Carlsbad and San Diego, CA - April 2007
We were going to California as part of a destination wedding party. The Bride and Groom were from Denver, we're from Massachusetts, and along with help from a cousin in San Diego we planned a great wedding / vacation.
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad Beach. The Hilton Garden Inn was priced nicely, the accomodations were roomy and clean, and it was located close to everywhere we wanted to be. However, I will say that I would not stay at this hotel again. This property is the type of hotel I stay in when on a road trip or when visiting family. When we are on vacation in a beautiful area we like to have a higher level of service. Our favorite areas on this trip were Carlsbad, Encinitas, Old Town San Diego, and Hillcrest.
Carlsbad - The beach across from our hotel was great for pictures but to relax on the sand we drove about a mile north for a nice long stretch of beach. One of the prettiest sites from the area around or hotel was the Flower Fields (visit in April). A couple of our favorite restaurants were Fresco Trattoria, Fish House Vera Cruz, and Harbor Fish Cafe.
Encinitas - The wedding was held at sunset on Moonlight State Beach. The weather was perfect, the beach beautiful (exactly we imagined a California beach to look like), and the sunset provided the most amazing back drop. Our favorite casual thing to do in Encinitas is to stop off at Las Olas for a fish taco and a cold beer. Yum!
Old Town - Shopping in Mexico without your passport at Bazaar del Mundo. Picking up cucumber bath salts at US House Apothecary & Soap Shop. Eating pork carnitas (told you they're my favorite) at any of the delicious Mexican Restaurants.
Hillcrest - Visiting my cousin and her husband is always a favorite thing to do! Enjoying fabulous Indian food at Monsoons and enjoying some pie at one of their local hangouts.
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad Beach. The Hilton Garden Inn was priced nicely, the accomodations were roomy and clean, and it was located close to everywhere we wanted to be. However, I will say that I would not stay at this hotel again. This property is the type of hotel I stay in when on a road trip or when visiting family. When we are on vacation in a beautiful area we like to have a higher level of service. Our favorite areas on this trip were Carlsbad, Encinitas, Old Town San Diego, and Hillcrest.
Carlsbad - The beach across from our hotel was great for pictures but to relax on the sand we drove about a mile north for a nice long stretch of beach. One of the prettiest sites from the area around or hotel was the Flower Fields (visit in April). A couple of our favorite restaurants were Fresco Trattoria, Fish House Vera Cruz, and Harbor Fish Cafe.
Encinitas - The wedding was held at sunset on Moonlight State Beach. The weather was perfect, the beach beautiful (exactly we imagined a California beach to look like), and the sunset provided the most amazing back drop. Our favorite casual thing to do in Encinitas is to stop off at Las Olas for a fish taco and a cold beer. Yum!
Old Town - Shopping in Mexico without your passport at Bazaar del Mundo. Picking up cucumber bath salts at US House Apothecary & Soap Shop. Eating pork carnitas (told you they're my favorite) at any of the delicious Mexican Restaurants.
Hillcrest - Visiting my cousin and her husband is always a favorite thing to do! Enjoying fabulous Indian food at Monsoons and enjoying some pie at one of their local hangouts.
San Diego, CA - May 2009
Prior to leaving for San Diego we decided to purchase the even roomier seats on Jetblue. While it was an unnecessary expense it felt good during the 6 hour flight! The flight itself was normal the only interesting part was having Mitt Romney on our flight.
We picked up our luggage, met our family, and headed over to the Loews Coronado Bay Resort. Maybe the hotel is secluded, far away, or it was just because we were tired and it was late but seemed to take forever to get there. However, once we arrived we were happy with our stay. The front desk staff is very professional while still friendly and tried to find us a nice room (it was our anniversary). The room itself was nice, clean, and inviting. We had a king bed, flat screen tv, mini bar, seating area, and a balcony over looking the pool and marina. The bathroom had a large tub, large sink area, and a separate shower. The shower was nice (glass enclosure) however it was kind of like a cruise ship shower - impossible to shave in! After checking out the room we said goodbye to our family members, ordered some room service, and fell right to sleep.
