Our weeklong trip to Carlsbad, CA was the first the husband and I had taken since well before Jax was born. The vacation was much needed and long overdue.
Part of the reason we put it off so long was our anxiety over traveling with a baby. Yes, yes, people do it all the time and survive; but the very thought brought fear and was enough to sway our decision to go on vacation for far too long.
It was paramount to us that we all be as comfortable as possible during the trip, we anticipated more than a few toddler meltdowns while we explored the beach and soaked up the sun, so it was important that we had a nice, relaxing and welcoming place to return to every day.
I could not see a hotel providing this for us. So we decided to rent a house. And we are so glad we did.
The vacation home we rented was nothing short of amazing. Beautifully and tastefully decorated, fully supplied with everything we could need for our stay and best of all – CHILD FRIENDLY!
The owners converted the garage to a full playroom complete with a large playhouse (which Jax loved), video games, and a foosball table. The room had it’s own TV and DVD player and a nice collection of family friendly movies, in addition to arts and craft supplies, and loads of toys for babies on up. Incredible.
The child friendliness went beyond the playroom with a highchair in the dining room, a crib in one of the bedrooms, a small kiddie table perfect for snack time just off the kitchen and one in the backyard too.
When I found the house on VRBO I knew we had to stay there in order to have a perfect trip. I was right, after hours out in the sun it was great to come “home” to luxurious comfort and know that Miss Jax could still be entertained.
The kitchen was fully stocked with pots, pans, dishes, silverware, glassware, zippy cups and every utensil and tool you can think of. There was a gas grill outside and lots of outdoor seating to enjoy an evening BBQ or roast s’mores in the fire pit like we did.
The location of the house can’t be beat for a SoCal excursion. The house is a five minute walk to the beach, a five minute drive to Legoland, and just a couple miles up the street from the heart of Carlsbad with lots of cute shops and restaurants. And all the excitement of San Diego is just a short half hour drive away.
Another plus I found to renting a home instead of a hotel for our trip was the washer and dryer. Haha! Who wants to do laundry on vacay, right? ME! I washed all our laundry before we left so there wasn’t loads of dirty clothes todo when we got home from our week of relaxation. Who wants that? Not me!
And I really can’t say enough about how amazing the owners are. We met Kim and from the very first email exchanged to her excellent communication and response throughout our trip, she made sure we were happy.
The owners have really thought of everything for their guests, from maps and driving directions to grocery stores and restaurants to sand toys, towels and chairs provided for a day at the beach – they thought of everything.
Every morning I woke up well rested in the comfortable bed and smiling at the prettiness of the home.
The home is large with four bedrooms and plenty of room to accommodate up to 12 people, making it highly affordable if you went with friends and family and split the cost.
You can find the home here. Tell Kim I sent you!
Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated to write this post. My family rented this home for our vacation and I loved it too much not to share. All opinions stated in this review are entirely my own.
