So I think I'm almost set on a three night stay in San Diego with my 13 y/o daughter. Now I'm looking for a hotel thats is higher end (good ocean view rest. for dinner, bigger rooms for a late breakfast in bed and hopefully on property spa) and centrally located. I'll rent a car but would rather NOT spend the little bit of time we have looking for parking. I've never been to the city, so I'm really looking for your suggestions on a great place. Also beyond the Zoo, which of course we'll spend one day at.... what should absolutely not miss.

We'll fly in and out of LAX so anything along the route thats you've loved, we'd love to hear as well.
Thanks everyone!!!

First of all you really need to look at a map. Ocean view resort probably means La Jolla which is not "centrally located". You do know that San Diego itself isn't on the ocean? Although an alternative might be the famous Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island.

You should take a look at the places on Coronado island for ocean views.

Re that "look at a map" bit - also note that LAX is a looooong ways from Sand Diego. You'll have a much easier time of it if you fly into SAN

I get it San Diego isn't on the beach... but you get my point... marina view, bay view etc.

Regarding the long trip drive... I'll be flying from Newark and there are no directs to San Diego, my thought is it maybe a nice ride and we can tack a night in LA to the trip. Crazy?

yea kind of crazy if you only have 3 days the drive between LA and San Diego is not a fun ride. Have you checked Continental, i thought they had a non stop from Newark.

For being right on the ocean it's the Hotel Del Coronado, overlooking ocean would be the Lodge at Torrey Pines or La Valencia. There are some very nice hotels downtown right on the harbor with beautiful views, the Marriot Marina or Hyatt.

continentail I know flys nonstop from Newark to SNA - which is at least closer. Even JFK to Long Beach might be better (Jetblue) Long Beach is an easy in and out airport with easy rental car right there etc. But I am not sure where you are located in regards to JFK vs. Newark. I know getting to JFK from NJ can be hellish at times.

Regarding your request - I would try to fly into San Deigo - pass on the rental car - stay downtown - you can stay at the Hyatt or the Marriott and have a lovely view of the Marina - you do not need a car and can walk to great resturants, and shop at Horton Plaza - which I am sure your 13 year old would love.

The zoo you can take a cab to or a public bus if you do not mind.

When are you going?

Or you can stay in Downtown La Jolla (which is not a "down town") and stay at the La Valencia on prospect street - you will need a car to go to the zoo that day...

From LA is a 2hour drive (maybe 3), but you can make a few stops along the way. The Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina seems to have nice views (www.sheraton.com) and what you are looking for. Also, make sure you visit the outlets (www.premiumoutlets.com) - there are 2 centres near San Diego and your 13 year old (and your wallet) will love it! Can you possibly make it 4 days? Will make a huge difference. Buy the San Diego Top 10 guide - points you in the right direction!

I will have to politely disagree with the outlet suggestion. I do not find the outlet in Carlsbad to be worth visiting and my 11 year old and 14 year old have never been able to find anything there.

With only 3 days - I would get to down town San Diego and honestly just stay downtown - there is plenty to do to fill up 3 days.

having lived in san diego for 10 years, let me reiterate what everyone else is saying...you may save a few dollars flying into LAX but you'll be wasting at least a 1/2 day sitting in traffic coming & going. if you have to fly into LAX then laguna beach is a really nice town to stop in for a few hours.
downtown is good if you are into shopping but personally, i would never stay there with a 13 yr old. most kids i know would like to stay somewhere close to a beach. pick hotel del, glorietta bay (no ocean view but close to the beach) or places in la jolla - definitly not centrally located but has a great combination of ocean front, great restaurants and shopping. only about a 25 minute drive to the zoo in good traffic.

My 11 and 14 year old love staying in Downtown

We live in Orange county but have stayed for many a weekends in SD since moving from there 11 years ago.

We love the shopping, the dining, seeing a Padres game, you can take the ferry to Coranado - having the people who ride the "bike/cabs" take us downtown - we get manicure/pedicures by Horton Plaza - go to the zoo - it is a blast

We are by the beach in Orange County so that might have something to do with it.

Hello Vabarone:

I would also encourage you to look at the Omni - right downtown - a new, high-rise that overlooks the bay and Coronado Island. It is really gorgeous and has a great pool, and is very convenient to Gaslamp and other downtown sites and easy to get to the park. It's adjacent to Petco park, where the Padres play, in a lively, up-and-coming area known as the East Village. About a 5-10 minute walk from the Gaslamp or Seaport Village (where the Marriott marina and Hyatt Embarcadero are). There is another Marriott in that same area (they are both on J or K street) that has beautiful views as well. The Hotel Del in Coronado is wonderful and right on the beach - an old, classic hotel with lots of amenities (including a beautiful pool).

Assuming you stay downtown, some fun things to do are 1) Walk around the Gaslamp & Seaport Village for sight-seeing, shopping (Horton Plaza is a great outdoor mall), dining; 2) Take the ferry to Coronado. The ferry is only about $8 round trip, and a really pretty short ride. You can rent bikes right at the ferry landing and tour the island and go to the beach and Hotel Del for lunch or ice-cream. 3) Go to Balboa Park - walking, museums, zoos. 4) Get to La Jolla via car rental for the day. Great shopping, dining, beautiful views and walks along the cliffs overlooking the sea. See the seals at childrens beach. Stop at Torrey Pines glider port to watch the hang-gliders take off on the cliffs up from the beach. Walk in Torrey pines state park for some great short hikes and stunning views. Scripps aquarium is also wonderful. There are also lovely beaches and little towns farther north (Del Mar, Cardiff by the Sea, Escondido etc.) but you won't have all that much time. The beaches and views are beautiful regardless of when you are going, but the water is only swim-able for a couple of months per year (IMO!).

