I try to come to San Diego with my daughter and now 6-year-old grandson a couple times a year and our first choice is always Paradise Point as this is a special place for us.  My grandson and daughter were in a car accident when my grandson was just 17 days old.  He was in intensive care for 2 weeks with a severe head injury.  He is doing well now but still does not communicate very well and is on a special diet.  We know he loves to come to Paradise Point.  The first time he came to the island resort at the age of 3, he cried when he realized we were staying overnight. But he adjusted and  we stayed another two days and he loved it.  He now feels very comfortable with the grounds and has so much fun exploring and playing.  He loves the beach and especially loves the pools.  We always take him for a walk at night and take him into the Island Market, which he adores.

In 1991, I met my husband William.  At that time in our lives, we were both young, starting on a new path of life in recovery and were good friends.  As our new lives progressed, we moved on to live in different areas and lost contact with each other. 

Eighteen years later, November 4, 2009, we saw each other again in a 12-step meeting and were never apart again.  During our first year together, I wanted to give William a special birthday weekend.  Being newly reunited and very much in love, the place I chose had to be very special.  While searching the internet, I found Paradise Point.  Needless to say, we had a very romantic weekend.  I also surprised him with a couples massage at your spa.  We were so impressed with your resort setting, service, and our experience that we returned for my birthday in November 2010, a weekend getaway in January in 2011, and back for William’s birthday in May 2011. 

On November 12, 2011, we decided to elope.  Of course, we decided that the perfect way for us to enter our new lives together was at Paradise Point.  When we arrived the night before our wedding, the resort had a lovely room on the bay waiting for us.  In addition, the staff had provided us with a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, along with a tender greeting card from wishing us the best on our new lives together.  We still have that card on our dresser at home, along with many pictures of us enjoying the resort. 

My two children and I stayed at Paradise Point in 2009 and had a wonderful time. It was shortly after my wife passed away at an early age.  My children were just 2 and 6. Going on our trip to San Diego and staying at Paradise Point helped us all heal from the deep loss. We were able to enjoy a week of having fun amongst the beautiful scenery of the island, and for a brief time, we forgot about the pain and loss we had dealt with in Chicago. They were able to play in the pools, explore the beach, and simply focus on having fun and getting their lives back to normal.

I’ll always remember how much the kids loved eating outside at the Barefoot Bar & Grill, watching the fish swim by. They always ended up hardly eating anything because they were so preoccupied with all the wildlife around them. It was a very enjoyable vacation and will be etched in the memories of both myself and my children.

Our first stay at Paradise Point was a surprise to my husband (who was then my boyfriend).  We ate at the Barefoot Bar and Grill and took a stroll after dinner.  I was following his lead, and oddly enough, he chose to walk right past our room; earlier that day I had checked in and got our key without him knowing!

We laughed and talked on the beach, and on the way back to the car I said “I would love to stay here sometime”.  I walked by our room and peeked in the window and said “I wonder what the rooms are like?”  At this point, Richard was getting a little uncomfortable. He had his arms crossed and was standing 10 feet behind me.  He asked what I was doing. I said, “I wonder if a regular credit card would open the door?” I reached in my wallet to pretend to get a credit card, but really grabbed the room key and opened the door.  I said “Come on, let’s go inside!”   He was shaking his head, thinking I was really breaking in, so I started laughing and told him my sneaky plan.

We came back another time in the winter with our teenage children.  It is the one place my teenagers will hang out with me and have a good time.  We swam in every pool and rented bikes.  Even my 16 year old son said it was his favorite vacation.

On April 23 of last year, Richard and I got married on the Island Point Lawn.  The staff was excellent and everything went perfect.  They even upgraded our room to the Governor’s Suite! We are planning to sail our boat to Paradise Point and stay for our 1 year anniversary.

I took a picture of the Island Point Lawn from the Governor’s Suite right before we got married, and still use that picture as my screen saver at work.  I love the picture, because if you look real close you can see my husband waiting at the altar for me!

In 2009, my fiancé and I were on the hunt in San Diego for the perfect location to say “I do.”   We checked out several venues but none of them seemed to fit our personalities. The trendy downtown venues felt cold and uninviting, and the beachfront hotels were too hokey.   We needed something that was modern and classic, yet embodied the essence of the San Diego beach culture. The moment we drove through the lush tropical entrance to Paradise Point, we knew this was the place.  

The expansive grounds of the resort were overflowing in greenery and flowers, the private beach was tranquil, and the décor was contemporary.  When we crossed over the bridge to make our way onto the Island Point Lawn, we looked at each other and said “This is it!”

On 10/9/10, surrounded by the beautiful Mission Bay waters, we were married in front of our closest family and friends. Our airy beach ceremony was complimented by a dazzling ballroom reception. The stand-out part of the reception was seeing the fireworks over the bay!  I was truly blown away by how perfect our wedding was. The following year, my husband and I returned to Paradise Point to celebrate our 1 Year Anniversary and we plan on returning every year.  

We will cherish the memory of our wedding for a lifetime and we give our thanks to Paradise Point for making our dream come true!