CA Resorts?

[SueDonJ]

We're beginning to plan for a trip out to Temeculah, CA for a wedding during early October, 2023. It's likely we'll stay at whichever hotel is part of the wedding block for that weekend but want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit one, maybe two CA resorts during the following week/ten days. Which resorts/airports are closest, what's the weather during October, and how much demand should we expect to come up against? We'll be using Points and want to be prepared to use the 13-mos window when it opens next month. Thanks!

 

[HudsHut]

Marriotts Newport Coast
Hyatt (Lawrence Welk) Resort Villas (exchange)
Marriott San Diego Pulse (no kitchen)
Marriott Desert Springs I&II
Marriott Shadow Ridge
Four Seasons Aviara (exchange)

 

[craigc]

Fly into San Diego and drive to Temecula for the wedding (if you like wine, stay a day for wine tasting in Temecula). Then drive back to San Diego and stay at San Diego Pulse (downtown) for a few nights. Then drive up PCH along the coast and stay at Newport Coast Villas. Weather in Oct will be low to mid 70's along the coast, 60's at night. You can fly out of John Wayne airport, not too far from Newport Coast Villas. If you want it warmer, go inland to Palm Springs.....a couple of options there but my preference would be the coast. I just did a similar trip 2 weeks ago with my youngest daughter, we flew into John Wayne and stayed in OC for 5 nights then took the Surfliner train to San Diego and stayed at the Pulse and flew home out of San Diego. Enjoy!

 

[SmithOp]

Weather is great in October inland, the coast might be chilly in morning and evening. Not as many crowds.

Lots of nice wineries to visit in the Temecula area. We visit quite a few times a year because there are several native American casinos in the area, we gamble often and get comped rooms. The Pechanga casino in Temecula has a very nice pool and spa complex, and golf course.

Some other exchange timeshares in the nearby coastal area, Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Oxnard, Ventura.

Sent from my Lenovo 10e using Tapatalk

 

[GregT]

We're beginning to plan for a trip out to Temeculah, CA for a wedding during early October, 2023. It's likely we'll stay at whichever hotel is part of the wedding block for that weekend but want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit one, maybe two CA resorts during the following week/ten days. Which resorts/airports are closest, what's the weather during October, and how much demand should we expect to come up against? We'll be using Points and want to be prepared to use the 13-mos window when it opens next month. Thanks!

San Diego airport will be closest, and Temecula is about a 45-50 minute drive from the airport. It is inland but is a very pleasant valley and wine country.

It can be very hot in October, we sometimes get a Santa Ana condition (wind blows east to west -- from the desert) where it can be 80+ in San Diego (and higher in Temecula), and it is wild fire season. This is not intended as a negative, I love September/October here in San Diego, but don't be surprised if it is warm.

I do agree with the Newport Coast option (about 75 minutes north of San Diego - and West of Temecula) and the the Marriott Pulse is probably the only San Diego option. I don't think the Pulse is highly demanded but I suspect Newport Coast is. If you do hotel points, then the Marriott hotel on Coronado island is fantastic, and also the Marriott Marquis marina which is in true downtown San Diego. If you stay at downtown, I'm happy to do take the SueDonJ clan out for a harbor cruise, we keep our boat at the Marriott Marquis and an evening harbor cruise is lovely.

Sounds like a great trip!

Best,

Greg

 

[Passepartout]

Temecula is a little inland and between San Diego and Anaheim. October should be right lovely there at that time of year. So what do you like to do? Beachy stuff? Theme parks? Golf? Then there are mountains, desert, wineries. A little guidance here Susan???

 

[sunski]

Depending on what airline you use SAN, SNA, or ONT are all reasonable driving distance to Temecula.

You should be able to get an easy trade to NCV or the Welk properties in October.

If, like you said, you are using points I agree with what Craigc suggested above a few days at the Pulse and then some at NCV. Parking is expensive at the Pulse, keep that in mind if you think you can get by w/o one while you are there. The Surfliner can take you up the coast and you can rent a car in Orange County, if you find you want one.

Traffic between San Diego and Orange County is bad especially mornings and afternoons, so you would be best to stay the night before near the airport you plan to depart from unless you have a lot of time to get there before your flight.

