Now you can enjoy the comfort and luxury of staying on the property when you head to Carlsbad and visit LEGOLAND California theme park. Open to the public as of April 5, the LEGOLAND Hotel provides full resort amenities, exclusive early morning park access, and is just steps from the park’s entrance! Experiencing the hotel prior to the grand opening, I can tell you first hand that it’s a Southern California gem and one of the most family-friendly resorts I’ve ever experienced!

RECEPTION/LOBBY
I really can’t get over how cute this hotel is, everywhere you look, LEGO creations astound and delight you!  More than 3500 LEGO models can be found in the entire hotel created out of more than 3 million LEGO bricks! Behind the reception desk, a LEGO biker rides about the wall of over 5000 LEGO minifigures. How I’d love a close up look of all of those and you get a better glimpse with the biker’s magnified wheels! While mom and dad check in, there is a LEGO play pit where kids can begin their building adventures. Walk down the river of LEGOs to the Castle Play interactive area, based on the LEGO Kingdom, Pirate, and Adventure elements you’ll find in the rooms. You can play and build, there’s a large chalkboard to write on and more!

ROOMS
Look at the walls in the hall as you get your room, there is no detail left out.  Guests have the ability to choose from 3 different themed rooms (Pirate, Adventure, or Kingdom) in the 3-story, 250 room hotel. We stayed in the Kingdom room and I was overwhelmed at all the darling amenities and decorations!  These rooms surpass anything I’ve seen as far as being kid-friendly and sparking any child’s imagination. With at least eight LEGO models in each room, bunk beds plus trundle, a television in the kid’s sleeping area, and of course a box of LEGO bricks to use during your stay, the LEGOLAND Hotel’s rooms are hard to leave. Even with models in the bathroom and themed shower curtains, branding is abundant. Each family is provided a special in-room treasure hunt activity to unlock a treasure chest, the smiles on your kids’ faces are sure to be permanent throughout your stay. In the premium rooms, additional LEGO models and themed wall paper made our room literally look and feel like we were sleeping in a castle. Families also can enjoy room service and free wi-fi!

POOL
The hotel pool is kept by “LEGO Susie” as we nick-named her, and is surrounded by LEGO brick-colored lounge chairs, cabanas, and umbrellas. A gradual incline to 5 feet, the pool can break up your day at the park and it’s large shallow area is great for the littlest of guests! Non-swimmers have the option to borrow a life vest at no extra cost. At night, the pool is lit up and during peak season Friday and Saturday nights, “Swim-up Movies” will be available.

ELEVATOR
This was perhaps one of my favorite spots in the hotel. Sure, our room was on the first floor, but once I heard that this elevator was a “ride” of it’s own, you couldn’t get me out of it without a fight. Not only was there disco music playing once the doors closed, but a disco ball spun, lights pulsated, and you couldn’t help but dance, see for yourself:

There were about a half-dozen songs on repeat, the floor had panels with a squishy “lava” gel in them that was cool to bounce around on, we found ourselves going on this ride over and over.

WHOOPIE CUSHION
…Well you know what they sound like, how about a built in one to jump up and down on? You’ll have to find it and try it, sound effects and even some comments will make you laugh out loud. See if you can find it in the hotel when you visit!

RETAIL OUTLET
The lobby store has a collection of LEGOLAND California park themed items including LEGO bricks, keychains, dress up attire, swords, mugs, sunglasses, and much more. Also you can pick up essentials you may have forgotten at home like travel sized toiletries and sunscreen.

RESTAURANTS
During our stay, we had two fabulous buffet meals at Bricks Family Restaurant. A buffet with a large menu including traditional family style food also has vegetarian and healthy options, fish, and a child-size buffet for kids. At mealtime, you’ll find coloring table cloths that include cute riddles and keep kids busy. Brilliant! Character meet-and-greets are held here and give the kids just one more thing to grin about!

Mini’s Lounge, next to the Castle Play area, provides a spot to sit and enjoy snacks and drinks while kids play. The Skyline Café offers a bar area with indoor and outdoor seating complete with firepit for adults to enjoy. Annual LEGOLAND California passholders will receive 20% off at all 3 restaurants, plus 10% off at the retail outlet. Restaurants and lounges are open to the public with a daily parking fee, but may be limited during times of high attendance.

I’ve never been one of the first to review a brand-new hotel, I loved the opportunity and felt that the staff was going to be ready for the public a few short days later. We had a fabulous time, any time we had a question or minor issue (trundle bed linens missing), Debbie the Operator handled it and had housekeeping at our door within minutes. The staff is friendly, attentive, and helpful. They too seem to obviously love what they do and are surrounded by such a fun environment. We had an amazing experience and look forward to visiting again!

Rooms start at $199 and reservations are being taken now for your next vacation, visit http://california.legoland.com/legoland-hotel/ for more details and be prepared to have the time of your life!

Our stay and meals were hosted, all opinions our own.