Hi,

I`m trying to find accomodation in San Diego for a family of 4. What area should I look into? Hotel Circle?

Can I find a 3 star motel or hotel for $100 US or less in August (includes a weekend)? It would be nice to have a mini-fridge.

We have a car so we will need parking to.

I appreciate all the help you can provide.

Thanks

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Hi Lucie......I just returned from a fantastic stay at the Catamaran resort.

It is just a block from the boardwalk and the ocean, and the backside of the hotel is on Mission Bay. They have a fabulous pool and a hot tub, the food is amazing, and our room had a small kitchen in it. We would stay there again anytime and would not stay in hotel circle. That is inland and not very pretty and a drive from the ocean. Your kids will love the Catamaran and so will you. It will cost a bit more than $100 a night, but in my opinion,it is worth it, and I hear that they are offering special pricing now. Go to their site....www.catamaranresort.com

Have fun..

Lucie,
We are also planning a vacation to San Diego and I can tell you what I've found so far. I checked into Vacation Villas on Expedia.com (do advanced hotel search) and came up with some great places... ocean front cottages, bayside villas, etc. for cheaper than I could believe! You can get a full kitchen etc. Check it out- also worldwidevillas.com had a few and also placestostay.com . Look into these and I hope you'll find what you need. I was told that Hotel Circle is very congested but the hotels do seem cheaper there. Make sure you check to see if the hotel or villa has free parking- found one that charged $14 per day to park! Good luck and have a great time.. hope you found this info helpful.

If you want to spend $100 per night, you may be limited to the Hotel Circle or Old Town area. There are nicer places to stay than both of those areas but they are not bad areas and should be considered if price is important. They are both very centrally located within a 10 minute drive to some of the beaches and the downtown area. The Catamaran is very nice but will probably be twice the cost of Hotel Circle. For a 3 star hotel, you should plan on $200 per night in season.

Thanks Laura, I checked out the rates at the Catamaran... Paul was right, Really out of our price range at $399/night (this was the only room available on the weekend that we'll be there). It really looked nice though.

Sue - Thanks for your help, I looked in different sites (expedia.com, discounthotel.com, travelocity.com amongst others) but so far, Expedia's site offered the best rates. The only problem is that the hotels that looked nice and in my price range were all booked in the hotel circle area. I don't know about the other areas in SD. I'm afraid to end up in an unsafe area..

The only one that I found so far is the Days Inn at 543 Hotel Circle South. Cost $104/night with a kitchenette. I might reserve it if I don't find anything better..

Would anybody have seen this hotel? If so is it clean and spacious enough?

Thanks

Lucie

Hi Lucie, You might want to try priceline.com for a place to stay while in San Diego. You can chose the area of San Diego you want to stay in, the star level of the hotel, and you can start low and go up by $5 price levels. All they can do is say no and you just submit another for $5 more. I have never gotten a bad hotel on priceline. The only drawback is if someone accepts the price, your locked in and your card is charged. I have never had a bad hotel on priceline. I got beach front rooms for $40 a night at the hilton on Cocoa Beach in Florida for this October, I just got a suite with full kitchen for $25 bucks in Las Vegas for August, last January I got a Candlewood Suite (brand new) for $35 in Phoenix, and last summer I stayed on Mission Bay for $40 bucks a night the last week of August and over Labor Day weekend. If you chose a level 2 1/2 hotel or above you should be more than pleased. I tend to go for the 3 or 4 stars. Rental cars are also a great deal on Priceline. You can define what size of car, or a van or truck and put out your offer for the amount of time you want it. You can normally do better than the best deal you can find on the net. Once again, all they can do is say no!

Good luck!

Thanks so much for the information about priceline.com How do I choose the hotel or which area should I pick? I don't know the areas in San Diego. I assume you can't cancel if you book with priceline?? Do you see the name of the hotel before you give out your credit card number? This is high season, even the big expensive hotels seem to be full. Will I get the leftovers with priceline?



