F Horkins

My family (dh, and three children 2, 6, and 9) are planning on going to San Diego in March for 5 nights.

My hotel picks so far are: Hilton San Diego Resort, Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, Hyatt Islandia, Paradise Point or the San Diego Marriott Marina.

Basically we want a nice hotel, close to Sea World and the Zoo.

Thanks for any help.

Barbara

All of these hotels are good, although there have been negative opinionson this board about Paradise Point by people who have stayed there. All of them are quite close to both Sea World and the Zoo. The Hilton and Paradise Point are both located on Mission Bay and have beaches. Be aware that the water in Mission Bay is not clean, especially in the winter months. The Sheraton is right across the road from the airport and, while it has stunning views of downtown San Diego, it would not be my first choice. I would go for either the Hyatt Islandia or the Marriott. The Marriott is closer to Seaport Village, a small, touristy shopping area with some restaurants. There is also a carousel there which your kids will probably like. The Marriott is also close to the Gaslamp District where there are lots of restaurants and clubs. I hope this is helpful.

Janet

My suggestion is the Catamaran Hotel. Its right on the Bay and one block from the boardwalk and ocean. The kids will love it. The hotel is very nice and close to shops and restaurants. The other Hotels are too far away from everything.

Jeannie

Another option is to stay in a condo or a home. There are lots of them for rent in the beach area (not far from the hyatt islandia). Check the "Cequis" the web site. Mary Ferrari is a great rental agent at Cequis. It also usually is less expensive or equal to the hotels you are looking at and you have a complete kitchen, LR, etc.

JD

We stayed at the Embassy Suites on San Diego Bay. The location is good, the hotel was great,and there is plenty of room for everyone in the suite.

Dawn Ct

We are going to San Diego for five days. The first two nights we splurged for the Hotel Del Coronado, the remaining three, we are staying the Marriott Resort and Marina. Since I am going with my 14 year old son, nephew and niece, I was able to take a run of the house room and got a great AARP rate, prepaid for $109 per night. It was hard to pass up.

Teresa

We stayed at the Marriott Marina last year and would recommend it. While it's on the water, though, there's no 'beach' area. The Marriott has a beautiful winding pool, however, that your kids will like. As another poster said, you're close to a lot of fun things--Seaport Village, Gaslamp District, etc., please you're right on the trolley line.

Charlie

A few years back we stayed at the Glorietta Bay Inn which is located right across the street from the Hotel Del Coronado. It was very nice and very reasonable (and you can use most of the ammenities from the Del) It is only a short ride to the airport and Sea World and not to far from the zoo (I liked to zoo much better than sea world) The story goes like this: the Glorietta Bay Inn was the housing for the workers who built the Hotel Del - check it out on the web before you dismiss it - if you have at least 2 people in the car you don't have to pay a toll to get over the bridge to Coronado island - Coronad has plenty of shops and restaurants in walking distance if you feel like chilling out for a day and sticking around the hotel - they also offer a great breakfast (included in the price of the room)

F Horkins

Thanks for all of the advice so far. Right now I'm leaning towards the Hyatt Islandia, the Marriott Marina or Marriott Coronado.

I know I'm spending way too much time trying to find the perfect hotel. Anyway, thanks again...

kam

Another vote for Embassy Suites. I stayed there with elderly parents and a teenaged son. We did very well. Nice walks along the water and to Seaport Village. I don't think you'd want to stay too close to the zoo.