Club Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort

Club Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort a great place to stay in Oceanside, CA. It has been many years since I have been in the area and even then; I did not get to stay. I was just visiting for the day. This made me look forward to this trip.

Video by  Scottsdale Travel Chick

Day One Travel & Arrival

A trip to California for me always starts with a flight out of Norfolk, VA. This flight was a red eye. One of those early morning flights as soon as the airport opens at close to 6 AM. A flight time so early you hope the pilot was able to get some sleep last night early. Reaching the airport, the bagmen had not even started for the day yet, so I just pulled my one checked back in, and checked it at the desk.

I was able to get a nonstop flight, which meant the time in the air would only be about 5 ½ hours. This was good because going I was not able to book an emergency aisle seat, so if the flight is packed, I will feel packed in with my long legs and large figure these days. For the first hour of the flight, I was packed in, but since I did not complain at all, one of the flight attendants showed me pity and found me a seat in the business class section, which had much more legroom. That added 5 inches would likely mean I could walk the way off the plane myself when we landed, so I was grateful.

Once we arrived, I picked up my rental car and then started the 1-hour drive to the resort from the airport. I was at least a scenic drive up I5 along the coast. The closest airport was in San Diego and again only about 1 hour away, so that was not a bad commute. By the time we arrived, I still had hours to go before I could check in at the resort. I determined it would be best to find the resort first, then go somewhere close for a late lunch or early dinner.

When I say Oceanside, that is the correct name for the area, but it still is basically San Diego as well. I5 in the area is actually called the San Diego Freeway, so do not get confused with the resort’s location. There are a number of restaurants, bars, and pubs near the resort. I landed at Ty’s Burger House and I was happy I did. I ordered a bacon mac and cheese burger and was in meaty 7^th heaven. After my late lunch, I headed to Oceanside City Beach to hang out on the sand and just see if the world would stop moving. I always sense movement more for a few hours after I get off a flight.

The beach is near the resort so I just chilled and people-watched for a few hours, then headed back to the resort nearby to actually check in this time.

Villa Amenities

Then the resort itself offers all of these options.

Resort Amenities

The resort offers villas from 1 to 4 bedrooms in size, and from 726-1,869 sq ft in size. My villa was a 1-bedroom villa presidential the villa was modern and had a fresh feeling. The ocean view here is a take your breath away feel. The palm trees lining the bright white beach give the view a tropical feel, yet you are in California, so the water here is far from tropical in temperature. It seems to give the water a deeper blue look than the Gulf of Mexico, or the Caribbean.

I am from Virginia Beach, Virginia where the Seal teams of the Navy train on the East Coast, and here very close to this location are the beaches where the same Seals train on the West Coast. It is an interesting connection between the two cities and beach communities. Here the waters may be cooler but the outside temperatures are higher year-round on average. Our Summer temps may get hot outside with the humidity that is in Virginia, but San Diego offers a more moderate summer with the cooler ocean temps cooling the air.

Here are some of the thoughts of previous guests at this amazing resort.

Great location right next to the pier. Free underground parking onsite. The rooms and decor are very nice and beachy. Downtown Oceanside is very walkable. The front desk staff was very friendly and helpful.

Excelente hotel. Muy serca de la playa… muy cómodo. Lo recomiendo.

I found this incredible hotel by accident. I never thought their assistance would be this reputable and high-class. It was a nice experience for me for the first time. Highly recommended for both meetings and friends as well for having an excellent atmosphere. A five-star satisfaction rating all the way for them. Great interior!

Have stayed here 3 times and all 3 times have been AWESOME. The rooms are always clean and the beds are awesome, just like at home. The pool is great and you couldn’t ask for a better view with the oceanfront views and magical sunsets!

I love that it was just across the street from the pier and ocean! Great views from the pool of the ocean! A safe place to stay, and the staff was very friendly. I loved the common balcony where you can either sit inside or outside to relax and take in the sights!

Very clean, spacious rooms with a full kitchen and private bathrooms for the master. The staff is nice and helpful. The view of the ocean is just amazing.

Day Two Seeing San Diego

I woke up with a sense of energy I had not felt in a long time. Maybe it was sound sleep after my huge burger dinner, or it was the fresh salt air from leaving the patio door propped open. Unlike Florida or even Virginia, I was able to leave the patio door open since the nighttime air temperature was in the low 70s. Just a perfect temperature for sleep.

San Diego is an active town. A look online will show travel sites listing 187 things to do. That is incredible when many places only list 15. I started my day with breakfast at Beach Break Café. It is rare that restaurants have a ton of reviews on Google and still maintain high scores. This spot has a 4.7-star rating and another location also shared the same amazing rating after many hundreds of reviews. In the end, I only chose this one of the two because I found it first. My meal here was outstanding. I had a chicken chili cheese omelet which was great but admitted to a dangerous choice. Luckily, the food quality was great and there were no bodily issues.

The San Diego Zoo

Set aside time on your trip for what most consider the greatest zoo in the world. Here you can encounter more wild animals than most Zoo in the USA. The Zoo is open from 9 AM-6 PM most days with longer hours on the weekend. This Zoo is so large that they offer their own App for maps service on your favorite smartphone or device. It is worth downloading and installing the app before your visit so you can plan your trip.

