San Diego

[disneygirlnowmom]

Looking at possible traveling to San Diego for a family vacation this year. There seems to be a lot of great things to do. My problem is finding a hotel room. We will be flying in and my DH doesn't want to drive in CA if he doesn't have to. Also my 2 kids are DS 16 and DD 13 so we would need a room that has 3 beds or 2 rooms. I'd like to keep the price under $200 a night. Can anyone recommend a great hotel. The ones that I looked at, people were leaving a lot of bad reviews.

Thanks.

[SoaringEpcot]

We stayed at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in August 2008. It was very nice and right across the street from the airport. I would suggest it to anyone. The room then was about $150 a night if I remember correctly.

[DigitalDaredevil]

San Diego is a beautiful city. Many things to do there. I would recommend the San Diego Zoo, The U.S.S. Midway aircraft carrier tour, the marina area, and Old Town. Old Town has a lot of nice places to eat with interesting shops.
We stayed in the Hotel Circle area and were quite happy.
We also took a drive to La Jolla to see the sea lions.
We also took a short ride to Disneyland.
I will definitely be going back.

[MNNHFLTX]

We made San Diego a part of our Disneyland trip a few years and thought it was a beautiful area. As far as hotels, we stayed in the Woodfin Hotel in Sorrento Mesa. Aside from their regular rooms they have some nice one-bedroom suites (all with either a king or 2 double beds in the bedroom and a sleeper sofa in the living room). It is in a business district but was quiet and near nice residential areas and good restaurants. Although not located right next to any of the tourist attractions, it was only a 15-20 minute drive on the freeway to any of them (except during rush hours, then it was longer). And best of all, the price was very reasonable--well under $200 dollars when we stayed there. And it was a quick hop and a jump onto the freeway up to Disneyland the morning we checked out.

[KatieN]

We visited San Diego last spring, and stayed at Best Western Bayside Inn. The location was great (walking distance from several points of interest) and it's reasonably priced - around $120-$130 per night, including a good free breakfast. We enjoyed our stay there and didn't have any issues. I don't believe they have any suites or rooms with 3 beds, though, so you would need two rooms.

[BrerGnat]

I just have to warn you, you NEED a car in San Diego. Things are spread out (the things that you'd likely want to see). You could theoretically take cabs everywhere, but that will cost you a LOT depending on what sites you want to see.

The chain hotels near the airport and in the Gaslamp District are all nice. There is a Sheraton, a Hilton, and a Hyatt, among others. There is a nice W hotel in downtown as well. We've stayed in a couple non chain "resorts" near Sea World...don't do it! They were all awful!

As for the bedding, you will be hard pressed to find a hotel room with three beds. You should just plan to have someone sleep on a rollaway or bring an air mattress. Or, get two rooms.

[TheDuckRocks]

San Diego would a difficult city to visit without a car. We once went down to the Zoo from Orange County on the train and used the bus system to get from the train station to the zoo and it took up a large part of the day. Also be aware that many hotels that list being "San Diego" are actually 10 to 30 miles outside the city/Sea World area.
Now after that little bit of gloom and doom if you at all can work it out, San Diego is a wonderful place to visit. Many things to go to, nice hotels and great places to eat while being very family friendly.

[DigitalDaredevil]

You definitely need a car in San Diego. We stayed in the Hotel Circle area at the Courtyard by Marriot. Nice place. Nice hotels there but it seems more geared to the business traveller. Good places to eat nearby with shopping too.
I was surprised how easy it was to get to DL and that traffic was not what I expected. It was better.
There are so many things to do there and I want to go back. The people were very friendly, the service was great, and the city was beautiful.

[Mrs Bus Driver]

Hi all, I am toying with the idea of going to San Diego for 3/4 days in March. Haven't done Sea World since I was a kid (to many years to count). Will be going with DD (she is an adult) and need advice on hotels in the area. We will be driving so getting around won't be a problem but I am concerned about the hotel. I never worry when we stay across the street from DL and at WDW we stay on property. Since I don't know the area can anyone point me to a decent hotel that won't break the bank? $50 to $75 range? Thanks

[Nekochan]

I am going to San Diego in a few days. My friend there has recommended the Holiday Inn San Diego on the Bay. There are several Holiday Inns in San Diego - this is the one that has an Elephant and Castle in the hotel. According to my friend, the hotel is perfectly situated in an area of San Diego where there are all sorts of interesting things to do (other than Seaworld and the Zoo). I haven't stayed there yet, but it has pretty good reviews from Tripadvisor.