You could even add a few days in Palm Desert if you want to check out those resorts. It's a pretty easy drive through the mountains from Temecula that time of year, although you may still get some monsoonal moisture in October out toward the desert.

 

[jabberwocky]

San Diego airport will be closest, and Temecula is about a 45-50 minute drive from the airport. It is inland but is a very pleasant valley and wine country.

It can be very hot in October, we sometimes get a Santa Ana condition (wind blows east to west -- from the desert) where it can be 80+ in San Diego (and higher in Temecula), and it is wild fire season. This is not intended as a negative, I love September/October here in San Diego, but don't be surprised if it is warm.

I do agree with the Newport Coast option (about 75 minutes north of San Diego - and West of Temecula) and the the Marriott Pulse is probably the only San Diego option. I don't think the Pulse is highly demanded but I suspect Newport Coast is. If you do hotel points, then the Marriott hotel on Coronado island is fantastic, and also the Marriott Marquis marina which is in true downtown San Diego. If you stay at downtown, I'm happy to do take the SueDonJ clan out for a harbor cruise, we keep our boat at the Marriott Marquis and an evening harbor cruise is lovely.

Sounds like a great trip!

Best,

Greg

@GregT - is your boat one of these?

The Marriott Marquis is a nice location with good views.

 

[GetawaysRus]

The closest resort to Temecula is going to be the Welk in Escondido. There are 3 sections to Welk Escondido, and they are different from one another. The Achilles heel of Welk Escondido is that it is built on a hill immediately beside the I-15 Freeway, so the freeway noise carries right up the hill. But since you are posting in the Marriott forum, and talk about using points, I'm guessing that you won't be interested in Welk, so there's probably no need to discuss it further. Four Seasons Aviara is also not terribly far, and it's an upscale place, but it's not a Marriott.

Don't forget to consider a short stay in Temecula. Temecula can be fun for a day or two. I'll wager that the wedding may be held at an area winery.

I'm assuming you will rent a car. Your choice of airports includes LAX (Horrors! LAX is a madhouse. I avoid LAX if at all possible.), Ontario (ONT), San Diego, Orange County (John Wayne) airport, and also don't forget Palm Springs airport. So you will want to do some homework about flight cost to/from each airport, rental car cost at each airport, and driving time from the airport to your destinations.

San Diego Pulse is not far from Temecula, but it's a Pulse property, so you'd expect small rooms.

If you prefer traditional timeshare resorts, and want to plan 2 weeks (try to - there's plenty to do), I'd aim for Newport Coast Villas and one of the Palm Desert Marriotts. NCV is 2BR dedicated units. The Palm Desert Marriotts have 2BR lockoffs. We have stayed at all of these locations, and they are all very nice properties. (My only caveat is that we are not fans of the Shadow Ridge Enclaves. When we visit Shadow Ridge, we stay in the Villages. But this is personal preference. Desert Villas 1 and 2 are our personal favorites in Palm Desert.)

October is not peak season at NCV or Palm Desert. I don't think you'll have a lot of difficulty making reservations if you plan well in advance.

 

[pchung6]

Four Season Aviara in Carlsbad is about 40 minutes drive from Temecula. It's located in a decent area and short drive to the beach. It's probably the best timeshare resort you can get nearby.

Hilton Marbrisa is another good choice in Carlsbad and close to most of things in North County. You need to have RCI to get it or rent from owner.

There is Marriott Newport Coast, 2 hours drive, is the choice for Disney visit.

Marriott San Diego Pulse, 1 hour drive, if you want the traditional Old Town San Diego feel or plan to visit San Diego.

Marriott Palm Springs or Westin Desert Willow are also good choice if visiting desert is your thing. It's about 1.5 hour drive from Temecula

 

[BJRSanDiego]

October 2023 is far enough out that you should have absolutely no problem exchanging into Marriott Newport Coast or Palm Desert (I usually use a 1 BR for NCV, but have used an efficiency a few times). Welk should also be easy to book (ii removed the word "Welk" from their directory, fyi).

If you are willing to stay in an efficiency in Palm Desert, it is likely that you could use an accommodation certificate.

