Staying at the La Costa Resort and Spa

Rating: Three stars*

New and noteworthy: New owners and a $140-million renovation created a mini-city with a water park, retail plaza, big spa, golf facility, ballroom and condo villas.

The stay: Hop from pool to spa to yoga center for leisure of the active kind.

The scene: Well-funded families, golfers and spa fiends invade the pools, the links and the treatment salons. Minus conventioneers, the bars are quiet.

Deal maker: Scads of activities for all ages in a quiet setting.

Deal breaker: Once-serene spot is now a complicated mega-resort.

Stats: 2100 Costa del Mar Road, Carlsbad; (800) 854-5000, www.lacosta.com.

Rooms: Rates begin at $325; villas begin at about $1,000.

*Rating is based on the room, service and ambience and overall experience with price taken into account in relation to quality. Five stars: Outstanding on every level. Four stars: Excellent. Three stars: Very good. Two stars: Good. One star: Satisfactory. No star: Poor.