When I read about Paradise Point's 50th anniversary, I knew I had to share my story, as our family has been enjoying the resort for over 30 years. Looking through our photos of vacations over the years, you can see our sons age from very young to teenagers to college age and finally, full grown adults.  Some of the early photos are stamped 1981 and the most recent ones, showing my husband sitting in one of the lagoon pagodas with gray hair, are stamped November 2010.

I fondly look back at the pictures of the boys enjoying various activities with their dad - biking, playing ping pong, playing shuffleboard, and of course sailing on Mission Bay.

Especially poignant is a postcard from the Barefoot Bar & Grill which I sent to my mother on our very first visit.  In the margins, I describe the resort and all its activities and tell her how excited we are to be there.

I’ve spent every Labor Day weekend of my enitre life at Paradise Point with my family. That’s 32 summers. In a row. I have great memories of pool-hopping on skateboards with my friends and of my Dad barbequing “Roger Dogs” on the beach with sauerkraut, beer, hot dogs, and hamburgers. I remember winning the sandcastle building contest at the marina when I was ten. I’ll also never forget the summer I was finally old enough to have a drink at the Barefoot Bar with the same friends that I used to skateboard with. In recent years, I’ve had lots of fun chasing my nieces and nephews around and playing soccer on the lawn outside of our block of rooms. I’ve also enjoyed renting boats, jet-skiing, and watching boat races at the pond on Saturday mornings. I look forward to many more Labor Day memories in San Diego with my family and friends.

Our first family trip to what was then Vacation Village was the summer of 1981. We have come every Labor Day since with 2012 being our 32^nd year.  As you can see, it’s quite the family tradition and we look forward to ending each summer at our favorite resort.  Our 4 sons and now 5 grandchildren continue to have a great time each year.  Our vacation that started with our 2 young sons has now grown to include our 4 sons, 5 grandchildren, and several other families. Last year we had 11 rooms and our group is just continuing to grow! We appreciate how helpful the staff has been over the years in trying to grant our room requests.  We have many stories and memories from over the years.  We remember numerous soccer, volleyball, and football games and kite flying on the grass in front of our rooms as well as sandcastle contests and barbeques for as many as 50 people.  Our son Kent will not forget having to fetch his nephew’s skateboard out of the duck pond.  Every year, we take pictures in front of the same tree in front of room 256 and most years, it is our Christmas card. 

This hotel has truly been an important part of our lives.  Congratulations on 50 years – we are looking forward to 50 more!