A few questions about planning a San Diego trip! Help please!!
 

My husband and I are planning a long weekend to San Diego the last week of October and we have a few questions....

1) We are flying out of Chicago and debating between flying into LAX or San Diego. He is a frequent flyer with United so that is the airline we will be flying. The price goes up quite a bit to fly into San Diego instead of LAX. We will be renting a car. Is it worth paying the extra $200 to fly to San Diego (and still encounter an LAX layover) or just fly non-stop to LAX and drive to San Diego. I am not too worried about traffic heading south when we arrive but when we leave we would be flying out on a Wednesday, late afternoon.

2) I would like to rent a convertible.... Is the weather the last week of October (22-26) going to justify the extra expense or would we be better off just renting a full size car?

3) The hotel we have been eyeing is the Pacific Shores Inn. We do not need anything fancy, we generally only use a hotel to sleep in when on vacation stateside. Is this a good choice or are there better options that would have the same views? A plus to the Pacific Shores Inn is location. I would love to be on the ocean.

Any help with this would be so appreciated!!!!!

If the $200 isn't a problem I would fly into San Diego directly. If you want to save money (and that is a good amt) I think a drive down from LAX wouldn't be too bad. It's about 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on traffic.

The weather in late October should be fine for a convertible. It can rain but it is fairly rare. The temp's should be mild as the Santa Ana (hot, dry winds from the desert) conditions should be dying down.

If you are refering to the Pacific Shores Inn in Pacific Beach or Mission Beach I would not stay in either area. The hotel may be nice, but they are beach towns (right next to each other) which have large numbers of college kids and partiers. Both areas have a lot of bars and night clubs and in my opinion are noisy and not the best places to vacation.
I live near Pacific Beach (just a couple of miles north).

I would recommend La Jolla, Coronado, Carlsbad, Del Mar (near the ocean).

By chance, have you looked at UA flights to SNA in Orange County? You'd still have a little over an hour to get to San Diego, but you'll miss most(not all) of the heavier traffic and it's a great airport to get in and out of fast! I'd pay $200.00 if it's a direct flight.
Both your options seem to take a big chunk out of your vacation time, but I'd probably go with LAX because of the layover. I don't see any value in paying an additional $200.00 unless the layover is VERY brief.
Also consider the cost of the car rental from these airports, it could cost you more in the long run.

Thanks for your replies.... The UA flights into Carlsbad are pretty expensive and none are direct, it will involve a layover at some point. Also, the car rental in San Diego and Carlsbad is more expensive.... so I think I have my answer on that one! Any ideas on how long it would take us to get from San Diego to LAX if we have a 3:45pm flight? I was thinking if we left by 9-10 am we should be fine.....

At least 5 hours of your vacation will be spent on busy freeways burning $40-50 of fuel to save $200

Is 150 dollars with the anxiety and time? Think of a vacation as the number of hours you get to do the things you want. This sidetrack will take at least 15% of your vacation time

(enough of my rant)To answer your question, it will probably take less than 3 hours to get to LAX and drop off your car as you 'should' miss traffic. But what if something happens between San diego and Orange County? One overturned Semi will leave you without an alternate of less than 5 hr travel to LAX

Living in California for 30 years, I always remember the weather turning cold about a week before/right before Halloween. Your trip falls right in that window of time, (and San Diego tends to be a bit cooler normally than the LA area), so I would say save the extra $$$ on the convertible for the full size and put towards the flight to San Diego. If the weather is nice you'll have plenty of time to enjoy it, outside of your car. I may be a bit jaded, but I would do anything to avoid flying into or out of LAX. You won't have a super long time in San Diego with a "long weekend," so I'd avoid risking spending any of it in traffic. Enjoy!

Wow, thanks for the responses!!! I never added in the addt'l gas charges...not very smart of me... Back to the drawing board!!! I actually think we could fly into San Diego for the same price if we change our dates by a day...come in a day early, leave a day early.... Even if we leave them the same what is my time worth??? That will save so much headache. And I think I agree on the car issue, especially if we don't have the drive from LA. This has been so helpful!!! Thanks!!!! Now onto hotels..... so many to choose from.....

Look at these on the OCEAN beach not bay

http://www.tower23hotel.com/

LA Jolla not downtown San Diego but upscale small Ocean town. Aboout 20-30 minute drive to downtown San Diego proper

http://www.ljshoreshotel.com/

Same genral area as above, on the ocean beach

http://www.hoteldel.com/
This the best on the beach: some fall specials. Not downtown proer either but over a bridge or a foot fery about a 10 minute cab ride at the opposite end of Coronado Island to San Diego Downtown.

http://www.shelterislandvillage.com/
Nce area close to airport, no airport noise, on the Bay but no beach per se. All have nice views of the Bay, best from Kona Kai; ask for Bay view south end of the property.

We have a convertible and love it but I am not sure the weather will be convertible weather in late Oct. It could be a beautiful day and you would love having the top down, but I am sure it will get very cool in the late afternoon and evening and you will have the top up for sure. We were out this afternoon with the top down and by late afternoon it was very chilly near the beach. Not trying to discourage you as we love to have the top down but don't want you disappointed if it is not that hot.

