I'm going to be traveling to San Diego with my boyfriend for his birthday in early September... I'd like to be able to stay somewhere cheap and clean (nicer than a hostel) where it's not necessary to have a car.

We'd mostly be interested in surfing, kayaking, the zoo, and probably some chill bars at night. We're in our late 20's/early 30's, so 'spring break' scenes aren't really our thing. Any suggestions for hotels or neighborhoods that would be best for the trip?

Thanks!

There is a Travelodge and a Holiday Inn Express on La Jolla Blvd around $100 anite. There are a few more up the coast a short drive for under a $100.

hulajake gave some great places for under $100 in La Jolla and I have one more for you in LJ that is in the heart of the village for under $100 as well and you can walk to the beach, great restaurants, kayak, surf and you can have great Marg's at Jose's Court Room or Alfonso's.
September is an excellent time to be in SD..check out Street Scene in Del Mar..lots of music and a huge party!

lajollavillagelodge.com
lajolla.com

San Diego without a car is hard to imagine. I suggest you research local transit options before booking a room.

How did I miss the car thing?
You really need a car and they are quite cheap from $14 a day on hotwire.
The transit system here is not very good and it takes forever..
If you stay downtown SD, you are better off but I don't know of many places that are cheap.

If you decide that you want to stay in the Gaslamp area, The Gaslamp Plaza Suites sometimes has good online deals. My husband and I have stayed there a few times for under $100.

But, like the other posters mentioned, a car is really helpful for getting around SD.

Thanks so much! I guess I had thought of not getting a car because it seemed like parking can be tough. The more I read, the more I think I'll just suck it up and get one.

The street scene is Del Mar sounds fun! Is it better to stay up in La Jolla than around Mission Bay for the outdoor activities?

The Travelodge is about a block up from Wind-an-Sea Beach and the Econolodge in Encinitas is about the same distance to the beach. I agree a car makes it much easier to get around and as far as I know parking is still free at the hotels I mentioned.

i can save you $20 or so. when we first went to the zoo maybe 10 years ago, there was a wide variety of animals and knowledgable tour guides and it didn;t feel like a rip off.

i was just there and there were basically a ton of pigs and a ton of hoofed creatures and a ton of construction and just miserable signage and a sense that it was a far different place than i had remembered.

i've been to other city zoos since visiting africa, and so it's not that zoos fail after going on safari, but i walked out after about an hour and half and thought i could save someone else the hassle.

lion cage: empty; tiger cage: empty. it was really bad. i was there 2 weeks ago. dont' bother.

keri --
did they still have the koalas and the flamingos?
Those were my favorites!

bootstrap - If you haven't done so go to www.sandiego.org and request a free information packet. Tons of information on this site.

Where you are coming from may influence where you choose to stay. If coming from a land locked area staying by the ocean is very hard to beat. How much are you willing to spend on a hotel, cheap means different things.

I'll second the poster who said take a look at www.hotwire.com for a rental car. Used them last November and we were placed with Hertz but it was a bit more than $14.00/day - may depend on when you are coming.

Enjoy beautiful San Diego.

Sandy

hi 5 alive

the flamingos were visible from the ticket booth, so you can still see them for free!

no koalas out that day (sunny, by the way, not rain) but they did have a raised walkway above where they would have been.

i think when we first went the $16 or so entry included a ride on the tram. now it's like $23 just to get in $10 for the tour which is not a hop on/ off bus. $10 for that hop on hop off bus which never actually comes. even with a "value" pass of $25, as a grown up, it was terrible. more things for sale than interesting animals. i think they have removed the more interesting ones for their "wild animal park" which is new and which is 40 minutes away.

i did not go there. i wish i had instead.

they may still do great work, but as a tourist atraction for grown ups, uh-uh.

kerikeri

Sorry, kerikeri, you've got it a bit wrong. First at the Zoo, if it was warm and sunny, during the day many of the animals sleep and are not actually visible for long periods of time. You must have missed Tiger River where the tigers live now. It's one of the newer exhibits and it can be difficult sometimes to see the tigers.

The tour bus was never included in the entry cost unless you paid extra.

The Wild Animal Park is not new, it has been open for over thirty years.

bootstrap, the San Diego Zoo is still one of the best in the world. Don't miss it.

Hello:
As a previous poster stated, the Gaslamp area (downtown) is a great choice. You can get around the city on The Trolley but will need a rental car to get to Mission and Pacific Beach, Shelter Island, La Jolla, etc.
Have a great trip:-0

I'm sorry to hear that kerikeri recently had a bad experience at the zoo, but I have to provide my own (very different) impressions.

I lived in San Diego county back in the 90's and was a frequent visitor to both the zoo and Wild Animal Park. Absolutely adored both places, and pretty much knew them like the back of my own hand!

I live in Florida now and had not been back to southern California for several years. I had the opportunity to attend a work conference in San Diego last year. I visited both the zoo and WAP while I was out there, and all the same magic and sense of wonder was still there for me.

The zoo grounds are really beautiful and well kept. The San Diego Zoological Society takes an interest in plant conservation just as it does in animal conservation.

And to say that there are no interesting animals there... not true! The zoo has Okapis (one of my all time favorites), Komodo Dragons, Naked Mole Rats, Binturongs, Sun Bears, and Pandas just to name a few of the critters you just don't see at every zoo you visit. They have an extensive, amazing collection of animals and plants. They continually upgrade and improve their enclosures for benefit of both animals and people. I loved the Monkey Trails which were new since my last visit there, and I still love Gorilla Tropics, Tiger River, The Ituri Forest, the beautiful bird aviaries, etc... The list goes on and on.

I got some great photos of the Koalas when I visited last year. There were also young Flamingo chicks, a tiny baby warthog galloping around behind its mother and a new born Panda cub (who was too young to be out on display, but you could watch him on video camera; too cool!).

The Wild Animal Park is really incredible as well (a different kind of experience than a 'traditional' zoo). I highly recommend it, and the San Diego Zoo to anyone who loves animals and beautiful botanical surroundings. These are two of my favorite places to visit in San Diego.

For Bootstrap,

I stayed at Best Westerns in Mission Bay and La Jolla for the part of my trip that wasn't covered by my employer. Prices were in the neighborhood of 100$/night and included a little continental breakfast. Nothing fancy, but the rooms were clean and the locations were good for me. I also recommend a rental car because things are a bit spread out. I always used to love driving up the coast between La Jolla and Carlsbad on 101. Cool beach towns with great views of the ocean!

SandyBrit:

Thank you - thank you and thank you.

I have been trying to find information on accommodation similar to a cottage, condo or other self catering facility for San Diego area.

Next mid January to mid March, my wife and I would like to spend 7 or 8 weeks at one spot, relax and take day trips from time to time but from one accommodation and not pack and repack every other day.

I am diabetic so while we enjoy eating out, just not all the time for two months.

Your mention of www.sandiego.org gave me a multitude of contacts with web sites, e-mail adresses, phone numbers and accommodation detail including rates.

So, again, thank you - thank you and thank you.

Woodie

thanks so much! I'm looking to spend between $100-$150/night. I'd love to be able to get a cottage or small beach house, but I can't seem to find any that will be quite in my price range thanks to sizeable deposits. I'd love to be in area where it's possible to walk to bars and restaurants rather than drive too.

We're from upstate new york, so beachfront would be nice but not necessary.

bootstrap - Try

www.homeaway.com

for cottage accomodations. I was really successful just recently in finding a house in OB on Sunset Cliffs for a week in July that was reasonable.