Four Seasons Aviara too remote?

[LisaRex]

I'm thinking of heading to San Diego in October. I can get a decent rental price at Four Seasons Aviara, but I'm wondering if Carlsbad is too remote. Several years ago, we stayed at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, and while it was lovely (and free), we ended up driving 30 minutes to 1.5 hours every day, and ended up moving to the Marriott in Del Mar for a few nights, just to cut out part of the commute. I don't mind a little driving, but don't want to spend that much time on the road.

We're not sit around the resort all day kind of people, so we'd like to be located in an area where we could do some interesting things within a reasonable commute. Last time, in the 2 days we had free, we went to the San Diego Wildlife Park, Coronado, the Presidio, and Balboa Park. We're open to just about anything, but to be honest, Legoland doesn't really appeal to me.

For about $500 more, I can rent an ocean front condo in Del Mar, La Jolla, or Mission Beach.

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

 

[Luanne]

I would pick La Jolla because I love that area. Carlsbad is nice, but if you really want to be spending your time in San Diego you could be spending a lot of time on the road. Dh and I were in San Diego a couple of years ago and on the day we decided to drive up the coast (as far as Oceanside) we hit gridlock, both on the freeway and the coast road, on the way back.

Mission Beach could be nice as well.

 

[VacationForever]

I really do not care for Carlsbad and the location of the Four Seasons Aviara. We exchanged into there 3 years ago and while the property was nice and service was just average, I would not call it exceptional. Carlsbad is an old quaint hippy town with not much to do. We generally eat out alot snd struggled to find decent restaurants. A few highly rated haunts were either run down, full of flies and generally were not pleasant. A drive to San Diego proper was congested and frustrating.

 

[davidvel]

I really do not care for Carlsbad and the location of the Four Seasons Aviara. We exchanged into there 3 years ago and while the property was nice and service was just average, I would not call it exceptional. Carlsbad is an old quaint hippy town with not much to do. We generally eat out alot snd struggled to find decent restaurants. A few highly rated haunts were either run down, full of flies and generally were not pleasant. A drive to San Diego proper was congested and frustrating.

Ha, I think you're confusing Carlsbad with Cardiff. Not too many hippies in Aviara area of Carlsbad. I don't now about any restaurants in that area with flies, or considered run down. If you're talking about Carlsbad Village, where the Carlsbad Inn is, then you are likely confusing hippies, with surfers.

As to the OP, if you thought RSF was too far north of downtown, Aviara is another 20-25 minutes away.

 

[WalnutBaron]

Agreed. If you want to spend time doing things in San Diego proper, Carlsbad is definitely a commute--well north of downtown SD. You won't find any timeshares in SD, but I would highly recommend either the U.S. Grant or the Marriott, both in the wonderful Gaslamp District. They're right in the heart of things in San Diego, and you can take an Uber ride to just about anything you're wanting to do in the city. They are also very close to the light rail system if you're so inclined.

 

[Luanne]

Agreed. If you want to spend time doing things in San Diego proper, Carlsbad is definitely a commute--well north of downtown SD. You won't find any timeshares in SD, but I would highly recommend either the U.S. Grant or the Marriott, both in the wonderful Gaslamp District. They're right in the heart of things in San Diego, and you can take an Uber ride to just about anything you're wanting to do in the city. They are also very close to the light rail system if you're so inclined.

I'm confused by your statement. There are several timeshares in San Diego. We stayed at the Wyndham Balboa Park. There is a timeshare in the Gaslamp District. There is also the Coronado Beach Resort on Coronado right across the street from the Hotel del Coronado.

 

[VacationForever]

Ha, I think you're confusing Carlsbad with Cardiff. Not too many hippies in Aviara area of Carlsbad. I don't now about any restaurants in that area with flies, or considered run down. If you're talking about Carlsbad Village, where the Carlsbad Inn is, then you are likely confusing hippies, with surfers.

As to the OP, if you thought RSF was too far north of downtown, Aviara is another 20-25 minutes away.