 

[Superchief]

My brother stayed at the MVC Pulse in San Diego and really enjoyed it. I highly recommend spending a day at the San Diego zoo. The best viewing for many of the animals is early when it opens. We typically take the bus tour as soon as we get there and then walk to the areas that we are most interested in. He didn't have a car in San Diego, but picked one up for the drive to NCV. You will likely need a car at NCV but parking is free.

 

[pchung6]

(I usually use a 1 BR for NCV, but have used an efficiency a few times).

I might be wrong, but I don't think NCV has 1BR or Studio. Only 2BR available for NCV.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I might be wrong, but I don't think NCV has 1BR or Studio. Only 2BR available for NCV.

You're right. NCV only has 2 BR units. I was referring to using a deposited Desert Springs studio or 1 BR to get the exchange into the larger NCV unit. Sorry if my text was ambiguous or misleading. If I can nail down a 2 BR using only an efficiency, I quite pleased. October at NCV seems to be an easy exchange if you deposited a Marriott.

 

[jmhpsu93]

October might be the nicest time to visit southern California, as you rarely get any fog (hence the wildfire season) and it's usually very warm except for maybe just along the coastline.

We had a trip planned last year to visit Four Seasons Avaria, drive through Temecula to Palm Springs, and then back to San Diego Pulse but had to cancel so I'm jealous of your trip!

 

[JIMinNC]

We love visiting the Temecula wine country. We spent a day there in 2019, driving over for a day trip from Palm Desert in mid-October during a week stay at MVC Desert Springs. Then last December we used our HGVC ownership for several days in Carlsbad, north of San Diego, and drove over to Temecula for the day again. Lots of great, small wineries. Kind of a mini-Napa. For that trip we flew in and out of San Diego after a business meeting in Las Vegas.

We are going back to SoCal this coming October - staying a week at MVC Desert Springs I, then one night at the Springhill Suites in Temecula, followed by three nights at Newport Coast. We're flying into Palm Springs and out of Orange County/Santa Ana.

Some of the Temecula wineries we enjoyed were:

Wilson Creek Winery
Callaway Winery
Europa Village (French, Spanish, and Italian wines grown in Temecula)
Bottaia Winery

We'll be sampling a few more in a couple months.

Particularly on weekends, you may want to check and see which ones recommend/require reservations for their tasting rooms.

 

[vikingsholm]

If you want to combine a resort stay at the places people have listed above, with a few days closer-in to Temecula near the Carlsbad/Vista/San Marcos/Temecula areas using Bonvoy points, there are some Residence Inns and Towne Place suites that have full kitchens and some with one or two bedroom units in addition to studios.

Here's a search I saved in the link below when I was not logged in, that shows some of them by price, though the points needed will show by logging in.

Marriott Bonvoy Hotels | Book Directly & Get Exclusive Rates

Book Directly & Save at any of our 8000+ Marriott Bonvoy Hotels. Choose from Luxury Hotels, Resorts, Extended Stay Hotels, Pet-Friendly Hotels & More.

www.marriott.com

 

[GregT]

@GregT - is your boat one of these?

The Marriott Marquis is a nice location with good views.

View attachment 61435

Yes, it’s a great spot and close to PetCo Park so we will often have pre-game activities before a game or concert. Great stuff!

Best,

Greg

 

[SueDonJ]

Wow, so helpful! (And Greg, so generous an offer for a boat ride!)

For the wedding weekend I'd be very surprised if they don't make arrangements for a hotel room block at/near the wedding venue and we'll stay there. If not I'll let you know the venue and you can tell me which hotel options are closest. (Hopefully using Bonvoy Points in that case but it won't be a requirement - being near to the venue is the most important factor.)

It's after the wedding weekend that we want to extend our trip for another 10 days/2 weeks, using DC/Abound Points. (I'm not a Marriott snob, just want to use what I have - and stay away from II exchanges if at all possible!) San Diego is a definite - the Pulse is okay for two nights max and then from there any/all suggestions to check out other areas are welcome.

I'll check in here as plans start falling into place - thanks everyone!

ETA - OK maybe I am a Marriott snob. But Marriott DC/Abound Points are what I have so wherever they can be used is where I'll consider.

