Lara's Labyrinth — Attraction in San Diego

Lara’s Labyrinth has got to be the funnest escape room we have experienced so far, and we have been to quite a few now. My boyfriend and I came on 8/25/24, and chose The Heart of Basset room. It was so interactive, the details of the room were amazing, the audio script over the speaker was engaging to keep us involved with the theme of the room. The puzzles were challenging but not too challenging that we felt defeated and bored. I like that they do offer unlimited hints, although we did not have to use any, and we escaped! I liked how there was no countdown timer visible in the room, so we were able to focus on finding the next clues, as opposed to the time on the wall that we had left. I loved the ending puzzle of the room, although there was a bit of confusion. So advice to anyone going to play this room, at the very end DO WHAT THE AUDIO TELLS YOU, even if it feels like you shouldn’t! Recommendation for staff, let us know before going into the room that it is okay to do what the audio is telling us to do at the very end. We are definitely going to come back to try and escape the other rooms.

Pros: price, parking, fun, engaging, very exciting, clock not visible- but audio story would give you warnings, fun twist at the very end

Cons: The sign(s) outside should be more inviting, and does not showcase where the entrance is very well. One of the puzzles was not working properly, which we were told ahead of time, but did slow us down a bit. The overhead speaker that the hostess would speak through to explain the puzzle that wasn’t working properly was hard to understand. It sounded like she was holding the mic on her mouth so it sounded a bit muffled. One of the other puzzles had a delay in opening the drawer right away so we thought we were doing something wrong, but weren’t-that was a little frustrating. Lastly, if they had the “we escaped” sign to hold at the end that would have been cool.

It seems like a lot of “cons,” but really these were not deal breakers for the 5 stars given, more like suggestions and awareness for the staff and gamers.

We will be coming back and bringing...

Wonderful experience, so good we went back the very next day. Jonah, the owner, is absolutely incredible; he took the time to talk to us and walk us through some behind-the-scenes after our experience. Lara did an amazing job getting us set up on our second experience. Both are great guides and professionals.

This was my first escape room experience, but I cannot imagine a better one. Others in our group who had participated in escape rooms in the past voiced that this was the best experience they have had.

We did the Egyptian experience first (Heart of Bastet) and the Cannibal experience second. The Egyptian experience was a fun adventure. Think Indiana Jones vibes. There is at least one moment where it feels like there is a time crunch, but it is fairly casual through the rest of the experience. The Cannibal experience ramps up the tension and time crunch, which is fun if you’re ready for it. The puzzle elements are very unique, thematically on point, and the right level of difficulty. There were a couple of moments where we needed some hints, but everything was done in a way that was very well done.

We went with a group of 4 which felt like the perfect number. Anything over 5 or 6 might be a little too cramped or chaotic. But they can do groups as small as 2.

If you’re wondering if this will be a good time or thinking about it, definitely book it. The quality of the effects, the attention to detail, and the professionalism of the staff are...

Absolutely PHENOMENAL! I have participated in many escape rooms throughout CA and Lara's Labyrinth is a cut above the rest. I can't speak for the entire staff, but if the rest are anything like the owner or Lexie then you are in great hands. We started off with Bewitched and had such a great time we immediately followed that one up with Cannibal. The second night we went back to do the remaining two rooms. We JUST finished the Heart of Bastet and I am writing this in between the DaVinci Challengr. First Bewitched: I recommend if you don't have kids then play it with the Dark Side option. The banter with the live actor was hilarious. Also If you are anything like me you'll enjoy the escape... I decided to sacrifice my friend to make a clean escape (RIP James)... pretty sure that wasn't part of the game though. Next was Cannibal: I don't want to give anything away, but this had some genuine scares. So. Much. Fun! Don't make the same mistake as we did... sometimes the solutions aren't overly complicated. Get your friend free first! Finally the Heart of Bastet: despite what you are always taught... somethings are supposed to break. This was another 5-star room and we are about to go into the 4th and final at Lara's Labyrinth. Based on the previous 3 we have done in the past 24 hours, I expect this to be absolutley amazing too! If you are in the area you definitely need to come check...