The Sheraton Carlsbad is a great option if you’re looking for an affordable points-powered stay by Legoland California with your family.

Booking the Sheraton Carlsbad

I had a 40k free night certificate with Marriott that I earned for reaching 75 nights with the chain the year before. Rather than look for a last-minute use of the certificate, I decided to apply it for our lengthy visit to Legoland California. For the night in question, I was presented with two options: either I use it at the Sheraton Carlsbad to fully cover charges or I use it at the next-door Westin Carlsbad with a supplement of 4,000 Marriott points. I opted for the Sheraton Carlsbad.

If not using points, expect rates to hover around $300/night. Personally, I’d rather pay with Marriott points than with cash. I mean, with spending so much cash to visit Legoland, it’s nice to save cash when you can on the hotel stay.

Earning Marriott Bonvoy points

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card that gives a sign up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points & a 50k free night award for spending $3,000 in the first three months ($95 annual fee).

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

Arrival and First Impressions of the Sheraton Carlsbad

We arrived in the evening, after a full day at Legoland. There could be some debate as to whether you should stay here the night before visiting Legoland or after, if only visiting Legoland for one day. I’d suggest the night before, especially if you do not have free parking at Legoland. That’s because the $38 self-parking fee will be valid from the moment you check in through the end of the day of checkout. Convenient if you’re looking to avoid both a hotel parking fee and a Legoland parking fee.

This hotel has shared spaces between the Sheraton Carlsbad and its neighbor, the Westin. You are able to, say, dine at one hotel and charge to your room at the other. That at least opens up a few more options for you if you’re not looking to leave the property.

Anyways, the lobby was empty aside from the employees at the counter, so we were quickly assisted. The friendly agent recognized my Titanium status, offered to upgrade us, and provided details of where the free breakfast could be redeemed. He then described the amenities at the hotel, including Legoland benefits. Since we parked our vehicle, he also told us where to reposition our car to make it most convenient. Overall, an efficient process.

The lobby felt quite large and perhaps a bit unused. I know the hotel was renovated within the last 10 years, but they’ve done a good job at maintaining the shared areas.

Aside from the main lobby, you will need to walk outside briefly to get to your room. The one area of improvement for the hotel I could give is that they should require use of a keycard to use the outdoor elevators. The feature seemed to be disabled for our visit, which could mean that anyone is able to use it.

The Room

Our room for this stay was up on the fourth floor (Room 4407). The front desk upgraded our room from the traditional two queen room to this “Ponto” studio suite. While they call it a studio suite, it’s fairly close to a two-bedroom.

Stepping inside, you’ll see a hallway immediately in front of you. Think of this as the common area of the guest room. It has a couch and a TV. And, no, the couch does not convert to a bed of its own. I suppose it could be used as a small sleeping area if needed but I’m not sure how much support it would have. It felt fine for sitting while waiting for the kids to get ready, but I wouldn’t want to sleep on it at night.

Adjacent to the TV are some complimentary water bottles and the coffee maker. There’s also a mini fridge under the coffee maker that I somehow did not take a picture of.

Small bedroom (good for kids)

Connected to this hallway and by the front door is a small bedroom. There aren’t many features inside this bedroom other than two twin beds, a dresser, and a TV, but that’s all you really need. I’d say overall this room is best for kids. We like hotel stays that have a separate bedroom for the younger ones without the need to spring for a connecting room.

The window… you’ll want to keep it closed. It just opens out into the outdoor hallway and I would prefer people don’t look inside to watch the kids sleep.

Main bedroom

The main bedroom is farthest away from the entrance. There isn’t a door for privacy from the rest of the room, but that wasn’t a problem for us. The king-sized bed was comfortable–the right amount of firmness and give, with appropriately thick sheets. The bed was actually pleasantly more relaxing than the average Sheraton. There are some plugs by the nightstands by the bed.

Across from the bed is a TV and a small but functional desk. Since we were here for just a night to recharge between visits to Legoland, we didn’t use this much (though I did take a work call here).

