San Diego with a Toddler
 

My husband and I will be heading to San Diego in July with our 18-month old. Any advice on where to stay? I don't know much about the area and am confused by all the different areas and options! I want to find something right on the beach that would be a family-friendly hotel with suites and fun things to do near by. Ideas?

Cleo,
What is your hotel budget? What do you want to do while you are there? Explore ..like the zoo et?Or sit on the beach? How long are you staying for?

How long are you staying? If it's for a week, I suggest you rent a condo. Dave Stubbs Realty at www.vacationbeachhomes.com has a bunch. But they are up north near Del Mar mostly, so you would have about a 20-30 minute drive to the zoo. There are some great beaches closer, though, like Del Mar and Encinitas, both of which have playgrounds attached.

I don't know if Vacation Village is still in existance, but it was a great place to stay when you had little ones. Very close to San Diego itself and all its attractions.

July will be pricey at the beach and things book up at the beach pretty fast..Great areas for the beach in SD are Coronado/La Jolla/Del Mar/Carlsbad/Solana Beach/Cardiff..
Dave Stubbs is great for North County rentals and Penny Realty for SD..
Hotels that would work for you..
Hotel Del in Coronado
Hotel La Jolla Shores/Hotel La Jolla
Paradise Point/Catamaran Hotel.
Be prepared to pay from $200-$500 a night..check out Expedia or Priceline.
Have Fun!
sandiego.org

Thanks, all!

We will be staying for about 5 days probably. I am actually heading there on business but my husband and son will be joining me so hopefully the hotel will be covered as a work expense!

We are thinking about taking our son to Seaworld and to Legoland. Do you all think those would be fun for an 18-month old? Other than that, we just want to spend time at the beach and hopefully in a nice outdoor pool.

So what do you guys think?

I stayed at paradise point, and while it is still a little "tired" imo - it is a great place to take a small child and the regular rooms were generous in size.

Went to San Diego last summer with preteen kids. Stayed at Del Coronado. It's a bit pricey, but very nice ambience and nice facilities. We started in the older part of the hotel, but found the rooms dark, dreary, small and a pitiful "view" of the ocean. Moved to the new tower, much better brighter, bigger rooms. great views! Pool is a bit like my vision of Coney Island, but you won't be lonely! We went to Sea World, and the kids enjoyed it. I think you'll love seeing your little one enjoy it.

Yes on Legoland for an 18 mos old (but be prepared for him to want to spend most of the time in the playgrounds) and no on Seaworld. It's mostly animal shows and I think it would be over an 18 mos head. Of course, if you want to go, that's a different story. The zoo is great, as are the ride, train and carousel in Balboa park.