My husband and I will be heading to San Diego in April - we will have the weekend + 1 weekday to explore and sightsee. I then will be in a conference for the remainder of the week and will be staying at the Wyndham Elmerald Plaza downtown.

So, my question is, which hotel zone (using Priceline) would be a good choice for our weekend fun? Our weekend fun would include sightseeing and lots of outdoor activities. We are very active people, but will steer away from the heavy exercise activities for this trip. Also, we are not against renting a car.

The Priceline hotel zones are:
Downtown San Diego & Harbor Island
Coronado
Mira Mesa
Mission Bay
Mission Valley
Rancho Bernardo
Miramar - Rancho Penasquitos
Torrey Pines – University Town Center
La Jolla
Old Town
Shelter Island - Point Loma
Del Mar
Carlsbad - Encinitas - Cardiff

Thanks for any help!

Since you will be downtown for your conference. I would suggest beach areas (in this order): La Jolla, Del Mar, Coronado, then Mission Bay. Also, Old Town would also be a good choice, but is close to DT and not near the beach.

You definitely need a car. Do a search with keywords: san diego and you will find a wealth of previously given information.

www.BetterBidding.com

can show you hotels that have been reported in the SD area and the prices that people paid. I used Priceline for the first time and asked a bunch of questions there and they were a big help.

i think i'd look at mission bay choices for a fun weekend (pick catamaran if it's an option). it is a lively area and you can rent bikes or roller blades and scoot around the boardwalk onthe ocean side and then go to the bay side and explore. otherwise, la jolla, coronado or del mar are all lovely. much more upscale then the mission beach/pacific beach area which is a more younger crowd.

Coronado is my favorite. No need to stay in the downtown area since you'll already be there for a few days. Torrey Pines is also very nice. Del Mar traffic is terrible.

If you want to be near beaches, I would choose La Jolla, Coronado, and Mission Bay (in that order). Del Mar is beautiful, but less central for sightseeing. Mission Bay has an aquatic park where you can rent jetskis, kayaks, and catamarans. It is also close to the beaches in La Jolla and Pacific Beach.

If you choose Torrey Pines/University Towne Center (UTC), you will probably wind up inland. The UTC area (where I live)is immediately adjacent to La Jolla, and is about a ten-minute drive to the beaches there. Torrey Pines is in La Jolla, but the hotels are not beachfront.

Mission Valley is inland and is the most central location on your list. In my opinion, it has little to recommend it from a tourist standpoint other than its central location and accessibility to freeways.

For more info on the communities mentioned above, please see www.lajollacalifornia.com, www.coronado.ca.us, www.aboutmissionbay.com, and www.delmar.ca.us.

I visited SD about 10 years ago. It's a great city and I'm sure you will enjoy it! I see that you and your husband just returned from St. Croix. I am a teacher living in Fairfax, VA and will be going there for Easter vacation. I would love to hear your advice on the island.
Jeff "[email protected]"