Our first day in San Diego was "play the tourist day." We met up with our family and headed out to breakfast at The Mission - North Park. Yummy! French toast, pancakes, soy chorizo burritos, and awesome coffee! We drove over to Old Town (one of my favorite places) and purchased tickets for the Trolley Tour (like I said tourist day). We had a half hour before the tour so we visited the shops and purchased a few gifts. Once on board the trolley we had the pleasure of meeting Deb. Deb was voted as the trolley tour operator of the year in San Diego. The Tour brings you all over San Diego while the operators give you a bit of history and information on the stops. Some of the places you can visit are Old Town, Balboa Park, Coronado Island, Little Italy, and Seaport Village.
Balboa Park is filled with beautiful gardens, museums, shops, and restaurants. We didn't visit the museums while we were there but we did visit a few gardens, the outdoor theater, shops, etc. After our visit in Balboa park we hopped back on the trolley and headed to Old Town again. For lunch we decided on Cafe Coyote. Yummy! Carnitas tacos, potato tacos, rice, beans, etc. At this point the time change, early start to the day and our activities are catching up with us. We head back to our hotel for a quick nap and then get ready to head out for the night.
Dinner was enjoyed at Kensington Grill. Our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of champagne since it was our anniversary. We enjoyed a bruschetta plater (not your typical bruschetta) - Mango and Brie, Shrimp Ceviche, Pancetta, etc. Our dinners were good but our family did tell us that the experience was actually less than they had previously had there. After dinner we decided we weren't completely stuffed so a stop at HeavenSent Desserts was in order. Yummy! I loved the Mexican Hot Chocolate!
On our second day in San Diego (Anniversary Day) we had reservations for a VIP Tour at the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. We met our guide Stacy (hmmm meant to be..... same name as me and even spelled the same way) who fit right in with the four of us! Stacy took us through the park (minus the Asian side) and told us all about the animals and how they're cared for as well as how the park is set up. Some special highlights were stopping at the elephant exhibit and going into the keepers area. We saw the different areas where the elephants get checked on and taking care of in. While we were there we got to see the adult male elephant be put back into the exhibit and checked on.
Another special stop was to the Okapi's. We were actually able to see into their beds and where the keepers take care of them. Then we were allowed to feed the Okapi's some lettuce. We fed Safina who is due to give birth to a new Okapi any day. At the last special stop we were brought to where the "performing" animals were taking a break. We peeked in on the cheetah, hyeanna, possum, kangaroo, etc. Stacy was able to bring out a snake and an anteater. We got to look at them up close and even pet them. After our tour we headed over for some "park food" - needless to say I had the fruit salad. After lunch we visited the gorillas, catfish, lions, and the baby cheetah. After all of this activity we were exhausted! We headed back into San Diego for some R&R.
For dinner we visited the Prado at Balboa Park for a romantic al fresco dining experience. Our service and our food were great. I will say that the mushroom risotto is more like watery rice but it was very flavorful. For dessert my cousin surprised us with a mini 2 tier wedding cake. The tiers were made up of our flavor wedding cake as well as their flavor from their wedding. How sweet is that! Now for the bad part. Do not order cakes from Flour Power in San Diego. My cousin had ordered the cake weeks in advance with instruction for it to be covered with fondant and have a a fondant bow (similar to my original cake). The bakery called to tell her that she wouldn't want that on such a small cake (this was the day before she was scheduled to pick it up). When she went to the bakery it didn't have the fondant, nor sugar flowers it was a plain white buttercream frosted cake. On top of that the bakery gave her a huge attitude when she complained that this was not what she ordered. My poor cousin was so stressed out from this that she was actually crying to them and they didn't care! We were all able to laugh it off in the end but be sure we are spreading the word not to use Flour Power.
On our third day in San Diego we all decided we needed to sleep in. We relaxed ordered some room service (yummy). Got ready and headed over to The Hotel Del Coronado. We walked the beach, played in the sand, and watched insane teenagers walk in the water wearing jeans! After we cleaned off a bit we headed to check out the hotel. The shops and restaurants look nice and the outside of the hotel is really pretty. The inside of the hotel is definitely not for me though. While it is historic and beautiful craftsmanship it's very dark and and feels like it caters to an older crowd.
