Hotels in San Diego
 

I am heading to San Diego in a couple of weeks for a long weekend with my husband. Have never been there and have no clue what area to stay in. Any recommendations for areas and hotels would be great.

Thank you1

Budget, what do you want to do? Will you have a car?

I don't think that we will have a car so we will want to be in a area that we can walk places. We are big walkers anyway. Price - up to $175 a night.

Hi Lolly

We're staying at the Marriott on Coronado Island in Feb. My husband has stayed there previously on business and recommends the resort.
It's on the waterfront and provides a watertaxi to the mainland. There's a spa too
If you don't have a car you might want to stay in the gaslight district which is more central for restaurants etc.

or is it gaslamp?

For what you are lookong for, I think there are three areas to look into:

-Downtown somewhere near the Gaslamp Quarter (Restaurants and bars galore for a fun night out). The Hilton Gaslamp gets rave reviews. The new Omni property looks very nice and the Manchester Grand Hyatt is also very popular.

- La Jolla (for a very upscale suburban experience by the sea with gorgeous restaurants and great and exclusive shopping and a very walkable center of town). Take a look at La Valencia Hotel, <i> the </i> grande dame of La Jolla's hotels, although it might exceed your budget. Another option might be the Grande Colonial right by the cove and in the middle of everything (neighboring the La Valencia).

- Coronado Island (for a small town ambiance just minutes from downtown. Resort-like feeling here). I have only stayed at the glorious (if a bit too touristy) Hotel Del Coronado, which most certainly exceeds your budget. There is a Marriott by the bayside of the island overlooking downtown, which usually gets good reviews.

Thanks that's helpful. Is the Gaslight section nice and charming?

I think the gaslamp area is rather awful - kind of like the Texas State Fair without the neat animals and real farm folks.
M

I would agree to stay in the downtown area. Without a car you will want to be able to access transportation if necessary. La Jolla and Coronado are gorgeous but pricy. Taxi cabs would be expensive to even go these areas from the airport. There is a trolley in S.D you can ride all day, for about $25.00 per person. You can hop on and off all you like. This will give you a great scenic view of San Diego. Have fun.

I would not call the gaslamp district charming. I think someone mentioned, maybe on this forum (but can't find it) that they found the gaslamp boring during the day. Since I live in the area, I only go there for dinner and most of action takes place at night as hsv said.

Depending on your definition of charming, Coronado would probably fall into that category more than downtown La Jolla. I love downtown La Jolla but (again) as hsv said, it's more upscale. Beautiful views of the coast and lots of nice shops and restaurants. Coronado might be better suited for you because it has the small town charm and is also closer to downtown San Diego. Don't 100% sure about all the public transporation on Coronado, there are buses to get you to downtown San Diego and there is a ferry that crosses the bay. You can also do one of the trolley city tours that allow on/off privileges and will take you to Balboa Park, Downtown SD, etc.

Depending on your budget, I think everyone should stay at the Hotel Del Coronado just once (I still haven't stayed there!). They may be having some winter specials. Glorietta Bay Hotel is running specials also. The Marriott Coronado is #1 on tripadvisor and has beautiful views of the bay and the San Diego skyline however it is across town from a lot of the restaurants and shops. I personally like walking around Coronado in the area of the Hotel Del.

I would definitely pick La Jolla or Coronado over the gaslamp. Make sure if you are looking at La Jolla hotels that they are downtown La Jolla and not closer to Interstate 5. hsv gave you good hotel recommendations for La Jollla. If you have any questions about hotel locations, come back and ask more questions.

Hopefully when you come the rain will be gone!! We have had more rain just in the last few days than we have had for yearly totals in the last few years. And it just keeps coming!!!
Hope you enjoy San Diego, it's a great city.

I am a big walker, too, but San Diego is not a walking city. I live in Portland and use public transit and walk here often, but I can't imagine going without a car in San Diego as a visitor.

I'm not sure why you won't have a car. If it were me, I would cut my hotel budget in half, get a 4-star hotel with Priceline.com, and rent a car.

But if you are going for a long, quiet weekend and just want to be on the beach, I'm sure you could get by without a car, though, if you pick the right hotel. In that case, I too would pick Coronado or La Jolla. I like the Gas Lamp district too, but it is not near a beach as I recall. Still, the Gas Lamp district, though touristy, is a fun area to walk around in plus lots of restaurant variety.

