San Diego is blessed with a lot of things, including a plethora of great hotels and resorts. But for my vacation (or stay-cation) dollar, Paradise Point Report on Mission Bay stands out as my top pick. Here are the Top 10 reasons why your next getaway should be the Paradise Point Resort. It's my favorite as you will soon see.
10. LOOKS MORE LIKE HAWAII THAN HAWAII
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| Lush landscaping and tropical setting makes this one of San Diego's most beautiful resorts. |
No one can blame you if you start hollering "AAA-LO-HAAAA!" at the top of your lungs when you arrive. If you didn't know better you might think you were in Maui with the mature tropical plantings and meandering walkways. Palm trees swaying in the breeze, the serenity of the ponds, the sound of birds in the background, you instantly forget that this is on Mission Bay. Lush and beautiful, it's simply is one of San Diego's most beautiful resort settings.
9. MORE ROMANTIC THAN A HONEYMOON NIGHT
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| An early morning stroll on the beach to start the day. |
Hey you - did you really buy your wife a new set of tires for your last anniversary? I know, they were steel belted radials - but really?? A weekend at Paradise Point Resort is guaranteed to get you out of the doghouse though what happens after that is up to you. Perfect for honeymooners, anniversaries, special occasions, or anyone just needing to get away, Paradise Point rates higher than a Barry White album on the romantic scale. Bring champagne!
8. MAI TAI'S AND TROPICAL DRINKS TO CARRY YOU AWAY
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| Yes! |
Nothing says vacation more than a tropical drink and you'll find them all over Paradise Point, from the popular Barefoot Bar to poolside. The Mai Tai's pack the punch but if punch is what you are after then there's nothing better than an ice cold, rum filled frosty glass of Paradise Punch, a drink that so easy to sip that you might never leave. Tasty, tasty, tasty!
7. THE BAREFOOT BAR, A SAN DIEGO INSTITUTION
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| Vintage Barefoot Bar menu still captures the feel of the restaurant. |
The story is that The Barefoot Bar was built on top of a bomb shelter back when the original Vacation Village opened in 1963 and the joke was that you could get bombed at the bar but not bombed from the sky. Ahhh, humor back in the Cold War times, nothing better! The original Barefoot Bar had sand on the floor but no longer, which is probably OK when you think about it. Great food, live music, a view of the bay, this place screams VACATION! Locals, stop in for lunch and take a "play-cation" this weekend and be a tourist in our hometown. It's super fun and the food is great. Speaking of which....
6. LOCAL FOOD THAT LOCALS WILL WANT TO EAT
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| Super fresh seafood, this is the ahi poke on a crispy won ton. Dang it's good! |
Just look at that bite - fresh ahi poke with some mango salsa and avocado on top of a crispy won ton wrapper. CRUNCH! Ahhhh! If you could taste what I tasted you would know why I rave about The Barefoot Bar. Open for both lunch and dinner the menu features plenty of fresh seafood options as well as steaks, chicken and burgers. It's a creative menu and one that was so good the last time I went that I can't wait to go back and try more dishes. Next time you're looking for a place to eat and you want something different from the usual suspects in San Diego set your sights on The Barefoot Bar. It's good, really good!
5. FIVE POOLS TO KEEP YOU HAPPY
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| The large resort pool has lots of energy and a great place to people watch - just don't get caught! |
A great resort needs a great pool and Paradise Point's main pool fits the bill. Kids splashing in the pool and a cocktail waitress to help you ignore the kids splashing, it's the perfect set up for a perfect day. But if the idea of pumped up music and Summer-sized energy isn't your idea of relaxation then head over to any of the other smaller, more private pools, some with age restrictions that keep the munchkins on the other side of the gate. Nice! I mean, nice that there are options.
4. A ROOM WITH A VIEW
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| Watch the boats sail by from your private patio. |
This is the view from my room. I sat in that chair and watched the sailboats go by in the afternoon. I watched the sun go down. I watched the bonfires at night. And in the morning I watched the day slowly unfold, the kayakers taking advantage of the calm, and the beginning of another day in Paradise. Now imagine you sitting in that chair with your glass of wine and imagine that this is your vacation, not mine. This is the Paradise Point lifestyle and it doesn't get much better than this.
4. A ROOM TO MATCH THE VIEW
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| How nice is this? |
I'm not sure which is prettier, the view from the room or the room itself. Pick a room on the bayside and you'll be stepping outside to a patio that drops right into the sand and the rooms on the interior aren't slouches either, especially if you get one that lines one of the pools or tropical gardens. What's cool about Paradise Point is that the rooms are bungalows. No high rise hotel. No boring corporate compound. It feels like you are on vacation - hey, you are! I've stayed at enough boring Marriott's throughout the year on dismal business trips. When I go on vacation I want something that makes me forget about work and a bungalow on the beach sound just about right.
3. PLENTY OF FUN STUFF TO DO
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| Rent a sailboat for an afternoon of gentle sailing on the calm waters. |
Located right on the bay, Paradise Point offers plenty of opportunities to get out on the water. If you've never been to San Diego then here's a quick lesson. There are two bays in San Diego. The big one near the airport, Seaport Village and the Convention Center, is called, well, San Diego Bay. It's the one with the Coronado Bridge going over it and an aircraft carrier docked on it. It's big, it's windy, and it's great for experienced sailors wanting to push their skills. Mission Bay, on the other hand, is nice and calm. That's where Paradise Point Marina is and this is where you can rent a little sailboat and try to remember what you learned back at Summer camp in Junior High. You can also rent a kayak or jet ski or whatever you want. Or forgetaboutit and just hop on the water taxi to take a short trip to SeaWorld where you can skip the long lines in front if you purchase your tickets at the resort.
And if water isn't your thing then rent a bike and cruise around the bay. I might suggest a little ride over to the Catamaran Hotel on the other side of the bay as a destination (tip: cocktail bar) and a leisurely ride back then a jump in the pool. There are so many options that there is no way you'll run out of things to do.
2. BEST FAMILY VACATION, EVER.
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| Create lasting memories doing nothing more than relaxing on the beach. |
Remember that favorite family vacation you took as a kid? This is the place to create those happy memories with your family and friends. A bungalow on the beach, the sand between your toes, the kids laughing while floating on a raft, you've done a good job picking Paradise Point as your vacation spot. And locals, when the kids are getting restless forget about the long lines at Disneyland or the scorching hot temps of Palm Springs and just stay here. The kids get an adventure, you get a drink and some sunshine, everyone wins!
1. MAXIMUM RELAXATION
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| Get that balance back into your life with a stay at Paradise Point. |
Whether this is your big family vacation, a honeymoon destination or just a weekend getaway the end result is the same - a Zen-like happiness that makes you feel great about your experience. Paradise Point Resort is a hidden gem, a piece of Hawaii that somehow ended up on Mission Bay. There are a lot of places to say in San Diego but only one that is truly paradise!
Mahalo,
Wally
The original locals guide to San Diego.... since 1996
