I will be travelling to San Diego for the first time in August. I am thinking of staying at the Westgate hotel the first 4 nights and at the Marriott Mission Valley Hotel the last 2 nights. I plan on renting a car the last 2 days and will be going to a Padres game one day and La Jolla the last day.

Is the Westgate Hotel convenient to all major tourist attractions? How is the drive from the Marriott Mission Valley Hotel to La Jolla? Any information on the hotels? I'd appreciate any feedback as to the practicality of my plans or any other ideas.

The Westgate and the MV Marriott are about 5 miles apart, and both are very centrally located. The Westgate is downtown, near the Gas Lamp area, Sea POrt Village, i.e. with plenty of things to do within walking distance.

The MV MArriott is a business hotel, very convenient to the stadium and freeway access.

My personal don't miss list (in no particular order): Coronado Beach, Torrey Pines State Reserve, Zoo and/or Wild Animal PArk, and Old Town.

if you are staying downtown, there is a trolley you can take to the zoo. there is also a ferry you can take to coronado. if you want to see any other beaches (pacific, mission) a rental car would be the best bet. don't plan on taking your car to the padres game. the trolley system is a better choice.
(why are you switching hotels for 2 nights? unless it's to save a bunch of money, i'd reconsider)

I was switching to Marriott MV to be close to the stadium and to avoid having to drive downtown since I will be renting a car the last few days.

Would you recommend staying at either hotel all 7 nights? How difficult is driving in downtown SD?

Driving around SD is easy and fun. Its fun because the beauty of the place is the different neighborhhos that comprise
SD. I believe you'd want a car to go from la Jolla to coronado to old town to the baseball stadium, etc. parking only gets a little difficult in la Jolla. But again, part of the fun is the driving in the california sun and getting different vantage points on the ocean. I for one, only see downtown I don't mean hillcrest or balboa Park) as good for certain things like Horton Plaza and the Gaslamp. After that, go to the beach areas which are great-particularly, Coronado.
Mark

Liz, I would stay put at the Westgate. While the Marriot is more convenient to the stadium, it's in a business area close to the freeway. The trolley runs from downtown and has a stop at the stadium. The main trolley depot in downtown is only a few blocks from the Westgate.
Driving in our downtown is extremely easy. There are a number of one-way streets, but other than that it's very easy to negotiate. I think you'd be happier at the Westgate for your entire stay.