Planning a 2-day stay at Kona Kai Resort on Shelter Island, San Diego can be an exciting and relaxing getaway. Truly something that fits the needs of both parents and children! This summer we knew we would want to get away to a beach destination in Southern California and possibly only looking at an overnight stay. After all- as working parents, our vacation time was dedicated earlier in the year to our London and Paris travel, so we wanted to plan the rest of our year’s getaways wisely.
How We Booked Our Night Stay
We love visiting San Diego and had a $300 Capital One Travel credit to use towards a hotel – so I quickly started browsing hotel options for July in the month of May.
I searched a few options and then came across Kona Kai Resort which Capital one happened to offer a Lifestyle Collection benefit. The hotel room for a double king was a little over $400 and with my $300 credit I figured would be a no brainer so we booked.
One thing to mention about the Lifestyle Collection benefits with Capital One is that you get 10X bonus points on your Capital One Venture when booking through the portal and paying with your Venture X Card. In addition to that we received a $50 experience credit to use during our stay which could be used towards dining. We also received a really nice upgrade to a suite that had a bay view which was unexpected! They offered us early check in and late check out! Kona Kai had an additional offer for us at check-in just for booking our stay through Capital One Travel – and additional $100 hotel credit. So that room that I ended up paying $150 out of pocket for – the travel benefits easily paid for our stay!
Day 1: Arrival, Check In & Exploration
We chose to leave early in the morning, shortly after 9am to get a head start on our 1.5 hour drive from Orange County to San Diego. We arrived to Shelter Island a little after 11am and new we’d have to make a quick stop for some authentic Mexican Food. Luckily we found a great little spot and I got my fish taco fix!
After lunch we decided to head straight to the hotel to park our car and explore the island. I figured I’d check reception to see if we could leave our luggage and to our surprise they were able to accommodate our check in early!
Checking in early allowed us to check out the pool areas, resort layout and we decided to hang out at the marina to get an amazing view of all the boats docked.
The hotel has a private beach, it isn’t swimmable but we laid out while Mila played in the sand with her sand bucket.
The hotel is across the bay and has a nice little playground which our kiddo enjoyed that afternoon. It’s a few blocks down away from the hotel but great little walkway to explore.
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We managed to walk down to the center of the island where shops and eateries were located. We stopped at Portside Coffee & Gelato for an afternoon treat
Back at the hotel, we absolutely loved the large resort games and activities they had on the lawn.
Vessel Restaurant
Since we were only staying one night we had already agreed to have dinner at Vessel located in the resort itself. What a nice treat that we were able to use our $150 experience credit towards that.
The food was delish, the view was amazing and the cocktail drinks were 10/10! I absolutely loved their service. My daughter loved her dinner too! We knew we’d be back for breakfast the next morning.
As parents looking to blend vacation fun with relaxation, we found this to be a great venue for us.
Pool Side
After dinner, we took a nice sunset stroll on the Shelter Island shoreline and then headed over to the pool to end our evening. The sunset views are spectacular and provide a perfect end to your first day. The pool area offered food and beverage service. Since we had already dined for the evening, we didn’t indulge but the service seemed friendly and expeditious.
Walking back to our hotel room was so beautiful – we were able to enjoy the evening view of the boats on the marina, twinkle lights lighting hotel pathways back to our accommodations.
Hotel Room
Our room and beds were so cozy and comfortable! I loved that there was no carpet and we had both a shower and a soaking tub. After washing up, our daughter watched a movie before going down for bed and us parents hung out on the balcony enjoying a glass of wine and the bay view.
Day 2: Checking Out on Our Last Day
After a restful night of sleep we headed back over to Vessel Restaurant at the resort for a delicious breakfast. Breakfast for all of us with simply delicious. Nothing like a warm cup of coffee with the cool coastal breeze coming in from the marina.
We all headed back to the private beach and found chairs to lay on while Mila continued her search for seashells and playing with sand.
After cleaning up we headed out of the hotel to head back home. This two-day stay was such a delight, it allowed us to disconnect from our regular routines and enjoy a mini-vacation.
I can’t get enough of our Venture X Card, while the annual fee may be a bit on the high side the benefits continue to serve our families needs!
Our next trip is planned for later this fall and you can subscribe to keep up with our travels.
xoxo,
The Sun Queen