I was lucky enough to visit Paradise Point two times this year, one of them being the first time I ever stayed there! My husband and his 7 brothers and sisters, mom, and dad stayed there every summer as a kid in a bayside room.  He grew up playing on the sand and having bonfires when it got dark.  He loved riding bikes all over the resort, and swimming in the main pool.  I was never taken to Paradise Point, or vacation village which he mostly knew it as! 

My father in law passed away a few years ago and ever since then my mother-in-law and sister-in-law have still continued to go once every summer. Last summer, one of my sister-in-laws decided she was going to go down and stay there with her 4-year-old son while my mother-in-law stayed there as well!  I convinced my husband that we should come down and stay with our family of  four too, and pretty soon it turned out to be a big Ciccoianni family event where 6 out 8 siblings were going!  We even had extended family from Arizona going.

We only stayed 2 nights and 3 days but we had so much fun! We rented a surrey and rode bikes all around the resort. We had a bonfire every night and played Chubby Bunny seeing how many marshmallows we could shove in our mouth. We all went to all the pools and the kids built sandcastles with grandma. One of my favorite activities was when we rented the jet ski.  My 65-year-old mother-in-law had it on her bucket list to ride one.  She decided no time like the present, and got one and went off!

My mother-in-law talks about this vacation just about every time we see her, about how awesome it was to see her children with their own children on the bay. We intend to make it a family tradition and go back every year.

Every year, I attend the La Jolla Writers Conference, located at Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego. As a writer, I eagerly plan to attend a heavy class schedule for this three day event, which means that downtime is golden. Yet, I'm amazed at the elegant yet intimate atmosphere of the bungalow style living and that my preferences are always catered to with a passion. For example, I don't drink caffeinated beverages, so the concierge supplies me with herbal tea. I'm also allergic to goose down so I always request hypo-allergic pillows, which allow me a wonderful night's sleep. Thanks to Paradise Point for making my conference weekends wonderful getaways and not just work!

Our treasured memories at Paradise Point took place almost one year ago. We, along with our daughter and dozens of our relatives, friends, and church members, were in town for our son's graduation from Marine Corps Basic Training also known as Boot Camp.  It had been over 3 months since we waved, hugged, and kissed him goodbye, as the recruiter drove him away from our home in the wee hours of the morning, carting him off to the bus heading to the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot in San Diego for boot camp.

In the weeks leading up to the graduation and other festivities that were to take place, we searched and searched for a location that would be suitable for such a joyous reunion.  We wanted a setting that would be an exact contrast to the basic, cold, drab, sterile environment in which our son had spent the last 3 grueling months of his life.  We wanted an environment that was relaxing, beautiful, serene, welcoming, and conducive to a plain old "good time".  It couldn't just be ok - it had to be AWESOME.  You see, not only was our son graduating from boot camp, he was graduating at the top of his class, as the Company Honor Man, the #1 graduate amongst over 600 new United States Marines.  He had earned a title that many only dreamed of earning.

After much searching and eliminating places that just did not create the ambiance we were searching for, we discovered Paradise Point, and looked no further.  We were sold! Our satisfaction level from the initial phone call to make the reservations, all the way up to our third day there when we checked out was a consistent 10/10.  My son felt as if he was literally in paradise.  We had 2 adjoining suites and another one separated only by the walkway.  Our out of town guests that had driven from as far away as Nevada rested in extreme comfort.  We roasted marshmallows and hot dogs, shopped in the stores, enjoyed the lakefront view, watched the sun rise and set, gathered for dinner after the graduation, lounged on the beach chairs, enjoyed the impeccable grounds and scenery, and received five-star service and courtesy from all of the staff we encountered.  At the top of the list was Jayme Fancher, the Reservations Specialist that we were blessed to connect with at the onset.  Not only did she take care of our immediate family, but she took care of the grandparents, the aunts, the uncles, the friends. She even took care of the packages that we had delivered to the front desk prior to our arrival that contained very special graduation gifts we had purchased for our son.

As a family, we were able to release all of the stress and anxiety that had built up over the 3 months leading up to these 3 days.  Our son, who had been tested far beyond the imaginable physical and emotional limits gave Paradise Point 2-thumbs up and a big "oo-rah", and saluted us for choosing the perfect spot for him to spend his first few nights back in civilization.

My husband and I had moved to San Diego from Hawaii in January 2011 to be close to our children and new granddaughter. We were severely missing Hawaii and the tropics when we happened to hear of Paradise Point. I waited until some unseasonably warm weather occurred in early May, and booked us for a few nights' stay. We were truly able to feel like we were back in the islands while staying at the resort. It helped so much with our transition to California to know that any time we really missed Hawaii, we could just go to Paradise Point and relive that experience. Our stay was exceptional, the restaurants were fantastic, and the staff was so friendly and welcoming; they seemed to have the “aloha” spirit! Thanks for making us feel at home in San Diego.

Grandma's 75th birthday started out with just my family (3 children under 13, my husband, and I) and Grandma because everyone was "too busy" to come out to celebrate. But, when my brothers and their families heard we were taking Grandma to Paradise Point, they BOTH brought their families all the way from Wyoming and New York to celebrate.

Paradise Point is a very special place for my mom because she (we) came here years ago when Paradise Point used to be Vacation Village. This was going to be a very special and emotionally intense time for my mom, so I wasn't sure how it would go over. It turned out to be one of the best times our family has had together! We had family members from age 9 to Grandma's 75 years young present and there was something to do for everyone.

We had made reservations for only 2 nights thinking that we are all so different and 48 hours of family would be plenty, but we found the opposite. We didn't have enough time to do what we all wanted to do and the amazing part was, we wanted to do it all together! There are endless activities to participate in and if the family gets a little challenging, there is plenty of space to venture out and not run into anyone for hours so you can regroup. We all were in heaven the entire time we were celebrating Grandma's birthday.

My daughter, Anita, wanted to celebrate her 7th birthday at Paradise Point last August.  She said it is her very favorite placel and she wanted to spend one night there with three of her girlfriends (and little brother). 

When we checked in, I was immediately delighted to find out we got a free upgrade.  We were placed in a bayside suite and it was absolutely perfect. During our "down time" the girls played on the beach right outside our suite. They also enjoyed feeding the many ducks that wandered the grounds. We walked around the pond and climbed the tower before dinner. The girls swam for many hours in the main pool and loved bringing their rafts and toys.  Many hotels do not allow rafts and we loved the casual atmosphere here.  At night, they visited bonfires and roasted marshmallows.

I loved the kitchen and dining area in the suite as I was able to store snacks and the birthday cake in the fridge. The bathroom and rooms were spacious and as you can see by the pictures, four girls slept comfortably in the bed. 

These photos capture the smiles of the kids as we created many memories at Paradise Point and hope to again in the near future. 

I took this picture of my 2 lovely ladies outside our beautiful room at Paradise Point. It's truly a paradise for our family and we can't wait to return.

My family stayed in a bayside bungalow for the first time in August of 2011 with our two little girls, ages 2 and 5.  On the first night after a full day in the pool and playing on the bay, we put them in the bath to clean them all up before dinner.

In fresh, clean jammies, the girls took one look at the sand and it was like a magnet calling them back outdoors.  We couldn’t keep them away! So here they are after their bath in their clean PJ’s!  I love this memory because my husband and I just looked at each other and said, “It’s vacation, let them go at it!” They thought it was so funny to be playing in the water with their jammies on and the look of joy in their eyes was priceless.