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San Diego with 6 & 8 Yr old girls
Hi everyone,
Planning a family trip with two girls (6&8) next June for a week. Can't decide if we should stay the entire time in San Diego or split with LA? Will be flying from NJ from Saturday and returning the following Saturday. Thinking of staying at the Hyatt Islandia but not sure about in LA? What are some activities to do in either place with the kids? Thanks! |
Take them to SeaWorld in San Diego. We spent the day there this past Mon. and absolutely loved it. The shows, exhibits, rides are first class. The food is better than Disneyland, also. :)
There is also the Zoo and Wild Animal Park in this area the kids would enjoy. Have a great trip! ***kim*** ((*)) |
HI..
Stay in San Diego..great for kids and from Sea World, SD Zoo, Legoland and the SD Wild Animal Park...plus tons of great beaches to build sand castles.. Hyatt Islandia needs a facelift but you can get some really good deals..check out the Sea Lodge in La Jolla, Hotel La Jolla or The Grande Colonial..try and book the later part of June since we usually have June Gloom at the beach which is a marine layer that hugs the coastline.. You are going to love San Diego! sealodge.com hotellajolla.com thegrandecolonial.com |
When we were in La Jolla, the Valencia looked very nice. It is walking distance to the La Jolla Cove and right in the midst of the great shopping on Prospect. The Crab Catcher would be a good place to eat in La Jolla with your kids. ***kim*** ((*))
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La V is wonderful but expensive in the summer but hey, if you can do, why not..
The Crab Catcher is one of my fav's but with 2 young kids, I would do the seaside cafe and they can order a kids meal and you have great views and the food is excellent and cheap for happy hour..or go during lunch.. Alfonso's across the street from the Crab is really good too.. Kimamom has good taste.. :) |
LaValencia is wonderful, but quite expensive. We were last there in '02.
In '04 we enjoyed Shelter Island Resort/Marina which now has a new name and management. Take the trolley to the border and walk X to Tijuana - maybe a taxi to Rosarito if you speak enough Spanish to negotiate a discount: a unique day for children. M (SMdA, Gto.) |
Dear Helenmandy:
We took our daughter to SD about 4 years ago when she was 8. She loved the Zoo, Wild Animal Park & Sea World. Legoland was underwhelming. More oriented to younger kids & boys. If you have never been to a Disney Park, then I would plan a few days, mid-week in Disneyland. Otherwise, concentrate on the SD area. Good luck on your planning. We stayed at the Catamaran Resort. MY |
That is a good idea to go to DL with part of your days rather than all the way up to LA. If they haven't been, heck, if they have been, they'll love it and June is just before everything gets crazy.
I second the underwhelming about Legoland. Accept for the very cool structures built with Legos, it just wasn't a full, fun day for the money. They would love Seaworld, Zoo and maybe half a day walking around Balboa Park, tide pools in La Jolla, and the little beach where the seals sun. SD is more kid friendly than LA, imo. Easier to get around, less traffic. |
Sorry, but I would NOT take a 6 & 8 year old over the border. We drove from San Diego to Rosarita last year to research retiring there.
There is nothing special about Rosarita. Quite to the contrary. The beach was unpleasant with horse tied up for rent [and their droppings], there were tons of stray dogs all over [and their droppings] and the locals were doing their best Broadway hawkers imitations to get tourists into their shops. We stopped to get car insurance and the man selling it [an American] even commented on how no one goes to the beach there. Tijuana was had nothing that I could see for 6 & 8 year old either. And the worst part was having to come across the border back into US. It took forever [we had actually thought we might commute for a while if we actually retired to Rosarita] and the poor souls begging at the crossing were so sad. I would not want my children to have to see how these children lived. Needless to say, we chose not to retire there. We had seen a piece on CBS Sunday morning about how wonderful it was -- just like a Mexican San Diego. Not quite. All of this is...IMHO of course. Debi |
We took 3 teenagers (14- 16) over the border to Tijuana a couple years ago. We insisted we all stay together. They did find belts and wallets they liked in the markets. I would not take children under 12 there personally.
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Oh for their ages, the top three places I'd pick are:
San Diego Zoo Sea World Legoland Wild Animal Park is inland near Escondido, which can be very hot in June. I think I would skip it. |
I agree with Debi about Mexico. Not a great place for kids.
In June the Wild Animal Park will be fine. It may be hot, but you just need to drink water and wear hats and sunscreen. The monorail is covered, so you're not sitting in the sun. If you can, go first thing in the morning, or in the evening if it's open late when you're here. |
My kids really liked Legoland, the zoo, Sea World, tidepooling at Cabrillo, the seals at LaJolla Cove. I liked walking around Old Town San Diego. My boys were not impressed with the Wild Animal park - maybe they had seen too many animals by that point!
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Took our 7 and 12 year old for two weeks to that area this past summer. MUST do the San Diego zoo. Sea world was fun, but we'd already done Disney, so concentrated on the shows not the rides. They loved the Shamu show and my DD loved feeding the dolphins. We DID do Tijuana and they actually both enjoyed it. Disney is great, but with only a week I think you'd be better off staying in the SD area itself. A couple of days at the beach, plus Sea World and San Diego zoo. I agree about La Jolla too - kids loved the seals.
Enjoy! |
Claro Debi,
We would never consider staying/investing in Rosarito/Ensenada, especially now that Donald is "there". However, children need to see the world, imhpo - my adult children are well travelled, well educated and multilingual. Closed minds are not on any of our radars. M (SMdA, Gto.) |
Barbara,
There are, I think., 50M "kids" in MX -Some better off than many, but the vast majority loved by mama and papa. M (SMdA, Gto.) |
With all do respect...I am well traveled, well educated and multi- lingual and I was terribly upset by the scene at the border! Children were begging, coming up to cars and several times they almost got hit. The only thing that kept those children from getting run over was the fact that cars were moving so slowly.
<i>50M "kids" in MX -Some better off than many, but the vast majority loved by mama and papa.</i> That may be the case but let me say that the parents [mostly mothers] that I saw by the border, with so many children clinging onto them may indeed loved their children, but such a sad way to have to exist. My children grew up in a very diverse community and knew that people come in every different "way" possible. However, that does not mean I needed to have them witness such absolute poverty. "Closed minds not on our radar" has nothing to do with it, it is simply a matter of letting a 6 & 8 year old remain just a little less worldly for just a bit longer. No one would ever accuse me or my children of having closed minds. I guess I just don't see the need for this kind of exposure. And like everything else on here, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Debi |
Great suggestions so far. I wanted to add the Corvette Diner as a fun place to eat. Really fun place - Corvette in the dining room, memorabilia everywhere, waiters who shower you with straws, and a menu that includes a full page of shakes and malts - just about any kind you can think of is on the list.
Doesn't San Diego have one of those Duck Tours? I thought I saw it last time I was there - the amphibious vehicle that takes people around town and out in the harbor. That would probably be a big hit with kids. |
mikemo, I was under the impression the discussion was about kids as tourists in Tijuana. I do not believe that Mexico as a whole was mentioned. If that was not the case, then I certainly apologise.
If my understanding of the the topic of discussion is correct, then I will repeat, Tijuana is not a great place to take kids, especially young ones. I would add that, IMO, Tijuana is not a great place for adults, either. Not only is it dirty, but it is not safe for Americans. |
Closed minds bode poorly for your future.
How many homes have you visited in countries who are going to eat the US's lunch in your and your childrens' lifetimes? M |
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