I think we have decided to forgo the convertible and put the extra $$$ towards flying directly into San Diego. I appreciate all the hep everyone has given me!!!!!

Just to clarify JAR - When you mentioned the ocean beach, it's not to be confused (for the new poster) with the city called Ocean Beach which is near Point Loma not too far from downtown San Diego.

You right nanabee..it can be confusing...and I should have clarified the shelter Island hotels are on the ocean beach...

Have you booked your hotel yet? We LOVE the Catamaran in Pacific Beach. Yes, the area has lots of college kids, but they mainly congregate on Garnet. Avoid that street on the weekend nights and you should be OK.

Also the Bahia is nice, the Dana and we love the Hyatt, but can be quite pricey. If it were me, I would bid on Priceline for a coastal (not north coastal) and see what I could get. The price that time of year should be considerably lower than rack rates. Also Shelter Island is another option. We enjoy the Island Palms.

The reason we love the Cat is that you are walking distance to most everything, including the ocean, restaurants, bars, beach shops, boardwalk and bay. It really is fun. One of our favorite things to do is rent a bike and ride the boarwalk south and the bay north (or vice versa).

I can't say for sure but I think the Pacific Shores looks much better on their website than it really is. It is very small and Best Western like. Great location though...

I am typing this from San Diego/Shelter Island right now. I am staying on the marina at the BW Island Palms and loving it! My room is just yards from the boats and it is gorgeous here at the moment at nearly 8:00 am. There is a great walking/biking/jogging/dog path along the marina. It it nearest Point Loma, but still pretty close to anything you may want to do. Have a great trip to San Diego.

The Loews Coronado Resort on Coronado is on travelzoo.com for, I think, 89 or 99, which is a steal. Stayed there this summer and loved it.

I agree that the Catamaran is the best place to stay if you want to be in Pacific Beach, location wise.

Also Shelter Island is nice especially if you like boating. I recommend lunch or dinner at Pt. Loma Seafood. It's the best seafood in San Diego. And very casual -- the fish comes in the back door right off the boats and is sold in the front. Can't get any fresher than that.

Loews Coronado Resort is alwasys ranked pretty high as a resort. But it is down the strand highway from the City of Coronado and is a 10-15 minute car ride each way.

The Loews has a shuttle to "downtown" Coronado; also will take you to/from Silver Strand Beach in a golf cart. For $89 or %99 a night, it's a deal.

Other than Coronado, I prefer the northern coastal areas, like La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, to San Diego.

IF it evolves to where you go back to considering flying into an L.A. area airport, you would do well to consider ORANGE COUNTY.

Considerably south of the central L.A. hubbub, Orange County airport ("John Wayne") features a much smaller scene with likely lower car rental fees and a quick getaway toward the south.

The California coast between O.C. and San Diego can be worth having on your itinerary.

It is roughly 90 miles from the airport to central San Diego, and perhaps you wouldn't otherwise have cause to see some of that area.

So not only do you need to factor-in the fuel costs on the ground, but the difference in rental car costs and TAXES should be measured as well.

I'm not endorsing this as grand convenience by any means, but IF the numbers match-up favorably, then don't hesitate to book a flight to cozy Orange County airport. (rental car pick-up is extremely nearby and you can't really get lost in the terminal)

Just something for your consideration.

NorthwestMale- that is a really good suggestion!!! I had heard that there was a stretch from LA to San Diego that was beautiful, but the rest was interstate...that must be the area you are talking about.... I looked into it and it is quite doable, not much less than flying into San Diego and not much more than flying into LA. Decisions, decisions!!!!!! We are booking next week, waiting to firm down dates...I am sure I will be back with many more questions!!

Here's my two cents. I live in San Diego.

If the cost to fly to OC is the same as SD - fly to SD. Seventeen miles of your OC to SD commute is Camp Pendleton. Perhaps that is the stretch you are talking about. While you see the ocean, which is beautiful, I wouldn't call it spectacular scenery. The rest of your commute will be interstate with varying scenes of beach, bay, walls, fast food signs, etc. Plus, you may have to deal with traffic depending on the time and day. I would rather spend the 1.5 hours or more in San Diego with such a short time to visit.

As for where to stay, consider the Hotel Del Coronado. Your room may not be directly on the beach, but the property is and its lovely. Coronado is one of the nicest beaches around. Loews is on the bay and nice also. Don't be put off by its location on the strand. You can ride a bike into Coronado or take the shuttle. But with the Del, you walk right outside to the beach and town. Priceless.

The Catamaran is also on the bay, but is in a noisier and crowded area [Pacific Beach]. If you want a younger and hip place, that would be it.

Anything on Shelter Island is also on the bay and quiet. That is mostly an area of hotels and restaurants, so you would have to drive to get any feeling of being in a town.

There are also hotel chains in downtown. Not on the beach, but on the bay and close to the nightlife downtown: Hyatt, Hilton, etc.

Might be helpful to know what you plan to do, your age group, etc. to give more specific advise.

Usually the weather in October is cool and sunny, perhaps in the 60s-70s during the day. A perfect time to visit IMHO.