Off-Island: Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway

Whenever our family travels and I'm searching for a hotel, in addition to a reasonable price and having good reviews, I always check to see if a hotel offers free parking, free breakfast, and a refrigerator and microwave in the rooms.

After doing a lot of research online, I found that the Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway had everything we were looking for, and more (click on all photos to enlarge)!

Room:
I reserved a 1-bedroom suite for $139/night (AAA rate).

The hotel completed renovations last year, and I was really impressed with the fresh decor and contemporary furnishings all throughout the suite - in the bedroom, the kitchen, the living area, and even the bathroom!

The sofa converted to a practical sleeper; the queen bed was comfy; the two TVs came in handy when our kids wanted to watch kids shows while my husband and I wanted to watch the news; and the kitchen was stocked with plenty of dishes, pots, pans, and utensils.

It really felt like a home away from home for us rather than just "another hotel."

Complimentary Breakfast/Evening Social:
The complimentary breakfast options were plentiful - muffins, bagels, toast, eggs, waffles,cereal, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, parfaits, milk, juice, coffee, and more!

Every day there were several hot options that varied daily, such as eggs, seasoned potatoes, Canadian turkey bacon, potato pancakes, and English Muffin sandwiches.

Monday through Thursday the hotel offered a light dinner and drinks during the Evening Social.

We didn't hesitate to take advantage of the free dinners and drinks (soft drinks, beer, and wine).  One night there was chili, on another enchiladas, and on another a variety of soups. 

The dining area is spacious and nicely decorated, with plenty of seating, as well a large flat screen TV (which I thought was sometimes a little too loud).  

Other Hotel Features:
In addition to full-kitchen suites and complimentary breakfasts and dinners The Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway offers:

• Free Parking (lots of it - we never had an issue finding a stall)
• Fitness Room
• Pool/whirlpool
• 24-hour Market
• Business Center (very handy for checking into our return flight and printing boarding passes)

Check out the hotel's website for a full list of services and amenities.

Service:
Service was outstanding at the Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway.

Every single person we encountered was courteous and accommodating, from the person who checked us in, to the front desk employees who told us good morning every day as we went to breakfast, to the housekeeping employee who brought us extra towels.

Three individuals that stood out during our stay were Trent, the General Manager, Derek, the Assistant General Manager, and Ruth, who worked in the dining area.

Trent helped us get into our room the second morning when our key cards were still not working and made sure they were working by the time we returned to the hotel in the evening.

Derek came out to talk to us during breakfast one morning to see how our stay was going, and both he and Trent were always very friendly and helpful whenever we saw them.

One evening my husband had to get something from the car and he ended up being gone for a really long time.  I started to get a little worried thinking something my have happened to him, but turns out he saw Derek and they were just chatting (or "talking story" as we say in Hawaii) as if they were old pals!

As for Ruth, she'd always greet us (and all the other guests) and asked if everything was okay and if we needed anything.  She even gave my kids crayons and placemats to color one morning.  She was always very cheerful and pleasant and was always working hard to make sure all breakfast items were fully replenished.

Final Thoughts:
Despite having key card problems (besides not working the first night, our key cards expired 3 days too early), our stay at the Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway was terrific.  Our room was very nice, the staff was amazing, and the complimentary breakfast and dinners were great.

What I also liked about this hotel is the location.  The hotel is centrally located amongst the many popular attractions throughout San Diego.  On average it was just a short 20-minute drive to all the various attractions we visited, and there are several restaurants and stores nearby, which made the hotel's location ideal for us.

The Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway is a great choice for those traveling to the San Diego area, and we look forward to staying there again in the future!

Below are more photos of the property.

Enjoy!

Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway: 12011 Scripps Highlands Drive · San Diego, California 92131; 858-635-5724

Thank you to the Residence Inn San Diego Rancho Bernardo/Scripps Poway for the discount.  All opinions are my own.  I received no monetary compensation for this post.