For lunch we headed over to Tartine. Awesome panini's that come with a side salad! Very cute cafe! The desserts looked amazing too! We wanted to try them but were really looking forward to some Gelato. My cousin took us to Nado's Gelato and boy was it worth it! Amazing Gelato! The flavors were spot on, it was smooth and creamy, just delicious! I had the panna cotta and pistachio - yum! I told them it was my 2nd favorite gelato (right behind a small shop on Capri). After the gelato we found a little vintage store called “the attic” that had so many fun pieces of jewelry, housewares, and gifts!
We decided to head into little Italy where we found the most amazing clothing store. For Joseph clothing store. Scarves, Jewelry, Jeans, Shirts....Awesome! It was finally time to go to my cousin's place and rest for a bit. It was nice to just relax and hang out and play with the honey bear (they're adorable dog). It was time to change our outfits! 4 T shirts, 4 different colors and different colored lettering all saying......MAS TACOS! That's right it was time for a taco crawl!!
Our first stop was at the Blue water Grill. This stop was the winner for one of us. The rest of us though the fish was delicious (Grilled, great seasoning and perfectly cooked) but too much cabbage and not enough sauce. After we chowed one taco each ((as per taco crawl rules) we took a photo it was time to slam down the drinks and head on to the next stop!
Our second stop was actually a last minute entry (on the way to use the bathroom) Los Panchos. The tacos here were battered and fried, good amount of toppings but rather flavorless. This location was actually a drive through so there wasn't any drinks to slam down but we did get ready to move on.
Our third stop was El Zarape. This was the favorite of 3 of us. We each tried the fish taco as well as the scallop taco. Delicious! The fish was cooked well, just enough toppings and sauce, and fun atmosphere. At this point we were supposed to head to a fourth stop but we decided that we all really liked las Olas (from a previous trip and we couldn't imagine another place topping el zarape) so let's get some dessert! For dessert we headed over to Babycakes for some cupcakes. My red velvet cupcake was good but it's definitely not made in the southern tradition. Everyone else really enjoyed theirs.
On our last day in San Diego we decided to shop as much as we could. Our first stop was to Balboa Park to look at all the Native American artwork at the 25th Annual Indian Fair and Market. We met an amazing artist named Daniel B. Ramirez. His work is beautiful. I was only able to buy a couple of cards since we were flying home but I fully intent to buy one of his prints. http://sites.google.com/site/danielramirezart/
Our second stop was to the Little Italy Farmers Market. The produce looked amazing! The food stands smelled yummy! We ended up just getting a couple of things. First was Frogs Balls.....pickled brussel sprouts. This were actually really yummy! The second was a really cute purse made out of a coffee bag. What made the bag different from others I have seen was that it had added fabric inside and outside to add a splash of color. Later in the day we headed over to Mille Fieulle for some French Macaroons to take home. The cookies are for the most part delicious and made traditionally. However some of the fillings taste a little too artificial. I also wondered if they used egg whites or a substitute. For dinner (of course we had to eat before getting on a plane) we had yummy hamburgers at Crazy Burger. The burgers are large portions and are delicious. We had tried the regular hamburger, the veggie burger and a kangaroo burger (that one was my husband, definitely not me).
We dropped off our rental car at Budget Rental – and will never use them again! They're system was down so they couldn't check us out. Told us they'll email us our receipt. Upon receiving our receipt noticed we were over charged. Instead of checking us in when we dropped the car off, they checked us in a full four hours later, resulting in an additional days charges. It took 4 calls to they're office, the regular customer service office, and 2 managers to correct their mistake. We still await an itemized bill to ensure the correction is accurate. Finally, we jumped on our Jetblue flight, tried to catch some zzzz's, headed home and slept for most of the day - jetlag stinks!
