Cellophane7

Message: I hope to travel from Philadelphia to San Diego in late April/early May. I'm thinking of a 4-day weekend for some much needed R & R. Since I'll be alone, location is more of consideration than it might be if I was with a group. Are there any areas/hotels that you'd recommend for a single woman? Anyplace that I should avoid? I won't have a car, will that be a problem? My hotel budget allows for US$150-200/night and my interests are those of the typical vacationer (e.g., museums, shopping, local sites of interest, etc). Thanks.

TxTravelPro

Well, is it San Diego or Boston?

mclaurie

San Diego is spread out but I think can be done without a car, especially for a long weekend. Some of the hotels have free shuttle service to the top attractions. If you're looking for a beach location for R & R, Coronado Island, La Jolla or Del Mar are all nice but most all the museums as well as the zoo are in Balboa Park.

Tess

Renting a car in San Diego is pretty inexpensive--we spent $50 for 3 days at Budget last month in San Diego. It's an easy city to drive in, too--I'd rethink not renting a car since there are so many areas of the city to see. Shopping and visiting the tide pools of La Jolla is fun. Coronado Island is also a good place to spend 1/2 day or so. A downtown hotel might be good if you don't want to rent a car. We've stayed at the Marriott Marina before and the trolley stops right outside. We've also stayed at Pacific Terrace in Pacific Beach. That's a super hotel if you want to stay right on the beach and watch the waves from your balcony--very relaxing!

ltt

if you want beach area (keep in mind the ocean is too cold for most people to enjoy) then i'd recommend the catamaran or the pacific terrace at pacific beach. lots of restaurants around there, places to rent bikes, roller blades etc and numberous buses that could take you to la jolla, downtown etc. i too would recommend renting a car. san diego is an easy city to drive in.
la jolla is a nice place to stay with the coast being right there for nice walks, plenty of restaurants (mostly fancy), shops and galleries but it's an expensive area. coronado would have the same benefits. these areas are much more upscale (and i'd think you'd definitly want a car if staying at either la jolla or coronado) and pacific beach is more of a younger, casual crowd.

lisatravels

I was in San Diego in January for a business trip and went a few days early to take some vacation time. I ended up staying at both the Holiday Inn Hotel-Old Town (recommended as great value by Fodors)and at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp District. The Holiday Inn is located in a very safe area within easy walking distance of Old Town and nice restaurants (predominantly Mexican) and I felt comfortable walking around by myself. It provides free shuttles to the Zoo/Balboa Park, Sea World and the airport. You are also very close to the metro station which gives you easy access to the Gaslamp district, Seaport Village and the rest of downtown. You can take a ferry from downtown to Coronado. I rented a car for one day to go to La Jolla and Torrey Pines State park. If you want to go on the Wild Animal park you would need a car for that, but if your interested in only SD you don't need a car. If you do choose to rent a car for a day there are several agencies that will come to the hotel to pick you up, you have easy access to the highway and the parking is free. Also, one of my co-workers took a trolley tour from downtown that stops at all the major tourist sites and recommended it. I don't remember what it was called, but it cost about $25, and you can off at any site and spend as much time as you want and then catch the next one. I felt safe at the Hilton, which has an ideal location in the heart of the Gaslamp district (though may be higher than your budget) and went out to dinner in GD every night. I also would have been comfortable at the Marriott & the Hyatt in the G.D. and walking to the Gaslamp area. However, I went to some receptions at hotels in the outer reaches of the Gaslamp and wouldn't have been comfortable walking around there alone at night as a lot of downtown area empties out at night. I walked to one with a companion and we were harassed so much that we ended up taking taxis after that.

og719

If it was me, I would lower the hotel price limit and rent a car. You can get some great Priceline deals in SD and having a car give you a lot more flexibility.

diann

We returned in March from San Diego we were there for 5 days. We also flew in from Philadelphia. We stayed in Old Town which is a great location. Touristy, but very safe. Great restaurants and the Old Town Trolley is right there as one poster mentions. It is $25.00 for the day. Without a car, I think I would stick with downtown for easy accessing most places. I think I would reconsider the car rental. Very reasonable rates, I think I paid $135.00 for 5 days. Commuting is very easy. If this is not for you, then stay downtown where the hotel will arange the Zoo, Balboa Park has many museums, Sea Port village is basically scenic and a nice shopping center. If you do the Trolley one day it will stop at places that you could only go with a car. Like La Jolla, for instance. You can get to Coronado from the foot ferry. Stopping to see the Del Web hotel is usually on the agenda. There is also a Harbor cruise for 1-2 hours from the pier close to downtown. It is o.k. I think the trolley goes to Pt. Loma to the lighthouse. Wonderful views (if it isn't foggy) you can see all the way to Mexico, on a clear day!! Have fun. I wish I was going back!

EmilyC

I've travelled a few times to San Diego and I think that it is better with a car.However, the trolley stops at the major sites and it is very easy to use. I generally stay in the Mission Valley area near Qualcomm, however that's because I'm on a business expense account.
You would probably most enjoy the Coronado area, if you can find a price that you like for the hotel. Check out the city web site - it shows the trolley route...the trolley even goes down to Tijuana!
Having a car with GPS can help you to navigate this area as well, if you should change your mind.

Cellophane7

Thanks for all the info, everyone. (Despite my rookie posting mistake.) As it turns out, I'll be heading to both SD and Boston soon -- SD in late May with my sister and Boston in Sept for a wedding. Hmm, I guess I can have it all.