Checking in to the Castle Hotel at Legoland California Resort was a trumpet-and-banners affair as the theme park unveiled its new 250-room spread that could very well represent a design-peak collab between Lego engineers, Medieval Times, and Minecraft.
Inside and out, the hotel supplied the sort of eye candy any kid is keen on, including three lodging themes — Knights & Dragons, Royal Princess, and Magic Wizard — anchored by a courtyard climbing structure and an expansive swimming pool heavily lifeguarded and loaded with fun water features and oversized Lego blocks made of rubber. Our ground-floor room offered just enough square footage to accommodate unpacking, bathing, channel surfing, and, as my kids would say, “vegging,” after we arrived in San Diego County across greater Los Angeles and through the Orange Curtain.
Inside the park, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next spring, my two young daughters found themselves sprinting in several directions through a mellow Friday crowd. The morning quickly filled with solo car rides at Volvo Driving School, a leisurely excursion on Coast Cruise, and a teacup spin on Bionicle Blaster, among many other attractions.