Our mini-vacation is to the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Golf Club & Spa in Carlsbad for another golf outing.  We scored a golf, hotel and meal deal online so while it’s a luxurious trip, it’s also a lot more affordable than usual.

Park Hyatt (view from hole #10)

Hole 1

The lagoon is on the left which adds some visual splendor and delightful cool breezes.

Hole 1

“The Golfing Squirrel” dug it out of a tough lie and brought it to the green.

Hole 2

This Arnold Palmer designed course has lots of little hills and mounds.

Hole 3

The par 3’s at Aviara feature exceptional landscaping and water as their signature features.

Hole 3

On day two we finally learned our lesson by targeting many of our approach shots to end up below the hole instead of above it.  In essence, the downhill putts here are nasty.

Hole 4:  Bobcat with Baby

Regrettably my camera was in the cart and by the time I retrieved it momma had baby in hiding.  This was our first bobcat sighting in the wild.  “Here kitty, kitty”…

Hole 5: Dogleg RIGHT

With a green located up a steep incline and sloping downhill with speed this hole was NOT easy.

Hole 5: Green

The cool breezes disappear as you move to holes away from the lagoon.

Hole 6

Another par 3 and I strongly recommend you don’t pull a “dirty HOOKer” as the street is on the LEFT.  I “may” have done so with my hybrid “miss” tendency being a hook.  😦

Fortunately no metal, glass or squealing tire related noises were heard as my 50 cent Top Flite golf ball went “bye bye”.

Hole 7

Uneven lies are pretty common on this course as there aren’t any truly flat holes.  In that sense it is similar to Black Gold in Yorba Linda.

Hole 8: Waterfall and vegetation

Hole 8

Another pretty approach shot.  Both days we avoided “hero ball” and hit our balls just shy of the pond straight ahead.  I was able to par the hole on day one as a result.

Hole 9

We’re about half way in and we can tell this will be a challenging course for us.

Hole 10

This hole is a dogleg LEFT with an uphill green.

Hole 11

These par 3’s are really something to see and play.

Hole 14

Even if you don’t play golf you’ll enjoy the landscaping and grounds here.

Hole 16

A very nice looking approach shot.  When we attended the Kia Classic ladie’s tournament we sat on bleachers and observed many golfers come and go at this green.

Hole 18

The prettiest hole yet with the lagoon on the left and the pond on the right.

Park Hyatt Aviara:  Hotel Room

The resort style bathroom features granite counters, a large soaking tub, a separate shower and a water closet with toilet.

Tin Leaf: Tri-tip dinner

Bella had a well balanced meat, veggie, fruit and soup meal from Tin Leaf Fresh Kitchen for our take-out eating which we ate in our hotel room.  She added a roasted vegetable soup.

Tin Leaf:  Tri-tip Salad

This establishment is similar to Urban Plates restaurants.  My Tri-tip salad featured wild arugula, baby spinach, gorgonzola blue cheese crumbles, grapes tomatoes, grilled red onion with whole grain mustard vinaigrette dressing.  It was good tasting and healthy eating.

Their French-cut Belgian style fries weren’t crisp on the exterior as promised and were very soggy.  They tasted of real potato and the basil mayo dipping sauce I chose (10 different choices) was a very worthy companion.

Their dessert display showcased thick peanut butter cookies, thick chocolate chip cookies, caramel blondies or coconut cake.

Metodo Iperespresso Machine:  In Hotel Rooom

This machine ($300 online) uses coffee pods and brews a much better cup than the Keurig systems.  I added a touch of sugar in the raw and some powdered creamer.

Hotel Room:  View off balcony

Stage left we have a lengthy view to the ocean.

Adult Pool & Spa:  View of Lagoon and Course

The views from the adult pool area provide the best views of the property and surrounding areas.

Adult Pool & Spa:  Golf Course and Lagoon Views

The location of this property is really substantial and the “Park Hyatt” experience is felt throughout.  When we arrived back at our room after enjoying the jacuzzi we find extra bottled water, dark chocolate and milk chocolate for each of us.

I utilize the expansive fitness center for an hour or so.  It featured high ceilings, loads of cardio equipment, medicine balls, free weights, nautilus type machines, mats, foam rollers, exercise tubing and about anything else you can think of.

I especially enjoyed the fresh cucumber and mint water which has anti-inflammatory benefits.  As a finishing touch I wiped my face down with a cool eucalyptus oil soaked towel.  Throughout the property they provide this great smelling orange citrus scented liquid hand soap.  I enjoy good “sniffs” so I notice these small touches.

