D21Marin G.
Yelp
This hotel is really all about its location near the beach and the nice pool. It caters to kids, while the sister hotel is more suitable for adults. The staff are all very nice, though most are young, but they all speak English, which is great for foreign guests. The decor is wonderful, and the firepits add a nice touch. The gym equipment is better than expected and sufficient. The towels in the rooms and sheets are of higher quality, more on the level of Kirkland quality.
However, the surrounding area is somewhat rough, and the weekend crowd might not make most people feel safe. There is a heavy police presence, and every day, someone was getting arrested near the hotel. We were told it was once worse, so I can't imagine how bad it used to be. It was very hard to find a place that had vegan food or just not tacos, pizza, and beer. Carlsbad offers better food choices on a more diverse level.
The things I didn't like about the hotel were that, despite being built in 2022, the place looks worn out. All the white and shiny chrome surfaces are dirty and full of handprints. The furniture is no better than higher-quality Ikea and is already showing wear. The showers have very low water pressure, so be prepared to spend extra time showering and still not feeling clean enough. A company took over the hotel during our stay, causing a 15-minute wait to get to our room as there are only two elevators. They also closed off most of the hotel for the company, which was wrong, as we couldn't use the amenities covered by our resort fee. They were also not staffed enough to handle the influx of people, which was evident as it seemed like it was their first time managing such a situation.
Would I stay here again? Probably not, due to the hotel conditions and the people outside of the hotel. It's too bad, as the area is great without those two issues.