I am not a big fan of mega-resorts, so pretty much anything that’s on the Las Vegas Strip qualifies. I don’t put all-inclusive ones in this category, since they are separate from these behemoth hotels, and there are some AI’s I like. The Gaylord Pacific Resort, where I stayed this past week in San Diego for the ASTA Global Convention, certainly qualifies. It’s in the same model as the other Gaylord Resorts I’ve been to (Nashville and Orlando) and stayed at (Rocky Mountain, here in Denver). 

And that’s the problem. Built for conventions and large conferences, the Gaylord Resorts have more rooms than most hotels to house attendees and their families. But an even larger issues is their locations. They are often away from the city centers, which means you must rely on what’s around the hotel or in it. With the Gaylord Pacific, there is nothing around because it was purposely built in a redevelopment area south of downtown San Diego in Chula Vista The property is surrounded by empty lots, wetlands, a marina and small park – and not much else. We learned that there will be retail centers and other attractions around in two years or so.

So, rather than focusing on the less-than-ideal aspects of the Gaylord Pacific, I’ll write about what’s positive about the place. I’m certain it will be a more complete place once the retail centers and other facilities arrive, but it will still probably be for convention attendants and their families and not so much for leisure travelers to San Diego.

Accommodations

I shared a two queen-bed guest room with my friend, who also happens to be my “boss” since I terminated my own Cruise Planners franchise earlier this year and joined hers. We were on the 21st floor of the 22-floor building and had a decent view of Chula Vista and southward toward the Mexican border, with just a bit of a water view.  The room itself was spacious and comfortable, with a massive 60-inch television bright two-part bathroom with a double vanity. Perhaps the only complaint here was that was insufficient storage space for our clothing, but we managed.

As part of the ASTA conference, we attendees had the opportunity to tour the entire property. This included a visit to one of the Presidential Suites, of which there are nearly a dozen. There are located on the ends of the building and face the Coronado peninsula and the Pacific Ocean beyond. The nearly 1800 square-foot rooms have separate living rooms, one king-size bedroom, an efficiency kitchen, a dining area and a large five-piece bathroom with an expansive view.  In between these rooms are one-bedroom and luxury suites.My final take? I’m willing to see what the Gaylord Pacific will look like in a few years when more development is around it. Until then, it’s probably just good for convention-goers and their families.

Amenities

Gaylord Hotels are mostly known for their extensive conference facilities, and the Pacific is no exception. They occupy several floors on one side of the complex, and guests cannot access their rooms from them. So, this makes for a bit of a long and inconvenient trek from the guest rooms to the meeting rooms. But I don’t think this is the best Gaylord Pacific has to offer – that belongs to its unique glass enclosed atrium and fully take advantage of the southern California sunshine. Here are most of the bars, restaurants and lounging areas and the entry point to the swimming pool complex.

For those conference attendees who bring their families, that pool area will keep younger members occupied. There are three pools, one with water slides and another with a large television screen, and a lazy river. On the second floor near the guestrooms is an extensive fitness center that I appreciated when I had time to work out, especially with an extensive collection of weight machines and free weights as well as several Peloton bikes and Precor treadmills.

Food and drink

If it weren’t for being held captive at the hotel and essentially only having the choose from the Gaylord Pacific’s dozen or so eateries, I might have enjoyed the culinary offerings here. As it were, I felt somewhat resentful that we could only have breakfast from their PCH Store and lunch for other places. My friend and I went to Treo, which has a bistro-style menu with seasonal offerings. She ordered a Caesar salad while I chose a fig and prosciutto flatbread, both of which were good but not outstanding. Later, she went to a vendor dinner at the Old Hickory Steakhouse, where she was served a generous meal featuring Tomahawk steak.

Besides the market for our breakfast, my friend and I ate most of our resort food at Growlers Sports Bar. We tried to go to speakeasy located within the bar, behind a freezer door, but it wasn’t open while we were there. Since it was a place for drinking, we had several rounds of drinks there over the course of our time at the conference, plus some tasty ham and cheese croquetas and a large soft pretzel with beer cheese sauce and hearty mustard. We checked out the Marzul Coastal, a taqueria, but their menu was limited and thus not very appealing. There are other dining and drinking options, including a pool bar grill and smaller taqueria and a sushi bar.