The view from the room was of the entire Sheraton Carlsbad campus. The pool is slightly visible in the background. Being in the city on a slightly overcast night, you can get a sense of how much light pollution there is.

Bathroom

The bathroom is fairly basic. The sink is in the main hallway of the guest room, along with where the towels are stored. Meanwhile, the toilet and bathtub/shower is in the actual bathroom. If you’re looking for privacy, make sure to bring those towels into the bathroom with you before you bathe or you might have some unplanned fun.

Toiletries are the brand-standard Gilchrist & Soames, which is fine enough.

Amenities at the Sheraton Carlsbad

In the front lobby in the morning, you will find some free coffee, if you need it.

They also have a small gym with plenty of natural lighting. It is located on the first floor, so don’t expect any views. But it’s a pretty decent facility despite its smaller size.

If you’re here during the warmer months (unlike our visit in February), the pool is a pretty good addition. There is a zero-entry area along with a small waterslide at the other end. Maybe we will have to revisit this in the summer to get an idea of crowding. Not pictured is a hot tub.

Behind the pool is an activity center, which was locked when we came by in the morning. I’m not sure when it’s open–we didn’t ask the front desk about hours and none were posted–but it looks like a fun area. There are games inside for all ages and looks like a nice way to spend some time with others.

Sheraton Carlsbad Breakfast

Thanks to my Titanium status, we received free breakfast for two adults at 7 Mile Restaurant, which is attached to the Sheraton Carlsbad’s main lobby. (Everyone who is Platinum, Titanium, or an Ambassador with Marriott gets the option of breakfast or points.) At check in, we received a voucher to hand to the server. It’s not explicitly listed on the voucher, but the credit gives $21 off per person (up to a max of $42).

The restaurant has a visually appealing decor, though it took a moment for us to figure out where the front of the restaurant was. But we were quickly assisted and led to our table.

We were handed menus, including some kids menus for the little ones.

Let’s start with the kids. They both ordered the kid-sized pancakes (one with chocolate chips). The pancakes were a decent size and they quite enjoyed them. I’m not sure the $2 upcharge for chocolate chips is worth it, but it’s not like I brought my own chocolate chips with me to add myself.

Unsure if the pancakes would be enough to feed the kids, I went with the strawberry shortcake waffle. I prefer my strawberries a bit fresher and with less syrup, but it was fine enough. The waffle had a bit of crisp on the outside and softness on the inside, which is really what I wanted.

Jenn chose the breakfast burrito, which was massive. I find breakfast burritos to always hit pretty hard if you’re looking for a filling meal. We could have easily split this, which in retrospect, I think we should have. The flavor is good and it tasted fresh, so it’s not a bad option to choose.

After tax and tip, we spent about $32 above the $42 elite breakfast credit. Collectively, I’m satisfied paying $32 for what we received (but not sure I would be satisfied paying $74). It’s the small stuff like this that makes me tend to prefer how Hyatt handles its elite breakfast benefit.

Dinner at the Westin

We weren’t looking to go crazy with our dining options and decided to wander over to the Westin to check out dinner. The restaurant over at the Westin Carlsbad is Twenty/20. There wasn’t a wait to get seated. In fact, much of the restaurant was empty, though that could be because it was Super Bowl Sunday.

The menu is a sort of hybrid approach, with the food listed on printed paper but the drinks are all shown electronically on a tablet. I didn’t get a picture of the tablet (sorry!).

For starters, Jenn and I ordered a couple of drinks. She chose the Spanish Margarita and I went with the Cali-Fashioned. They were heavy with the alcohol pours.

I ordered the tomato soup and grilled cheese. I guess they decided to proactively remove the crust on the bread. The meal is described as how grandma made it, and I guess grandma just didn’t like the crust. It’s a simple meal–perhaps simpler than I was expecting. It’s a meal to have if you’re not looking for many calories. The taste was fine though a bit unmemorable.

Jenn ordered the lobster pot pie, which was an impressive size. The puff pastry was nice and flaky to provide good contrast to the warm gooiness inside. You’ll find a decent amount of lobster inside, but it’s not overflowing with lobster. It’s a good dish, far better than what I ordered.

