Hi. My husband and I are are planning a trip to California and plan to spend 2-3 days in San Diego. We are in our late 20's and looking to stay near the beach as well as near other attractions (zoo, restaurants, bars). Which part of San Diego would be the best for first time visitors? From other messages, it seems like La Jolla or the Gaslamp District are the best....Would we need a car?

Any help would be appreciated.

My husband and I visit San Diego every year. We have stayed at the Sheraton Harbor Island - great location on the water and close to the airport. We've also stayed at the SD Marriott Hotel and Marina - also waterfront location with nice amenities. We have used Priceline.com for each of our last 4 trips. We've never bid/paid more than $89 for these great hotels. Your plans must be set in stone because no refunds/changes/cancellations. But you can't beat the prices! We select downtown and Harbor Island areas. Good luck!

i wouldn't recommend la jolla unless you are into a lot of upscale galleries/shops/restaurants. i also think location wise you can do better. traffic in & out of la jolla can get clogged.
check out the catamaran, pacific terrace, blue sea lodge. all in pacific beach, central, and close to the beach & bay.
gaslamp district downtown is good if you like to bar hop at night.

For 2-3 days if you stay in the Gaslamp district you could get by without a car. Any other areas you will need a car for area attractions. La Jolla is a nice town, as all ready mentioned but you need a car if you stay in that area, or PB for that matter.There are many restaurants, shopping all within walking distance located downtown.

I live in San Diego and I agree with the previous posters. La Jolla is an upscale area with a beautiful beach, but be careful--some hotels that bill themselves as being in La Jolla are actually adjacent to it in University City or UTC (University Town Center), a largely residential area (e.g., Hyatt Regency La Jolla, San Diego Marriott-La Jolla, and Embassy Suites La Jolla).

For a couple in their 20's, I recommend the Gaslamp District or Pacific Beach, with a preference for the Gaslamp. It is closer to the zoo, Seaport Village, the ferry to Coronado,and has a lot of restaurants and bars. If you want to be on the beach, choose Pacific Beach or La Jolla.

You could get by without a car in the Gaslamp, but would probably need a car for at least one day if you stay in La Jolla or Pacific Beach. For a good website on san Diego, complete with pictures, please see www.localwally.com. Hope you enjoy your visit here!

If your first priority is being centrally located and close to tourist attractions, choose the Gaslamp. If the beach is your priority, choose La Jolla and rent a car. You will also need to rent a car if you stay in the Gaslamp and want to hit the beach. The harbor and bay are in downtown San Diego, but not the ocean.

You don't say what time of the year you are coming, but if it's within the next three months, keep in mind it will most likely be too cold to sunbathe or swim on the beach.

If night life is important, the Gaslamp is the better choice. However, be advised that although the Gaslamp district is lively, particularly at night, it is still relatively small compared to downtown areas in many other large cities. Downtown La Jolla is lively at night in the summer, but pretty quiet the rest of the year.

If you rent a car, consider checking out Mission Beach and Mission Blvd. This area is funkier than La Jolla, but is kind of fun, particularly for younger people.

You don't need to rent a car if you stay in the Gaslamp district. There are cabs everywhere and you might enjoy the Trolley.

Just my two cents worth but I was not impressed with the Gaslamp District on a recent (Dec.) trip to SD. Maybe it was the nice weather but there were a lot of homeless around and the area did not look that appealing at all (it's also not that large). I'd stay in the Mission Bay area if you are looking for a hotel near some water. LaJolla is not that close to the major sights either. Pacific Beach is a good idea too. All in all the GAslamp area might be OK as a place to walk around for an hour or so and have lunch/dinner, but staying there ... no way.

If you want to be on a "beach", meaning an ocean beach with waves, stay away from the Gas Lamp District. It's on the harbor. Mission bay is not the place either, unless you are on the strand near Mission Beach (which is more of a young folks party area). La Jolla is beautiful, but more cliffs and stuff then typical beaches. Mission Beach is pretty nice if you're into partying.

I guess it has become clear that if you want the beach you can't have the gas lamp district. If you don't want the beach you can not rent a car and stay at the gas lamp district. No one has mentioned Coronado Island by the beach. A lovely area, only you will have to rent a car to access attractions. I wouldn't rule out Coronado. Mission and Pacific beach is good if you are partiers. The gist of this is you can't have both. The beach and be close to major attractions. I think that is the point.