Heading to California

[mdurette Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mdurette]

I decided we will be heading to the attractions in California this January instead of Florida. Plan on SeaWorld, Zoo, Disneyland etc.

From what I have researched so far the Welk resorts seem to have the location that would be good for this.

But, when I go into II there are a lot of different Welk resorts.

Are they all the same?

If not, what is the difference.

[wwomant Member Find all posts View Profile Close wwomant]

We are going for our first visit to Welk Escondido next week. We have a 1 bed in Villas on the Green. This is what I was able to gather about the different parts of the resort:

Lawrence Welk Resort Villas 1 & 2: oldest, yet largest rooms. I think I read that they had all been recently renovated.

Villas on the Green: Fairly new. Centered around Boulder Springs, the major recreational area that has a large pool with slide and a splashpad.

Welk Resorts Moutain Villas: The newest, but furtherest away from all the other areas. They also have a brand new huge pool with water slide, spalshpad, and in addition the pool has a beach entry. I think some of have said some of the rooms are smaller up there.

In January in Escondido it may or may not be warm enough for the pools. You never know.

Hopefully someone else who actually has experience will chime in too.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

I have stayed at Villas on the Green about five years ago when it was new....it was very nice. The reason we stayed there at the time was because we could get three two bedroom units on the same dates.

Personally I would stay on the coast before I would stay inland.

Here is information on the coastal resorts if you are interested. It should be easy to get a unit in January with some advanced planning.

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...esorts-ii.html

[wwomant Member Find all posts View Profile Close wwomant]

Okay, just back from Welk Escondido, staying in Villas on the Green. We loved the place! We went into San Diego a few days to do things there, and spent another few days just hanging out at the resort. I definitely think Villas on the Green is the best place to stay if possible, especially if you're traveling with children. Here are my notes on the sections:

Villas on the Green: 5 years old. Very nice, in my opinion the nicest looking area of the resort. Closest to the lobby, 2 restaurants, convenience store and theater. Centered around the largest rec area: large covered playground, sprayground, games (table tennis, billiards, air hockey, etc.), 2 pools, spa, 140 ft. waterslide. The pools were heated well enough that my kids still were able to enjoy the pool when it was in the mid 60s in the evening, so they might be usable in January. Although they are all 2 bed lockoffs, so I wonder if trading for a 2 bed in this area might be more difficult.

Moutain Villas: Very nice pool area and rec area, with games, one huge pool, and a very small portion of it is zero entry. 150 ft. waterslide and srayground, 2 spas. BUT it is not walkable to the rest of the resort, and I just didn't think it was as pretty as Villas on the Green. It's up a steep hill and a distance away and you would need to drive to any other part of the resort.

Resort Villas: Not as exciting rec areas, but still nice. All older, but all are 2 bedrooms (not lockoffs) I believe.

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

Mdurette, if it were me, I'd try for the coast insead of Escondito. You aren't factoring in California traffic when you think about driving to San Diego and L.A. The coast will, on the whole, give you a better experience I think.

[wwomant Member Find all posts View Profile Close wwomant]

For this last visit Welk was perfect for us, because this time we wanted to laze around a few days at a nice resort and visit a couple beaches and the SD zoo. The zoo took us 45 minutes to get to. I don't know if Welk would be my first choice though if I'd been wanting to visit the attractions daily. It will be about 1 1/2 hour drive to Disneyland from Welk. If I were going to go more than a day there (and I'd say it deserves at least 2), then I would go for some place closer to it, like Marriott's Newport Coast Villas. From there it'd be about an hour drive to the SD attractions. If I were able though I'd spend a TS week in the SD area seeing those attractions, and then get a hotel room within walking distance of Disneyland for a couple nights and do 3 days at Disneylnad.

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

I think that's good advice.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

My first choice would be the Four Seasons at Carlsbad. Great resort and well located for visiting attractions in both San Diego and Disneyland. I live just 20 minutes north of the LW resort at Escondido. Actually the resort is about 5-6 miles north of Escondido right next to I-15. The weather inland is clearer, warmer days, and cooler nights than along the coast. We often get a hot stretch in January where the temps go into the 90's.