Kids’ ‘Paradise’ in San Diego

When you have two parents and two kids sorely in need of a vacation, you think of an island paradise: Tahiti, Fiji and Bali come to mind.

But seven hours or more on an airplane seemed a little long for a weekend getaway. My husband, Paul, suggested San Diego, and with time running out, I reluctantly agreed. We logged onto the Internet and found a deal at the Paradise Point Resort and Spa: $129 per night, plus tax. Someone had told us it has a tropical theme, with palapa-style architecture, so I thought if I closed my eyes maybe I could pretend it was Tahiti.

We packed the minivan and headed out on a January weekend. Paradise Point, which we learned later was called Vacation Village when Hollywood producer Jack Skirball built it in 1962, is on Vacation Road on Vacation Island. When it comes to vacations, these people really point you in the right direction.

The resort, bought by the Noble House group and renovated during the last couple of years, is full of palm trees and poppies, ponds and streams, with ducks swimming and waddling all over the place.

The public spaces did indeed boast a somewhat antiseptic palapa motif. The lobby, with high ceilings and fireplaces blazing day and night, was devoid of people. Which may explain why, at the front desk, we easily were able to upgrade to a one-bedroom suite, slightly larger than the standard room and equipped with a kitchenette, for an additional $30 per night.

Just before we signed for the room, the clerk told me that each room also had a nightly $8 “temporary energy surcharge.” After questioning him, I still wasn’t sure what the charge was for or why he called it temporary--since the energy crisis seems largely over. I asked if we could exercise an option not to pay it if we promised to use candles and conserve. (We couldn’t.) Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought electricity came with the price of the room.

The units at the sprawling 44-acre resort are one-story, California beach-style bungalows, most near a stream or pond, roomy and cheerful inside and landscaped for maximum privacy. Our room was large and included a comfy sitting area and a huge walk-in closet/dressing room big enough to double as a playroom for Janna, 6, and Amanda, 9. We had two queen-size beds and sliding glass doors that opened onto a little patio and a babbling brook.

As we opened the curtains to look at the view, a beautiful blue heron alighted on the grass outside. The bird flew off before I could get my camera out, but I was impressed. These vacation islanders have their act together.

I later discovered that the heron lives on the property, along with myriad other birds. A three-minute walk beyond our stream was a beach on Mission Bay with lots of shells and even some sea glass for the kids to collect.

On our first morning at the resort, we tried to make the kids breakfast--cereal, fruit and yogurt we had brought along--but the kitchen wasn’t equipped with utensils. On the other hand, I noticed earlier that the closets had real hangers, not the annoying anti-theft variety. How classy, I thought. They trust their customers.

Apparently they trust them with hangers, but not with silverware, plates, pots or pans. About 20 minutes after we phoned the front desk, housekeeping brought us silverware but no plates. “Oh, you want plates too?” the housekeeper asked. Eventually we did get plates, but never any pots or pans. I guess on Vacation Island, you are not to do dishes.

Next time I will save my money on the kitchen and ask for a free toaster or microwave, which the bellman said we could request from the front desk. (The smaller room also had a lovely lawn in back that would have been a great play space for the kids.)

During our stay we discovered many family-friendly activities at the resort: tennis and basketball courts, a pingpong table, a volleyball court and a croquet course. You can rent bicycles and quadricycles, watch boats on Mission Bay and swat a ball around an 18-hole miniature golf course. The girls gave that a try with their dad, who did an admirable Gerald Ford imitation, just missing a Mercedes as he sent his ball first onto the roadway and then, on the rebound, straight into a thicket.

Janna also loved the Tower, an odd metal structure around an 81-step spiral staircase that yields a bird’s-eye view of the place. For some reason she called it the Eiffel Tower, and every time she yelled “Who wants to climb the Eiffel Tower with me?” I had to laugh. I should learn a lesson from her, I thought. Perhaps travel is largely a state of mind.

Five swimming pools are spread around the resort, but the only heated one was the large “lagoon” pool, with a sandy beach area, near the gift shop and health club. That’s where Amanda spent much of one morning. While she and her dad went swimming, I headed for the health club.

