carlsbad (La Costa) residents are very proud of it, as well as its newer competitor, Aviara , which is located high above the newly restored, scenic Batiquitos ("Little Boats") Lagoon, "our" lagoon of the three in Carlsbad.

La Costa Spa faces this lagoon on the south and has just acquired a new set of Canadian owners bent on refurbishing it since, under its former Japanese owners, Sports Shinko, the resort suffered from deferred maintenance during the early 90’s recession. Its expansive grounds that include a world-famous golf course and four restaurants, as well as a salon and full spa facilities, is very expensive to maintain, but its renewed lushness is much welcome to locals and visitors.

Pay parking ($8.00!) is available for all of the events, well-directed by pros who are experienced in doing so efficiently. Formerly, the pre-school I worked for, which was adjacent on the south and east to the spa, provided free parking for those willing to walk to the grounds, but, sadly, the whole area, a bit of an eyesore now, was razed for a new shopping center, a project much delayed by an unexpected need to rectify soil contamination discovered after the razing. UPDATE -This project is well under way and new parking for the spa has been added just north of it on adjacent spa grounds.

It is best to arrive early especially when an exceptional match is scheduled even if you plan to pay for parking, or you will still have a long walk to the court site. Bring your low chairs, pillows, sun hats, sun lotion, and, after the match, stroll around as the ambiance of the grounds is very Southern Californian at its best. Eating at the Bistro is pricey, but not outrageously so, for a lunch with views over the grounds. I can recommend the food as we go to the Bistro annually for Mothers Day Brunch; this past May, it was a bit higher-priced and I missed the Bread Pudding with vanilla sauce that was a specialty of the former chef, but it was still excellent and drew a crowd of loyal patrons. This is an event recommended for those who feel, as I do, that watching a match on TV is just not the same, not as thrilling as seeing it "live." But, Fox Sports will cover the semi-finals on Saturday, August 3, and ABC will air the finals on Sunday, August 4, from beautiful La Costa, where I'm very happy to live.

Sadly, friends of ours who attended Sunday's match told us that the Spa is undergoing a complete overhaul, which means that 2 restaurants & 2 bars have closed down, and dancing is no longer available on weekends.They went after the match and saw that the site of our last 10 Christmas parties, was gone.

2003 from July 26-August 3, & yes, Venus will return!

We Carlsbad citizens are very reluctant to grow BIG like Anaheim, for example.There was much opposition to Legoland because to some citizens,it meant Disneyland and all the commercial sprawl aaround it that marred Anaheim's once-small city character. By chance, in 1992, we had visited the…Read More

We Carlsbad citizens are very reluctant to grow BIG like Anaheim, for example.There was much opposition to Legoland because to some citizens,it meant Disneyland and all the commercial sprawl aaround it that marred Anaheim's once-small city character. By chance, in 1992, we had visited the original Legoland in charming Billund,Denmark and were able to assure our neighbors that this project would NOT be anything like Disney and its pre-fabricated short-circuiting of the imagination. Legoland in Carlsbad has been geared in part to cater to American expectations; there are more rides than in Denmark. There was a fight to allow a few cafes to serve alcohol-the American Puritannical tendency to expect the worst,rather than best, behavior of adults probably puzzled the Danish project's management. But Carlsbad wants to stay small while attracting tourist dollars. And Legoland still emphasizes parent-child play-together time at its Carlsbad location.

Since 1995, more tourists, more residential and commercial building have strained local roads built to allow 1960's traffic. Yet our beaches remain clean and our lagoons are cleaner due to millions of dollars in mitigation expenditures. We didn't become Anaheim after Legoland opened because we took great care in allowing it here. Downtown Carlsbad is full of funky antique and clothing shops owned by locals. There are really two Carlsbads as the southern part of this relatively large(in area)city was formerly separate and known as La Costa(as it is still called by locals today). Northern "old" Carlsbad still contains within it a barrio that was the setting in local author Victor Villasenor's novels, especially in Realms of Gold with its depiction of the area in the 1920's. There's an active Tourist Bureau in an old downtown train depot that distributes literature on historical Carlsbad.

But most visitors will enjoy the laid-back style of a city that doesn't want too much of everything except good surf,sunshine and sunflowers. Every spring, people marvel at the Flower Fields and their gorgeous display of color so much that locals had to be reassured the fields wouldn't be demolished because of nearby Legoland. Now the Fields themselves have become a major attraction in their season. What's the price to pay for this wariness? Fewer tourists probably, but too many tourists would overwhelm resources and change the character of a place that is still "as good as it gets". We welcome pauses in the travel industry because that helps us remain attractive.

Sunday, my husband and son bought last minute tickets to an NHL game in Anaheim (Ducks vs Red Wings), and it was only about an hour drive up there. Traffic was bad leaving the game, but that's true for any event of that type. Us…Read More

Sunday, my husband and son bought last minute tickets to an NHL game in Anaheim (Ducks vs Red Wings), and it was only about an hour drive up there. Traffic was bad leaving the game, but that's true for any event of that type. Us girls walked around town, which was mostly closed up by 5pm, so we'll need to go back sometime when the shops are open. There weren't as many touristy types of shops as I expected.

Monday we went to the beach during the day and we participated in their pizza and bingo night. For $5 each you get pizza, soda, and snacks, and they play five games of bingo. There was plenty of food to go around and the games were fun. We borrowed some board games from the activity center and after playing a quick game of pool (50 cents), we went up to our room for a couple games before heading to bed.

Tuesday we split up and three went on a deep sea fishing trip in Oceanside. It was early, but an easy ride. There were fliers for fishing in San Diego, but the concierge suggested this place in Oceanside. With the weekday traffic this was a great suggestion. It took just a few minutes to get there and was easy to find. There were additional charges that we were not aware of, so be sure to ask questions about what is included. Tuesday was my daughter's birthday and we two landlubbers decided to go to the mall in Carlsbad. There are outlets here too, but we're saving those for another day when everyone can go.

We got five adult passes to the San Diego Zoo for going on a timeshare tour. It was overcast the day we went to the zoo, and quiet since it was January. We did enjoy the zoo but it was a lot of walking. I'm not sure if they are always this way, but we could have brought in our own snacks. They have souvenir cups and you can get cheap refills, but it is still amusement park-type pricing. Three dollars for a churro, $3.50 for a bag of snack food, etc. We were there pretty much the whole day, but we didn’t eat there, so I can't say how much the restaurants charged for food. They did advertise a kids meal that came in a bucket that could be used for a beach toy or something.Close

The week was really great. We went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and we went on the Photo Shoot, which takes you deep into the compounds, you can feed the rhinos and giraffes, and came complete with a tour guide, who educates you…Read More

The week was really great. We went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and we went on the Photo Shoot, which takes you deep into the compounds, you can feed the rhinos and giraffes, and came complete with a tour guide, who educates you about the animals' habitat. We also went to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, played golf at a nearby course, and went to the beach, which is just across the street. There are two pools, one for the kids/family and the other is an adult pool(more quiet). Legoland is also within close proximity. The accommodations were excellent and there were many activities designed mostly for the kids. Close