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We stayed back-to-back at the Seabird Ocean Resort and Spa and the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach using our Hyatt points. Here's what we loved and didn't love about each, plus which one we'd pick next time!

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

We booked one night here with 29,000 Hyatt points. It’s a category 6, so you can book it for as low as 21,000 points off-peak.

The Resort

We adored the resort's location, surrounded by gorgeous flowers on the grounds. It features a cozy shopping area with a big fireplace and comfy seating. The nearby beach is lovely and well-maintained. Just to clarify, although it's across the street, you do have to exit the resort and cross a bridge to reach it; it's about a 10-minute stroll to the ocean. The resort offers beach chairs, towels, and umbrellas, and they even have sand toys available.

The Pools

The resort boasts three distinct pool areas: the main pool, the adult pool, and the children's pools. The kids' pool features three waterslides, a spacious hot tub, and a central pool. Additionally, there are cozy fire pits for cooler evenings.

The Room

Thanks to our Hyatt Globalist status, we got upgraded to a premium room with one King and one Queen bed. While there were no suites available, we were pleasantly surprised by this room. It had a spacious closet, which turned out to be a wonderful surprise. The bathroom was enormous, complete with a free-standing bathtub. Plus, we enjoyed having a lovely balcony with an ocean view.

The Food

As Hyatt Globalist, our breakfast was covered. We were allowed to choose between the buffet or one item off the menu. Drinks and specialty coffees were also included. Everyone enjoyed the food! My daughter and I had the Socal waffle and chicken and it was delicious. The hotel was kind enough to wipe the entire bill for our family of five.

Breakfast is served at the Watertable. We loved the style of the restaurant and they have outdoor seating with ocean views. We did not experience any other food at the resort, but we loved breakfast.

Amenities & Service

We received a $25 credit to the market and we also received a Smore’s Kit. We cooked the S’mores at the pool and it was perfect. In addition, the hotel gifted me an another $50 towards the market as a birthday gift which was so kind of them. When you book with Hyatt points, the resort fee is waived and with Globalists status, the parking fee is also waived.

We experienced great service during our stay!

The Seabird Ocean Resort and Spa

We booked one night here with 25,000 Hyatt points. This property is also a category 6 so you can book this for as low as 21,000 points.

The Resort

The hotel has a boutique-style vibe, with a modern cottage design that we absolutely adored! It features multiple fireplace areas where you can relax and enjoy ocean views. Additionally, the Mission Hotel, also part of the Hyatt brand and located across the street, allows guests to access the pools and amenities at both properties.

The beach is just across the street, accessible via a staircase. Although there's an airstream at the beach for Seabird guests offering beach equipment, it was closed during our visit. We favored Huntington Beach over this one because it had more sand and a smoother shore, whereas this beach had more rocks. However, there's a playground directly on the beach, which is a nice feature.

While we appreciated the resort's location and its closeness to the beach, we weren't as fond of the surrounding area. In comparison, the Huntington Beach area felt more upscale and overall cleaner.

We were offered welcome drinks upon arrival and the hotel staff were extremely friendly.

There was a game room with video games, ping pong, corn hole, coloring, and much more. We spent about an hour here and my kids loved it.

The Pool

There's a main pool with a view of the ocean. Despite the slightly cool weather during our visit, we didn't get a chance to use it. However, my kids definitely favored the pools at the Hyatt Regency, especially because of the waterslides—they're hard to beat!

The Room

We preferred the room at this hotel over Huntington Beach because we were fortunate enough to be upgraded to an amazing oceanfront suite. The suite was incredibly spacious, featuring two patios, one and a half bathrooms, a living area, and a bedroom. This upgrade truly made our stay memorable. I had informed them in advance via email that we were celebrating my birthday, and on the day of check-in, I used the app to inquire about the availability of oceanfront suites. As a Hyatt Globalist member, you're eligible for standard suites if they're available, but I don't think this was a standard suite, so it was a delightful surprise to receive the upgrade.

The hotel also had balloons and chocolates waiting in my room to celebrate my birthday! They went above and beyond!

The Food

Breakfast was included with Globalist status. The front desk told us at check-in that we had an $80 credit available to use. We kept our order under $80 but with tax and tip, it came to around $100 and they still waived the entire bill, which was very generous. We loved the food! I ordered the pancakes with bananas and caramel which was delicious.

So which one would we choose?

We loved both of these properties! But if we were to stay again, here’s how we would pick:

If we were with our children, we'd opt for Huntington Beach. The kids loved this resort for its pools and waterslides, not to mention the beach, which we also preferred. On the other hand, if it were just adults traveling, we'd go with Seabird. In addition, we prefer the Huntington Beach area over the Oceanside area.

Have you stayed at either of these properties? Let me know in the comments!

For those looking to check out of a hotel with a zero balance like we did, grab my free beginner’s guide. The most effective method for staying at Hyatt properties almost free of charge is by earning Ultimate Reward points. Afterward, transfer these points to Hyatt for maximum value.

Advertiser Disclosure: Melissa's Travel Addiction has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Melissa's Travel Addiction and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.