We stayed in room 9301 at the Embassy Suites in March of 2016 for one week. We booked this hotel knowing nothing about Oxnard, California other than that the hotel was right on the beach with some accessible pathways alongside the beach. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised by the overall accessibility of the hotel and surroundings.
THE GOOD
There were several different buildings at this hotel and our room was on the third floor of building number 9, which was just to the right side of the main lobby building.
View of Main Lobby Area
All of the rooms at this hotel are suites. In our room, we had two queen beds in a separate bedroom, two bathrooms (one with a wheel-in shower and built-in shower bench, wheel-under sink and toilet with grab bars), living room with a pull-out sofa and small kitchenette (microwave, mini-fridge, coffee maker and sink).
Two Queen Beds, Access to Deck Across From Far Bed
Main Area Bathroom Located by the Front Door – Not Accessible
Accessible Bathroom Attached to the Bedroom
Wheel-In-Shower With Shower Bench
Accessible Toilet Area
Pull-Out Sofa, Living Room Area and Access to Deck
Kitchenette
Front Door And Desk
Our room was a “resort view” room. We had a nice view of the pool and courtyard and could actually see the beach and ocean in the distance.
View From Our Room
View of the Main Pool from Our Room
View of Waterfall Near One of the Two Hot Tubs
Our room was cleaned every day by the time we got back from our morning activity except for once. The staff seemed very efficient and happy to help.
This hotel served free breakfast every morning until 10 am and free drinks and snacks every night between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Breakfast was buffet-style with eggs, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, sausages, bacon, cereal, fruit, toast, yogurt and a selection of beverages. There was also a made-to-order section where you could order eggs or omelettes. The happy hour snacks consisted of nachos, veggies and party mix and the drinks consisted of alcoholic selections from the bar, punch and pop. Although the food wasn’t the best quality, it was plentiful and it made for an easy alternative to going out.
There was one large swimming pool and two large hot tubs at the hotel. The pool and one of the hot tubs were equipped with battery-powered pool lifts. We had no issue with the lifts and they seemed to work smoothly using a handheld remote.
Main Pool Lift
Hot Tub Lift
Turn On the Key and Use Remote to Operate Lift
There was direct beach access at the hotel. There was a gate in the back that led right to the sand and a long accessible pathway along the edge of the beach. If you turned right, it led you to a beautiful park with a large playground.
Beach Access at Back of Hotel
Paved Pathway Along the Beach
Amazing Playground for the Kids
There was an accessible pathway through the sand so that wheelchair users could get closer to the ocean. The beaches were extremely large and there were lots of sand dunes, so one would not be able to get to the water in a wheelchair but you would be able to get close enough to see over all of the dunes and to watch the waves roll in. There were picnic tables up near the end of the accessible pathway where you could sit and have a nice lunch or dinner on the beach if you wanted.
Accessible Pathway Towards the Ocean
Accessible Pathway Heading Towards Ocean
View From the Top of the Accessible Path Facing Away From the Ocean
Looking Towards The Ocean – The Picnic Tables Mark the End of the Accessible Path
Pacific Ocean – The Sand Was Extremely Soft Everywhere Except Right Along the Water’s Edge
In terms of its general location, this hotel was within walking distance of a number of beautiful harbours where you could look at fancy boats and beautiful homes. We also drove around and explored a number of shops, grocery stores and restaurants. There was a family-friendly restaurant close to the resort called Toppers that served some of the best pizza we have ever had.
One of Many Beautiful Harbours
We learned when we were there that Oxnard is surrounded by fruit farms. It’s quite something when you are driving there to see the miles and miles of strawberries and other produce growing right there.
For entertainment purposes, you can drive from Oxnard to Ventura in 5 minutes, Camarillo (where there is a HUGE premium outlet mall) in 23 minutes, Santa Monica (where there is a really fun pier with rides and food, etc.) in one hour and Solvang (which is a very cool Danish tourist town) in one and a half hours. We thought Oxnard was ideally located for fun day trips with the kids.
Santa Monica Pier – View From the Top of the Ferris Wheel
Santa Monica Pier
For those flying in to California, this hotel was about one and a half hours away from LAX. Do not be afraid to rent a car as the shuttle buses for the major rental companies are accessible and they will pick you up at the terminal and take you to the rental company. Most all major car rental companies will install hand controls in a rental car for you for free. (Little tip we learned – don’t pay for anything fancy as chances are good that no matter what you rent, you will end up with a Chevy Impala (or similar) and they will not refund you the difference. Apparently most companies can only install the hand controls in mid-sized cars.)
THE BAD
I really had to think about something bad to say about this hotel. All I could come up with was that the food was not amazing and it would not be somewhere I would recommend to someone travelling without kids. We were there during spring break, mind you, but this is not a peaceful adults-only type hotel. It is definitely geared towards hosting families.
THE UGLY
The only thing that was ugly in my view was the bird poop on our deck. We were on the top floor and there were wooden slats above our deck that the birds sat on. Every morning, the deck, the deck chairs and the deck table were covered in fresh bird droppings, which made the deck unusable.
Our Deck
Bird Droppings on Our Deck
OVERALL
Overall, we thought this hotel was great and that Oxnard in general was a total hidden gem for those in wheelchairs and for families. We tend not to go to the same place more than once but we both agreed that we would definitely return here in the future. We left feeling like there was still a lot more to see.
Papa Wheelie 