Thanks,

Lucie

No you won't get to see the hotel before it charges your card. That is the risk you take. When you go to priceline and chose the San Diego Area, it will have many shaded areas to chose from, like Mission Beach, or La Jolla, downtown, etc. I would chose La Jolla or Mission Beach area. La Jolla is a little down the coast from San Diego, but is breathtaking with it's cliffs and beaches. It has one of the best snorkling coves in the world. Will you get the dregs? Once again, I have never gotten anything that I wasn't more that satisfied with. Yes it is high season, but keep in mind there are a trillion hotel rooms in San Diego. Priceline seems to work with only the major chains, and they seem to screen all possible hotels for an area long before they are offered. I would stick in the 3 to 4 star hotel bracket. The higher the cost of the hotel the more rooms seem to be available in my opinion. I would give it a try. Make sure you list the number of people sleeping there. That way there will be enough beds to accomadate. I should also say that the Point Loma National Park is a beautiful spot also to go visit. Lots of tide pools and very picturesque. It juts WAY out into the ocean, and most of that point is owned by the government in some fashion.

Val

Anywhere in the Hotel Circle area is considered a safe place to stay. My guess is that all of the hotels/motels in this area are generally clean and ok. But you are at the low end of the San Diego price range and quality is most often driven by price. Although I have not stayed at that specific Days Inn, I have stayed at a number of them in different areas of the country and have been satisfied with all of them. I consider them to be basic motels and good values. If you want to spend about $150 per night, the Hilton in Mission Valley (this is basically the same as Hotel Circle) used to be very nice and probably still is. Downtown is nice to stay in but you take a chance on location - it can get seedy.

There are many places in Hotel Circle that are not fully booked in August for under $100. You don't need a reservation. Better still there are many major modest priced chains that have places on Pacific Highway near the airport which are very close to town. If you have a car it does not matter. Old Town is a little pricier than either but not a bad location. I live in SD, so I don't often stay anyplace other than home. However I am talking about places in the two or three diamond AAA catagory. They are all clean and functional. If you are in SD before noon you will not have any problem finding a place to stay under $100 if you pick one of the major chains. None are in bad locations. Just have a good local road map. If you belong to an Auto Club they will give you all the help you need. I would not put my money at risk on the internet for a room in SD. Plan to get here before noon and drive down the road and pick what you want. They start at around $65 on Pacific Highway. Just stay away from the beaches and the tourist areas.

Thanks Paul, Val & Louis,

Regretfully, I don`t think I will be able to make it to SD before noon as I will be driving from Las Vegas. Also, I should add that I take so long to make up my mind that I`m afraid I would loose all afternoon deciding on which hotel to choose!

I used to travel that way though, have nothing reserved and go to the tourist info once I get into a city. I think it gives more flexibility ie if you like a place you stay longer. But with the kids, I prefer to have it all planned ahead of time.

The Days Inn I was looking at is a 2 diamond AAA. Someone told me that the airport area is not the safest place to go to for lodging. Is it true?

Priceline sure sounds interresting. I think I might give it a try. I`ll let you know what I get.

Lucie

During the season, $100 a night probably gets you a 2 star hotel. I am not sure what that someone means by the airport area. Harbor Island in next to the airport and it is fine (and pricey). Downtown is near the airport and it is generally ok. Hotel Circle would not be considered the airport area.

Thanks again Paul,

I never thought it would be so difficult to choose an area, let alone an affordable hotel. I received so many suggestions on so many different areas, I don`t know where to go.

This will be the end of our trip and we basically want to spend most of it discovering the beaches and scenery that San Diego has to offer. La Jolla area is probably very nice but too expensive. When we go to Florida, we always go to a really nice small motel-apt which has a separate bedroom and is across the street from the beach at a cost of $55/night (peak season). I wish I could find something similar in San Diego.

I thought that with $100/night we would get something really great.

I was looking at older post and everyone seem to say that hotel circle is the last place we should look for lodging.

We don't want to be surrounded by high rises and traffic.

In what area is Pacific Highway? Would it be a better choice then Hotel Circle?

Lucie

Lucie: Hotel Circle is fine, just not very scenic. Pacific Highway is dubious. I would not stay there. Old Town is also fine. Several years ago British friends of mine stayed at Vagabond hotels and were quite pleased.

