Make sure to look out for the black swans! I was told a man used to raise black swans in his yard and eventually set them free in the lake. This is such a beautiful place to visit even if you just come to take a walk around (part of) the lake. This is a full-on town! There are plazas for shopping, multiple restaurant options and a bunch of water features to take advantage of. We even got to go on another gondola ride with Black Swan Gondola! They offer an authentic gondola experience around the lake. It made it feel so much cozier being cold out and everything lit up. We visited in December when everything was decorated for the holidays. It definitely makes you feel like you're far away from home. Staying at the Lakehouse Hotel helped to make this such a memorable experience.
#THE LAKEHOUSE HOTEL FULL#
Personal Experience: We got the opportunity to spend a full 24 hours at Lake San Marcos. This was a 55+ living space for many decades. Today there are over 2500 homes in the area, which only recently became open to people of all ages. In fact, they actually won a 'Best planned lakeside community in the nation' award at the time. In the 1960's the land was purchased by developers who put in the lakeside residencies you will see along the lake today. To this day you can still spot avocado groves on the hillsides nearby. Cattle ranching was eventually replaced by growing produce. It was originally used for irrigating cattle ranches in the valley. Lake San Marcos was originally a creek that was dammed up in the 1940's, creating the lake we see today. The golf club that is owned by Lakehouse Resort is actually named the St. In the late 1800's a Spanish Land grant was given here, naming the area “Los Vallecitos de San Marcos” or the “Little Valleys of Saint Mark". We have covered other places you can visit that were part of the stagecoach route here and here. This area was also once part of the Butterfield stagecoach route.
This area was where one of there seasonal villages was. Some of Lake San Marcos' earliest inhabitants are the Luiseño people. It is open daily at 6am, serving up everything from specialty coffee drinks to grab n’ go lunch and breakfast items to ice cream.Īnd lastly is Amalfi Cucina Italiana which specializes in handcrafted Italian food including pizza and gourmet salads as well as American-style favorites sitting right alongside the lake. Then there is Canteen Coffee which is located next to their pool.
There is also the Tap in Tavern which invites guests to enjoy indoor and outdoor seating in a communal setting overlooking the ninth hole of St. Mark Golf Clubĭining: The hotel has 4 dining options which includes The Grill, which offers gourmet meals footsteps off the green at St.
Lobby with fireplace, library and board gamesĢ4-hour in-room dining with gourmet cuisine Marina with boat rentals, kayaks and fishing gear. And all of this sits directly next to the lake! Amenities include:Įxpansive pool decks with two pools and hot tubs (with ADA compliant pool lift) There is also a coffee shop on site, two beautiful pools & spas and even tennis courts. Enjoy extra large balconies, rain shower heads, a Keurig coffee maker & refrigerator and so much more! Lakehouse Hotel offers 144 resort-style rooms which includes either pool-view studios or lake-front cottages. You can enjoy all types of water features here including paddle-boarding or even a gondola ride! There are also many land options including dining, golfing and the lovely Lakehouse Hotel, where we stayed! For those dreaming up an excursion that includes lakefront lodging, look no further than San Marcos! San Marcos has a beautiful lake open to the public known as Lake San Marcos.