Andrew

We'll be visiting San Diego from the UK for the first time in December this year. I have been reading up on the city in Fodors and Frommers but frankly I am none the wiser on where is the best place to base ourselves. Coronado, La Jolla, Gaslamp, Harbour etc etc. We would just like to be in a nice hotel which at the same time is accessible for everything to visit during the day and go out for dinner/beers in the evening. We're only there for 5 days so any suggestions would be appreciated. If you're ever thinking of visiting Manchester in England, I could tell you of the best places to stay!
Thanks.

xxx

I am not sure who "we" is or what are the ages of your travelers. If you have teen's or small chilren or simply adults. This would make somewhat of a difference. La Jolla and Coronado are lovely areas, upscale, shopping, great restaurants. If being closer to the attractions is a plus then I would choose the Gaslight District downtown. There is a Harbor cruise, Seaport Village, the Zoo and Sea World, and Old Town are closer. Old town is also an older but nice area close to the attractions as is Mission Valley but located on a busy highway. If you want closer to the beach, more of a romanic type atmosphere then I would choose La Jolla or Coronado, but keep in mind those 2 places are not as close, to the attractions. I hope this helps.

Me

I would recommend the Catamaran Resort at Mission Beach. You're right at the beach, minutes from Sea World and La Jolla, and can easily head south to get back to downtown or the zoo. The San Diego area really isn't that big, and Mission Beach is a nice central location.

x

it would also help if you told us how much you want to spend a night. no sense recommending coronado if you can't afford it.

Barbara

Andrew,

If you stay either downtown (Gaslamp or Harbour),you will be pretty close to most attractions and also able to walk to a huge selection of restaurants and bars in the evening. The Mission Valley area is also quite central, although it's not quite so easy to walk around as the Gaslamp. There are a number of good hotels in both areas, at varying cost. If you come up with a short list of hotels, we'll be happy to advise.You don't say which part of December you will be here. If it is after Christmas, be aware that the Holiday Bowl college football (American!) game is on at the end of December and hotels can be full of fans. If you are here then, it would be a fun thing for you to go to, though!

Emily

have stayed in San Diego 3 times for business in the last few years. One time, I stayed at Hotel Del Coronado during a convention and it was great. The history of the hotel alone is worth the stay. They have a great pool and beach area and it's very easy to walk out to restaurants at nite. The down side is that you are removed from town. It didn't matter to me because I was with a convention and we got "bussed" into town.
Another time, I stayed on the harbor for a convention. This was great because the harbor is really pretty and the area is accessible to restaurants at nite. I walked to the gaslamp area.
The last time was 3 weeks ago and I stayed at the Marriott in Mission Hills. I liked this hotel because it has a great pool area with jacuzzi. You can walk to a few restaurants. I had a rental car and I found it to be very easy to drive around and it was an easy drive downtown and to the zoo. This hotel is also on the "trolley" loop which I believe allows you to travel through the areas of tourist interest. I did not use the trolley but I heard a lot of folks asking how to get to it.
I also drove to LaJolla - another easy drive- this would also be a great area to stay because it's less crowded than the city. I think that you really would need a car if you're staying out there.
I hope this helps your decision making! Have fun!

Lori

Andrew,
No matter where you stay you will not be next to "everything". Not knowing your budget makes recommendations difficult, but I will tellyou that Coronado,La Jolla areas are expensive. Be aware that most of the beach hotels in San Diego are now charging for parking as well - rates from $10-$15 a day at most (not valet, just plain old parking that used to be free). The Mission Bay area is full of hotels, again tho it depends on your budget. You can also stay along "Hotel Circle" which is about 5-10 min. from Sea World, etc. for less. There are an abundance of Comfort Inn's, Quality Inn, (Check Choice Hotels on the web, they fall under that company name), Holiday Inn's, Best Westerns, etc. in all price ranges. People on this forum tend to recommend the most expensive places in each city (which is OK if that is their budget range), but there are other people who are not comfortable paying $250/night so I like to tell people about alternatives too.

Andrew

Thanks for all your feedback. Sorry for not being more precise. It's my partner and I who will be coming over and we're budgeting at $300 maximum. Money isn't the big deal though, the most important is ambience. I'm a platinum Starwood member and tend to lean towards their hotels but I'm not tied to them! I know a new W hotel is opening in December but I've no idea where it will be. We will be in San Diego from 26 - 31 Dec. At the moment I'm leaning towards La Jolla/Torrey because it would be nice to be near the coast before heading back to the big city of London. BUT I am open to good suggestions.
Cheers.

Janet

There is a Westin in San Diego that is next to Horton Plaza, a very nice shopping center. You are within walking distance of plenty of bars and great restaurants in the gaslamp area. One other suggestion would be the Grand Hyatt, by seaport village and the gaslamp. Great areas.