Is Mission Valley or Rancho Bernardo a good area to stay in San Diego? We are vacationing in San Diego and are choosing hotels in the areas I mentioned because of some free hotel rewards my husband has. Are any of those neighborhoods close to attractions like the zoo or Seaworld or Coronado Beach? Thank you.

mission valley is close to several freeways and has easy access to all of the attractions. it is a busy, business area with several malls and plenty of restaurants.
rancho bernardo is a beautiful area but it is outside of san diego.

Rancho Bernardo is not outside San Diego. It is the most northerly suburb of the city, though. You would probably be better staying in Mission Valley which is more central and has easier - and quicker - access to most of the attractions you will want to visit. But, if the hotel in Rancho Bernardo is the Rancho Bernardo Inn, it is really lovely.

Mission Valley (which includes "Hotel Circle") is a good, if dull, location, right on the freeway and a quick drive to attractions. Rancho Bernardo is a bad location - you will be driving forever back and forth to San Diego proper.

If money is a concern, I suggest you try Priceline.com or Hotwire.com . These are NON-REFUNDABLE/NON-CHANGEABLE booking options, but if you are willing to accept the hotel they give you in the region(s) you pick, you can get a nice hotel for a very good price. For Priceline info, visit www.biddingfortravel.com, read the FAQ's, and see the section on San Diego hotels to see what people are getting lately. Just plan to do some homework before using Priceline, but if you have a little time it could be worth your while.

Andrew

Thanks for the helpful info, everyone. I will check the websites as well.