Back in October, my family of six spent three nights at The Seabird Resort in Oceanside, California.  We love traveling to Southern California with the kids and have done Newport,  San Diego, and Disneyland, but this was our first time to Oceanside. The reason we went with Oceanside this time was so that we could try out The Seabird Resort.

You can hear more about this hotel on this podcast episode.

 

Getting There

We flew from Salt Lake City to San Diego, about 40 miles south of Oceanside. For those flights, we flew Southwest Airlines. Flight prices were more expensive than we normally pay to get to San Diego at 21,000 points per person. The good news is my husband and I both have Southwest Companion Passes, which meant we only had to pay for 4 out of the 6 flights.

 

Points For Our Stay

The Seabird Resort is part of the Destination by Hyatt portfolio. It is a category 5 hotel which means it will cost you 17,000 points a night off-peak, 20,000 at standard pricing, and 23,000 at peak pricing. We happened to be there during off-peak dates, which means we would have spent 51,000 points, but we decided to splurge and spent 29,000 points a night (87,000 points total) for a suite. Note: Since this article was written, it has become a category 6 hotel meaning that it will cost more points to stay here.

 

 

I had a stash of Hyatt points from recently opening up the World of Hyatt Business card, plus points from my many Chase Ultimate Rewards cards. You can get our free Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Rewards by clicking this link.

 

The Seabird Resort Review

Immediately, when we walked into the lobby, I knew I would like this place. I think I must’ve said the word “cute” about 50 times a day while we were here. But the hotel is seriously so CUTE!

First things first, this hotel is great for families. There were kids at the pool that my kids played with, but it wasn’t overly busy either. Right next door is the Mission Pacific, which is also a new Hyatt resort, but from my experience and what I’ve heard, The Seabird Resort is the best of the two if you are bringing the kids.

 

Location

The Seabird is located right across the street from the beach. The beach has a fun park for the kids to play in (my 2-year-old loved the swings and slides). A camper trailer at the beach has boogie boards, beach towels, chairs, etc., for guests of the resort to use. These are complimentary for guests. My kids loved boogie boarding!

 

 

 

The Oceanside Pier is also very close by, and we enjoyed walking the pier one afternoon and watching the surfers. There is also fishing available on the pier.

 

 

There are also restaurants within walking distance. We went to a pizza place just up the street where we got pizza by the slice. The kids loved it! We also walked to Handle’s Ice Cream one night. It was a huge hit!

 

Activities

The kids loved the pool at The Seabird Resort. It was a nice size, and there was also a nice size jacuzzi. There was poolside food and beverage service, one of my favorite things! We splurged one day and ordered lunch at the pool.

 

 

 

 

In addition to eating at the pool, you can sit down and eat at the Shelter Club. Here you’ll also find a pool table, chess, and checkers. One night they had a movie night for kids and served popcorn.

 

 

There is a spa on site which I didn’t visit- it was pricey! There is also a fitness center that my husband visited, and he said it was nice.

 

The Room

We used points to book the Grand Ocean Suite – Partial Ocean View. The room was great for my family. There was a separate living room where my older kids slept, a coat closet (where we stored our suitcases and sand toys), a half bath, a master bedroom with another closet, and a master bathroom.

 

 

 

 

Breakfast

The day before check-in, I earned Hyatt Globalist status. This meant we had free breakfast at the downstairs restaurant, Piper. Like everything else at the resort Piper was also super cute! Technically Globalist covers 2 adults and 2 kids, but the resort covered up to $160 of my bill each morning. The first two mornings were over the weekend, and they had a breakfast buffet. It was pricey at $42 for adults and $30 for kids aged 5-12. There was also the option to order from a set kid’s breakfast menu, which two of my kids did. It was so nice to enjoy a free breakfast each morning. The food is all very fresh and from local farms.

 

 

 

On our last morning, there wasn’t a buffet, so we got to order from the set menu. It was fantastic!

 

 

 

Bottom Line

We loved our stay at The Seabird Resort. It is a great spot for a family vacation. It is smaller and has a boutique hotel feel to it. The resort is new, the decor and style are so cute, and the location is fantastic! I also love that you can get a stay here for just 17,000 points if you visit-off peak. We would totally come back!