HILTON CARLSBAD OCEANFRONT RESORT & SPA

Since I've been telling you about the things we did while visiting San Diego and where we ate, I figured I might as well tell you about where we laid our heads.  We stayed at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.  Driving by on the main rode, you may not notice it or appreciate it, but once inside you realize how great this resort is.

Everything here is pretty much brand new.  The lobby is modern and the space is very inviting.  There's a restaurant, Chandler's, in the lobby which we never had a chance to eat at, but from what I've heard, the food is very good.  

The rooms are also new and simple in design, but with nice details like a fridge and microwave (a big plus when you are traveling with kids).  The beds are ridiculously comfortable, and the bathrooms don't have tubs, but huge standing showers with glass doors.  It feels clean and very modern- all the things I look for in a hotel.

The other thing I loved was our terrace off of our room which overlooked the beautiful pool area and the Pacific Ocean.  Not all rooms come with this feature or this view, but when visiting California, I want to wake up facing the ocean!

Some of their other great amenities include a fitness room, complimentary coffee in the morning, the pool which is heated to 85* (a perk when visiting in February), a hot tub by the pool, fire pits, and a free shuttle to anywhere within 10 miles of the resort. 

If you are looking for a nice getaway at not a crazy expensive price point, the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa is the right choice!  There isn't too much going on in Carlsbad, but nothing is too far a drive away, and if you are going to visit Legoland, well it's pretty much in this resorts backyard!

WARDROBE WEDNESDAY: ANCHORS & ELEPHANTS

I saw this combo on one of my favorite fashion bloggers Tara from Mix & Match Fashion (she is fabulous by the way and you should definitely check her out), and I couldn't help myself but to repeat the same awesome look.  I figured what better place to put on an anchor sweater and a striped scarf with elephants than when I was in San Diego.  This scarf will definitely be on major repeat, I just love the colors and the print!

Sweater: Old Navy on sale!!!
Jeans: Old Navy
Scarf: Stella & Dot
Shoes: GAP
Necklace: Sira & Mara
Bracelet: Stella & Dot
Bag: Phillip Lim for Target (old, but you can find here on ebay)

GREAT FOOD SPOTS AROUND SAN DIEGO

One of our favorite things to do on vacation is to try great local cuisine.  Basically, we love good food, and so when we travel and find good spots, we want to be able to pass it along to you so you know the "must-try" eateries.  These are some of the places we went to that I would definitely check out if you are in the San Diego area.  For breakfast head to The Daily News Cafe in Carlsbad.  They have amazing coffee, breakfast burritos, and their "world famous" sticky buns are to die for!

Another great breakfast spot in Carlsbad is Don's Country Kitchen.  This place is much smaller than The Daily News Cafe, but it is oh so good!  I also tried their breakfast burrito and their homemade crumb cake, and would have had seconds of both if I wasn't so full.  Amazing breakfast!!!

While we're talking about breakfast spots, another place that I noticed was always packed on the weekends is Pannikin Coffee & Tea.  We decided to give it a shot, and while I wouldn't recommend going there for a hot breakfast meal (sort of disappointing), I would definitely go there for coffee, tea, bagels and pastries.  They have a huge patio and you can just order inside and grab it to sit outside.

While we're on the subject of breakfast, one thing we did notice is there are so many donut spots in and around San Diego...they must love their donuts!  Leucadia Donut Shoppe in Encinitas is supposedly owned by a local surfer who makes a certain number of donuts for the day, and when they sell out, the place closes and he hits up the beach...gotta love that lifestyle!  By the way, the jumbo-sized donuts (especially the jelly...mmm, my fav), were light, fluffy and delicious.  

A great, casual brunch/lunch spot that I highly recommend is Claire's on Cedros in Solana Beach.   The food is delicious, fresh, full of flavor, and the menu offers a big variety, breakfast or brunch.  Basically everything is good, and you won't go wrong with your menu choice.  Since I was in California, I wanted to opt for a healthy option and order something I don't have all the time, so I went with a quinoa and lentil salad and had a chai tea latte.  The salad was fantastic, and the latte was one of the best ever!

After we had lunch, the family took the kids for a bit and Rich and I got to go on a "day date" (something hard to come by with two little ones).  We jumped at the opportunity, and walked around the shops in Solana Beach.  After some shopping, we wanted to have a drink and stumbled upon Carruth Cellars Winery on Cedros.  It was a cute, little winery tucked away off the main street.  We both had a glass of California Chardonnay and it was delicious and refreshing, plus we got to enjoy it sitting outside next to a palm tree...totally California, and absolutely a perfect little date spot.

Solace and The Moonlight Lounge in Encinitas is a terrific restaurant for dinner.  We went there with one of my best friends, and what a great time we had!  The food is farm-to-table and everything is amazing. I had the Farro sauté with local veggies, smoked tomatoes, parmesan cheese and chicken and it was mouthwatering...all I can say is I want more!!!  Bottom line, Solace is about rich food and creative drinks in a sexy atmosphere.  It was the perfect place for us to go for date night with another couple.  

 We got to try a few other great places to, and I have to say every restaurant we visited in San Diego served excellent food.  Californians definitely know their food, and we can't wait to go back and eat our way through this great city again some time very soon!

LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA

Talk about fun for the entire family...Legoland is an awesome and unique park good for little kids and even big ones like us!  I guess now that I'm a "boy mom," I'm automatically supposed to love legos, but I have to say even if you're not, and not into legos, you will still enjoy this place.  First of all, it's huge and there are so many rides and so much to do.  Secondly, everything around the park is constructed out of legos from small little animal statues to a giant replica of the New York City skyline and the Taj Mahal (and there are signs telling you how many legos it took to construct from hundreds to tens of thousands).  There were plenty of small rides that my kids could enjoy, and there were a lot of rides that Rich and I had so much fun on.  We went on a train ride, drove lego cars, went on a plane ride and a boat ride, to name a few.  The place is so colorful, and there is so much beautiful natural scenery around too- it's so pretty!  Now I have to say, I've heard from a lot of people and even read it a lot online, Legoland is pretty expensive.  In fact, the price to get into Legoland is pretty comparable to what it costs to get into Disneyland- which is sort of crazy.  That being said, I really do think it's worth every penny because the place is enormous.  There are ways you can reduce the price of your entrance fee like going in the afternoon and only staying for two hours.  But, since we planned our trip that we only had one day to be there we figured why not go for it.  Legoland was amazing, and if you have kids between 4-10 years old, you really should check this place out!