We picked up our luggage, met our family, and headed over to the Loews Coronado Bay Resort. Maybe the hotel is secluded, far away, or it was just because we were tired and it was late but seemed to take forever to get there. However, once we arrived we were happy with our stay. The front desk staff is very professional while still friendly and tried to find us a nice room (it was our anniversary). The room itself was nice, clean, and inviting. We had a king bed, flat screen tv, mini bar, seating area, and a balcony over looking the pool and marina. The bathroom had a large tub, large sink area, and a separate shower. The shower was nice (glass enclosure) however it was kind of like a cruise ship shower - impossible to shave in! After checking out the room we said goodbye to our family members, ordered some room service, and fell right to sleep.
Our first day in San Diego was "play the tourist day." We met up with our family and headed out to breakfast at The Mission - North Park. Yummy! French toast, pancakes, soy chorizo burritos, and awesome coffee! We drove over to Old Town (one of my favorite places) and purchased tickets for the Trolley Tour (like I said tourist day). We had a half hour before the tour so we visited the shops and purchased a few gifts. Once on board the trolley we had the pleasure of meeting Deb. Deb was voted as the trolley tour operator of the year in San Diego. The Tour brings you all over San Diego while the operators give you a bit of history and information on the stops. Some of the places you can visit are Old Town, Balboa Park, Coronado Island, Little Italy, and Seaport Village.
Balboa Park is filled with beautiful gardens, museums, shops, and restaurants. We didn't visit the museums while we were there but we did visit a few gardens, the outdoor theater, shops, etc. After our visit in Balboa park we hopped back on the trolley and headed to Old Town again. For lunch we decided on Cafe Coyote. Yummy! Carnitas tacos, potato tacos, rice, beans, etc. At this point the time change, early start to the day and our activities are catching up with us. We head back to our hotel for a quick nap and then get ready to head out for the night.
Dinner was enjoyed at Kensington Grill. Our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of champagne since it was our anniversary. We enjoyed a bruschetta plater (not your typical bruschetta) - Mango and Brie, Shrimp Ceviche, Pancetta, etc. Our dinners were good but our family did tell us that the experience was actually less than they had previously had there. After dinner we decided we weren't completely stuffed so a stop at HeavenSent Desserts was in order. Yummy! I loved the Mexican Hot Chocolate!
On our second day in San Diego (Anniversary Day) we had reservations for a VIP Tour at the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. We met our guide Stacy (hmmm meant to be..... same name as me and even spelled the same way) who fit right in with the four of us! Stacy took us through the park (minus the Asian side) and told us all about the animals and how they're cared for as well as how the park is set up. Some special highlights were stopping at the elephant exhibit and going into the keepers area. We saw the different areas where the elephants get checked on and taking care of in. While we were there we got to see the adult male elephant be put back into the exhibit and checked on.
Another special stop was to the Okapi's. We were actually able to see into their beds and where the keepers take care of them. Then we were allowed to feed the Okapi's some lettuce. We fed Safina who is due to give birth to a new Okapi any day. At the last special stop we were brought to where the "performing" animals were taking a break. We peeked in on the cheetah, hyeanna, possum, kangaroo, etc. Stacy was able to bring out a snake and an anteater. We got to look at them up close and even pet them. After our tour we headed over for some "park food" - needless to say I had the fruit salad. After lunch we visited the gorillas, catfish, lions, and the baby cheetah. After all of this activity we were exhausted! We headed back into San Diego for some R&R.
For dinner we visited the Prado at Balboa Park for a romantic al fresco dining experience. Our service and our food were great. I will say that the mushroom risotto is more like watery rice but it was very flavorful. For dessert my cousin surprised us with a mini 2 tier wedding cake. The tiers were made up of our flavor wedding cake as well as their flavor from their wedding. How sweet is that! Now for the bad part. Do not order cakes from Flour Power in San Diego. My cousin had ordered the cake weeks in advance with instruction for it to be covered with fondant and have a a fondant bow (similar to my original cake). The bakery called to tell her that she wouldn't want that on such a small cake (this was the day before she was scheduled to pick it up). When she went to the bakery it didn't have the fondant, nor sugar flowers it was a plain white buttercream frosted cake. On top of that the bakery gave her a huge attitude when she complained that this was not what she ordered. My poor cousin was so stressed out from this that she was actually crying to them and they didn't care! We were all able to laugh it off in the end but be sure we are spreading the word not to use Flour Power.
