Oxnard is one of California’s cities that blows me away when I see the population listed as over 200,000 residents. This city has probably had one of the largest increases in population among California cities during my lifetime.
I do not know much about Oxnard except that it is where Highway 1, Pacific Coast Highway reappears as a separate route from Highway 101 following the coastline south along the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu to Santa Monica.
And there are a large number of Mexican restaurants.
Oxnard is about 50 miles south of Santa Barbara. The hotels in Santa Barbara are expensive relative to Ventura and Oxnard. Ventura can be a cheap place to stay on weekdays, but weekend rates climb. The high rates on weekends in Ventura make Four Points Ventura Harbor one of my favorite places to stay when the cost is 3,000 Starpoints per night.
Traveling south from Oxnard is basically the Los Angeles metropolitan area either traveling 101 inland through the San Fernando Valley to LA or Highway 1 along the coast to Santa Monica and LA.
Residence Inn Oxnard River Ridge offered a convenient stop last Tuesday at an affordable price ($109) with the benefit of earning a free night certificate with my second stay for Marriott Rewards MegaBonus (Feb 1-April 30, 2013 promotion).
My two free nights from last week’s stays already posted to my account.
The value of a Residence Inn is the apartment style lodging. The main drawback is the reduced earning rate of 5 points/$1. All Marriott brands earn 10 points/$1 except Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites extended stay properties.
Residence Inn Oxnard lobby.
Breakfast room and evening reception lounge.
The hotel offered food supplies at The Market.
Residence Inn Oxnard River Ridge borders a golf course.
This is a large complex with 32 buildings of 8 units.
Residence Inn Oxnard River Ridge.
The property has two swimming pools and several tennis courts. One of the pools was being refurbished during my stay.
Residence Inn Oxnard swimming pool.
River Ridge Tennis Center was holding classes in the morning.
The Room
Studio Suite.
The room faced the parking lot which would not be desired on an extended stay. Since I was transiting through on an overnight I did not want to pay extra for a golf course view.
Studio Suite with fireplace.
Full kitchen with stovetop and microwave.
I once redeemed points and lived in a Residence Inn for a week on a vacation in Maine. Cooking lobster in our own kitchen saved quite a bit of money compared to dining out.
Dining table at Residence Inn.
My only complaint about the room was an 18-inch cable for internet. The cable was so short that I had to sit on the right side of the table for the cord to reach my computer.
Residence Inn Oxnard gazebo.
On my trips to the Southlands of California I often find myself wanting to avoid driving into Los Angeles at night or wanting to get out of Los Angeles at night for an easy morning drive back to Monterey 275 miles north of Oxnard.
Often this means spending the night in a place like Ventura, Oxnard or Thousand Oaks.
Traffic becomes a major issue to contend with once the line into Los Angeles County is crossed.
Ventura, Oxnard and Thousand Oaks often have the lowest hotel rates around compared to Santa Barbara or desirable places in Los Angeles.
Ventura and Oxnard tend to be less costly hotel rates on weekdays and Thousand Oaks tends to be less on weekends.
This is a good region for an overnight when traveling the coast of California on a road trip.
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