Are you planning a trip to LEGOLAND California in 2023? You’ll definitely want to read this LEGOLAND California Castle Hotel review before you book your trip!
This LEGOLAND California Castle Hotel Review may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
Are you wondering whether or not to book the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel?
My family stayed in the Wizard Suite at the LEGOLAND California Castle Hotel and my kids had a lot of opinions about this hotel.
Keep scrolling to read an honest review of the LEGOLAND California Castle Hotel to see if it’s the best place to stay at LEGOLAND CA.
If you’re on your way there soon or just want some ideas for your next trip here, keep reading! We’ve got everything covered from food options to activities that are perfect for families with young children like ours.
You can also find out what we thought was great, what wasn’t so great, and how much it cost us for our trip!
I hope that this article helps you decide if staying here is right for your family too.
Don’t have time to read a bunch of LEGOLAND blog posts and reviews? Here are some of our top picks for visiting LEGOLAND with kids.
Where to Stay at LEGOLAND California
- LEGOLAND Hotel (this is the original hotel and it has a great pool and indoor play area)
- LEGOLAND Castle Hotel (this is the newer hotel and it has outdoor movies and a playground)
- Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa (it’s within walking distance to LEGOLAND and has a pool)
- MarBrisa Carlsbad Resort (it’s also within walking distance to LEGOLAND and has a pool)
- Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa (slightly longer walk but has a pool)
Want to Rent a Car in California?
One of the best places to rent a car in California is Discover Cars because they usually have the cheapest rates and fantastic customer service.
Want to Save Money at LEGOLAND?
Check out Get Away Today for the cheapest LEGOLAND packages that include hotel and tickets.
Where to Stay at LEGOLAND California FAQs
100% yes. They are really set up for families. Each room can sleep up to 5 people, they have free kids activities, a free buffet breakfast, indoor and outdoor play areas (with cocktails nearby), and you can enter the park early.
You’ll want to stay in Carlsbad, which is the city where LEGOLAND California is located. There are several hotels within walking distance of LEGOLAND.
You just need 1-2 nights at LEGOLAND California. That’s enough time to enjoy 2 days exploring LEGOLAND, play in the hotel pool, and have time to rest and relax.
Where is the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel?
The LEGOLAND Castle Hotel is just a few steps from the main entrance to LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad. It’s seriously between the LEGOLAND parking lot and the park entrance. You can’t miss it.
There are tons of LEGO sculptures outside of the hotel and the hotel itself looks like a giant LEGO castle. It’s pretty epic!
Honest LEGOLAND California Castle Hotel Review
This was our first time staying at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel and we booked two nights. We arrived in the afternoon so we had time to explore the hotel a bit, get room service dinner, and then rest up for our first day in the park.
Lobby Area
When you enter the hotel from the parking lot, you will immediately be on the Lobby level. It’s actually pretty small and it does get crowded with people checking in. However, you can go up to the 1st Floor and use a touch screen if you’ve checked in online.
The lobby area has a little LEGO pit where kids can play while grown-ups check-in or talk to the front desk. There’s also a slide next to the stairs as well as a pretend dungeon that kids can go inside.
And if you head toward the elevators, kids can sit on a LEGO throne!
LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Rooms
There are three different themed rooms at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel: Knights & Dragons, Royal Princess, and Magic Wizard. We stayed in the Magic Wizard room primarily because my boys are obsessed with Harry Potter.
LEGOLAND Wizard Room Tour
Kids Sleeping Area
The first room you’ll see when you enter the Wizard Room is the kids sleeping area. It has a curtain to close it off from the rest of the hotel room.
It has a standard bunk bed but there’s also a trundle at the bottom so it can sleep 3 kids. There’s a nightlight you can turn on to get constellations on the ceiling.
There’s also a LEGO wall where you can use the LEGO bricks in your room to make creations during your stay. And there’s a TV with kids shows on it.
Entry
After the kids room is the hallway/entryway to the hotel room. There’s a Keurig coffee machine, a mini fridge, and they give you complimentary water bottles and juice boxes.
Right next to this is an open closet where you can put your luggage, hang things up, or use the ironing board. This is all across from the bathroom.
Spacious Bathroom
I LOVE large bathrooms in hotel rooms, especially when we travel with little kids who need assistance. The LEGOLAND Castle Hotel has an amazing bathroom.
There is a step stool near the sink so toddlers and preschoolers can wash their hands and brush their teeth easily. There’s also a seat reducer on the toilet, which is perfect for little ones.
And there’s even a shower that has a bath tub! This is extra awesome to rinse kids off after playing in the hotel pool or at the water park.
Master Bedroom
Finally, at the end of the hallway is the master bedroom. Here, you’ll find a king size bed, table and chairs, and a TV.
The room has a lot of cool LEGO decor. Oh, and there’s a Google Home on the table. My 5-year-old chatted with it most mornings and heard a lot of funny jokes that way.
LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Restaurant
There’s a restaurant called the Dragon’s Den on the 1st floor of the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel. As of February 2022, reservations are needed for breakfast or dinner.
LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Breakfast
We ate at the Dragon’s Den twice for breakfast and it was a great experience! It’s one of the most extensive breakfast buffets I’ve ever seen at a hotel.
The food was very similar to what we had at the LEGOLAND Hotel. There were French toast sticks, Fruity Pebble pancakes, yogurt parfaits, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, cereal, oatmeal, and just so much more.
Plus they had juice, milk, coffee, tea, and apparently smoothies (although I couldn’t find them).
Room Service
We ended up ordering room service for dinner both nights we were at the hotel. It’s the same menu as Dragon’s Den. It’s an $8 charge for them to bring it up to your room, but you can also pick it up yourself to save money.
The food was…okay. I had a steak one night (they only cook it medium or well) and a chicken caesar salad the next night. The kids had burgers, pizza, and mac and cheese.
Vending Machines
If you just need a quick snack or something to drink, there are vending machines in the hotel hallway. This is a great place to get items to bring into the park to save a little money.
This is also where you’ll find the ice machine as well as a microwave.
Things to do at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel
Part of the reason it’s worth staying at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel is because they have a lot of cool amenities for families.
LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Pool
It was too cold during our trip in February for my kids to use the pool (although some families did) but it looked super fun! I didn’t take any photos because I didn’t want to be a creeper.
It is a heated pool and they have foam LEGO bricks to play with in the water. And during the warmer months, they have cabanas you can rent as well as pool-side food and drinks.
Outdoor Movies
Another fun thing to do at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel is watch an outdoor movie! They had comfy couches set up and it would be easy to pick up food to eat while watching the movie.
When we were there, they played the LEGO Movie as well as the LEGO Batman movie. And it was easy to see the screen even when the sun was still out.
Playground
One of the best perks of staying at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel is that they have a really nice playground in the center of the hotel. I think the ground floor rooms even have gates where you can walk directly out there.
It’s all on cushioned foam flooring so you don’t really have to worry about kids falling and hurting themselves. The playground is right next to a little grassy area where they do kids programming and the outdoor movie is on the other side.
It’s really easy to go grab adult beverages at Dragon’s Den and then watch your kids run around this entire area.
Treasure Hunt
Finally, the main reason my kids were eager to go back to a LEGOLAND hotel was all because of the Treasure Chest.
Basically, you answer clues about the hotel to get a code that opens up a treasure chest in the room that has LEGO surprises for your kids.
I think you’re supposed to get new ones each day, but we just got the one set. But housekeeping didn’t come during our stay.
LEGOLAND Hotel vs LEGOLAND Castle Hotel
Our family has stayed at both hotels and they are both really fun experiences. When I asked my kids, they said they prefer the Castle Hotel because they can pretend they are at Hogwarts because the whole hotel has a wizard vibe.
I think the breakfast buffet area feels a bit cramped at the Castle Hotel compared to the LEGOLAND Hotel, but they have a nice little play area at the restaurant.
The LEGOLAND Hotel has an awesome indoor play area with a bar attached so parents can drink while their kids play. The Castle Hotel has an awesome outdoor play area and movie and parents can bring drinks out from the bar and watch their kids play.
Both hotels have fabulous entertainment, play areas in the lobbies, treasure chests in the rooms, and tons of perks.
What are the Perks of Staying at a LEGOLAND Hotel?
Free Breakfast Buffet
A really nice perk of staying at a LEGOLAND hotel is that you can take advantage of their free breakfast. It’s actually a massive buffet with kid-friendly options like pancakes, french toast, french toast sticks, yogurt parfaits, cereal, muffins, pastries, etc.
They also have scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, oatmeal, salad, fried rice, and tons of other breakfast items.
Grown-ups will appreciate that they have a large selection of coffee and tea. There usually is also a smoothie machine (but I didn’t see it in February 2022).
Early Entrance into the Park
Another great LEGOLAND perk is getting to enter LEGOLAND 30 minutes before it opens. There are usually 4 rides open during this time so it’s a great time to knock a couple of them off your list.
It also puts you in the park so you can line up for Emmet’s Flying Adventure before the park opens.
Free LEGO Programming and Events
The biggest underrated perk of staying at a LEGOLAND hotel is taking advantage of all the free programming. Since the park closes at 5 pm or 6 pm, it can be hard to entertain kids in the evening.
Thankfully, the LEGOLAND hotels have interactive programming, free outdoor movies, and lots of activities to keep kids’ attention. It’s a great way to extend the LEGO experience.
So, is the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Worth it?
Absolutely! And we’ll definitely be back. My kids actually asked if we could just live there 🙂
Since the park has somewhat short hours, it’s really nice to be able to extend the LEGO fun at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel. They have some really fun programs for kids, the rooms are incredible, there’s an awesome breakfast buffet, and you get into the park early.
I highly recommend booking a stay at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel for your next trip to LEGOLAND California!