Harmony In Chaos Travel

Our little family had a really great time at the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, CA. I only wish that we had been able to stay a little longer. Part one of my review, found here, covered service at check in, parking at the hotel, and the actual room we stayed in.

Miss A playing with rocks on the beach.

The Beach

The Park Hyatt doesn't have direct beach access and as such, I would suggest that a car would be necessary if you are hoping to spend any amount of time at the beach. According to Google Maps, the South Carlsbad State Beach area is the closest to the property at approximately 2.5 miles away.

We opted to spend some time with friends at Powerhouse Park in the Del Mar area, about 13.5 miles south of the property. The Park Hyatt allows guests to borrow beach towels, chairs, and sand toys. We really appreciated this aspect of the hotel since it's hard to pack those things in a suitcase and even harder when traveling with kids.

Miss R lounging in a hotel provided beach chair after taking a dip in the freezing Pacific Ocean

The process to borrow the items couldn't have been any easier. Since we had parked our car with the valet, we simply had to request the items and they were already in the car when we arrived to the front of the hotel. We were able to borrow five chairs, six or seven towels, and three sets of sand toys. Possibly the best part of borrowing these items was the fact that when we came back to the hotel, we just left everything in the car and the valet took care of it. Yay for not having to lug sandy toys back through the hotel!

Adult Pool



There are two pool areas at the Park Hyatt. One is the Adult Only Pool for guests who are 21 and older. I didn't get to spend any time at this pool since the stay was short but I did sneak in to get some pictures. There were two employees on staff at the hotel offering to put out towels or get water or other drinks from the bar for me. They were incredibly helpful and more than willing to accommodate any reasonable request.


The pool was pristine and at the time I went in, there weren't any other guests in sight. There were a good number of lounge chairs and umbrellas to provide shade (although our pool day was quite cloudy).


This cute lounge area was also in the adult pool area. It would be a perfect place to sit and watch the sunset or just to enjoy the view of the lagoon below.

Hot tub in adult pool area

The family pool area was larger than the adult pool area and had even more lounge chairs as well as cabanas. There weren't many people out but I would imagine that even on busy days, the pool is large enough to keep from feeling overcrowded.

The main family pool

In addition to the main family pool, there was a great little one foot deep wading pool. It was perfect for our three littles and made it so my husband and I could enjoy a little bit of time actually relaxing by the pool while we watched them swim. The hotel also has bunches of green pool noodles to borrow located at easy access points around the pool.


If it hadn't been as chilly outside as it was on the day we spent at the pool, our kids would have LOVED the splash pad area. The water was freezing and the splash pad was pretty basic but the kids still tried to enjoy it.

Complimentary poolside sunscreen and magazines.

As I've mentioned, we really enjoyed this property. The suite we were given was spacious with a gorgeous view, the pools were great, and for us, it was a great central location to be able to spend some time with friends and family.

The property would be a great option if you are planning on spending time at Legoland California which is less than four miles away. It would also provide a perfect retreat on a trip to see all of the many things that the San Diego area has to offer. We can't wait to return!