Here at Grand Pacific Marbrisa!

[Denise L]

Greetings from the top of the hill above Legoland !

We arrived yesterday. Tons of construction going on (yeah, I knew that). There are two buildings complete and the landscaping for just one is done. We are in the barely landscaped building. The pool is gunite and the hardscape is done. They are putting in the landscaping now around the pool, and will eventually plaster it and fill it with water. Tons of workers everywhere, starting with trucks backing up beeping before 6:30 AM :zzz: .

We are in a 1 bedroom park view, but really it is a golf course/parking lot/road view off the balcony. Out the front door, it is pool/ocean view. I wonder why they didn't face the balconies out the front? That would be a much better view (without the heavy equipment view). In fact, our neighbors moved their patio table and chairs out there last night and had some wine.

The unit is spacious and nice. Walls are a bit thin, as I could hear a baby crying next door twice in the middle of the night. There are no elevators here, just three floors, but you enter on the 2nd floor, so there are stairs up or down. Laundry room is on the 3rd floor. Sofa bed is comfy and they supplied us with an air mattress and bedding as well.

The new Sheraton is next door. Huge property, with a conference center. The Marbrisa shares a private Legoland entrance with the Sheraton. It's about a 5-minute walk, but at the end of the day in the sun, it feels like 15. It is convenient, though, and the new entrance is equipped to handle season passes. It enters Legoland at the back of the park, so when we got there today, there were no lines for anything because it takes people a while to get to that area.

We will use the Grand Pacific Palisades pool later on this afternoon, and meet a few TUGers this week.

That's all so far. I don't plan on going on a tour, since DH won't sit through one.

 

[funtime]

Denise we sat through a tour when I stayed at the Carlsbad Seapointe and it was painless -- they herd everyone into a room to watch a video on timesharing etc which is painless and then the gal that we had was lowkey. We received 100 coupon at restaurant of our choice and had a lovely meal. Funtime

 

[skimble]

Greetings from the top of the hill above Legoland !

We arrived yesterday. Tons of construction going on (yeah, I knew that). There are two buildings complete and the landscaping for just one is done. We are in the barely landscaped building. The pool is gunite and the hardscape is done. They are putting in the landscaping now around the pool, and will eventually plaster it and fill it with water. Tons of workers everywhere, starting with trucks backing up beeping before 6:30 AM :zzz: .

We are in a 1 bedroom park view, but really it is a golf course/parking lot/road view off the balcony. Out the front door, it is pool/ocean view. I wonder why they didn't face the balconies out the front? That would be a much better view (without the heavy equipment view). In fact, our neighbors moved their patio table and chairs out there last night and had some wine.

The unit is spacious and nice. Walls are a bit thin, as I could hear a baby crying next door twice in the middle of the night. There are no elevators here, just three floors, but you enter on the 2nd floor, so there are stairs up or down. Laundry room is on the 3rd floor. Sofa bed is comfy and they supplied us with an air mattress and bedding as well.

The new Sheraton is next door. Huge property, with a conference center. The Marbrisa shares a private Legoland entrance with the Sheraton. It's about a 5-minute walk, but at the end of the day in the sun, it feels like 15. It is convenient, though, and the new entrance is equipped to handle season passes. It enters Legoland at the back of the park, so when we got there today, there were no lines for anything because it takes people a while to get to that area.

We will use the Grand Pacific Palisades pool later on this afternoon, and meet a few TUGers this week.

That's all so far. I don't plan on going on a tour, since DH won't sit through one.

Great description of the property! Do you know if GPR owners will have priority trade status when it comes to exchanging in?
We're at CBI this week. I know some other TUGers are meeting up at SCBC later this week.

 

[Cathyb]

Denise: Welcome to my town == grown to city-size now! Hope you have a fun time. We are getting out-of-town family this morning and father/son will be on that beautiful golf course near you tomorrow morning.

 

[Denise L]

They plastered the pool this morning! It is being filled with water as I type. Looks much better than gunite . Tons of plants also arrived this morning.

Since I won't be attending a presentation, I have no idea if GPR owners will have any priority or not. I imagine that HGVC members will get to reserve their weeks with points, but I have no idea about GPR owners.

