Tamarack Beach Resort

My husband and I stayed at Tamarack Beach Resort this weekend. It’s always our favorite place to stay when we do a stay at home vacation! They have the most spacious rooms with the most amazing ocean views. Their staff is top notch. Everyone there has a smile and loves being there. Tony, Jessie, Monica and Trevor are one of a kind and really stand out. (Everyone there is amazing!!!)
Thanks again for such an outstanding experience.

Great place to come relax with the kiddos beach is literally across the street staff is wonderful polis nice and clean always close to Lego land and the zoo and the outlets

OK, let me start with the few things I didn’t like.
1) «Kids are lame; kids in a pool more so.» — Mark Twain. And as much as I want to glare at parents and shake my head and roll my eyes and toss in a plugged-​in hair dryer, I guess it’s still acceptable for kids in a pool area to scream like wild animals on broken fair rides. But, still, I don’t think they should be in the hot tub– I certainly don’t need hand foot and mouth disease from their Sunny D piss, or Sunny P, but that’s another story. Point is, if you don’t like your ears being raped by the unnecessarily loud, surround sound explosion produced by young hyperactive noise monsters, you won’t want to stay near the pool area, which, sadly, may be unavoidable.
2) I do love all the signs they have. «No exit this way» (smart). «Small cars only» (thoughtful). A conscientious manager posted signs everywhere, and I took note. But they need one at the parking garage ramp because I drove past the push-​button pad to the gate to find the gate closed, meaning I had to back-​up, but even in a small Prius I almost hit the wall before making my tipsy wife get up and climb up the ramp to enter the code. A «gate closed, enter code» sign would be very helpful.
3) The ping-​pong balls are off-​white and not bright white. I’m kidding.
OK, SEVEN THINGS I LOVED, that set them apart from most lodging:
1) Very professional and uniformed staff, super friendly and informative.
2) Wi-​fi was unusually strong, with many networks from which to choose.
3) A gigantic recreation room with ping pong and pool table.
4) Daily newspapers at my door.
5) Though the pool noise was non-​stop, it promptly ended at 1030pm.
6) The hotel bar Dini’s, which is a favorite for locals.
7) Comfortable bed with nice pillow variety: some hard, some soft, and body pillows!
And the stuff I liked:
1) Underground parking with multiple exits.
2) Big relaxing lobby with ice cold water, internet access, and multiple local papers.
3) Ocean right across the street, with no obstruction from sunset.
4) Location. Though a few short blocks from the heart of the village, there’s a beloved Board and Brew sandwich shop, 7 – 11, and (gross) SubZero dessert place pretty much next door. (Note: you do have to walk in the dark by the demolished Surf Motel. The city should put up a temporary light source in the meantime.)
5) Nice room: fridge, alarm clock with iPod dock, blackout curtains, coffeemaker, with lots of outlets and light switches, and tons of towels.
6) Effective A/​C and heat, with fan option for white noise!
7) Continental breakfast. Not incredible, but free.
8) Ice cream vending machine
9) Hot tub and pool with XL lounging area
10) Garage staircase didn’t smell like pee (a rarity!)
A great value. We would stay here again.

Great view, okay staff and lodging.
The lodging is a little run down, but over all very nice. We had a full ocean view that was amazing! There are washers and dryers in the larger units and complimentary beach/​pool towels. The pool is heated and not overly used.
Now the not so great parts…
We had a full ocean view which helped the sting of being brought a plunger to fix the toilet ourselves 10 hours after we told the front desk there was a problem. There was some odd coloring on the sheets. One of the beds was very uncomfortable and slanted on one side. We were also told there was breakfast, but apparently that was by an employee that was new because when we tried to get breakfast we were told it wasn’t available.

Booked the morning we’re checking in and lucked out on a room with partial ocean view for the weekend. Nothing fancy but location is great since it’s close to restaurants, bars and stores. Stayed in a King bedroom which was spacious enough, clean and comfortable. It has a small refrigerator and coffee maker which was nice, has amenities like facial towelettes which i thought was neat. Not a bid deal but i wish they made sure that the cream and sugar were replenished more often, it was hard and compact.

