San Diego With Kids: Home Away from Home @ Homewood Suites Liberty Station

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When we visited San Diego, I had done a lot of research on where to stay. Originally, I was leaning toward VRBO because we would be there for a while. I wanted to have space and didn’t want to feel like boxing in to a 4 wall hotel room.

However, budgeting was also a big factor. The VRBO tends to be more expensive when you rented for just one family. It makes more financially sense if we travel with a couple more families to share the cost.

So I looked for another option – extended stay hotel and suites. This hotel type tends to cater more to family and business travelers with free breakfast, suite room and other amenities.

After careful consideration with pro and con with both options, I narrowed down my choice to Homewood Suite Liberty Station. I contacted them and was able to get a discount rate. This was the only compensation I received in term of discount but not FREE.

Location Location Location

This hotel is conveniently located merely 5 minutes from the airport. I think it took us longer to ride the bus to our car rental office than going back to the hotel. It’s right across the river from the airport at the revitalized urban village created from History Navy Training Center in Liberty Station area.

The hotel sits right on the bank with the walking/jogging trail along the river. Kids enjoyed running along the trail after breakfast. It was such a great spot to just sit back and relax.

It was a perfect location as our home base to explore San Diego. It’s about 10-15 minutes from SeaWorld and Downtown area.

Enough Room for Everyone

We booked the 2 bedroom suites. The room has 2 bedroom and a living room with full-size kitchen (microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator and stove). Typically, when we traveled in a tight budget, extra room might not be necessary but it’s really NICE to have. Having a separate room for the kids allow us to put them to sleep sooner and provide us with some much needed rest.

The kitchen is a great feature to have when traveling with kids. However, this trip I didn’t even cook once. There are just so many places I want to try in San Diego!

Make-Your-Own Waffle, anyone?

I think one of the big plus in Mr. Z’s book was the Make-Your-Own-Waffle station at the breakfast area every morning. The hot breakfast had spoiled us that I had a hard time with continental breakfast when we went to LA.

This was definitely a factor to consider when looking at the accommodation. Free breakfast not only will help save the money but also time as well. Just think about the time you will spend driving out to eat. Another budget friendly option will be to buy your own breakfast like cereal or simple breakfast bar and enjoy them at your hotel room.

Another little feature that I love is the outdoor fireplace. It’s a perfect place to relax after a long day from sightseeing. There is also an outdoor pool but we went there during Winter so it’s too cold to enjoy that amenity. But I’m sure if we let them, my kids will be the first to jump in no matter how cold that is.

All Things Consider

So even though we received discount rate during our stay, when looking at the current rate available online ($159/night for 1BR Suite), I would consider staying there again when we visit San Diego. Here are the reason why.

• Convenient location and close to airport (but we never notice any noise from the airplanes)
• Free HOT breakfast everyday
• Free light dinner meals 4 times a week (Mon-Thu)
• Free parking (downtown area hotels typically charge $20-$30 for parking per day)
• Great outdoor fire place to hang out
• Nice area and walking trail for kids to run around
• Friendly staffs

Disclaimer: I received discount hotel rate from Homewood Suites. However, I paid the total cost out of my own pocket and this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.