Staycation Destination: Seaport Village

This year my family decided to start a little tradition! For the 4th of July weekend we enjoyed an amazing staycation, and it was the best idea ever.

We stayed at the lovely and classy Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego. The Hyatt proved to be the best venue based on service and location. For three days we literally walked out of the hotel doors and into Seaport Village! If you’ve been reading The Pinky Project for a while, you’ll know that Seaport Village has easily become one of our favorite family hangouts for several reasons! There’s so much for the family to do there without having to spend a ton of money.

 

I absolutely loved about our staycation! We mainly wanted to get good seats for the Big Bay Boom fireworks show. We weren’t interested in camping out and fighting crowds at the beach. Our focus was on our family! Daddy and I may tend to disagree as most couples do, but we can agree on one thing. That is, that we want Pinky, and any future children for that matter, to have strong enjoyable memories about family vacations! In this case, staycations! We want to give our kids the things we wish we had growing up, and I’m not talking material things. I mean the things that matter most – family time!

From the moment we walked into our hotel room, #526 Pinky was already having so much fun running around and exploring what would be her new home for the next two nights. She hid in the closet, she opened all the drawers, and even tried calling for room services. One thing is for sure, she could not get enough of the huge, soft and fluffy bed! For Pinky, it was a new experience to enjoy and play. For Daddy and I, it was a joy for us simply watching her!

We started our stay with dinner at Buster’s Beach House. Daddy had a burger, I had soup and salad, and Pinky had a cheese pizza fit for two toddlers. Buster’s is very family friendly and every seat offers a beautiful view of the marina. If you love people watching like I do, you’ll enjoy this place. The boardwalk is right outside the restaurant, and from where we were seated, Pinky’s view was enough to keep her distracted so we could get in a few bites. Right after dinner, walked back to the hotel, gave Pinky a bath and reveled in the cool coziness of our room, relaxing in front of the TV.

The day of the 4th, we were glad to know that we had some options open for watching the Big Bay Boom. Thankfully, we were able to get wristbands in time to watch the show poolside from the hotel. We held on to those just in case Pinky decided she wasn’t up for being out! We took our time getting ready, headed out to Sally’s Seafood on the Water for an amazing brunch. We recommend, the lobster omelet and the Caribbean grilled chicken salad – scrumptious and delectable! We walked along the strip checking out the talent, the outside entertainment, the shops, and picked up some gelato on the way back to the hotel for Pinky’s nap, but she did not want to sleep. She was having too much fun. Luckily, the Hyatt had a park near the pool area with turf, toys and toddler distractions. Pinky ran through the hoops, attempted to jump hurdles and scored a goal for a little boy playing fooz ball! Time of her little life it was!

Before the big 4th of July celebration we walked to the Gaslamp which note to self, I will never do again without forcing my child into a stroller, and dined at MaryJane’s in the Hardrock Hotel. Very cool! Loved our server and loved the chili cheese fries! We opted to take a pedicab back to the hotel, only to find that he didn’t know where to go. You see, he had only been in the states for 4 or 5 days! Crazy, yes, but adventurous for all of us, especially Pinky who laughed the whole way back. Pedicab Fee = $15…Pinky’s experience and our sanity = priceless.

The Big Bay Boom was definitely spectacular, and although I wish we had watched it from the Enbarcadero for a full view, I appreciated making use of our hotel ‘amenities.’ Besides, all that mattered was that I was close to Daddy and Pinky. She fought to stay awake and I’m glad she did. She was so intrigued ooo’in and awww’ing as one burst of color shot into the sky after another, pointing and showing Daddy in amazement.

We savored the remainder of our stacaytion stuffing our faces with ice cream cones from Ben & Jerry’s, brunch at the hotel’s restaurant Lael’s, iced blended mocha’s at the Upstart Crow, dancing, spotting ducks, carousel rides, tv and turtle tattoos! It may sound like your typical day downtown, but for us it was an adventure! Staying at the Hyatt actually forced us to be traveler’s in our own town. I was so proud to tell people that we were from San Diego, when they would ask the common and courteous question, “where are you from?” I smiled secretly inside when I would hear outsiders talk about how beautiful San Diego is. It feels so good knowing that this, San Diego vacation destination, is our home.

If you haven’t done a staycation, I highly recommend you start planning one TODAY! I promise you won’t regret it. We highly, highly recommend it!