San Diego Resort Review

Have you stayed at WM San Diego? Here's your chance to share your experience with other owners. What amenities are available at the resort? What do you wish you had known before you left home?
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We stayed here in November for one night. We read the reviews and descriptions so we knew what to expect. It was perfect, the studio room was the right size for the 2 of us, we didn't need a car because we knew we were walking to the Park (did the Aviation and Auto Museums, really cool!) and we walked to the Gaslamp district for dinner (got a coupon from the resort desk). We had breakfast at some cool place in a high-rise hotel just a few blocks from the Inn (19th floor something? I can't remember) Anyway - highly recommended!

Recent stay at the Balboa Park location for a long weekend with no children. Studio room was average. Location was about a 15 min. walk to the Gaslamp area and a 25 min. walk to Seaport Village. Would recommend getting a day pass or even longer pass for the bus and trolley system. The trolley pick up was only 2 blocks away with security there to help with purchasing your ticket via the kiosk at that location (Park and 11th streets). Also, ask at the front desk to see if they have any bus/trolley cards you can use to purchase the day passes therwise it is an additional $2 fee for each card. Regarding things to do and see: would recommend the USS Midway (expect to take about 3 to 4 hours to see it), Also take the trolley up to Old Town (very nice area with shops and restaurants), Gaslamp area is good too for dinner at night and dueling piano show. Rented bikes in Balboa park, but the park was not conducive for bike riding. A lot of on street biking and no trails. Ate at the Prado restaurant in the park which was very good with outdoor seating. Also would suggest the Fish Market near the USS Midway. Great food and also outdoor seating with a view of the harbor. Overall, a great trip.

Can anyone comment about where to find parking on the street that is not just for two hours (ie where a car can be legally left overnight) or a free parking lot (overnight) on the trolley line?

The lack of free parking appears to be the main drawback to Balboa Park and Inn at the Park.

Inn at the Park... Great little boutique hotel with lots of class. Don't miss the owners lounge and deck on the 7th floor. Owner update breakfast is an embarrassment, about like a Super 8 breakfast. Quite a few folks parked on the street, but valet is quick, easy and has in/out privileges and you can get your keys the last day and use the cart and wheelchair ramp to load your car in the valet lot. Mini kitchen, two burner, no oven, full size refrigerator and microwave. We'll stay here again.

BEWARE!!!!! SIGN UP FOR THE OWNER EDUCATION AND BE CHARGED 20$ DESPITE SHOWING UP. THIS WAS EXPLAINED AS A DEPOSIT TO INSURE YOUR ATTENDANCE. BEWARE THEY CHARGE DESPITE ATTENDANCE. NOW AN OWNER HAS TO TAKE THE TIME TO CALL AND GET CREDIT BACK.

WORLDMARK IS GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE WITH DUES AND FEES EVERY YEAR.

DANIEL

I stayed here the first week in June. It now costs $30 PER NIGHT to park. They said they don't own the parking lot. I don't know why they bought the property knowing they had to lease the parking lot from the city. Ridiculous.

The property is in a sketchy part of town. There are many homeless around the building. There is a parking lot a block away that costs $15 per night, which I used. I had a rental car, so I didn't care that the lot was unattended. I did not leave anything in the car overnight. And I had to walk past many homeless.

The trolley stop is about two blocks away. If someone is older or has mobility issues, this property is not going to be a good fit. If they fixed the parking problem, it would be a great property.

The room itself was nice, as was the rooftop terrace. There is also a game room with a pool table; an exercise room with a treadmill and bike; and a laundry room with free washers and dryers (no laundry in the units).

I am also displeased that Worldmark has not updated its resort description page to accurately reflect that it costs $30 per night to park. Their failure to accurately represent this cost is a bait and switch as far as I'm concerned.

I had a guest with me who was not a Worldmark owner. When I checked in, and was making the appointment for owner update and sales presentation, I was told it would take an hour, and that my guest would also receive a gift for attending the presentation with me. When we attended the presentation, I was given a gift, then told that my guest was not eligible for a gift. They obviously don't train their people properly. I had to insist that we be given what was promised when we made the appointment. Another instance of bait and switch.

I stayed here for three days. I transferred from the Balboa Park property since I was unable to stay in one property the entire time. I would recommend this property over the Balboa Park property. The building was very nice and the room was much better. It cost $15 per night to park on the property. Much better than the $30 per night cost for parking at Balboa Park (on A Street).

Also, there are restaurants across the street and within walking distance. It is also a much better part of town. I did not see homeless people loitering around Inn at the Park, like there were at Balboa Park.

I would also consider the Mission Valley property in the future. I passed by there, and it seems centrally located, and has free parking.

We wanted to share our experience while visiting the Balboa San Diego Worldmark in May 2015. We had finished a wonderful tour to the facilities conducted by Jamiela (she works the front desk) and returned to our car to plan out our next destination when we heard a tap on the car window. It was Jamiela. She was holding my wife’s wallet.

Apparently, when my wife used the women’s restroom her wallet fell out. Sometime later Javier went into the room to freshen the supplies and found my wife’s wallet on the floor. He promptly brought it to the front desk to Jamiela and she tracked us down and ultimately found us in the parking lot.

With employees like this Worldmark will only get better. We really want to commend Jamiela and Javier for their diligence, honesty, and going above and beyond the call of duty. They truly are the best of the best.

We flew in and took bus 992 to within a block of the site. All the time we were there, we used public transportation even to get food at Trader Joes. We never need a car while we were there. The staff was helpful and our room was clean. We missed having an oven. The blackout curtains worked well. This was Oct of 2015.

We just got back after a week stay at WorldMark San Diego - Balboa Park. I must say that the property was well maintained for its age. The furnishings were in great shape. The staff was super helpful. While Gary the valet isn't a WorldMark Employee, he does as much to make the guests stay as pleasant as possible. He has such a great welcoming personality. Since My wife has a state disabled parking placard, the valet fee was waived which was nice. The homeless situation with the pitched tents and tarps across street from the property does detract from the surroundings, but so common in many urban areas nowadays. We attended the complimentary Owner's Breakfast at Inn at the Park. It was the most low key, low pressure event that we have attended since being WM Owners. Well worth the $75 AmEx gift card. One week was a bit long of a stay, we could have done it in five days and saved some points.

Interesting that there are more reviews on Trip Advisor for Worldmark San Diego - Balboa Park (like 115) than there are on this forum. I will attempt to improve that after our stay there at the end of the month.

Based on what I've seen on Trip Advisor, I'll specifically be looking at:
Size/location/amenities of studio room
Amenities of the resort
Ease of access to Balboa Park and to public transportation
Specific costs of transportation (there's supposed to be a service called "Free Ride" that I want to look into)
Environment around the resort
Shopping availability (groceries, etc.)