My first vacation is five years and I get a tourist trap! San Diego needs a face lift! Someone please tell me why a drink at the pool is $10.00 and breakfast for three is $40.00? This is not Bermuda! If you gouge your customers they will never come back. Overpriced, merky swimming pools, lost five pounds walking just to go to dinner, put on hold numerous times for room service, had to take a cab everywhere or get nailed for 20.00 a day for parking your car! The grounds were well kept, but at least give us bikes to get around, tired of waiting and tipping bellboys to get us in golf carts. Did I mention the overpriced store? Never again!

My wife and teenage son and daughter had a good time at the resort. It was our first visit and basically lived up to our expectations. We would consider returning, but I feel that the rooms are over priced even given the very pleasant surroundings. I think the management needs to take a serious look at what type of resort it "wants to be." It should pick its clientèle carefully, then go after it with more style and amenities(!).

Pros:
The location and grounds are very good; we found the visit to be very relaxing. The staff (except for our check-in experience) were friendly and helpful. The room was clean and comfortable. We were located within a few seconds of a pool, which turned out to be great. The room was quiet and we didn't hear "pool" noise. We really enjoyed the water sports, which we thought was reasonably priced. We spent time on the resort beaches, which we all enjoyed.

Close proximity to downtown San Diego, Mission Beach and Sea World is a big plus.

Cons:
The were only two restaurants, which, were over priced. The "barefoot" restaurant had large portions and matching prices. Given the large number of families with small children, the resort could cater for this demographic a lot better. Too much wasted food. Our teenagers felt that that, other than the water sports, the resort had very little to offer them! This is a major gap in the resort or maybe they are sending a message.

We found a severe lack of "good" restaurants in the local area.

My wife and I didn't see that much for adults to do other than enjoying the surroundings (nice, but more is needed).

We did not get the types of beds we requested, and were not told about this at check-in - not good.

I, too, was worried about all the negative reviews I read, but I booked over the internet on the hotel's own website and got a terrific deal. Bed and breakfast (they give you a $36 credit each day) for myself and my two children, ages 10 and 14. That also included parking. Tip -- better rates on the internet. The hotel reservation desk quoted me at least $100 more per night. Upon arrival, I was ready to "do battle" with the snotty staff and have problems with my room. Not so. The check-in staff were friendly and helpful. The room was a delight -- everything was super clean and comfy. The bathroom was great (two rooms helps) and the king sized bed was so comfortable. We did not pull out the couch as my daughter decided to sleep on it "as a couch" and she was fine. That also gave us more room. Breakfast at the Barefoot was really good. Service was quick and friendly. The main pool was a hit with both kids as was the Dive-In Movie night on Wednesday. This is not a hotel for young couples looking for peace and quiet. It really is a family oriented resort. There were many, many children there, and they all seemed to be having a great time. There is a lot to do, and it's not inexpensive, but if you are on vacation, splurge a little and enjoy yourselves. The resort is close to every attraction and the front desk will give you driving directions for everything. We have traveled all over the world and have pretty high expectations and this place was just fantastic. We will go back.

The resort is absolutely breathtaking. I requested adjoining rooms for our family of 5 with easy access to the main pool, and was thrilled when I received my requests!! Just steps from the pool with a beautiful lagoon view with a reasonable rate too!! The grounds were constantly maintained and upon returning from sight-seeing every afternoon found very clean rooms!!
Even ordered room service one evening while the kids were watching a movie, and everything came in a timely fashion!! I especially loved the lush gardens and the feeling that you are in a remote & tropical resort!!