I agree that you should DEFINITELY fly into San Diego. LAX is a real hassle, the drive from LA is seldom fun, and at least half isn't very pretty. There is a great train from LA to San Diego, but it's difficult to get to the train from LAX. San Diego airport is easy to navigate (small) and close to the city. You can use our mass transit trolley or buses in and around downtown, and there is a tourist trolley that you can take to the zoo and Balboa Park and other places (e.g., Old Town). You can easily get to the airport quickly via any hotel (shuttle or cab) if you wanted to rent a car just for the day to go to La Jolla or the Wild Animal park, etc., This is not difficult due to the set-up of the airport. Or the hotel concierge can assist you with a daily car rental.

When are you going? San Diego is great any time of year, but it's often a lot cooler than many people think.

Have fun!

I don't get all this about not flying into LAX -- it is not a bad drive at all. And if you are avoiding a stop and transfer on the airline -- that will likely be eating up a lot more than the two hours it takes to drive down. I'm all for doing non-stops.

I guess we really haven't heard what you want to do, vabarone, and some of the suggestions are all over the place. Are you mainly looking to relax and "veg" on the beach and in a spa or are you looking for a lot of sightseeing or shopping? We rented an apartment right down town two years ago and loved it. We mainly took public transportation even though we had a car in the garage. Still, I was glad we did have our car for exploring a lot easier than some of the public transporation would allow.

Our first trip to San Diego we stayed at the Del Coronado and enjoyed it greatly, but we aren't big on lounging on the beach or at the pool, so we felt all we did was drive back and forth to other places. We've also stayed on the beach at LaJolla, but felt it was much the same -- not much for us there. But if you want surf, sand, and relaxing it would be hard to beat.

I live in San Diego, and I don't think the drive to LAX is bad. I live in a northern suburb of the city and it take me just less than two hours to get there. As you'll have your daughter with you, you'll be able to use the carpool lanes in LA and Orange County. You should also take the toll road from I-405S at Long Beach to I-5S.

You don't say when you're planning to visit and some of our hotels do fill up in August. For a hotel, you might try the La Jolla Shores Hotel. It's right on a great beach at La Jolla Shores.

http://www.ljshoreshotel.com/

I agree with Mom, you'll only be here for three days, skip the outlets.

people are telling you - "It's not bad - only 2 hours"

Well first you have to get to the rental cars (off airport at LAX so you have to take a shuttle bus). After waiting for your luggage, the shuttle and collecting you car you may get on your way an hour after landing (if you are lucky). Then it will be a 2 - 4 hour drive depending on the traffic and where you are staying.

So - you can check in to your hotel about 4+ hours after landing at LAX. If you had flown into San Diego, you'd be at your hotel less than an hour after landing.

Yes but janis, you miss one possible point. Even with that extra 3 1/2 hours to get to your hotel (which I think is an exaggeration, by the way -- you have to wait for luggage in LA, but not in SD?), for some of us having to make flight connections instead of doing a nonstop, we'd have lost that much time anyway just getting to San Diego. Personally I find the hassle and pressure of trying to make a connection (with my current rate of delayed and missed flights) far more unsettling than that rather scenic and pleasant drive from LAX down to San Diego. Yes, I found it scenic and pleasant). If someone has a good schedule and a choice of non stops to either at similar prices, then by all means fly into SD not LAX.

I just checked Miami to LAX at about 5 hours each way for a round trip of $219 total on American. For the same dates, the best I found Miami to San Diego for the same dates was 8 hours going and over 9 hours coming back and a cost of $439. (not to mention being forced into early morning flights or arriving very late at night). Guess which I'd choose.

The Hyatt Manchester or the Marriott Marina would both fit the bill for you.

Ocean views but very centrally located and within walking distance to Gaslamp District, Petco, Horton Plaza, etc. Seaport Village is kind of cute.

I also live in San Diego and have taken rental cars up to LAX. I agree with Patrick and Barbara by the time you change planes, wait through delays etc you would be able to walk to San Diego.
And listen to Barbara about that toll road. As much as I hate to let a great secret out, it shaves off a nice chunk of the trip. I drive to LA a couple of times a year.

Timing is everything. If you're plane is getting in during the mid morning, mid afternoon or evenings you should be okay. If it gets in during the rush hours, do something near LAX until the traffic moves again.

If you book your rental car with a large company, they'll have more shuttles to take you to the lot. It's pretty quick and since you're only coming for a few days maybe you'll just have carry on luggage.

Hope you have a nice trip to San Diego.
I wouldn't plan on doing much shopping at outlets or malls here, we have little that you can't find at home.

Just booked my tickets at everyones suggestion we are going in and out of San Diego rather than waste the time going to LAX. That being said....I still need a hotel!! I'm for quality over convenience in location, and would love a property with a spa. We will definiately have car so just north of the city along the beach or on the marina is fine as well. We are not fans of the "boutique" hotel at all. I travel a great deal and have learned Hyatt's are definitely not all the same. Thoughts on a good spot??

You really do not need a car if you are going to stay downtown. You can do a one day rental through the hotel if you like.

The Hyatt Manchester is a very lovely Hyatt property.

The Marriott Marina is also very nice and they have a nice pool area for your dd.

Neither has an off the chart spa -

They both over look seaport village and are on the water. I got married at the Marriott Marina and have stayed at that Hyatt on many occasions.

If you can get a room on the concerige <sp> floor it is very nice - and you and your dd can have breakfast ect in there and late night snacks. It is one of the nicer lounges we have been to.

I would not stay at the Sheraton. I have never stayed at the Omni but it looks very nice.

I have stayed at the Marriott downtown and it is trendier - cool/hip rooms with a cool bar on the roof top.