Last week, I was invited to a media event for the grand opening of the LEGOLAND Hotel, in Carlsbad, CA. It included an overnight stay at the hotel and admission to the park.
To say I was excited about this invite, would be a huge understatement! It’s like I was a kid all over again, that’s how stoked I was. Part of my excitement, was knowing my little guy was going to be able to take part in this adventure with me. We are huge LEGO fans, my little one is a future master builder, I’m quite sure of that. We took him to LEGOLAND once before, when he was about 2 years old; I was so happy to have the opportunity to take him back now that he is older. Early last Wednesday morning, we loaded up the car and got on the road… EIGHT hours later, we arrived at our destination. Yes, we really drove eight hours to get there! As we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, I knew this was going to be an amazing stay.
FUN LEGOLAND HOTEL FACTS:
- There are approximately 3,422 LEGO models in the entire Hotel created out of more than three million LEGO bricks!
- Behind the reception desk in the lobby there is an entire wall created out of 6,000 LEGO Minifigures!
- Seven of the large LEGO models throughout the Hotel are animated
- A family of four LEGO dragons reside in the Hotel: One smoke-breathing dragon at the entrance, a playful young dragon in the lobby sits on top a handle and slowly spins it to make a LEGO river flow, a baby dragon peers over the ledge of the castle in the atrium play area and an interactive bubble-blowing dragon is taking a bath on the patio as she playfully sprays water and “speaks” to young guests
- The Skyline Café features a LEGO skyline which includes 35 different scenes
- Ever been in a Disco Elevator? As guests enter the elevator, lights pulsate in the ceiling to music, a mirror ball rotates and a different sound effect announces arrivals on each floor
- The LEGO Event Room is located on the first floor and can occupy up to 110 people
- All rooms will have Wifi
- Six rooms have terraces and are located on the Pirate floor
See that green dragon, on the right hand side? About every 15 seconds, real smoke spews from his nose! It is so cool! The valet parked our car for us, then we entered the hotel…
The front lobby was a good indication of things to come. You see that ship in the background? The kids all got to play on and in that ship later on that night. And the LEGO brick pit to the right? The kids loved it! My little guy enjoyed adding his own bricks to the column in the middle, oh, and this: After we checked in, it was time to check out our Kingdom themed room (there are three different themes: Pirate, Adventure, and Kingdom). Here’s our room!!
The parents bed is nice and comfy, and away from the kids. They have their own area, and my guy thought that was fantastic! Here’s the kids room:
Bunkbeds with a trundle bed underneath, room for three! They have their own reading lamps that they can easily access (and as my little one pointed out, “Mom, the light doesn’t get hot, I can touch it!“). They also have their own TV!
Look closely at the photo and you will see a couple of LEGO models… see the owl & the mouse? Each room has at least 8 different LEGO models in it- very cute! The room also has a safe for the kids to unlock … they are given a sheet of paper with clues on it and once they figure out the clues, they can unlock the safe and get the treasures that are inside… which are theirs to keep! Here’s the safe that was in our room:
LEGOLAND Hotel has thought of everything, from a toilet seat for the kids:
No more falling into the ice cold water for little ones, to a peephole on the door that is at the child’s level:
See that yellow circle on the door, the children’s peephole is right below it- I thought that was brilliant! There is also a Disco Elevator!
How freakin’ cool is that?! There are other little unique touches like that throughout the hotel, but I don’t wanna give them all away- just trust me when I say you and the kids will enjoy them! When it was time to eat, we walked over to Bricks Family Restaurant, on the first floor.
The first thing my son liked about the place was the “tablecloth,” it’s actually a huge sheet of paper that the kids can color… and color he did! He was so busy coloring, we had to remind him to eat! (He loves to color, ok?!) Once again, LEGOLAND Hotel has thought of everything, check out the children’s buffett area, that is built at their level… it’s the one in the middle:
Our son loved being able to serve his own plate, made him feel like a big boy! I was impressed with the food options, lots of veggies, fruits and organic juices and milk.
Way to go, LEGOLAND Hotel! Much appreciated! There was even a smoothie station for breakfast, making smoothies right before your eyes. They were delicious, btw. There was an Omelette station there also, using cage-free eggs! Here’s a shot of one of the chef’s in action:
If you want a hot breakfast-eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, sausage, bacon, quiche, etc… you got it! If you prefer cold breakfast- muffins, bagels, fruit, cereal, pastries, smoothies, etc… you got that too! While the kids were eating, they had a few special visitors: After dinner, the kids were treated to some entertainment, and they had a blast! First, they got to play on the huge ship in the lobby:
Then things really got going when LEGOLAND Hotel turned on the music! Our son is not one to join in immediately, he is rather shy… but not that night! He was dancing and grinning from ear to ear the entire time the music was playing. (And holding his LEGO bricks in his hand!) He wasn’t the only one smiling, seeing him having so much fun filled me with joy! I was so happy that he was having such a great time!
I want to give a shout-out to the LEGOLAND Hotel staff, especially the awesome guy that was dancing with the kids. He was able to get them all to interact, and participate and they really liked him. After all the dancing was done, he sat down with the kids and read them a story.
I cannot say enough good things about the new LEGOLAND Hotel, it’s fabulous! It’s an adventure, in and of itself! Before you even enter the LEGOLAND Park-you have already had the time of your life at the hotel! Our little one is already asking when we can go back, and go back we will, over and over again. Here’s some more pics, because I just couldn’t stop taking photos! LOL!
Thank you LEGOLAND Hotel, for an amazing time! We will be back, real soon!
Disclosure: I was invited to a media event at LEGOLAND Hotel, which included a night’s stay & park admission. All opinions are my own and I have not been compensated for this post.