After showering we head down to the Lobby Lounge for a late night snack, or two…or three.

Lobby Lounge:  Spicy Green Olives and Spicy Pistachios

Bella has zero interest in olives so I tore into these complimentary appetizers.  Both were very good.

These smoked salmon bites had potato beet cakes instead of crackers and cilantro avocado cream with salmon roe.  We aren’t fans of beets and couldn’t even really tell that is what they were.  They were delicious and we probably should’ve ordered two of these to stay on the lighter side.

The smoked chicken quesadilla had chicken which was smoked on premises.  The sweet peppers, monterey jack cheese, spring onions and huitlacoche all came together nicely.  While not being the best choice after exercise, they sure were tasty.

A healthy side of guacamole and salsa for the quesadillas.

Cheesecake with Berries and Vanilla Bean Sauce

The cheesecake was soft and creamy and very ricotta-like.  We fully utilized the spectacular vanilla bean dipping sauce and the blackberries, blueberries and raspberries with each bite.

Argyle Steakhouse:  Balcony view of 18th hole

This dining experience at Argyle Steakhouse was a fantastic start before our second day round of golf.

Argyle Steakhouse:  Elfie @ Lunch

The weather was sunny but not too hot for patio dining.

Argyle:  Balcony view of lagoon

Argyle:  Seafood Caesar Salad with Avocado

Bella was a definite fan of this entree.

Argyle:  Crab White Cheddar Melt

My crab melt sandwich was fresh, not too creamy, cheesy and oh so good!  Snow crab, moray sauce, scallions on sourdough bread.

Argyle:  Chocolate Ganache Cake

Our online deal price included dessert bite choices.  Bella “sniffed in” on the chocolate cake and loved it.

Argyle:  Cheesecake

This cheesecake was quite good but not quite as soft and creamy as last night’s cheesecake in the hotel lounge.  After playing our second round of golf on day two we head into Carlsbad Village to dine at Campfire.

Campfire:  Dining Room

“Campfire is a return to the origins of cooking and hospitality”.

Campfire:  Large Dining Table and Firewood

Campfire:  Teepee on outdoor lawn

Yes my friends, the camping theme runs deep in this restaurant.  All the way down to the “old skool” paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms.

Grilled Octopus:  Work of Art

The flavors are abundant on the grilled octopus with chopped pickled pepper.  It looked like typical relish until the spice kicked in.  The peppers and charred greens touched this dish off.  This was an imaginative start to our meal.

Roasted Broccoli with Chermoula

The sauce had a strong taste of lime with candied peanuts resting on top.  The charred head of this was almost brittle with nice texture in the mouth.

Char Grilled Oysters

The sauce reminded me of a green chili salsa but may have been spicy cucumber sauce.  I can’t recall.  Regardless, I enjoyed the mild spice and delicious flavors.

Grilled Pork Chop Adobada

Mole sauce, oaxaca cheese, sunflower and mushroom mole were incorporated in the grilled pork chop adobada .  Certain parts near the bone are amazing with the drier parts being away from the bone.  I have big issues with “dry meat” so I’m a tough critic here.  This is why I prefer a Chinese dish that consists of thin, pounded, lightly-breaded pork tenderloin.  They way the Chinese do it yields moist and amazing pork.

Roasted Branzino Whole Fish

This fish comes up often in grill menus and for good reason.  It was moist, flaky and oh so tasty.  Charred Meyer lemon, fennel, tamarind and torpedo onion are visible on the plate.

Campfire:  Make-Your-Own-S’mores

What a perfect and appropriate ending to this meal.  The cookies look like gingerbread and don’t have a typical graham taste but are good cookies.  If I were to deviate from the original I would opt for a sugar cookie, shortbread cookie or butter cookie.  The coals were in the miniature cast iron bowl on the right.

I give them kudos for the concept but the execution isn’t very much fun and had us wanting to have them made for us.  The toothpick skewer allowed the marshmallow to spin so one could never properly brown the mallow.  As a result, the salted caramel chocolate ganache chunk never melted.  In the end, it tasted good but could’ve been better had things become properly roasted and melted.

Carlsbad Village:  Art & Antique Mall

There are a lot of interesting older buildings here and the quaint feel is that of Cambria’s East Village.  Additionally, there is that feeling as if you’re downtown in a small mountain town.

Carlsbad Village:  Theatre

THE END!!!