To understand the scale of the San Diego Zoo, you really need the app or you can download a PDF version on your computer. What you quickly see is a zoo that is much more the size of a major theme park. It is even laid out into zones that feel much like parts of a theme park.

This is a well-planned Zoo. Inside, you will find literally everything you need for a full day with the animals. Just like you would when going to a theme park, bring comfortable shoes and clothing. San Diego has great weather, but you still may want to plan for a cooler night with a jacket or even long pants if you are wearing shorts. Most of the year it does drop into the 60s at night here. Fortunately, if you are going to stay all day, there are lockers that you can rent for the day and that makes life easier for you by dropping off any nighttime layers of clothing or little items.

Tickets are expensive as far as Zoos go, but here this is, if not the best, certainly one of the best in the world, so it is worth the cost. There is an amazing option you may want to consider when purchasing your ticket.

You can opt for a Go San Diego pass which is a 3-day pass that gives you access to the Zoo, Sea World, LEGOLAND, San Diego Safari Park, and 50 other attractions for one fee. It is $199 but when you consider all you get access to, it is an amazing deal. You just have to be active enough to get value out of it. This is available online and you can purchase these all-access passes by the day for up to 7 or more days. I chose the 2 day pass not only for the savings but because I felt it would encourage me to see more while I was in the area. The two-day pass is $159.

I spent most of the day at the zoo and you could easily spend several days here and not see it all. But with so much to see in the area, I stayed open until about 3 PM and then forced myself to move on. No matter what kind of ticket you choose, do consider this Zoo as a must for you if you or anyone with you loved animals.

Harbor Cruise

This afternoon I was going to use my all-access pass for a 1 hour harbor cruise. The cost is normally $30, but it is covered by my Go Pass so I thought seeing the waterways here would be fun.

This same group offers Harbor Cruises, Dinner Cruises, Brunch Cruises and much more in the area. The same parent company that owns this ship has a boat in Norfolk, VA and I have been on their brunch and dinner cruises and they are excellent. For this trip, the harbor cruise was the best fit for me. For one I needed to sit some after all of that walking in the zoo.

Day Three Using my Go Pass

San Diego Air and Space Museum

Second only to the air and space museums by the Smithsonian, the San Diego Air and Space Museum is impressive. My ticket was included in the pass but they are normally $22.50 for adults. If you can’t or have not been to the Smithsonian, then make sure you go here with any fan of flight or space travel. Many of the items here are reproductions of the originals, but they are perfect and still capture the imagination.

Here you will find the Wright Flyers, Apollo Space Vehicles, and even a replica of the Bell X-1 the Aircraft used by Chuck Yeager to break the sound barrier.

Again, I could have spent a full day here as a fan of flight and our amazing space program. Instead, I spent the morning and had a great time.

Conduct a virtual visit online to see if this is for you.

Knott’s Berry Farm

Knott’s is not what it sounds like. This is not a small little farm attraction with animals. This is a monster-sized theme park, with many rides and attractions. Tickets here start at $54 a day and go up with options and add on items.

If you are doing the math, I am already ahead of the game financially with the Go Pass.

This Park is fun and a great option for the family. I actually broke my typical mold and rode some of the rides here. While not a coaster fan, I will ride some rides and really enjoyed several at Knott’s Berry Farm.

After the rides, I enjoyed lunch that the Park’s Coasters Dinner. This felt straight out of the 1950s and in the best way, one can imagine. The options for dining plans here will save you money if you are going to be in the park all day. They offer an all-day dining plan that includes your choice of meals and snacks every 90 minutes and sodas as often as 15 minutes.

I could see sending older teens in groups off with these meal plans and not having to worry about them running out of money, or going hungry at all.

Knott’s Berry Farm kind of felt like a hybrid theme park. Because it was unique as a combination of something like Bush Gardens, with some Disney elements as well. Certainly, a great destination and something families do not want to miss on their trip.

Sea World San Diego

Next for me was Sea World. Ever since going to Sea World near Tampa in my youth with my, father I have loved these parks. The best thing about going with these is the live shows like the whale shows. These days, however, they also offer many rides and other attractions as well. You could visit here and spend a full day for sure.

Ticket prices here are $59.99 currently, but they have been as high as $99 in the past. So, if you do not have the go pass, look for discounts and coupons online and, in the area, before you go. It can save you a good deal on park admission.

For me, what I love the most at Sea World are the animal encounters and tours. SeaWorld does such a good job with their care that the experiences they provide do not feel exploitative at all. You feel like you are contributing to helping the animals with your visit and business because they are well cared for here.

My trip is over and as nice as the resort was to stay at if I got the opportunity I would certainly come back for more. I also felt the Go Pass option is a great one for people that are active and will go to more than one thing each day during their trip.

Looking back on my vacation here, I think one thing I should have done that I did not was going to Catalina for the day and I will certainly add that to my list in the future.

Make sure to save on this trip by booking through TZort.