If you have a tot who loves Legos, your home can sometimes feel like a Legoland in itself. Well, now there’s a resort with the official title! It opened earlier this month on April 5th in Carlsbad, California. This is the toy company’s first US hotel, but their empire spans the globe with amusement parks everywhere from the US to Germany to Malaysia. The hotel initially had some kinks to work out (like where to pick up the park tickets that come with your room package), so I’m happy we waited a few weeks to go. I got a really great deal by booking before their opening. It was $259 for the room, which came with the offer of two free two-day kid park passes with the purchase of two adult passes. Ordinarily the tickets would have cost $436, and since my total was $489, the room essentially paid for itself. Not a bad way to start off a weekend getaway!
As you’d expect, the hotel is themed from top to bottom. It’s a kid’s dream with every last inch either made from Legos or depicting something Lego-related. Frankly, without those adornments, the hotel would be a lot like the Holiday Inn. There wasn’t much in the way of closet space – just a shelf system and compact hanging bar. I guess most of their guests only need to stay a couple of days to see the park, but more space is always nice. The bathroom was white tile decorated with a Lego shower curtain and some toy bugs on the wall – nothing really impressive or luxe. The best thing to do is ignore the fact that the primary color-themed décor is ugly and enjoy the fun your tots are having. The resort was designed for them, after all.
In fact, your room (which is not considered a suite) is divided by the bathroom to give tots their own space and feeling of autonomy, while parents remain close by. Both sides have TVs, and the wall cleverly keeps the sounds from interfering with each other. Of course there’s a bin of Legos, as well as the thrill of a mysterious treasure hunt on the horizon – mysterious because there are no directions for it, but we were assured there was a treasure chest filled with goodies and gold chocolate coins should we find it.
Remember to take the elevator – as soon as the doors close, a disco ball and music turn on, prompting some seriously adorable dancing. The lobby is where the real Lego action is at, though. There’s a Lego pit at the entrance with a pillar made of the toys that you can break off and fit back on, and at the base of that is a lake full of loose Lego pieces. Whatever your tots come up with using these will be kept in a display case all day. A winner is selected at the end of the day and gets a prize! We didn’t enter, so I’m not sure what it is – taking photo of your mini artists next to their masterpieces would be nice enough.
At the other end of the lobby are a well-positioned coffee shop (you’ll probably need this to keep up!), a Lego castle, and pirate ship next to yet another Lego lagoon. Don’t even think about walking around here barefoot and skip the pool – it faces the parking lot and other than the brightly colored chairs, is pretty bare. I guess since everyone knows that the theme park is the main attraction, maybe they just put in a pool to have a pool. The food was also disappointing, or rather exactly what you’d expect – basic theme park fare. Take a break from Legos and hit the town. There are a lot of great restaurants about 15 minutes away, including my favorite – Vera Cruz Fish House.
Overall, if you’re visiting the area for Legoland specifically, definitely stay at the hotel. It’s just a few steps away from the park, and guests get into the gates an hour before everyone else. Only half the park is open, but it’ll help cut down your list of to-dos because there’ll be no lines. We arrived late Saturday morning, went into Legoland for a few hours, and then came back to the hotel for a much needed nap, knowing that we had the next day to finish seeing everything. This is the best way to visit amusement parks with young kids. And even though everywhere you turn is a brightly colored offense to the senses, my girls loved it, which made it all fun for me. This trip won’t be our last there. Visit the Legoland site to book yours!