We heard about this hotel and Timeshare from some friends, so we decided to go and take a look, based on their review and the reviews online. We were very impressed with the Property and rooms. The staff was excellent and very knowledgeable, the facility although older was very clean, no scuff marks or chipped paint anywhere. Classic Mediterranean style property, in very great shape and the views were spectacular, and a very nice recreation room as well (Billiards and Table Tennis) Unfortunately, we were not able to stay the night as they were completely booked, but we’re looking forward to an upcoming stay/​purchase!

This hotel is not a «resort» .
This place is a bit on the dumpy side. This hotel could use a remodel. The rooms are very average and the bathroom had plaster coming off the wall. The room smells like mildew upon entering. Also the front desk ladies were not that helpful.
Free breakfast was good and the location is great.
I would not stay here again.

The rooms were soooo clean and the staff was extremely nice! Would definitely recommend this hotel!

We’ve had a timeshare at Tamarack since 1998. The staff is stable, courteous, attentive and well trained. Its the perfect blend of class and beach living. The rooms are spacious. The location is top notch. Give Tamarack a try on your next trip to Carlsbad. You wont regret it.

We just left Tamarack Beach Resort and can’t wait for next year! What a great, relaxing trip we had! I feel refreshed and rejuvenated and am so happy we had the chance to stay there. We encountered some June gloom, but we still made the most of our time there. We swam, went in the jacuzzi, played pool, ping pong, and backgammon. We enjoyed walking across the street to the beach each day. I can’t wait for next year! Our trip is already booked!!!

The single best place to stay in Carlsbad.
We stayed next door for 2 years, and loved the resort but never new it could be this good.
Don’t get me wrong, the Best Western is a good resort but Tamarack was clean and the staff was visable and going out of their way to stay on top of maintaining an amazing space for their guests!
Thanks for an awesome weekend”

I love the hotel! Immediately the staff made us feel very welcome– they even called us right when we got to the room to make sure everything was sufficient. They even delivered a bottle opener to our room because we forgot one! The staff was very friendly, the breakfast was tasty and the view from our room was great! Nice, huge patio. :)

This review comes from not one experience but many, many years of experiences. My family owns party of the time share so we have stayed over night multiple times as well as come for day use. As the years have gone by the service here has gone done hill. Things used to be readily available to guests and now they are very stingy.
If you stay over night as a guest you are not given extra towels if requested, there are four in your room and you better deal with it. There is «complimentary breakfast for hotel guests» this however only applies to guests on the first floor and screw you if you didn’t bring anything because you should have known the second and third floors you don’t count as a guest of the hotel but a «renter», and you should have brought food for yourself as such because you have a kitchen available to you.
Recently only the owner who’s specific name is on the «rental» agreement is allowed to use the place for day use, so if family wants to swim for the day the owner now has to be unconvinced and come physically check them in. This is apparently because some stupid underage teens were getting drunk and trading the place. So rather than flashing that specific rental that guests may not use the area they killed it for everybody.
However it is right across from the beach so you can walk back and forth freely, which is the main appeal. There is a grill available for all guests to use. One kids friendly «hot» (cold) tub and one adults only hot tub.
The rental rooms have one or two bedrooms, a living area with a pull out couch, a tv in the rooms, washing machine, balcony and kitchenet. There are extra pillows/​bedding in the closet by the door.
If our family don’t pay for the time share I don’t think we would ever stay here for vacations. There are lots of other places that are as nice but less expensive.
As far as staying here and having things to check out there are tons of shops and restaurants with in waking distance and San Diego it’s just a short drive south.
Take it or leave it but this current stay I am les than impressed with the services provided abd the attitude of the staff.