On our third day in San Diego we all decided we needed to sleep in. We relaxed ordered some room service (yummy). Got ready and headed over to The Hotel Del Coronado. We walked the beach, played in the sand, and watched insane teenagers walk in the water wearing jeans! After we cleaned off a bit we headed to check out the hotel. The shops and restaurants look nice and the outside of the hotel is really pretty. The inside of the hotel is definitely not for me though. While it is historic and beautiful craftsmanship it's very dark and and feels like it caters to an older crowd.
For lunch we headed over to Tartine. Awesome panini's that come with a side salad! Very cute cafe! The desserts looked amazing too! We wanted to try them but were really looking forward to some Gelato. My cousin took us to Nado's Gelato and boy was it worth it! Amazing Gelato! The flavors were spot on, it was smooth and creamy, just delicious! I had the panna cotta and pistachio - yum! I told them it was my 2nd favorite gelato (right behind a small shop on Capri). After the gelato we found a little vintage store called “the attic” that had so many fun pieces of jewelry, housewares, and gifts!
We decided to head into little Italy where we found the most amazing clothing store. For Joseph clothing store. Scarves, Jewelry, Jeans, Shirts....Awesome! It was finally time to go to my cousin's place and rest for a bit. It was nice to just relax and hang out and play with the honey bear (they're adorable dog). It was time to change our outfits! 4 T shirts, 4 different colors and different colored lettering all saying......MAS TACOS! That's right it was time for a taco crawl!!
Our first stop was at the Blue water Grill. This stop was the winner for one of us. The rest of us though the fish was delicious (Grilled, great seasoning and perfectly cooked) but too much cabbage and not enough sauce. After we chowed one taco each ((as per taco crawl rules) we took a photo it was time to slam down the drinks and head on to the next stop!
Our second stop was actually a last minute entry (on the way to use the bathroom) Los Panchos. The tacos here were battered and fried, good amount of toppings but rather flavorless. This location was actually a drive through so there wasn't any drinks to slam down but we did get ready to move on.
Our third stop was El Zarape. This was the favorite of 3 of us. We each tried the fish taco as well as the scallop taco. Delicious! The fish was cooked well, just enough toppings and sauce, and fun atmosphere. At this point we were supposed to head to a fourth stop but we decided that we all really liked las Olas (from a previous trip and we couldn't imagine another place topping el zarape) so let's get some dessert! For dessert we headed over to Babycakes for some cupcakes. My red velvet cupcake was good but it's definitely not made in the southern tradition. Everyone else really enjoyed theirs.
On our last day in San Diego we decided to shop as much as we could. Our first stop was to Balboa Park to look at all the Native American artwork at the 25th Annual Indian Fair and Market. We met an amazing artist named Daniel B. Ramirez. His work is beautiful. I was only able to buy a couple of cards since we were flying home but I fully intent to buy one of his prints. http://sites.google.com/site/danielramirezart/
Our second stop was to the Little Italy Farmers Market. The produce looked amazing! The food stands smelled yummy! We ended up just getting a couple of things. First was Frogs Balls.....pickled brussel sprouts. This were actually really yummy! The second was a really cute purse made out of a coffee bag. What made the bag different from others I have seen was that it had added fabric inside and outside to add a splash of color. Later in the day we headed over to Mille Fieulle for some French Macaroons to take home. The cookies are for the most part delicious and made traditionally. However some of the fillings taste a little too artificial. I also wondered if they used egg whites or a substitute. For dinner (of course we had to eat before getting on a plane) we had yummy hamburgers at Crazy Burger. The burgers are large portions and are delicious. We had tried the regular hamburger, the veggie burger and a kangaroo burger (that one was my husband, definitely not me).
We dropped off our rental car at Budget Rental – and will never use them again! They're system was down so they couldn't check us out. Told us they'll email us our receipt. Upon receiving our receipt noticed we were over charged. Instead of checking us in when we dropped the car off, they checked us in a full four hours later, resulting in an additional days charges. It took 4 calls to they're office, the regular customer service office, and 2 managers to correct their mistake. We still await an itemized bill to ensure the correction is accurate. Finally, we jumped on our Jetblue flight, tried to catch some zzzz's, headed home and slept for most of the day - jetlag stinks!
