california trip

[jax86]

we just booked a trip to LA this summer and are staying near disney land. we would like to visit disney land as well as some beaches, hollywood etc. we wanted to spend a few days exploring san diego as well. is it easy to access from disney area or are we better off getting a hotel in san diego for those few days?

[BrerGnat]

San Diego is about 90 miles from Anaheim. You can do the drive back and forth, but with traffic, it's kinda rough. You'll spend over 4 hours in the car in one day.

I'd recommend a hotel in San Diego, either in the Mission Bay area (near the airport/downtown), or in the "Hotel Circle" area (GOOD deals to be had here, and a short 5-10 min drive from all major area attractions).

L.A. is about 30 min drive from Anaheim. I'd recommend visiting L.A. on a Sunday morning, to lessen the impact of traffic and crowds (lots of people party on Saturday nights, so L.A. is "slow to get up" on Sunday mornings, if you know what I mean).

[AZ Disney]

I would reccomend getting a hotel in San Diego too. I have done day trips to the Anaheim area before since my parents live in San Diego and it can be done but not multiple days in a row. Check out North County San Diego...Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla etc - my family prefers this area then that of Mission Bay or Hotel Circle. It's worth a look.

[BrerGnat]

I would reccomend getting a hotel in San Diego too. I have done day trips to the Anaheim area before since my parents live in San Diego and it can be done but not multiple days in a row. Check out North County San Diego...Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla etc - my family prefers this area then that of Mission Bay or Hotel Circle. It's worth a look.

I also prefer the north county area. I used to live in Oceanside.

However, the drive to the downtown area for tourists can be kind of inconvenient from up there, especially on weekdays. It can take 30-40 min. If you are wanting to visit the Gaslamp district, Balboa Park (San Diego Zoo), Coronado, etc., it simply makes more sense to stay at a hotel in that area.

I recommend the Carlsbad area when people want to visit Legoland and/or the Wild Animal Park. For everything else, head south.

Stick to large chain hotels (Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt, Loews). There are MANY independent hotels/resorts in San Diego. My experience with them has led me to tell others to stay away from them!

We once got a room at the Sheraton Hotel Circle for $79/night when we went down to SD for the day with our kids. It was a nice hotel in a great location and at an amazing price!

[CynBeth]

The year Disneyland celebrated it's 50th anniversary we found a package through the Disney Co where you got a certain number of days in San Diego and choices of a few hotels and then took a train to Anaheim and got a choice of a Disney hotel for a few days. You could decide the order of San Diego and Anaheim and add on days to each leg. You could also book tours to LA, Universal Studiis, etc. In SD we were able to book tours to the zoo and other attractions. I would recommend that package if they still have it.