I am planning a vacation in San Diego with my 4 children (ages 5,8,13,18) and husband in July. I have reserved rooms at the Coronado Marriot, Hilton Resort on Mission Bay Drive, and the Manchester Grand Hyatt. I would appreciate any and all advise to help narrow it down to one hotel. We would like a great pool, and close beach. I like high-end hotels, but not so high-end that the kids won't have fun. Thanks

Hi,
I haven't stayed at any of those particular hotels, but I would really recommend Coronado because there is a lot to do and see for families. I have stayed at the Loews in Coronado - they have fantastic food and its beautiful, but its on the bayside so it doesn't have the beach you are looking for, but I would recommend going there to eat if possible. Have a great time!

the hilton is several miles from the beach so you'd need to drive. it is situation in a nice park with walking path, various spots with slides, swings, etc. very nice. on a bay which is nice to look at but you shouldn't go in the water. lots of restaurants within a short drive.
the hyatt is beautiful and if you get a bay view, very nice watching the boats etc. close to lots of shopping and restaurants (but more upscale then maybe your kids would like). about a 20 minute drive to any beach.
the marriot gets great reviews. again on the bay side so no swimming. it is within walking distance of coronado beach.
another one i would look into is the catamaran. not as upper scale as these other ones but still a very nice hotel. great pool area, 2 blocks from the beach (pacific beach), sits on a bay with a great "boardwalk" for walks, blading, etc. many retal shops around for boogie boards, etc. lots of restaurants from nice sit down ones to burger king. from what you've said, this may not be as up scale as you'd like but i think the kids would enjoy it.

Cheryl,
I've stayed at all three hotels. Here's my review. All hotels are not close enough to the beach to walk and require driving or free shuttle (Marriot). Being in Downtown the Hyatt is the farthest from the beach areas. The Hilton is on Mission Bay Park and you have access to Mission Bay which is saltwater but no waves and is often closed down due to runoff and other pollutants. The Hilton has the best pool though but not by a big margin. I would recommend the Hotel Del Coronado. Right on the beach with one of the biggest pools for SD Hotels. It's high end but your kids will love it especially since they range so much in age - the younger ones will like the pools and ocean the older ones will also like the access to Downtown Coronado where they can spy the local youths their own age. Since Coronado is the safest place in SD you'll have no reservations about having your older kids wander around without supervision. For theses reasons the Coronado Marriot would be an OK second choice. They have Coronado trolley like bus shuttles every half hour or so that drop you off in downtown Coronado which you can walk to the beach from their or you can try to find parking (difficult on weekends) close to the beach. The pool isn't that great though and was always crowded.

Hello! I second the motion for the Hotel Del Coronado! Its a perfect location and a beautiful and interesting hotel with great History. You should definitly check it out!

One of my friends who has a small child just stayed at the Hilton which is locate in Mission Bay. She got it off Priceline for $100 a night. She said it was really nice and a beautiful property. It is right by Sea World.

Thanks for the advice. As I read the posts on San Diego, I am leaning more toward the Hotel Del Coronado. I am puzzled though, by the comments on very small rooms. On thier website, their cheapest room (with I did not choose) is referred to as "quaint". I went with the "medium" sized room. Would the "quaint" rooms be the small rooms that unhappy vistors have referred to?

yes, i'd say quant is their way of making a very small room sound good. coronado hotel is a beautiful property but i really wouldn't recommend it for kids. once you are on the island there is not anything "fun" for the kids to waunder to in the evening. plus, if money is an issue, the restaurants are very expensive on the island. i think a hamburger at lunch time at the del is about $14.

I completely disagree with the last post. Their are ice cream shops and candy stores for kids to go to. Coronado always has the lowest crime rate in San Diego. There are not any arcades or major movie theaters but I can't think of an area in San Diego where you would want your kids to wander around at night anyways. Although the Hotel Del food is expensive there are numerous fast food or small inexpensive restaurants within easy walking distance from the Del.

I wouldn't stay on Coronado with kids IMO. I have kids and it's a place I would want to spend alone with my husband. We stayed successfully at the Embassy Suites Hotel on Pacific Highway and loved it. Close to absolutely everything, by car, by foot or by trolley. Hotel del is very expensive, beautiful, but very expensive, you may want to think of more practical alternatives with kids.

Jc

We have stayed at the Hotel del Coronado many times...and taken the kids there many times. No problem at all! In fact the kids keep asking to go back. There is so much for them to do. The rooms are not near as tiny as most European hotel rooms, but are smaller than average for American hotels...but remember...this is a historical hotel. There is plenty of room...you will not be cramped. The island has lots of good places to eat...not expensive either. The Sunday brunch at the del though is a must! Actually so is the breakfast buffett...loads of wonderful fruit! I have stayed at many places around San Diego, but the del is by far our favorite.

I agree that Coronado is a great place for a family. It is the kind of town that you can rent bikes or skates and let your older kids go off on their own. You can rent paddle boats on Glorietta Bay, or even little covered carriages that you pedal like a bike. The Del is right on the beach and the historic center of the town. There are two parts to the hotel...the old building, which has smaller, but truly quaint and charming rooms, and the new tower next door which has rooms more like a Marriot or Hilton. The beach out side is wide, clean and safe, and there is a long, wide sidewalk that runs from the Del to the park at the far end on North Beach. There are plenty of places to eat and shop nearby. Coronado will remind you of a town from America in the '50's.. In additon, it is less than ten minutes to Balboa park, and about 25 minutes to Mission Beach. The marriot is a nice hotel too, and there are several good restaraunts, the foot ferries, the beginning of a great bicycle path and a big park nearby. It is on the bay however, so you might not want to go in that water, and you are not in the real part of Coronado, but in an area created for tourists.

It is worth checking on this web site for special deals in the San Diego area for hotels. Of course there is more information on California tourism's web site which you can also get to from this site.
http://www.findyourselfincalifornia....sp?RegionID=10