**** The Mission
North Park, San Diego, CA
May 2009
Yummy breakfast! French toast, pancakes, soy chorizo burritos, and awesome coffee!
Yummy breakfast! French toast, pancakes, soy chorizo burritos, and awesome coffee!
**** Cafe Coyote
Old Town, San Diego, CA
May 2009
Carnitas tacos, potato tacos, rice, beans – delicious
Carnitas tacos, potato tacos, rice, beans – delicious
*** Kensington Grill
San Diego CA
May 2009
Our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of champagne since it was our anniversary. We enjoyed a bruschetta platter (not your typical bruschetta) - Mango and Brie, Shrimp Ceviche, and Pancetta. Our dinners were good but our family did tell us that the experience was actually less than they had previously had there.
Our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of champagne since it was our anniversary. We enjoyed a bruschetta platter (not your typical bruschetta) - Mango and Brie, Shrimp Ceviche, and Pancetta. Our dinners were good but our family did tell us that the experience was actually less than they had previously had there.
*** Heaven Sent Dessert
San Diego, CA
May 2009
I loved the Mexican Hot Chocolate!
I loved the Mexican Hot Chocolate!
*** Prado
Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
May 2009
For a romantic al fresco dining experience. Our service and our food were great. I will say that the mushroom risotto is more like watery rice but it was very flavorful.
For a romantic al fresco dining experience. Our service and our food were great. I will say that the mushroom risotto is more like watery rice but it was very flavorful.
*** Tartine
Coronado Island CA
May 2009
Awesome panini's that come with a side salad! Very cute cafe! The desserts looked amazing too!
Awesome panini's that come with a side salad! Very cute cafe! The desserts looked amazing too!
*** Nado's Gelato
1017 C Ave. Coronado, CA 92118
May 2009
Nado’s is definitely worth the stop. Amazing Gelato!
Nado’s is definitely worth the stop. Amazing Gelato!
***** Fish Taco Crawl
San Diego, CA
May 2009
Blue water Grill
This stop was the winner for one of us. The rest of us though the fish was delicious (Grilled, great seasoning and perfectly cooked) but too much cabbage and not enough sauce. After we chowed one taco each (as per taco crawl rules) we took a photo it was time to slam down the drinks and head on to the next stop!
Los Panchos
The tacos here were battered and fried, good amount of toppings but rather flavorless. This location was actually a drive through so there weren’t any drinks to slam down but we did get ready to move on.
El Zarape
This was the favorite of 3 of us. We each tried the fish taco as well as the scallop taco. Delicious! The fish was cooked well, just enough toppings and sauce, and fun atmosphere.
Blue water Grill
This stop was the winner for one of us. The rest of us though the fish was delicious (Grilled, great seasoning and perfectly cooked) but too much cabbage and not enough sauce. After we chowed one taco each (as per taco crawl rules) we took a photo it was time to slam down the drinks and head on to the next stop!
Los Panchos
The tacos here were battered and fried, good amount of toppings but rather flavorless. This location was actually a drive through so there weren’t any drinks to slam down but we did get ready to move on.
El Zarape
This was the favorite of 3 of us. We each tried the fish taco as well as the scallop taco. Delicious! The fish was cooked well, just enough toppings and sauce, and fun atmosphere.
*** Babycakes
3766 5th Avenue San Diego, CA 92103
May 2009
My red velvet cupcake was good but it's definitely not made in the southern tradition. Everyone else really enjoyed theirs.
My red velvet cupcake was good but it's definitely not made in the southern tradition. Everyone else really enjoyed theirs.
*** Carlsbad Area
April 2007
A couple of our favorite restaurants were Fresco Trattoria, Fish House Vera Cruz, and Harbor Fish Café
A couple of our favorite restaurants were Fresco Trattoria, Fish House Vera Cruz, and Harbor Fish Café