Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa And Marina

"Waterslides, bayside location, fantastic staff, what's not to love?"

Review of Hyatt Mission Bay

"Waterslides, bayside location, fantastic staff, what's not to love?"

As we pulled up to the Hyatt Mission Bay, the wind picked up and the clouds started leaking water at a rapid rate. However, even the gale force winds couldn’t keep the smiles off our faces during our stay at the Hyatt Mission Bay!

We are frequent travelers. My kids have stayed in everything from cabins in Yosemite to crummy motels in no name towns to five star resorts. The Hyatt Mission Bay definitely ranks towards the top of our list of favorites. It’s hard not to love a resort that has a bay front location, activities galore, incredible staff, and some awesome waterslides!

Because San Diego is normally sunny and warm, the hotel takes advantage of nature’s blessings and incorporates the outdoors into its layout. The walk from the lobby to our room involved a jaunt through a central courtyard filled with beautiful tropical plants. Unfortunate for us, we arrived on a very stormy afternoon which meant we had to run through the courtyard and get a little wet in the process. 95% of the time, the outdoor layout would be a welcome addition to our stay. We just happened to arrive on that rare day in San Diego when the weather was uncharacteristically wet.  Lucky for us, the next day San Diego was back to her gorgeous self and we were able to appreciate all of that tropical beauty.

Our stay was complimentary and the hotel graciously gave us two rooms which had an adjoining door. One room was a king sized suite and the other was a room with two queen sized beds. I am so glad that they gave us both rooms because it allowed me to see and experience both set ups. The hotel has recently gone through some renovations and it shows. The room with the queen sized beds seemed to be an average sized hotel room with beautiful (and immaculately clean) bedding, gloriously comfortable beds and contemporary décor. My family of four could stay double queen room alone and would have been very comfortable.  The king suite was very spacious and had both a living area with a desk and sofa and a separate space with a king sized bed. The bed area was separated from the living area with a sheer curtain which was very pretty but not very functional. I would have preferred a door. The suite also had two flat screen TVs while the standard room only had one. Each room came equipped with an in room safe and a mini fridge (which had a note on it that said it did not stay cool enough to house medication or dairy. I found that to be a bit odd. We put my son’s medication on ice inside the fridge and it did fine. Both rooms also had balconies with AMAZING views. Ours overlooked the pools and the bay. It was so fun to sip my morning coffee and watch kayakers and sailboats cruise along the water. The bath products (or freebies as I like to call them) were from the on-site spa and even included a mini toothpaste! I seem to forget my toothpaste a lot and it was just a small gesture that made me feel a little more welcomed.

In the morning, I couldn’t help but notice there were people in the pool even though it wasn’t hot outside. When I went downstairs and tested the water I suddenly realized why people were in the water- it was warm! I know many hotels heat their pools but this hotel heated the water to a temperature that would make anyone want to jump in, regardless of the outside temperature. I was completely overcome with regret when I thought about our bathing suits tucked snugly inside our drawers at home. The weather had made me think swimming would be out of the question.  We could have been sliding down waterslides and playing in one of the three pools (including a walk-in pool). During the summer (and Spring Break) the hotel shows family-friendly movies poolside on Saturday night and guests can either lounge in chairs or in the pool. I really want to come back just for that!

I also want to come back to take advantage of the full service marina.  Kayaks, sailboats, jet skis, paddle boats, and even bikes are available for rental at very reasonable rates. Mission Bay is the perfect places to enjoy water sports because of its calm water and gorgeous weather. If you are weary of watersports, enjoy the marina front gym that is complimentary for hotel guests. With a view like that, even I was tempted to get on the stationary bike!

If parents are looking for alone time during the summer they can drop their potty-trained kids (ages 3 and up) off at Camp Hyatt where the kids will have a blast. Camp Hyatt has a wide variety of activities for kids of all ages.  During this time parents can take time to get a massage at the Blue Marble Spa or have a kid-free dinner at the upscale Red Marlin. We had a complimentary dinner at the Red Marlin and while it was definitely more upscale than we normally like to do with our three year olds, I was very impressed at how kid-friendly it really was. The staff assured me that during the summer and holidays there are many families that frequent the restaurant. The kids were greeted with the usual paper menu and crayons while us parents got to choose from much more sophisticated fare. My kids went for the chicken tenders, my husband had pork chops and I had scallops over pumpkin risotto that were SOOOOO GOOOOODD!!!! Where else can you have such a nice meal while still satisfying the tastes of a toddler? The staff was very friendly and attentive and happy to please their littlest guests. If you are going to splurge on one meal during your vacation, make it be this one. In addition to the Red Marlin, the Hyatt also has the Swim Bar and Lounge (which has a kids menu as well) poolside and Einstein Brother Bagels near the marina.

From the moment we opened our car doors to the last minutes I spent relaxing by the fire in the lobby, the staff couldn’t have been more friendly and attentive. I couldn’t help but notice the same attention was being paid to each and every guest at the hotel. Families were asked if they would need assistance with everything from dinner reservations to airport transportation to boarding pass printouts. Most large hotels offer these services but how many hotels have staff that offer up their time and assistance without being asked. I have stayed at many, many hotels and I can tell you that there aren’t very many that offer this level of customer service. I was especially impressed with Duane and Samantha in concierge. They had a great answer for every question I fired at them and some things that I hadn’t even thought to ask! I mentioned my desire to go to Cabrillo National Monument and within thirty seconds Samantha had a printout with directions from the hotel, visiting hours, and general information in my hands! I casually mentioned needing to grab lunch on our way to Cabrillo and poof! Another handout with descriptions of local kid-friendly (yet still tasty) restaurants appeared in my hands.  I was so impressed.

One thing that must be mentioned is the hotel’s proximity to Sea World. The Hyatt is so close to Sea World that you could walk, but I wouldn’t. Not because the walk wouldn’t be a short one but because they offer a water taxi to Sea World that sounds like so much more fun! For $3 per person your family can take a water taxi to the park and enter through a special back entrance to the park. It’s great to have fun and feel like a VIP.  You must have tickets already in your possession to use this entrance (which are available at the front desk of the hotel at a discounted rate). Duane, in concierge, also told me that during the summer characters from Sea World sometimes visit the hotel! Can you imagine how excited your kids would be to have Shamu come to their hotel? The hotel is within a short drive of all of San Diego’s major attractions including the zoo, museum, the Gaslamp district, and Old Town.

The bottom line: If I were to ever recommend a place for any of my friends or family to stay in San Diego, it would be the Hyatt, Mission Bay. I could spend an entire week on the property and surrounding bay and never be bored. Its proximity to Sea World is very attractive and the airport and downtown are less than 15 minutes away. The amenities are great and the staff makes you feel special. The hotel is extremely family friendly without giving up the luxuries that make the Hyatt name so special. I honestly cannot recommend this hotel enough.

DISCLOSURE:  This review is based on a complimentary stay at the Hyatt Mission Bay. I received no other compensation besides the hotel stay and dinner at Red Marlin and the hotel did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.