We are 3 couples celebrating our 40th wedding anniversaries and were thinking perhaps travelling the Coast of California (originating in San Francisco) for approx 10 days in October. Would like something special when we end up in San Diego for 3 nights, Looked into the Hotel Del Coronado. A little too pricey. After much thought, however, we realized we're not much on seeing the zoo or seaworld. Touring the sights in SD, visiting the Gaslamp Qtr, and perhaps a romantic gondola ride would suffice. Where would anyone recommend on centrally staying if we wanted to definitely spend a day on Catalina Island as well as enjoy the local sights of San Diego for a day. We were thinking more of Laguna Beach or Dana Pt area or perhaps on Catalina itself. Thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Also, we will be flying back home from SD airport.

Huh? You can't get to Catalina Island from San Diego. So you'll want to do that while you're still on your California coast driving trip. Then spend 2 nights in San Diego.

The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla is just as special as the Hotel del Coronado in my opinion, but it may not be any cheaper. The Kimpton hotels in the gaslamp quarter are very nice. I stayed at the Solamar last fall when I was in San Diego and enjoyed it immensely; there's a Palm steakhouse across the street for a nice dinner or many other restaurants nearby in the Gaslamp quarter. What are you expecting to spend for a hotel? You can easily get out to Coronado if you have a car, but you generally have to pay for parking at San Diego hotels (and pay dearly at nicer hotels).

We took this trip last September. It was great. Be sure to save enough time to spend in Monterrey.
We like La Jolla. Have stayed there several times. Nice beach, lots of shops, etc.
Watch for special deals at the La Valencia. Have fun.

I am not familiar with a gondola ride in San Diego. Gondola like in Venice???

Gondola ride in San Diego:

http://www.gondolacompany.com/our-cruises/packages

Also possible around Naples Island in Long Beach.

http://www.gondolagetawayinc.com/gallery.asp

And in Marina del Rey.

http://www.gondolasdamore.com/index.php

And Huntington Harbor.

http://www.sunsetgondola.com/index.html

Great idea. Were you suggesting about spending a night on Catalina Island then going over to San Diego for the 2 nights? We were looking into the Coronado Marriott approx $200-300 a night with promos.

We have stayed at Courtyard; The Omni and Kimpton Solamar. All were nice but we especially liked the Solamar. Join Kimpton's free rewards program for some great perks.

Gas Lamp area is a good location for getting to all places in San Diego.

The La Valencia in La Jolla is a beautiful historic and romantic hotel overlooking the La Jolla Cove and Pacific Ocean. You might want to check it out.

http://www.lavalencia.com/

There are many nice restaurants in La Jolla these are some of my favorites:
Burger Lounge, Tapenade (French and a little pricey but worth it), the upstairs open air section of George's at the Cove (but don't go after 5:30 because it will be dark and you won't be able to enjoy the ocean views - maybe lunch), Harry's Coffee Shop (breakfast and lunch only), El Pescador (fish - and really fresh), oh a super great place is The Cottage on Fay Street they do breakfast and lunch until 3:00 only - but allow a bit of wait time).

If you are intersted in what to do in La Jolla, you can swim at the Cove, check out tours of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography if that interests you, at the La Jolla Shores there are many different dive shops that have organized kayak, snorkel, dive tours. That is a lot of fun.

I've been to Catalina, and it was nice, but all the boat tours leave out of San Pedro (in Long Beach in Orange Country). The boat ride (I am guessing) is maybe 1 - 2 hours each way and it is an entire day's outting. Most of which is on the boat or waiting to board and depart the boat. Catalina isn't that much different a beach area than San Diego which I think would maximize your time better.

We were on Catalina on Sunday. Nanabee exaggerates the difficulty of getting there and back (the ferry from Long Beach takes exactly an hour and you board just before it leaves port. We were there for 4-/1/2 hours and that was plenty (strolling around town, lunch, tour of island). As I said on the other thread, I'm glad we did it once, but it wasn't any different really than any other beach town. I'd stay on the mainland myself --LaJolla, Laguna Beach, Newport, Manhattan Beach are all good choices.

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The Palm restaurant has closed

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That's not accurate info, sorry. You can also take a Ferry to Catalina from Newport Beach and Dana Point. IF you go there do it before you get to San Diego. I have been to Catalina a few times and imo it only deserves a few hours.

If you're going to spend the night along the way south of LA I'd look to stay around Newport Beach / Laguna Beach / Dana Point. Some lovely hotels along the coast. Montage, Ritz Carlton, St Regis Monarch Beach.

I like to location and the grounds of the Coronado Marriott!

You can also take a Ferry to Catalina from Newport Beach and Dana Point.

and that's not completely accurate either, because you can also take a ferry from downtown Long Beach. FYI, the ferry from Newport Beach does not run in winter.

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It is currently closed until March 1st and will run through December 6th. I see the OP is coming in October. So they could take the Ferry from Newport Beach.

I still don't think it's worth spending the night there but it's not my trip.

