San Diego trip planning questions -
 

We need to be near LA March 3, so we decided to go early and spend a few days in San Diego - arriving Feb 27 mid afternoon (driving from LAX) leaving early March 3 to drive to LA area - giving us 3 full days and a little time arrival day.

Originally I had though Hotel del Coronado, mostly b/c over the years that's the name I've heard over and over - and they have availability - but now that I look into the area, I am wondering if the Gaslamp area would better suit us -

I've done some searching here - looked into Hotel Solamar, which many of you gave rave reviews, but they are booked - although I can keep trying -

My questions are:
This is not a relax/rejuvenate vaca - we did that not long ago -we are not looking for spa facilities, lazy afternoons on property, etc - this is a get up and out and see all we can - so are we better being in a conveniently located walking area rather than having to drive to everything from our hotel or is driving/parking so easy we may as well stay at Coronado - or La Jolla area

We are walkers, have no problem with public transportation or driving in new places, but we would also enjoy walking at night, being within walking distance to things so we could do something in the day, hit the hotel room for an hour or so and then go out for dinner - which is why I wonder if having to drive back and forth and park again from a more "off site" location would be a drag -

Also wondering if Coronado is perfect when it is beach weather, but not necessary in March - I think it looks like if we get a good day, we could bike over there anyway , have lunch and walk beach -

Also looked at Omni: too much of a convention/business hotel or would that location serve us well? My reticence was I'd like a lounge/area where we wouldn't always be surrounded by hundreds with name tags hurrying to convention rooms -----

Others that came up in my search were the Grant, and Westgate -

Even though we will not be spending much time in our hotel room, we do like amenities, comfort, as quiet as possible, hotel with some dining/bar option

If it helps, things so far on my "to see list" are
the zoo, Balboa Park, museum or two,
Ferry Landing on Coronado after dark to view downtown, Seal Beach ( which maybe we'll do on our way out to LA), and possibly Sea World if everyone thinks two adults would enjoy - and when I get to that part of the trip, I'm sure you can all give plenty of advice too ! :)

Thanks -

I can't give hotel advice since I always stay with friends in La Jolla, but the zoo and the museums are AT Balboa Park and you can easily spend 2 whole days there. The Grant is not far from Balboa Park but I can't comment on the immediate area. I agree that if you're not looking for a relaxing beach trip, staying in Coronado may not make sense, although it's lovely there and nice walking on the boardwalk.

Escargot, I did a trip report on my recent visit to San Diego and La Jolla. I know our tastes in restaurants were similar in Charleston, so you might want to check out my thread. I will top it for you. Georges by the Cove in La Jolla is a must. Have fun!

We like the Hilton Gaslamp becasue we can walk to Gaslamp area, the harbor and tolly stations for anywhere else we want to go.

Most of the things/places-to-see in San Diego are fairly spread out, and so no matter where you stay, you'll end up driving to most of them.

There is quite a lot to see within walking distance of most downtown hotels, plus an almost endless choice of restaurants for dinner. You can walk to the Embarcadero, where you'll find the Maritime Museum including the Star of India, the Midway Museum (aircraft carrier), and Seaport Village (somewhat touristy little group of shops and restaurants. If /when you get tired, it's a short taxi ride, or Trolley ride, back to your hotel.

You'll probably have to drive to Balboa Park, its museums and the Zoo, unless you stay at the Sheraton Suites on A Street. I think you could walk from there and I think it's the closest. But it's not very well situated for night-time and dinner outings other than events in Symphony Hall.

The Grant and the Westgate are both excellent hotels.

Downtown hotels charge a lot for parking and you may want to factor that into your decision.

By "Seal Beach" do you mean the town in Orange County, or the beach in La Jolla which has been taken over by seals? If the latter, it's actaully called the Children's Pool.

If you stay in La Jolla, there's also an almost endless selection of restaurants, many boutiques to wander round, but not really any major sites of interest within walking distance. The coastline is a lovely stroll in the evening. I also love George's, especially the Terrace for lunch. Reservations are not required for the Terrace, but definitely recommended! Another favorite of mine is Trattoria Aqua.

Two adults would certainly enjoy Sea World. Don't forget to visit the Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma for the best views in San Diego.

Brockton Villa is a good place for breakfast/brunch in La Jolla. Lovely view over the ocean.

http://www.brocktonvilla.com/1.html

coronado is actually a walkers town. The beach is there, and wonderful in August, but the main draw to the town is its charm, so March will be a nice time to visit even if the weather is less than perfect in March.

Also, the drive from Coronado to Balboa Park - home of the Zoo and many museums -- takes less than 10 minutes. It is a great town for walking and bicycling, and has enough dining options to keep you right there the whole four days!

You can also take the foot ferry across the bay and walk to the Gaslamp in the evening. Lots of locals do this so they can avoid the designated driver thing.

The Downtown hotels would also be nicely located for your plans. There is decent mass transit to the tourist spots and it isn't so far that you couldn't walk up to Balboa park. I've wanted to try the Solamar too, but haven't had the chance yet. I tend to stay in Coronado or La Jolla as I have business and family in both.

La Jolla is very nice, but to me, is better suited for a relax/rejuv vacation. it takes a lot longer to get to Balboa Park, and you will hit major rush hour traffic if you want to get an early start or return to your hotel in the late afternoon. Be aware that many of the hotels that advertise themselves as "La Jolla" are actually inland quite a ways from the actual town of La Jolla.