I too am visiting San Diego in Aug. Does anyone know about the location of the Sheraton in Anaheim, and the Embassy Suites on Pacific Highway in San Diego. Are these areas okay or are they seedy? We too are a family of 4. For the best rates I simply went to Fodors.com for ratings, then the hotel's web sites direct and scrolled down for best rates.

Lucie: I did a search on Google.com (which you may already have done!) for hotels San Diego. All the sites I looked at had pictures of the hotels, including the Days Inn in Hotel Circle. It looks just fine. Try-http://san.diego.hotelguide.net
www.sandiego.cc/sandiego
www.a-zsandiegohotels.com
Also, if the computer says they're booked, try calling. sometimes the computer's not completely up to date. Good luck.

Janet: Don't know about the Sheraton in Anaheim other than it looks very nice from the outside. The Embassy Suites you refer to in San Diego is in a good location.

Hi Janet,

From the price they are charging at the Embassy Suites it should be really nice... But they don't show a picture of this hotel on their website. I have a copy of the AAA guide where they list them as a 3 diamond hotel with an indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, whirlpool, exercise room, parking (extra charge for valet), microwave, fridge, complimentary evening beverages at a cost of $189 + (cityview)

Thanks Barbara, I really appreciate your help. In fact I never tried googles but I will look into the sites you suggested. Priceline.com is not good for us since they can only garantee accomodation for 2 adults...

Lucie

The area around Embassy Suites is fine. From what people have posted on this website, it sounds like a good hotel. The price you were quoted is within line with what I would expect for peak season in San Diego.

You will not find any accomadations that you will be happy with for $55 per night in San Diego. The hotels in San Diego sound like they may be more than you want to spend. Hotel Circle is very popular for budget minded people who don't mind driving a short way to the the beaches and attractions in San Diego. If San Diego is the place you want to visit and $100 is what you want to spend, you really can't go wrong with the accomadations in Hotel Circle.

Lucie, I'm not sure what your concern about Priceline.com not guaranteeing anything for more than two people when you have a baby? Why do you care if you don't get more than one bed. All hotels have cribs and would be happy to reserve one for you if you just call in advance once you have your reservation number. For the Mission Bay area on priceline I would try my hand at the 4 star hotels. Chances are they are on the beach, and if your going to spend up to 100 bucks anyway, I would try my hand at that first. Start low and work your way up. Also, 1800usahotels.com is a nice site also to try your hand at finding a fair price. Most hotels are also more than happy to guarantee you more than one bed if you call with your reservation number and specify you need two. I forgot to mention hoteldiscounts.com. Probably the best reseller of hotel rooms for the price. I have used them several times. You do have to pay in advance. You can stay at the InnSuites hotel for 89.95 a night near the zoo. It is a beautiful mansion built in the 1940's with a beautiful pool. That was the price posted on hoteldiscounts.com. At condosavers.com (which is a division of hoteldiscounts.com)you can get the Days Inn Suites for 95.95 for a king 1 bedroom suite complete with living room and micro/fridge. www.vagabondinns.com has a 2 queen room for 89.00 in Mission Bay area (although not on the water), or less if you arrange for a crib and just get one queen. I would stick to the Mission Bay area or La Jolla if you want to enjoy the beach and the scenery. You can get plenty of quality hotels for under a hundred bucks. Hotel Circle is servicable but not scenic. I my opinion it is servicable at best. If you don't care about scenic I would stay there, but otherwise I'd avoid it. I stayed at a Super Eight near the harbor and airport for $55 bucks a night the week before Labor Day while at a conference, then moved out to Mission Bay for the weekend. They have a shuttle that will take you to most of the local attractions if you don't want to take your car. The Super Eight is located in Little Italy and I thought the neighborhood was fine. It sits overlooking the bay. It isn't the prima donna place, but I did get a mini-fridge. Harbor Island airport area is nice but pricey and you have to pay to park your car as much as $20 bucks a day. Not very family oriented though. I was at the Sheraton for a conference there. VERY nice, but $20 bucks a day to park. Good luck. Val P.S. If you do try priceline, drop me a line and let me know what you ended up with and for what price!