Planning a trip to San Diego, but would like advice on the best areas to stay in.

Seeking accommodation right on the beach - hotel or condo.

Can anyone advise on the areas of La Jolla and Mission Beach, plus any other areas that are recommended.

Cheers!

Assuming that you want to stay relatively centrally close to downtown and not far up North County, your choices seem to be:

Coronado Island
Point Loma/Shelter Island
Mission Beach
Pacific Beach
La Jolla

As all of these areas are quite different with many pros & cons, it would help if we knew what you were looking for. Do you want to do a lot of sightseeing/shopping? Do you want an active nightlife or an isolated retreat? When you say you want to stay on the beach, does it have to be the Ocean? (San Diego has some beautiful bays that have sand beaches).
Do you have kids? What will the ages/interests of your group.

You might want to start with by searching some of the older posts in this board's archives -- there's a lot of good info there.

Hi Scurry,
This is not the origianl poster, but I'd like to take advantage of your goodwill.
If the answers to your questions are:
2 adults and 2 teens
Bay, ocean, whatever - good view
Active nightlife
Close to SD trolley tour and shopping, but will have car
What would be your first and second choices?!
Thanks in advance for your help, and to Pru for starting the thread.

Thanks Scurry and Dream2

Dream2 you are almost spot on!

Would like to stay on the beach, not necessarily ocean, walkable to restaurants in the evening, not majorly busy, we will have a car so can do SeaWorld, the Zoo etc if we are not immediately located to these attractions.

Would like the area to be very picturesque and well maintained.

Thanks again.

What sort of budget, if any, are you looking at? This makes a huge difference is what areas are available.

From your description, it seems La Jolla or Coronado would meet your needs, although your 17 year old would have more fun in Mission Beach.

I agree that, from your description, La Jolla or Coronado would be best. However, Del Mar would also fit.

Of these three, Coronado and LaJolla have hotels right on the beach. In Coronado, the Hotel Del Coronado and in La Jolla, the Sea Lodge and La Jolla Beach and Tennis Resort. There are hotels close to the beach in all three locations.

You don't mention which month. If you will be coming in August, during the racing season at Del Mar, the hotels there may be booked well in advance.

...AND if you stay in/around Del Mar during racing season, you may be dealing with horrendous traffic to/from San Diego.

forgot, same warning about traffic applies during the Del Mar Fair, which is usually mid-June through July 4th weekend.

Thank you everyone for your kind advice. It's so much better to hear these things from the horse's mouth than from glitzy holiday brochures.

Also many of the guides seem to conflict due to authors' personal preferences! My enquiries are mainly tentative due to personal circumstances, but I'll let you know what we decide and will drop in a report.

I hope you all have a lovely day. x

iS THIS SOMEONE WE WANT TO BE HELPING?
"PRU" AND "SALLY B" ARE ONE AND THE SAME...

Help with itinerary please!
Author: SallyB
Date: 03/05/2004, 01:45 am
Message: Hi

Planning to visit from the UK in August for approx 16 nights.

So far planning to do LA-Las Vegas-San Diego-Disney.

What are the best areas of LA to stay in? Would like a hotel where we can walk out to restaurants in the evening and that is preferably on the beach!

Many thanks.
SB

Author: OaktownTravelerDate: 03/05/2004, 12:59 pm
Message: SallyB:

You gotta give us more info.

Budget? Amount of days?

Also, grab a guide book...LA is not "on" the beach per se...

Happy Planning,
Oaktown Traveler

Author: rjw_lgb_ca
Date: 03/05/2004, 01:21 pm
Message: The budget question is very important. Hotels "on the beach" will be very expensive. And, since the LA metro area is so huge, walking places is often a secondary consideration. The true question is: How much are you willing to spend per night in LA and San Diego?

You HAVE done some cursory glancing at maps, haven't you? LA to LV is a four-hour drive (but a quick flight) when there's no traffic. WITH traffic, five hours at least. Plan on flying there.

Author: bobludlow
Date: 03/05/2004, 07:53 pm
Message: LA locals know their freeways intimately, and the most common mistake for tourists is to take the wrong ones at the wrong time and spend half their day stuck in traffic. So take bite-size hunks of Los Angeles and plan your vacation carefully. Santa Monica makes a nice home base and offers the walking distance beaches and nightlife. You could stay at a hip/high-end hotel like Shutter's, Casa del Mar, Viceroy, orLoew's. You can walk to the pier, you can walk to dinner, and from Santa Monica you can head inland to Beverly Hills and West Hollywood for more shopping and nightlife, or to Venice Beach for the alternative scene, or if you thirst for more of a classic California/beach environment head further south to the beach cities (Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach) or north up the Pacific Coast Highway. There are plenty of cheaper hotel alternatives in Santa Monica, too.