Not talking about Carlsbad Inn or Carlsbad Village. The only nice restaurant was at Four Seasons itself. We went to several places, many along the coast. Maybe we went to Cardiff or maybe not. We just looked for recommended restaurants around the area. One was a popular restaurant which had fish tacos/fish and chips.... wooden benches, with lots of flies around us. There was a somewhat upscale / yuppie looking wine restaurant which had all the doors opened in very chilly weather...the charcuterie board was a weak attempt to throw a few pieces of cheeses and salami together. The rest of the food was disappointing too. A highly rated breakfast/lunch place was a small hole in the wall provision shop with some items on the menu.

 

[mdurette]

We stayed via RCI exchange at WorldMark SanDiego Mission Valley 2BR for a week in Feb a couple years ago. I found it an easy location for our SD adventures.

If you have RCI, there are a few options in SD for October available with a couple of resorts.

 

[presley]

Four Seasons is great, but you will spend a lot of time driving if you plan to visit other areas of the county most of the time. You can use google maps to see how much driving you'll have to each location that you plan to visit. It will give you a better idea. Having fireplaces and every day housekeeping is very nice at Four Seasons, but like you, I prefer not to spend my vacation time driving around all day.

 

[LisaRex]

Thanks so much for your input. I'll look into renting a condo or timeshare closer to town instead.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We are very different. We love to drive Southern California, so when we get a chance to stay at Four Seasons Aviara, we jump at it. But we do spend the early parts of the mornings and evenings in the unit. We try to get back from our activities to relax and enjoy the amenities. We use the pool area and exercise room too. Love FSA. I have ongoing searches for almost every week of next year.

 

[davidvel]

Not talking about Carlsbad Inn or Carlsbad Village. The only nice restaurant was at Four Seasons itself. We went to several places, many along the coast. Maybe we went to Cardiff or maybe not. We just looked for recommended restaurants around the area. One was a popular restaurant which had fish tacos/fish and chips.... wooden benches, with lots of flies around us. There was a somewhat upscale / yuppie looking wine restaurant which had all the doors opened in very chilly weather...the charcuterie board was a weak attempt to throw a few pieces of cheeses and salami together. The rest of the food was disappointing too. A highly rated breakfast/lunch place was a small hole in the wall provision shop with some items on the menu.

Yes, sounds like you were in Cardiff or more southern Encinitas.

 

[buzglyd]

Hippies would be in Leaucadia.

We're not quite so snooty in these parts. Even our flies are friendly.

 

[VegasBella]

We love Carlsbad but I have to admit I am not itching to stay at Aviara. To me, it's just too far from the beach.

I like Carlsbad because it's pretty much right in the middle between LA and San Diego so when I want to do any big ccity things I can drive an hour or take the train and go there. We usually spend our week at Carlsbad Inn 2-3 days near the resort (beach, the village, Oceanside, etc) and a few days going to the nearby cities.

Things to do in Carlsbad include:
whale watching,
hiking, bird watching, outdoor activities like cycling,
any sort of water sport (paddle boarding, surfing, boating),
tour the Flower Fields (seasonal),
visit the San Diego Botanical Gardens (not in Carlsbad but not in San Diego either, in Encinitas which is closer to Carlsbad),
take the train to SD or LA,
Visit any of the museums (example: Museum of Making Music, GIA gem museum),
pick strawberries (seasonal),
Legoland (I know you're not interested but others reading this thread might be) is fun for all ages, just requires an interest in legos/engineering/creative stuff,
hot air balloon rides, helicopter tours, etc,
wine tasting, visit art galleries, etc,
visit some world famous skateboarding parks/spaces...

If most of the things you want to do are in San Diego, then stay there, by all means. I just want to be clear that there's PLENTY to do in Carlsbad and it is not "remote."

 

[JohnPaul]

Agreed. If you want to spend time doing things in San Diego proper, Carlsbad is definitely a commute--well north of downtown SD. You won't find any timeshares in SD, but I would highly recommend either the U.S. Grant or the Marriott, both in the wonderful Gaslamp District. They're right in the heart of things in San Diego, and you can take an Uber ride to just about anything you're wanting to do in the city. They are also very close to the light rail system if you're so inclined.

Worldmark has 3 resorts in San Diego and Shell Vacations Club has one. These are in addition to the Wyndham and Coronado already mentioned.

I love Inn on the Park which is half WM and half Shell. We actually head there tomorrow.