Omni Hotels Archives - Jen is on a Journey

A few years ago I had the opportunity to bring my family along to the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California for a resort review. It was a short trip, but I knew it was a place I would love to come back to. Just before the holidays I had that very chance to stay and attend the Travel Media Showcase, and what an amazing stay it was!

The temperatures were in the mid-70’s and it was late November, no one can complain about that. Three days and two nights is a perfect amount of time for a getaway with your spouse, girlfriends, or even a fun family weekend. I spent my days in a travel conference with wonderful people, amazing speakers, and tons of great business contacts all the while having free time to enjoy the hot tub, spa, shops, exquisite dining, and take in the views. If you’re looking for a place to hold a conference, you can’t beat this amazing location.

Here are some photos of my stay. I’ve linked my prior review above, but I had to post these photos for you to enjoy and plan your next visit to sunny southern California!

The La Costa Suite offers a living room with sofa sleeper, television and desk with a partitioned bedroom opening to a large bathroom area with a deep soaking tub with separate shower.

Eight pools grace the property including an adults-only pool, one private pool in the Spa, splash pools for the kids including water slides and a sandy pool, as well as jacuzzis for relaxation!

For golfers, the two golf courses at Omni La Costa, a Southern California Gold Medal Golf Resort, are amongst the most storied in California. Boasting a rich tournament history and a cadre of prominent guests, the list of names to be dropped include the best professional golfers in the world, prominent politicians, Hollywood celebrities and legendary sports heroes.

There are no shortage of palms on the property, nor birds of paradise, the landscaping is absolutely stunning!

Dining is a “fresh” experience on the property. Fresh ingredients from the farm, the sea and the on-site organic gardens find their way onto each plate served at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. It’s a promise sure to please every palette. Two amazing restaurants with award-winning menus, poolside cafes, Spa cafe, and a lounge will have you cemented to the resort, never worrying about having to leave and find a place to eat! Though I didn’t get to enjoy it, Spa at La Costa has set the gold standard for wellness retreats and was recently named the #1 Wellness Spa in the nation by Spa Magazine and Travel + Leisure’s #4 Spa in North America! It’s one you need to explore and on my bucket list!My stay was amazing, work and play is one of the best combinations! The staff is phenomenal and go above and beyond to help each and every need. For more information, visit http://www.lacosta.com/ to book your stay, your spa appointment, or your conference, you won’t regret it!

The conference was a success, loved meeting so many new people, make some great travel media contacts, and hang out with a few old friends! To learn more about TMS Family Travel and Travel Media Showcase, visit http://www.tmsfamilytravel.com/

My stay was hosted as part of my conference attendance, all opinions are honest and 100% my own.

Omni San Diego Review, Honeymoon in San Diego

Just a few weeks ago I had what I think turned out to be one of the best days of my life. I got married on a summer day to a man who has turned out to be one of the best things that ever could have happened to me. We said our vows in front of our nearest and dearest in front of a gorgeous vineyard with my two children standing up with us to celebrate. I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding or a better future.

To top it off, we managed to swing a honeymoon in southern California in the beautiful city of San Diego. The highlight of that trip? The Omni San Diego in the Gaslamp Quarter!

To begin, what a beautiful hotel. It stands out from the street with its presence and a very unique design. We actually felt special pulling up to the valet, which was our first great experience. Everyone from the valet to the bellman to the front desk was SO friendly! They welcomed us and knew right away that this was our honeymoon, congratulating us and sharing in our joy.

When we arrived at our room, we were again impressed. The layout was spacious and the design was very warm and modern.

Our view was incredible, with one window giving us a view of the Pacific ocean, and our large balcony overlooking the city and Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. Omni San Diego Review, Honeymoon in San Diego

There was a game that evening, so we were surrounded by fans everywhere we went. Thankfully they won that night, making them cheerful fans late into the evening.

A great quality of the Omni is its location. It’s located right at the entrance of the Gaslamp Quarter, which is filled with restaurants, hotels, bars with live music and a few other shops mixed in. We walked quite a few blocks to get a feel for it, and stopped for a light lunch before what we knew would be a heavier steak dinner that night. (There’s a Ruth’s Chris Steak House just a quick cab ride away from the hotel, and I promise you it’s worth the trek. Yum.)

When we got back from our walk we were surprised to discover that the Omni had left us a celebratory gift and a note of welcome to their hotel. Sure, we wanted to save some room for our dinner, but we couldn’t ignore the goodness of delicious champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries and biscotti. Thank you, Omni! We felt very fancy. 🙂

The rest of the night with Omni was perfect. We enjoyed our delicious dinner out and then came straight back to the hotel to enjoy the rest of our stay there. It was a perfect evening with lovely weather, so we kept our balcony door open the entire night. We enjoyed hearing the cheers of the Padre fans as they won the game, but if we’d wanted it quiet we could have closed the doors and would barely have heard a thing.

And if we were still sensitive to it, Omni is considerate enough to leave a pair of ear plugs in the night stand drawers on both sides of the bed. Smart! I don’t think I’ve ever seen another hotel be so thoughtful.

For breakfast we opted to go light and picked up some coffee and muffins from Morsels, their downstairs lobby store. I was pleased to discover an actual Starbucks barista with Starbucks options and I was spoiled with a Caramel Macchiato that was fantastic. We lounged downstairs in their lobby which has a large area of couches, tables and tall windows to enjoy the sunlight. We were in no hurry to leave and took our sweet time relaxing.

Eventually we did have to catch our flight home, and we checked out of the Omni. Again, we were impressed with the lobby staff as they bade us farewell, and after our car was brought up quickly we drove away with wonderful memories of our honeymoon. Thank you, Omni, for an incredible experience. We can’t wait to try another Omni hotel in another part of the state or world, and we can’t wait to return to San Diego for a future anniversary.

Merrie is a writer for the Jen is on a Journey and you can also find her at her blog, Sleepless Mornings: Merrie is the mother of two beautiful children, newly married, a scrapbooker, a baker, and always fun to be around!

Thank you Omni for the hosted stay, all opinions are 100% ours!

The Beautiful Omni La Costa Resort #TMSCarlsbad

Omni San Diego: Ideal for a Honeymoon Stay!