A variety of spa treatments is available: massages, facials, Japanese soaking tubs and something called “Indonesian rituals.” (I didn’t ask.) The exercise rooms and equipment cost $10 for unlimited use throughout the day.

Huge windows face the pool, so I was able to get a long-overdue workout and watch my older daughter frolicking in the water. Janna kept me company until she decided to join Paul outside. Tahiti would have been great, but at that moment I was pretty close to the peace and relaxation I had been hoping for.

One afternoon we decided to relax and stay on the grounds for lunch at the casual Barefoot Bar & Grill, right on the bay, with tables outside. A night heron, a bird that resembles a large sea gull with a Barbra Streisand beak and a Rudy Giuliani comb-over, was eager to nab anything the kids would toss its way. The girls were enthralled with their feathered friend, but there was something unnerving about watching a bird devour a huge breaded chicken strip.

The menu had great burgers, salads and a grilled chicken sandwich with basil mayonnaise, roasted peppers and provolone cheese. But what made the biggest impression was the herbal teabag, a delicate white nylon affair full of beautiful leaves and blossoms.

After lunch we went to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center at the edge of Balboa Park. The center has an Imax theater and two floors of exhibits. The main gallery, called ExploraZone 2, is filled with hands-on science exhibits from San Francisco’s Exploratorium. The girls sat side by side and groaned as they pedaled a generator that could light one to five spotlights, depending on how hard they worked. They made it to No. 3, giggling and struggling to light 4 and 5. We spent a couple of hours trying out headphones that altered our voices, a sand pendulum, magnetism displays and exhibits on sound waves and electricity.

For dinner we headed to the nearby Hillcrest neighborhood and the Corvette Diner, a popular ‘50s-style joint with loud waitresses and loud music. The burgers and malts were fine; the kids especially loved the bubble gum that gets tossed in with the check. But my favorite feature was the photo booth, which we all squeezed into for a souvenir set of portraits.

Another day Paul and I gave the girls a choice of activities: the merry-go-round near Balboa Park, a puppet show in the park, an International Dance Festival performance. We avoided mentioning the elephant in the room, but the vote was 2-0: Sea World.

We groaned and tried to convince them otherwise, but they could not be swayed. As it turns out, Sea World is offering a special: a yearlong pass for the price of a regular one-day admission ($32.95 for ages 3 to 11, $42.95 everyone older). We didn’t think we would be returning, so we chose an auto club discount instead: 20% off each ticket.

We loved the shark exhibit. The predators swam overhead as a moving sidewalk took us through a tunnel in the tanks. We laughed at the penguins, gazed in awe at huge manatees and marveled at the shivering humans who insisted on sitting in the “splash zone” during shows.

By the end of the day we were exhausted. This meant only one choice for dinner: room service. Nothing makes our kids feel more special than getting their food delivered on one of those silver trays. When it’s carried by someone other than me, I say bravo.

We questioned the room service operator and found out about children’s entrees not listed on the limited (and expensive) menu. Spaghetti, hot dogs, chicken fingers, and grilled cheese or peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches were available at reasonable prices. Paul tried the crab cakes from Baleen, the resort’s upscale restaurant, and I had the Caesar salad.

We settled in and tuned the TV to the John Candy movie “Uncle Buck,” whose title character reminded us all of the kids’ Uncle Marc.

Afterward, we wandered over to the gift shop and market for ice cream from the freezer case. The heated pool and spa were packed, even though it was almost 9 p.m. Clouds of steam rising into the cool air gave the place an otherworldly glow. The squeals and squawks of the kids in the pool brought us back to reality.

We were only in San Diego, but Vacation Island had fulfilled its promise.

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Budget for Four

Paradise Point, two nights, health club...$379.24

Dinner, Corvette Diner...30.00

Lunch, Barefoot Bar & Grill...55.45

Dinner, room service...67.58

Other meals...37.00

Admission, Fleet Science Center...20.50

Admission, Sea World 121.40

Parking, tips...17.00

Gas...30.00

FINAL TAB...$758.17

Paradise Point Resort and Spa, 1404 Vacation Road, San Diego, CA 92109-7905; (800) 344-2626 or (858) 274-4630, fax (858) 581-5924, www.paradisepoint.com.

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Iris Schneider is a Times photo editor.