And if you have the time, a drive through the LA metropolis and then out across the desert to Las Vegas would be an eye-opener for a bunch of Brits. Watch the movie "Swingers" before you go. A great way to see old and new Vegas is to visit Peppermill's Fireside Lounge and the Ghost Bar on the same night. You'll see what I mean.


Author: CalgirlSusan
Date: 03/05/2004, 09:04 pm
Message: Sally, are you reviewing your posts? You seem to keep asking the same questions over and over on different posts, yet you get answers and never respond to them. Do you know how to use this board or do you need help? We can help you if you need it. Meanwhile click on your name at the top of any of your posts and all your other posts and their replies will appear as if by magic.

Author: SallyB
Date: 03/06/2004, 07:37 am
Message: Hello

Thanks to everyone for their responses -much appreciated!

Calgirl, yes thank you, I'm a veteran on this site and have been for about the last 5 years!!!!! I'm working long hours at the moment, so only check in around every 48hrs!

My reviews may seem to ask the same questions but if you look at them closely there are differences, but surely you have a more interesting life than to do that!

I don't always respond, because I'm so busy in my life, that is the beauty of this site, you can dip in and out, I can't sit on here all day! Plus, do you think posters get offended by lack of response! It's not a chatroom, I've left posts many times and would never be offended by lack of response, it doesn't mean the post has gone unread. The purpose of this site is for quick and direct information, not to respond if you have nothing to say - I try to respond if I have time by saying "thanks", but it's not always possible and I don't think it's always necessary!

Most people using this website are busy people who want quick answers to their queries, not conversation!

I found your posting quite abrupt and had I been a new visitor I may have been put off!

SB

Author: Curious
Date: 03/06/2004, 02:44 pm
Message: Sorry, SallyB, CalgirlSusan is right on the money. If anyone was being rude and abrupt, it was your last response.

If your are so busy you can't acknowledge posters talking time out of their own busy schedules to answer your many questions, maybe you need a travel agent.

Curious

Author: lcuy
Date: 03/06/2004, 03:25 pm
Message: SallyB- your questions are similar enough that I also thought you might need some help in retrieving them.
Everyone keeps asking you to give some budgetary guidelines- if you have $150 per night it is a waste of time for us to be recommending the Hotel del
Coronado! By being here, we're obviously happy to help others, but we're busy people too. If you only want quick answers, maybe a guide book or a search of old responses would be a faster alternative.

I thought CaligirlSusan was very gracious in offering to help you. I had just been ignoring your posts till you gave us something to work with.

Author: OaktownTraveler
Date: 03/06/2004, 05:37 pm
Message: SallyB:

Sigh, things just don't look too good for ya here at Fodor's...you have been
"outted".

Your post on Kenya and Chicago seem to get you the same responses and frustrations that you have gotten here.

BTW, how are you going to do both Kenya and LA in August 2004 for the amount of time that you specify?

Not my business... but you did put all this conflicting info on the Fodor's boards for all to see.

If you have been here for 5 years then you have not been paying attention to the very nice messages that have been sent your way up till now...

IMHO, you simply do not sound like or post like a traveller who really is thankful or appreciates what other very busy travellers have tried to do for you.

Oaktown Traveler



Author: SallyB
Date: 03/07/2004, 06:50 am
Message: I am totally disgusted with the last few responses, when none of you know absolutely nothing about me or my situation!!!!

I find it incredible that someone must lead such a boring life that they have to drag up all my postings - what a total wierdo you must be, I pity you.

Let's get some facts straight.

My husband works for an airline. Therefore, we get fabulous discounts with our flights. However, we have to go to destinations where flights run like buses to lessen the chance of being 'bumped off'.

Initially, we going to go to Kenya, until we discovered the destination we wanted to get to meant logistically it wouldn't be possible.

We also get great discounts on hotels, so therefore, I can't state a room rate because for a 5* we can often get 50-75% discount, but quite often some 3* are more suited to our taste.

My son is actually 16, but at the time of travel will be 17.

Why don't you all take a hike. I'm so p*ssed off with you all. I thought yanks were suppose to be friendly and the majority of you are, but there is always the freaky wierdos who spoil it for the rest.

Get a life! You utter total pathetic lowlifes! I'm signing off and will never visit this site under this name again.

Get of your fat arse and go and do something with your life - you are a very very sad people and I'm not returning to read your response, so don't waste your fat smelly breath!

GTH.

Good grief, Sally. I agree that a travel agent is the way to go--this is not the forum for you.

oh please, got2travel2. are you really that bored?

pru, you're welcome to my advice anytime.

i too post with 2 logins. one is my alias for when i'm looking for legitimate travel advice from others.

the other is this one where i'm the bitte local who tells it like it is.

hey mrs Kravitz, errr... got2travel2, you gonna expose me now??