Jeff Martin

We are staying in San Diego in October and would like to know which hotel is better the Handlery Hotel and resort or the Clarion Hotel Bay View. We would also like to know which one is closer to shops and restaurants.

Tricia

Jeff- I have my Automobile club (AAA) book out - I live one hour north of San Diego and go down there a lot- I found the Handlery for you- AAA inspects all hotels before they will put them in their books- then they rate them- they gave this hotel 3 stars. Rooms to AAA members ARe $55 a night versus non member fee of $85. It is located downtown near Horton Plaza. This is near the coronada Bay Bridge and Seaport Village. The zoo is not too far. Sea World is farther north up near Mission Bay- maybe a 10- min drive. There is a nice hotel up by Seaworld, more expensive but on its own island, called the Princess Resort. i could not find any listing for your other hotel. E mail me if I can h elp any more!

Diana Luehring

Tricia,

Came across your message on the Fodor's site regarding the Handlery Hotel in San Diego. Planning a trip to San Diego, and your description sounded good, so I checked it in my AAA book. However, it says the Handlery is on Hotel Circle Drive North, rather than downtown near Horton Plaza. Are we talking about the same hotel, or are there 2 in San Diego? Thank you for any help you may provide. Diana

Louis Dameson

The Handlery is in the Mission valley that follows the San Diego river and it is not in the downtown area. There is only one. Its rates are $105 to $125 plus sales tax and 14 percent room tax. Parking is free. It is next to a new golf course with a very expensive green fee and about 3/4 mile walking distance to the Fashion Valley Shopping center which has the same shops as located in Horton Plaza and more. There are many motels in the Mission Valley area ranging in price from $50 up.

The Calrion hotel is in the downtown area near the bay and the Convention Center. It is within a half mile of Hoton Plaza and the Gas Lamp District. You are within a mile or two of most anything you would want to see in the downtown area such as the Star of India, Seaport Village and Little Italy. San Diego however is not a place easily visited without a car. The Clarion runs $109-$139 plus fee valet parking. This could be around $10 per night. I you have a car there are better place to stay. If you don't have a car there are better places to stay.

When you talk about shopping I don't know what you expect to find in San Diego. Outside of the shopping center at Horton Plaza there is no real shopping district in downtown San Diego. There are a few art galleries in the G street area and there are some unusual shops in other limited areas throughout the city which covers as much as 20 miles in some directions. The shopping centers have the same things that you will find in any large city. Seaport Village has a lot of stuff for tourists. I live in San Diego, while we have have been in many of the hotels and resorts for various functions we have not stayed in any. The info I gave you came from the 1998 AAA book and I don't know how soft prices are but this is the high season and prices go up the nearer you get to the water. Also there is a great variation in temperature depending on how near you are to the water.

Without detail knowledge of tastes, interests, available time and budget, it is almost impossible to give anybody good advice on where to stay in San Diego.

kam

Just returned from SD and this will sound really weird to some of you, but the hotel I like the very best is the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay---on the harbor one block from Broadway where the ferries for Coronado leave from. It's not too far to Balboa Park or Seaport Village (walk there, also walk along the embarcadero) and from there you can take a trolley to other points of interest. I would never recommend staying in Mission Valley----the traffic is horrendous! Embassy Suites serves complimentary breakfasts and has all suite rooms with microwave, sitting room etc. For shopping as one post above said, what do you expect to find? La Jolla is very posh and there's a new small discount outlet place in Carlsbad--just opened. Embassy Suites is at 800-362-2779--ask about a view room to the harbor.

Sandy

I also live in the San Diego area. I agree with Kam. Embassy Suites would be an excellent choice. Make sure it is the one downtown as there are others in the metro San Diego area. Don't stay at a hotel in Mission Valley ( Hotel Circle etc. ). Area is ok but nothing is really handy. You are much better off to be right downtown. You will be walking diatance to many nice areas to visit. Make sure to spend a little time in the Gaslamp area. It is just a few blocks from the Embassy Suites. It has 80+ restaurants and is an interesting place. The San Diego waterfront is very nice and you can walk for miles along it. Horton Plaza is an interesting place if you like to shop or browze in stores. It was the first major shopping center contructed in a downtown area in 25 yrears. It opened in 1985. San Diego is a pretty safe city for walking around in. It is pretty clean. You may encounter a few homeless folks but they won't bother you. I would stay between 5th and the waterfront. There is nothing to see past 5th and it is a little sleazy though not dangerous.

I recommend the Dakota Grill restaurant in the Gaslamp area. It is on the corner of 5th and E and has excellend California cuisine.