irifox

We are looking to stay in San Diego next weekend...we would like to go to the Zoo, Sea World, and/or Animal Park...any suggestions for hotels? Preferably with free transportation to/from airport and/or transportation to the Zoo or Sea World. We are not going to rent a car so we would like to stay somewhere that would offer a good selection of restaurants around the hotel too. Might be asking for too much I guess renting a car isn't out of the question...any thoughts on that...should we or shouldn't we?

KenCT

I usually get slammed when I say that San Diego has a good public transit system, but I suspect the nay sayers have never used it.

I visit about once a year and have never rented a car. I would stay downtown, rather than the "Hotel Circle" area. There's a transit information center not too far from the Grant Hotel, as I recall, where you can buy a day pass for unlimited transit on the trolleys and busses.

The #92 bus travels directly from the airport to the downtown area, a good option if you don't have much luggage. But the SD airport is very close to downtown, so the cab ride is not particularly expensive.

Having said all that, I have to say that most trips require a transfer and the entire trip can take a while, somthing to consider if vacation time is limited. But SD traffic is also horrendous, so even if you rent a car, you could spend a lot of time stuck on the road.

ltt

don't plan onthe animal park if you are not renting a car. staying downtown or old town is probably your best best. there is a tourist bus that goes around the city stopping at a lot of key places - zoo, coronado, old town, etc that you can jump on & off of. might be a good way to go to the zoo then on the way home get a bit of a tour of the city.
lived in san diego for 10 years. i totally disagree with the comment above that san diego traffic is horrendous. there are several areas that get backed up during rush hours but other then that, driving around san diego is great.

Barbara

Ken, your once-a-year visits to San Diego really don't expose you to much of the pitiful public transportation system we have here. You will be able to find a bus, with or without transfers, to take you where you want to go, but as even you admit, it takes a long time to get there. That is why those of us who live here don't use the busses. It can take an hour and a half to get somewhere you can drive to in twenty minutes. The traffic is not horrendous when comapared to any similary-sized city, but there's certainly a lot more of it than there was when I moved here twenty-five years ago. The Trolley is very good, if you happen to live where it goes.

irifox, I agree with Itt that your best bets are downtown(Gaslamp) or Old Town and that to visit the Wild Animal Park you really need a car.

sunshine

I live in San Diego and think that the traffic here is almost as bad as Los Angeles. Public transportation is NOT good here. I'd definitely rent a car if I were a tourist. Staying downtown sounds like a good idea. The San Diego Zoo is wonderful and their gourmet restaurant called "Albert's" is not to be missed either. Have a great time.

J_Correa

We rented a car in SD when we were there in February. We were debating about it, but realized we needed a car for a wedding we were going to. We considered renting a car only for that day, but opted to get one for the whole trip. I think it was a lot nicer to have a car. We wouldn't have been able to cruise the beach or go out to Point Loma without it - Point Loma turned out to be a highlight of our trip. Also, I liked being able to come and go as we pleased rather than having to rely on hotel shuttles or the bus system. I like using public transportation in cities like SF and New Orleans, but in San Diego, I think it's nicer with a car.

ibob

Check out the Holiday Inn "On the Bay" they have airport shuttle,plus..........

lizzard

sunshine,
you think sd traffic is as bad as la? you're nuts - either that or you live and die by the merge or the i-15 corridor...in which case that's what you get for living up there and wanting to enjoy the amenities down here. Sorry, honey. Can't have it both ways.