The kids both ordered from the children’s menu. Alex ordered the kids burger, which was about the size of what I imagine the adult burger to be. It came with tater tots instead of fries. I always had a fondness for tater tots when I was a child but that doesn’t seem to have translated over to the kids. Guess that’s not hereditary!

Meanwhile, Char ordered the macaroni and cheese. You might wonder how that happened because it’s not listed on the kids menu. There is an adult version of the mac & cheese on the regular menu and our server mentioned it’s possible to create a kid-sized meal out of it. They threw on a side of fruit to complete the meal. That was nice of them.

After the dinner service, our server handed us some dessert menus, which came out blurrier than I realized. The bottom line is that we weren’t intrigued by the options on the adult menu but the kids wanted the desserts off the kids menu. Since we were sharing as a family, we decided to get two bowls of ice cream and the cookies.

On the plus side, we appreciated the fresh berries that accompanied the ice cream.

In total, our dinner cost $179 after tax and tip. A bit painful compared to what we received in return. Next time, perhaps we will eat off property (the nearby Karl Strauss is a better option but there can be lines).

Easy Access to Legoland from the Sheraton Carlsbad

The main reason to stay at this property is its convenience for Legoland California. You’ll find signage at the front desk advertising this benefit.

Just tell the front desk you’re going to Legoland and they will hand you a voucher that allows you to access the private entrance.

The front desk also provided a map, which shows the Westin and Sheraton Carlsbad properties along with where to park for Legoland. To access the parking lot closest to Legoland (bottom right of the map), you’ll just drive your vehicle to the gate, which opens automatically without needing to scan your room key. That wasn’t clear to us at first as it looked like we were going to a different hotel (the MarBrisa Hilton).

Inside, you’ll find plenty of parking and some signage that will lead you on a short winding path to the rear entrance of the park.

The path to the rear entrance is well-maintained and it was less crowded than the front entrance normally is.

Once there, you’ll pass through a gate and in a small waiting area.

There was a little bit of a line as guests in front of us were trying to figure out if they had tickets to go to Legoland that day. Otherwise, it was a quick check of our tickets and to show off the voucher we received from our hotel. The thing that surprised me the most? There was no security check at the rear entrance. While you’re required to go through the metal detectors and bag search at the main entrance, there is no such requirement at the rear. Umm, OK then. Security is just theater, right?

We’re then allowed access to pass through another couple of gates to the back of the park, right inside the Hideaways Play Area in Castle Hill. That’s pretty convenient!

You can exit the same way you came in, making it simple to return to your car or hotel. Just note when the gate closes that day when you entered. In theory, anyone can leave this way since there is no check on exit. But you could stop by the rear office to get a stamp if you wish to return. It’s refreshing to see theme parks openly handing out hand stamps given the hassle at Universal Studios Hollywood…

Recommendation: Yes, if here for Legoland

The main consideration for staying at the Sheraton Carlsbad is whether you’re going to Legoland. The hotel doesn’t offer anything like early access to the park, but it does give a handy separate entrance. It’s also good that the parking fee will cover your stay all the way to after the park closes on the following day. I hate having to move my car in the middle of the visit, so having the flexibility helps. You might not like paying for parking, but being able to use a 40k free night certificate to cover the room price is better than paying for a Legoland hotel.

The Sheraton Carlsbad is comfortable enough, with friendly service and rooms designed for families. It’s not going to have the best dining, but that’s OK, especially if you have a vehicle to make a short drive elsewhere. We’d consider returning and checking out the pool facilities next time. I’m not quite sure the hotel holds up too well if you’re in Carlsbad but not visiting Legoland, but it’s not a bad option.

Have you been to the Sheraton Carlsbad before?

Suggested reading:

• Legoland California: An Excellent Option for Kids
• Disappointment at Legoland California’s Sea Life Aquarium
• Beautiful and Yet a Major Blemish: A Review of the Park Hyatt Aviara