The one place on your list that isn't downtown is Sea World. 0n the map, it looks closer to La Jolla, but it's actually about the same distance (time-wise) from Coronado as from downtown La Jolla.

yes I have to agree with lcuy.
I grew up in Coronado and now live in La Jolla. Coronado is a great place to use as a base. It is literally a 5 minute drive into downtown (10 if you have traffic) while it is a good 20-25 minutes from La Jolla into downtown or the Gaslamp area. Same with Balboa Park, and most other attractions.

and if nanabee says it takes 20-25 minutes for her to drive into town, it will take the rest of us a lot more minutes. I've seen her drive!
>:-)

(oops, guess I'll have a chance to sample the Solamar next time after that joke!!)

LOL :))
In my last life I was an Italian race car driver. I wish I still had my imaginary Ferrari too.

I stayed at Solamar last year after getting it on Priceline and loved it. Anything in that Gaslamp area would serve you well. I agree that Coronado may not be the choice for this trip. I easily walked to great spots from the Gaslamp and took the easy-to-use trolley to others. I did go over to Coronado one night but I took the bus since it is across the bridge and out of the way. I don't think you will regret staying in the Gaslamp area if you choose that because it was perfect for me with no car. Walked anywhere I wanted to go day and night and the trolley was right there for a short ride anywhere else.

Thank you all SO much - so much to digest and take notes on - this is my mission for tomorrow - to find the lodging and then I will figure in the exact days itineraries -

anyone have any specific choices for hotels in gaslamp area other than ones mentioned otherwise I will go with those tomorrow - will look for cmcfongs report - and to the rest of you many thanks !! let the research begin....:)

If you do plan to stay in the Gaslamp area you might want to take the trolley one night up to Litty Italy (India Street from Beech St heading north). It's a great place to walk at night - and has wonderful restaurants.

I have also stayed at the Hilton Gaslamp and thought it was very convenient. I was there for 5 days without a car and was able to see Old Town, Coronado, Gaslamp, downtown, and the zoo. I also spent a day in La Jolla although it did take a little longer to get there and back.

The Hilton was much smaller (and admittedly much more economical) than we are used to, but it was uber-clean, attractive, well located and met all of our needs. If we go back I would definitely stay there again.

I would also recommend a whale watching tour. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us. Some people think it is kind of a gimmick but I will never forget those whale tails splashing up and down in the water, nor seeing the many seals and dolphins on the ride out to whale watch.

There are great deals in SD for 4-5* hotels for pretty cheap..
Check out L'Auberge in Del Mar..
Grande Colonial Hotel in La Jolla..
Estancia Spa and Resort..LJ..La Costa Resort..Grande Del Mar..Del Mar..Lodge at Torrey Pines..
Love the Del but needs to be brought up to this decade in renovations for the price.
Love Coronado but I wouldn't make that your base.
Hotel Solamar in the Gaslamp is lovely but can be pricey..
US Grant is a wonderful place if you get it for around $200 a night..
Have a great time!

Hi escargot -

DH & I were in San Diego exactly 2 years ago in March, and we were there for just a short 2-day trip. We stayed at the Omni in the Gaslamp District via PL. We like the hotel a lot, I don't think it had a business-like feel to it. We had a rental car, but we did a fair amount of walking after we parked our rental car - in Balboa Park, Old Town, La Jolla.

If you're interested, you can take a look at my trip report. The SD part starts about half-way down at Day 4 (first half was LA).
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34966400

escargot- the only thing I would caution (and I may be a rare bird on this), but I found the bridge to Coronado Island so high that I had to let my daughter drive and kept my eyes closed the entire way.

If you have fear of heights- make sure someone else is driving before you hit the bridge! :)

Have fun! San Diego is a great place to visit! (There are some wineries nearby- daytrip?) :)

Paula

ps I hear priceline and hotwire have some excellent prices going right now due to economic downturn. Since there aren't a great number of "bad" hotels in SD, you might want to check out those two sites. :)

I ended up today with rooms at the US Grant for four nights - after much digging around all your excellent suggestions, it ended up being the best deal for us between or Amex and Starwood Points -

thanks for trip report links and restaurant recs !
Now I'll attack those -

Barbara - I am not sure which one, someone mentioned an area where the seals are all over the beach - so perhaps the spot yuo mention is Children's Beach is it?
It looked worth including it? I was thinking getting to LaJolla early ( or is traffic an issue) and seeing that, the area, shopping, exploring, having lunch there and/or spending all day right thru dinner or is there not enough to do in that area?

We enjoyed seeing the seals on the coast drive in CA - the 17 mile drive - though they were all out on the rocks - and also in San Francisco all over the docks, so we thought we might as well see these seals too !!

We likely will not whale watch, I am sure it is beautiful - my position is we are lucky on the east coast to see many whales between the south shore and cape areas and with our boat it is an annual happening of at least several times,so I would rather devote my time to something I won't see back home -

Off to work on rest of itinerary and your restaurant suggestions, do some more searches here on fodors for what's been discussed before - and will likely do a new post with final proposed itinerary for you all to fix for me ! thanks again -

Hi Excargot - the US Grant is a lovely property - you can walk to most places from there. I stayed there for the first time in years last spring - and the renovations where great. Since you are a starwood member ask for an upgrade when you check in - they will give it to you at times. Our room was pretty noisey - it is downtown - not sure it is avoidable but perhaps "ask" for a quiet room - they might know which are more quiet.

All the resturants are really good imo downtown - they do not stay around if they are not.

Horton Plaza is a fun mall to walk around with it being outdoors and all the different levels.

Seaport village is a nice walk - having said that I have not had a good meal there - ever.

Barbara is correct when she states it is the Children's pool that was taken over by the seals. I use to take my now 20 year old son there when we was a babe... the seals slowly took it over - I personally would take a day and drive to La Jolla - have lunch on the terrace of Georges as has been suggested, and then stroll around the cove. It is breath taking.

I love San Diego - having lived there for much of my life - it always feels like "going home".

Enjoy,
Dawn