Hi San Diego experts! I've been pouring through tripadvisor and this forum and need advice for a family trip with 6 year old in August. Where to stay for 4 nights? Order of preference suggested by friends: Beach, Mission Bay, La Jolla. There are so many options and so many mixed reviews that it starts getting confusing! I looked at the following:
Pacific Terrace (but over $400/night is it worth it just to be on the beach?)
Estancia (seems quaint, but some reviews say location is bad)
Dana Mission Bay (reviews say new side only which is over $300/night)
Catamaran
Loews Coronado

I can also get the Hilton Garden Inn (Rancho Bernardo - through a friend) for about $50 per night but I hear that's pretty far out.

My spouse's preference is on or very near a nice beach and with a nice clean pool. My preference is clean, nicely appointed room.

We plan on going to Sea World, Legoland and either the Zoo or WAP (which is better of the two?) From what I read, Legoland is good for young kids so we should go now before our 6 year old thinks it's too young for her.

I agree that 6 years old is a good time for Legoland. My son and his cousin were ages 10 and 11 when they went and they were bored. I would opt for the San Diego Zoo over Wild Animal Park. And with the WAP being well inland, it could be hot and uncomfortable in August. I'll let others comment about hotels (my info is out of date and lower budget).

August is one of the busiest and expensive times in SD but gorgeous weather and the ocean water temps are ideal..
IMO, Pacific Terrace for $400 is way too much..even in August..sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean in Pacific Beach..August in PB is a zoo and a lot of young people and partying..
Catamaran is ok but needs renovation and you will probably pay over $300 for the bayside location.
Estancia Hotel is nice and new and in La Jolla and the location is up by UCSD/LJ and its not a bad location but you will have to drive to the beach unless you want to go down the cliff at Black's Beach.
Dana Point in Mission Bay is so difficult to get in and out of that area in August plus $300 is overpriced for that..even the new part.
Hilton Garden in RB for $50 a night? Wow..keep in mind that any decent hotel is going to be over $200+
and I might be tempted to take the Hilton room and pocket all that money for a fun time on other things..15 minutes drive time to beach.
La Jolla Shores Hotel is oceanfront and perfect in August to swim/snorkel/kayak and one of the best beaches in SD..also try Hotel La Jolla which is 3-4 blocks from the water and somewhat reasonable..
Love The Grande Colonial Hotel in LJ in the village..
Love the SD Zoo and I hear that Legoland is good for kids around 6-8 years old.
Hope this helps you..

ljshoreshotel.com
hotellajolla.com
thegrandecolonial.com

^^ No offence meant ... I may be wrong but the drive time from Rancho Bernado to a Beach would be closer to 1/2 hour with no traffic slowdown. 15 minutes seems a bit too optimistic. Especially during rush hour/Crawl. I agree with most of the rest. PB and MB can have it's "Party Zones", especially when schools out. For the most part La Jolla has a more refined nature. Or so most would hope ...

Hey ibob..
With the new SR-56 off of Ted Williams Pkwy to Del Mar takes about 7 minutes and spits out right at Carmel Valley rd and the beach is a mile down the road..Bernardo Centre Drive is 2 exits up from that..depending on time of day but I have gotten from RB to Del Mar in less than 15 minutes..
Thank goodness for SR-56!

I forgot to add that I drive fast too.

Hi All, Thanks for the info (and keep it coming!) Sounds like WAP is too hot in August...which then leads me to ask, should I still consider Hilton Garden Rancho Bernardo if we do the Zoo instead of WAP?

Sounds like Pacific Terrace is overpriced as is the Dana and Catamaran for what you get. Any opinions of Hyatt La Jolla?

I checked on the La Jolla Shore, there is a 5 night minimum so that won't work. The Hotel La Jolla gets some pretty mixed reviews...so that worries me.

How bad is traffic in August? What are the nice, safe kid friendly beaches to go to...and can you actually find parking?

I like the Hyatt La Jolla and Hilton Torrey Pines.
La Jolla Shores Beach is the best for kids and adults..love Coronado beach too.
Hotel LJ is 3-4 blocks away and you can walk there because parking is a nightmare..for the price I think it is a bargain for LJ and I would go with the oceanview rooms and the higher the better since it is on a busy corner.
Traffic at the beach areas are a zoo in August..I don't know anywhere in SD that you are not going to have a problem parking.
Did you try the Grande Colonial?
When exactly are you going to be here?
Did you try direct at LJ Shores..I see that Expedia had 5 nights min..

August will indeed be hot and the big attractions will be crowded.

Rancho Bernardo is inland and actually not very far away from the WAP. It will take maybe 30 to 40-ish minutes to get to the zoo or Sea World, and 40-ish minutes to get to Legoland. La Jolla would have you closer in to San Diego, but it would still be a bit of a drive up to Carlsbad for Legoland.

The Rancho Bernardo area is very nice. La Jolla is gorgeous (but very popular with visitors i.e. can be crowded). I fear you will have traffic to contend with wherever you go. I used to live in northern San Diego county and had a chance to return for a visit last year (after being away for about 7 years). I was amazed by how much growth has occured in the area. The traffic was much heavier than I remembered from years ago (and it was bad enough then during rush hour!). All in all though, San Diego is a beautiful area and my favorite location in California.

Have a great time on your vacation!

I live not far from the Hilton Garden Inn. It's right next to the freeway, so if you do go there be sure to ask for a room away from the freeway. Do they have a pool? Yes, you can get to Torrey Pines State Beach in about 15-20 minutes.

From your original list, I would go with either Pacific Terrace (isn't it right on the beach?), but that IS pretty expensive, or Loews Coronado. It's a bit further to drive to get to the Zoo, etc, but they have a nice pool area and a golf cart to take you to the beach.

Best beaches for kids are La Jolla Shores (big parking lot, fills up early), Coronado (street parking), Del Mar at 15th Street (smallish pay lot,street parking-parking is a pain here, but the beach is great) Torrey Pines State Beach (huge parking lot-park all day for $4-6, I don't remember whch).

If you are going to Legoland, then you might consider staying in Carlsbad rather than San DIego.

Lived there (University City on the mesa above US 5 for 5 years and went back in nearly every August to escape the Dallas "summer" until the mid 90's.
Parents wintered in Solana Beach for 20 years.
Last trip we stayed at the Shelter Pointe Hot and Marina - now Kona Kai.
Was a great value in 4/04 and a way better venue/location than the US Grant downtown.
August is very crowded with Texans and Zonians.
Buen viaje.
M

Oops ... Thanks T-Tams for the update on SR-56.

Thanks everyone. I might try to do a Priceline bid. I checked out a bidding site, it looks like the Hyatt La Jolla, Hilton La Jolla and Paradise Point can be winning bids in the 4* Coastal category. But isn't Paradise Pier being renovated?