Another possibility to throw out: Pacific Beach. It is much less touristy than the other areas though not as glitzy. It's more of a working class area for younger people, with a lot of bars and such. Whether you would enjoy this part of town depends on your interests I suppose. I'm guessing most people here would not recommend Pacific Beach but I would to certain friends.

Andrew

Agree with Andrew that it is a little difficult to get around without a car in San Diego.

I think the Pacific Beach area is a possibility depending on your interests. My husband and I stayed there one year and very much enjoyed it. Wonderful walks along the beach for miles and miles. Plenty of eating places. We are an older couple.

Perhaps you can post back and tell us how many $$ you want to spend etc. and we can offer more suggestions and help.

Sandy

Wow, what wonderful responses all of you have given me! Thank you all.

Now we are thinking of renting a car and who knows where we'll stay but we have some things to think about. My husband does like to go to clubs to hear jazz or other music at night. Is there a particular area that has good music to be heard at night?

LollyB, I think you're best bet for Jazz clubs is to get specific recommendations. Then you might try to pick a hotel based on proximity to a club or two. I suggest you try Craigslist San Diego - http://sandiego.craigslist.org/ - to ask for recommendations for jazz clubs from the locals.

FYI, I do recall at least one jazz club down in the Gaslamp District, but again, that whole area, while cool, is pretty touristy.

If you want to get a 4-star hotel that is pretty nice but perhaps a chain place - a Hilton or Marriot, not on a beach - seriously consider Priceline.com . Go to BiddingForTravel.com to see what people are paying for hotels there now. Do your homework before bidding, but lately it looks like you can get a 4-star hotel downtown for around $100/night plus probably $20/night extra for parking.

Finally, if you want a great city where you can really walk around and get by without a car, come to Portland, OR! But don't come in the winter. :-)

Andrew

If you decide to get a car, then downtown would probably be good for you. You can get a good hotel deal on priceline as Andrews says and I am sure there is a some good jazz clubs in the Gaslamp District. With a car, you could then easily go visit Coronado, La Jolla and other sites. I think now it just depends on whether you want a quiet weekend by the beach (Pacific Beach would also be good) or have a little more action downtown. With a car you can probably do both!!

I, too, would encourage you to rent a car. San Diego is, while spread out, pretty easy to navigate and I don't think you would encounter any problems when driving.
This would also enable you to take a look at suburban neighborhoods such as La Jolla more easily.
Should you decide to rent a car, though, I think my preference would be to stay in either La Jolla or on Coronado and just make it to the fun at night Gaslamp Quarter in the evening. Thus, you might enjoy the lovely seaside and more serene surroundings during the day and can still opt for a fun night out. Appears to be more appealing to me than staying downtown and taking a drive out for going to the beach or walking.
Just my personal opinion, though.
For a jazz club, you might want to take a look at Croce's somewhere on 5th Ave. in the Gaslamp, which I seem to recall to be a place that I enjoyed a few years ago.

Andrew - I just thought you would get a kick out of the fact that I live in Portland, Maine!!

Auto rentals are pretty affordable: we rented a Ford Focus with unlimited mi for less than $15. a day incl tax last May - check Orbitz or tripadvisor as the names have changed and now Ace and Fox seem the most reasonable. Few or none permit travel into MX.
With a car, I think you'll much prefer Coronado or LaJolla. The Shelter Pointe Inn/Marina was OK.
The Hotel Del has a wide variety of rooms - the ocean view old Victorian are very nice, 'tho some are smallish and there are more than a few in the newer little different than &quot;motel 6&quot;.
The LaValencia is indeed wonderful, but expensive and our partial ocean view was optimistic as well as small.
Don't miss the flora and fauna at the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park.
Breakfast at the Hash Haus on 5th Ave is a &quot;unique&quot; experience.
M

LollyB, I have friends in Maine and I have actually flown from Portland to Portland! Pretty interesting plane ticket there.

Portland, ME is a neat city. I enjoyed walking around the Old Port. Portland, OR, though really a small city compared to San Francisco and even Seattle, is still a lot bigger than Portland, ME. It's a very clean city, though, yet it has a nice walkable feel. Plus Portland, OR has nice old neighborhoods with great houses and lots to explore. I do think you would enjoy a visit.

Andrew