We stayed on the first floor in a family suite which was perfect for our family of four. The first night was somewhat rough as the people above us were partying till 4:30 am, dragging patio furniture around on their balcony and generally keeping us awake. I went to the front desk the next morning to inquire about potentially switching rooms and Diego (Night auditor?) was incredible and immediately offered up another suite of the other side of the hotel (room 120). It was identical to our first room except the ocean view and pool access were much better. We were thrilled. We packed up our bags, left for the zoo and when we came back everything was moved for us, including our food in the cabinets/fridge and hanging items in the closet.
There is plenty of space to store your clothing and items in the suite, we were very pleased with this. The vanity area in the bathroom is huge and there is a lot of room to spread your things out. Another small thing that's just a big plus in my mind. The shower doors swing out so yes, they do drip onto the floor when you step out, but it's not a big deal in my mind. They had a little clothes line in the shower as well for hanging wet suits, which again is a small detail but big convenience. It's things like this that make the PTH an excellent place to stay.
The beds were super comfortable! We all slept well; nice linens and very nice mattresses. The furniture scale is HUGE compared to the size of the rooms so that took a bit of getting used to. Maid services (including turn down service) were top notch, we used a lot of towels between the pool (heated to 82 degrees!), hot tub (102) and showering and it was always nice to come back to fresh towels in the room. The kids got a kick out of the animal towels and them tucking their stuffed animals into the bed or posing them in different places around the room.
We spend a lot of time at the pool despite the cool weather. The kids liked the lemonade in the Carribbean room as well as the 5 pm cookies. Drinks were 2 for 1 during happy hour but we had our own beers which we brought to the pool and no one objected. They have free beach toys available for the kids to play with, but no pool toys (balls/noodles, etc) so we went out and bought a few things.
The kids ate at the buffet twice ($8) but we elected not to. It looked really nice, and some good healthy food options were offered. Free Starbucks coffee in the lobby starting at 6 am, free apples and USA today every am in the lobby as well. Ralph's (on Mission Ave) is a great market to get cold cuts and other meal supplies. The family suites have a toaster, microwave, small fridge (don't get a gallon of milk like we did, it won't fit!), and a few plates/bowls/glasses. A cutting board would have been great as well as a few paper plates/napkins, but overall it was a well stocked mini-kitchen
Pacific Beach is a fun and eclectic neighborhood. Lots of runners, surfers, skateboarders, dog walkers, etc. There were more than a few homeless people around the area but it did not change the way we felt about staying in PB or at the PTH.
I recommend renting wetsuits and boogie boards at the place down the street (South Coast?) for a half day; we did so and had a blast. The water is cold but the wetsuit truly keeps you warm and it was a wonderful "California" experience! Also, we got bikes from the hotel and rode down to Mission Beach which was very fun. I was disappointed to learn that they charge $10 per bike for 2 hours. I had read other reviews on Tripadvisor that it was free to take them out (they certainly have plenty of them).
Parking is $22/day and though it's expensive, we paid it for the convenience and security factors.
Every single employee was friendly and accomodating. I highly recommend the Pacific Terrace Hotel to any family traveling to San Diego.
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