My family went here during spring break and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We decided to get an ocean view room and so happy we did. Love to see and here the sounds. Staff was wonderful from beginning to end. We love Carlsbad, and this is our 3^rd time in 15 years that we vacationed here. Should try to go every year. The resort was conveniently located to everything we wanted to see and do. Pool and beach and Jacuzzi was our focal point. Rest and relaxation is what we obtained!

Had a wonderful opportunity with my charity group to host a function in their solarium Meeting Room overlooking the Ocean. Full Kitchen amenities, terrific service by attentive staff that accommodated all of our needs, right down to the number of tables and set up of outside umbrellas for the breathtaking rooftop patio that adjoined our meeting room. The kitchen was fully stocked as would be any timeshare. Best of all the lobby is an inspiration; very cozy – light fireplace as you enter, infused filtered water (lemon or cucumber) and help yourself coffee and tea bar await the guests. Even snack center available with extensive treats and refreshments to purchase. Pool seemed to be well monitored with shaded deck area if desired. One problem we did experience was that some of our guests had plumbing issues with the toilets but again the engineering staff was very responsive.

What a fantastic experience and the price was great. the room smelled so good when you walked in, clean, nice linens, robes, actual coffee cups, not paper or plastic. We would definately recommend this hotel to anyone. We live in South Orange County but wanted a little something different, this was perfect, the night clerk was so kind and even remembered our names when we walked through the lobby. Great customer service. They have a game room with tvs, ping pong, pool, all free. Nice pool and jacuzzi. We WILL definately stay here again.
Thank you,
Paula and John

I really enjoyed Tamarack.
The service we got was excellent. The room was substantially larger than expected (cramped room complaints confused me, this was bigger than some apartments I’ve seen). Everything was comfortable and nice. They didn’t mind our late checkin. Parking was secure and included.
But the thing that moved this from 4 to 5 stars for me, was how much was included. Wifi was included, unlike most hotels I saw on this trip. I asked where to rent a bodyboard — they had a couple complimentary ones. They had a masseuse doing complimentary massages. Etc etc etc.
I can see why they get a lot of awards for the hotel. Plus, it is literally across the street from an excellent beach. Lovely place.
My only downside was a low pressure shower made cleaning sand off a little challenging. That’s it.

We had an awesome stay at Tamarack. It was a last minute booking through RCI and I was very skeptical based on most of RCI properties. The reviews were decent so we took the plunge. We drove to SD with our bikes in tow and having them, made our trip so enjoyable! this resort has 2 hot tubs, a heated pool, a rec room with pool tables, and a large assortment of DVD movies you can check out each night to watch in your room! We rode our bikes all around town, in fact we stumbled onto the farmers market and it’s a great one! It’s on Thursdays and they have great food, music, flowers, organic produce! The staff at Tamarak are wonderful and they have hot tea and coffee out each day! This isn’t a high end resort but it’s very comfortable, and it’s in a great location in town!

I am reviewing the Tamarack as a timeshare owner. Please note that when reading the reviews there are 2 types of rooms:
1^st floor –hotel style accomodations
2^nd & 3r floors– Timeshares only (condo style rooms with a full kitchen and laundry)
We have been owners here for years and we love it here! There are not many timeshares in California that have a poo, spa, and an ocean view. It’s usually one or the other, but not all 3. yes the décor could be updated, but we go to the Tamarack to relax and enjoy the ocean views, not the fancy décor. If you are looking for an upscale, posh hotel with lots of amenities, this may not be the one for you. If you are looking for condo style room with lots of space, large closets, a kitchen, laundry, a balcony with ocean views and you want to be able to walk across the street to the beach this is the place for you. Most beach resorts don’t have rooms this big and most have obstructed views. The Tamarack is our home away from home one week out of the year!

The pros for this hotel.
–Nice room
–Great outdoor pool/​hot tub
–Great location
The cons for this hotel.
–Bad breakfast
–Low pressure shower head
Overall this hotel was great besides those few cons. It has a great location in Carlsbad and some great ocean views.