Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Carlsbad

Nice room, but where's the beach ?

Pros: Quiet, clean and comfortable. The highway is far enough to avoid traffic noise. Nice decor everywhere. Definitely a good business trip hotel.

Cons: After exiting the 5 fwy, my gps took me east several miles. I was somewhat surprised and disappointed with how far the hotel was from all beaches. Breakfast was 'meh'.

Overall good, but with one big flaw

Pros: The rooms were large and very well kept, more than enough space for a family of 4. Ample parking and amenities like the free wifi, pool, jacuzzi and fitness center were nice to have. The staff were extremely friendly and courteous, and they were very helpful even in the face of my one negative experience with the property.

Cons: The one huge flaw was "The Bistro" restaurant breakfast service in the lobby. Our package included breakfast at a very reasonable price, but apparently most of the people in the hotel concurred, because when I went down for breakfast, there was a line of 20+ people waiting to order, and many many more waiting for their orders. All told, there were probably over 100 people either eating, waiting to eat or waiting to order. Apparently they were short staffed because of a couple people called in sick, and according to the staffer I talked to, the kitchen isn't equipped to handle so many orders. It took almost half an hour just to place my order for my family's breakfast. The staffers there were hustling about, very apologetic about the huge delays, but many people were extremely frustrated. It took over 1.5 hours to get our order, *not* including the .5 hour ordering. This is a huge failing of either the training or infrastructure. If the staff either can't handle the order, or aren't trained to handle it, Marriott needs to improve the infrastructure, improve their training, better staff the restaurant or change the menu so that the staff can manage what is being offered.

Pros: Location, lobby

Cons: Heating and A/C in room units cycled on and off louder than a locomotive.