San Diego and Hotel help
 

My 13 yr old son and I will be in SanDiego in June. This vacation hopefully will be geared towards his likes; Sightseeing town, Balboa Park, seaport and Tiajuna, zoo, beaches. He would like to see and maybe participate in surfing, snorkling, kayaking, gliding (definitely only watch this), skating<BR><BR>We will be without a car (could rent for 1 day. Planning on walking or taking tour buses<BR><BR>Not looking to spend alot on hotel - 100 or less. These are the options I have right now. Dana Inn, Hampton Inn Downtown and Pacific Inn and Suites. Any comments on the above hotels and their location. other recommendations or comments would be appreciated.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance

Check www.biddingfortravel.com

Jackie, if you don't want to spend much for a hotel, consider using Priceline or Hotwire. You might save enough money on the hotel that you would be able to afford to rent a car the whole time - believe me, in San Diego it is not simple to see everything without a car, especially if you have only a short time.<BR><BR>Go to BiddingForTravel.com if you want to learn how to use Priceline. In the San Diego Hotel section there's a list of hotels other Priceline users have gotten recently - not a 100% guarantee that you will get one of these hotels for sure but fairly likely. <BR><BR>Since you have until June, no need to rush a bid. Learn what you are doing first. There's no big benefit in bidding early - reserve some other hotel now that you could cancel later if you get a Priceline hotel. You might get lucky and wind up with a hotel that is in a great location anyway and still not need a car, but assume you will need to rent a car. You should be able to get a hotel in SD for well under $100.<BR><BR>Andrew<BR>

We got a hotel downtown for about $60/night through Priceline. Without having a car, I would definitely choose to be downtown. You will be close to the red trolley which goes by a lot of attractions as well as to the border. And there is a ferry to Coronado Island. There is also the Old Town Trolley which costs about $20-25/person and you can ride it all day and it goes specifically to the attractions.

Is it a good idea to buy the trolley passes ahead of time? I've seen them at discount prices if you buy before you arrive in SD.

Unfortunately I'm not comfortable with Priceline.com.<BR><BR>Any comments on the hotels I mentioned or other recommendations for hotels I can check out. Any comments on the activities for my son.

Just curious - what makes you uncomfortable about Priceline?

Priceline isn't good for every situation. For example, if it is important to have 2 beds, I don't think you have a guarantee of that using Priceline. I have a couple of comments, 1) be aware of the 'June gloom' in San Diego which was covered in a recent post. It can be quite chilly and overcast in June in San Diego. July, August and September are the warmest and most predictable if you are looking for beach activities. I agree that downtown is a great location for you if you want to limit car use. However, I have gotten some great deals on rental cars in past trips to SD by exploring the specials, AAA, entertainment card and using coupons etc that make a car quite reasonable there. I'm sorry that I don't know any of the hotels you mentioned. I have gotten quite cheap rates in Hotel Circle, but you need a car there and it is not a picturesque area -just great for hotel rates. Balboa Park museum of man may be of interest, I think the zoo is fun at any age. Personally I think that Tijuana is a very seedy bordertown and not a great place for touring, but I expect that your son wants to say he went to another country. San Diego is full of fabulous Mexican food, check the site for recommendations of good places, but there are many of them!

In order to see the main sights and go to the beaches, it would be much easier if you could rent a car, even if only for 2 or 3 days. Unlike many major cities, San Diego is not an easy city to see by foot and public transportation because it is so spread out. <BR><BR>The Dana Inn is on Mission Bay, very close to Sea World, but not particularly close to the zoo, Balboa Park, or Seaport Village. It's close to Mission Beach, Pacific Beach,and La Jolla, but not walking distance. <BR><BR>The Hampton Inn and the Pacific Inn are on the edge of downtown, about a block apart. They are more convenient to the airport than to the downtown tourist sights, although you can catch the bus to the heart of downtown very easily.<BR><BR>Although Mission Bay is a prettier location, without a car, I would choose a downtown hotel.

Without a car this will be difficult but not impossible. Dana Inn is closest to the beach and to Belmont Park (old wooden rollercoaster, arcade stuff, shops and cheap food). Great skating location. You'll be dependent on the bus to get you anywhere from here though. The bus is $2.00/person one way and probably a couple of transfers to get you to the Zoo and Balboa. The other hotels (Hampton, Pacific) are closer to downtown but you'll still have to either bus it to get anywhere. Closer to the trolley though and to the Ferry to Coronado Island.<BR>The only locations for kayaking (renting or classes) and snorkeling are in La Jolla. La Jolla Shores for Kayaking and La Jolla Cove for snorkeling. The hang glider ports are also in La Jolla but at the northern end by the golf course. There isn't always great wind in June so don't be surprise if you get there and nothing is going on. Best bet is in the afternoon. I guess this could be your car day. <BR>For $100 or less in June your pretty limited on where you can stay that is convenient and without a car I can't recommend any other sites other than Mission Valley (days inn, comfort inn) which is somewhat central but nothing around to walk to.

Traveldude:<BR><BR>If one snorkle's at LaJolla Cove..is the equipment provided? I'm thinking of taking myself and 2 children there myself in June. Thanks!

I'm not Traveldude, but I hope you don't mind me answering :&gt;) <BR><BR>Yes, you can rent snorkel equipment at the cove. Seaclypse Dive rents mask, snorkel and fins for $15, plus $50 for a guide. OEX rents mask/snorkel for $7, fins $7, wetsuit $10, and a full snorkel rental package for $20 (no guide). Scuba San Diego offers guided snorkeling for $50, which includes gear, wetsuit, and lunch. Children under 100 lbs. must provide own wetsuit.<BR>Scuba San Diego and OEX also offer kayaking.<BR><BR>Websites for the above are:<BR>www.seaclypse.com<BR>www.oeexpress.com<BR> www.scubasandiego.com<BR><BR>Hope this helps!<BR>

Hello. My husband and I are from England and we visited San Diego about 4 years ago. Being devout cowards about driving in a US city (happy enough on the open road and through smaller towns) we decided not to pick up the car until we intended moving on. We had the greatest fun exploring by the city's excellent (by our standards) public transport system; we took the trolley and buses all over the city and to Balboa Park, took the Coaster train north (immaculate double-decker trains, incredibly helpful and courteous staff)and trolley to Tijuana. Tijuana may be a rather run-down, dodgy border town but we have fond memories of the greatest fun that day (the memories may have been enhanced by a few Margaritas!). <BR><BR>Neither of us are youngsters but we're pretty fit and enjoy exploring on foot and, using public transport in the US is just so inexpensive and reliable, also, it's a great way to meet local folk who seem very happy to chat and offer good travel/sightseeing tips. <BR><BR>Also, we stayed at the Ramada Old Town, couldn't have been a better choice without a car as it's near the trolley.<BR><BR>We're big fans of the US anyway and have made full use of the public transportation systems during most of our trips. Just takes a bit of effort to get the timetables and info but, for our money, it beats the stress of driving in a big strange city, and on the 'wrong' side of the road, to boot!!<BR><BR>Have fun.

I would recommend a rental car in SAN.