We prefer this to GPP. Even though the jackhammers and saws and hammers are noisy, it is at least peaceful and quiet otherwise . Everyone is friendly and we are enjoying the unit. It takes a long time to get trash picked up and towels exchanged, but it doesn't seem to bother me much. We used the laundry last night ($1 wash, $1 dry) and it was fine.

Today we were at Moonlight beach in Encinitas. Kids loved it. It was packed by my standards.

The weather is great, we love it here!

P.S. I will post photos when I get around to uploading them to photobucket!

 

[PigsDad]

Thanks for all the information, Denise. I am also looking forward to seeing your pictures.

We have a reservation for a 1BR park view for spring break in March. It will be interesting to see how much more is completed by then.

Kurt

 

[Denise L]

Grand Pacific Marbrisa photos

Here are some photos:

 

[Denise L]

Construction photos

 

[Denise L]

Park View

Our view:

 

[Denise L]

Moonlight Beach, Encinitas

 

[Denise L]

More construction photos, including pool with water

This is also our view from the front door/entryway. The ocean is in the background. I like this view better than the golf course/parking lot view.

They built this structure in the background (two floors so far) while we have been here this week:

 

[rickandcindy23]

Great pictures, Denise. Thanks for posting them.

This is another timeshare with retro furniture. Now maybe you all don't think it's retro, but that sofa and chair sure look like something Lucy and Desi would have in their living room in New York!

If we put that style of furniture in our older Twin Rivers in the CO Rocky Mountains, the exchangers would think we had the original furniture and would comment on the II and RCI report cards that our furniture needed updated. :rofl: It looks so great in a new unit, but it wouldn't look great in an older one.

I was so surprised by the furniture at Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk. My mom had similar furniture in our living room when I was a kid, and I was born in the fifties. The living rooms were olive green and orange. Very retro.

 

[skimble]

The pics are great...
I find it interesting that the view from the front door is more appealing than the view from the balcony.
Could you post some pics from the balcony? You may have done this already, but I'm not seeing the golf course.

 

[skimble]

I just went back through those pics again, and I think I saw the golf course... it's looks likes it's across a major street... seems strange, not what I'd expect.

 

[Denise L]

Actually, it is a dead-end street that goes into that golf course parking lot, so the only traffic so far is those people going in and out of the golf course/restaurant. Hey, someone is getting married there right now . There was also a wedding on Sunday when we arrived, and two at the Sheraton last night. This must be "wedding central" or just busy summer wedding season .

It is a good view of open space and air. I still prefer standing outside the front door and looking out that way at the ocean in the distance, plus the pool area, and the screaming folks on the Dragon at Legoland.

Staff here is very nice and helpful. The resort could invest in some better quality appliances/utensils. The tea kettle leaked water and the plastic spatula has a joint in the middle of the handle that collects dishwashing water. When you go to stir your hashbrowns, it leaks Cascade-like water onto your breakfast potatoes, making them taste like, well, Cascade. Bleh.

There is one gas barbecue per building. I think that there are 26 units in the two buildings open right now.

 

[skimble]

It is a good view of open space and air. I still prefer standing outside the front door and looking out that way at the ocean in the distance, plus the pool area, and the screaming folks on the Dragon at Legoland.

This really blows me away... I would prefer that view too. What's the hierarchy that influenced their decision here? Ocean trumps golfcourse, Golfcourse trumps pool, pool trumps garden, garden trumps amusement park.

 

[swift]

Denise, don't forget to send the link of your pictures to the Western Review board Moderator. Hopefully you will also get a chance to send a review as well. One of the best things about TUG.

 

[applegirl]

Great Pics Denise. Thanks for sharing!

Janna

 

[Cathyb]

denise: Nice pictures -- you almost took a picture of our house out toward the ocean

 

[JohnnyO]

The lower floors would face a hill, wall, and pool or other buildings. When one looks out the other way it is open air and the golf course view which is nice and visible for all three floors. Sure the top floor would be ocean view but not the lower two if the buildings balconies faced towards the ocean.

There will be many other buildings and units in the future that will have the ocean and Lego Land views.

This really blows me away... I would prefer that view too. What's the hierarchy that influenced their decision here? Ocean trumps golfcourse, Golfcourse trumps pool, pool trumps garden, garden trumps amusement park.