San Diego Native here-
Catalina crossing can be rough, and if you are prone to sea sickness, it's a tough trip. There is some expensive shops there, a 6 foot beach, and you can rent golf carts. For the money you will spend, I'd opt for a nicer hotel in San Diego. Valencia is really nice and they just re-did it, but pretty pricey. The Colonial is a better bargain, but you have to fight the La Jolla traffic in and out all day-not a good base.
A nice option is Kona Kai on Shelter Islands, or Humphreys. You are 10 minutes from everything downtown area, and it feels like a resort. Kona Kai was just redone also (I'm A Travel Agent so keep up on these things).

The Blue Lantern in Dana Point is a bargain for a darling place. No pool, but you won't need it that time of year. Dana Point is a great spot for the Newport Coast Area-be sure and have breakfast at Beachcomber on the beach!

I do get seasick easily and I didn't have any problem on the Catalina crossing.

nanabee, Long Beach and San Pedro are in LA County not Orange and the crossing takes one hour each way. There is also Dana Point, imagine that would take longer. However we have not heard back from the OP in awhile, so let's wait and see what they think about the various suggestions.

We have gone to San Diego a couple times a year for the last 18, since our son moved out after college. Back when the kids were teens, we did the southbound San Fran-San Diego trip over two weeks. Since we now typically visit for 2-5 weeks, we always plan trips from San Diego for 1-7 days to break it up. We always go in the Fall, Oct/Nov, and in late winter/spring. Weather in Fall is excellent -- bring your swimsuits! Anyway only recently have we made it to Catalina; it is worth a few hours on a clear day. There is virtually nothing to see/do there overnight, so it can be skipped. Plus you must depart from Long Beach/Newport/Dana Point, which adds to your planning time. With just ten days, definitely skip it. Having just celebrated our 45th, understand you are not interested in LEGOLAND, Zoo, etc. Here's what I'd recommend:

- 3 nts San Fran

- Lunch en route south in Big Sur or Carmel

- 2 nts in Santa Barbara; skip Solvang, opt for the wineries in Santa Ynez, have lunch at the old stagecoach stop, Coldspring Tavern en route up there. SB Mission is a beauty (as is Carmel's, but unsure of your interests); en route south hit Hearst Castle

- Next two nights Santa Monica; see the Getty in Brentwood (exterior is more fabulous than interior IMO) and see Malibu, for pure California; see the Arroyo area of Pasadena & San Marino just a bit east if you don't want Hollywood scene.

- En route south Stop for lunch at Laguna Beach at Las Brisas, great food with an unbelievably beautiful setting; art museum next door. In October, there is a street or two of diversions, nothing more. Would not stay there in Oct.

- Now with remaining nights, my pick is Downtown Carlsbad: To the north you can explore Crystal Cove State Park on the 101, Newport Beach, Laguna, San Juan Capistrano. To the south you can explore La Jolla. Again, there is nothing to explore there outside of the beautiful $$$ Valencia and great restaurants (Piatti, The Cottage); but stinky seal beach is worth a stop while the environmentalists duke it out with the town,and there is a great art museum there. Ok, so back from Carlsbad you can easily drive to the gem of downtown, Balboa Park. No, not for the zoo, for the architecture, acreage, museums and views. Then explore Mission Bay, park and walk a large loop on the biking/skating/walking trails that surround. Would not recommend staying in Mission or Pacific Beach, however.

- My favorite place of all the county is Coronado, however. If you are not able to stay at the Del (definitely the old sections please), then guess the Marriott would be ok. The beach is wide & flat; their restaurants are varied and are quite good. It's just that for 3 nts there, you will be constantly driving back into SD and points north. We love to walk the island, architecture/homes are fab. Also, you can ferry across the harbor from Coronado; the seaport village (SD side) is growing beyond the typical tourist shops it was some years ago; from there you can get anywhere in downtown.

While I'm not sure of your nights; if you do not wish to stay in the LA area, then you can shoot from Santa Barbara to Carlsbad for two, and still do 2-3 in Coronado. Carlsbad is an easy drive to the SD airport, (our son lives in La Costa southern area of Carlsbad) but Coronado would be quicker. I hope you have the great weather we always do in the Fall!

San Diego native, a pool would be very handy for the October visit as this past October, several days were over 80 degrees and we were in the pool (our son's); we were down on Moonlight several days and kids were in the ocean. Then, Thanksgiving Day was 85 degrees, and so it goes. Yes, the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Monarch, Valencia are fabulous hotels -- but if the Del is beyond the price range, so are these. We enjoyed the Catamaran on Mission Bay for some years, great location, but MB & PB are a bit raunchy at night; however, if they're in a car, it's handy for north/south day trips.

I've lived in San Diego for 8 years (So Cal for 30), and agree an afternoon in Catalina will be nice in summer. Dana Point isn't really that far from SD, but you could opt for stopping in Dana Point (DP) taking the ferry before you hit SD. DP would be a nice overnight stop too, if it gets too late to drive to SD. A hotel I would recommend, that is really neat but not too pricey (and often has great deals), is the Best Western Plus Hacienda Old Town. It is in a colorful colonial style building, and smack in the middle of Old Town San Diego, which has some fun diversions on its own (e.g., Whaley House, Old Town State Historic Park, and Heritage Park Victorian Village).

I second George's at The Cove in La Jolla. But get there early. There is a rooftop terrace restaurant that is the casual, less expensive version of George's too. Same restaurant, just on the roof. Great views.