 

[jme]

Wow, so helpful! (And Greg, so generous an offer for a boat ride!)

For the wedding weekend I'd be very surprised if they don't make arrangements for a hotel room block at/near the wedding venue and we'll stay there. If not I'll let you know the venue and you can tell me which hotel options are closest.

It's after the wedding weekend that we want to extend our trip for another 10 days/2 weeks, using DC/Abound Points. (I'm not a Marriott snob, just want to use what I have - and stay away from II exchanges if at all possible!) San Diego is a definite - the Pulse is okay for two nights max and then from there any/all suggestions to check out other areas are welcome.

I'll check in here as plans start falling into place - thanks everyone!

Susan, I wish I were family---your trip and boat ride sound awesome.
It's your saying "extend our trip for another 10 days/2 weeks" that is like a dagger in the heart, though..... What does that even mean?
I have no clue how that works, and it'll be a few years before I can EVER do something like that. I only take two full weeks off each year...
the only saving grace is that we do a ton of long weekends.
Of course my wife does in fact have several full weeks, and I join her for the last 3-4 nights.....it works for now.
ENJOY your trip, and "don't rock the boat", LOL.

 

[Bill4728]

The Palm Springs resorts are an easy drive from Temecula, if that is somewhere you'd like to go and have 1 bedroom units. BUT as others have said Newport is always great. Point stay at NCV is reasonable if you stay mid week (1500 for five nights) weekend cost twice as much.

 

[pipet]

Everyone has given tons of great info already, but I thought I'd chime in, too. I love Newport Coast, so imo it's a must-do if you're considering Marriott SoCal timeshare locations. If you are lucky to get a good room placement (and at least you'll be higher on the pecking order so prob a decent chance of that), the views from the balconies are fabulous. The Pulse in San Diego is actually pretty nice. I have used it for staycations, and although families may miss the lack of kitchen and in-unit laundry, the one bedroom unit has plenty of room for a couple. Location-wise, as others have mentioned, the Marquis is better since it's on the harbor (and the grounds/pool area is really nice), but the Pulse could work out to be just a handful of points (often with 30/60-day availability) compared to using hotel points at the Marquis. If you stay in Coronado (again, hotel points), there is a ferry that takes you to downtown, but Coronado is so nice that you might not want to leave. The Palm Springs resorts are also nice depending on how long you can extend your stay (I would still recommend prioritizing NCV). I personally prefer DSV1 and Shadowridge Villages, with an edge for DSV1 for an adult only stay and Villages if with kids.

Other than the risk of wildfires (and possible smoke pollution), Oct is a great time to be in SoCal.

 

[jabberwocky]

Yes, it’s a great spot and close to PetCo Park so we will often have pre-game activities before a game or concert. Great stuff!

Best,

Greg

It’s a great location. I just checked out of the Grand Hyatt next door to the Marriott (the photo was from my room).

You’re right about being close to PetCo Park. I was able to attend the game last night with some friends. My first time in person seeing a game end on a walk off home run!

I can’t say enough about San Diego - it’s a great city. I’m sad to be flying home today

 

[sunski]

The Palm Springs resorts are an easy drive from Temecula, if that is somewhere you'd like to go and have 1 bedroom units. BUT as others have said Newport is always great. Point stay at NCV is reasonable if you stay mid week (1500 for five nights) weekend cost twice as much.

This is a really good point (no pun intended) That time of year the points should be very reasonable in the desert, so unless you have points to burn, you might consider spending weekdays at NCV and go to the desert resorts on the weekend where you can also save by getting a smaller unit too. You'll be good if you head that way in the am on Friday when the traffic is a little lighter, but traffic in So Cal is always a pain!

 

[mchct]

Yup, So Cal traffic can be pretty horrible so try to avoid the am and pm rush hours, although the freeways are usually packed even on the weekends! And lots of freeway construction projects, so use apps like WAZE or Google maps to see the slow downs and get alternate routes.

And I highly recommend installing a dash cam, even in your rental car. It saved us some headaches from our insurance after a car cut him off and traffic suddenly stopped and he was able to stop in time. But the car behind didn't and read ended him and pushed him into the car in front!

But the weather should be good and sounds like you've got some great options and places to go!