San Diego Hotel question

[tinkcc99]

After Disneyland we are heading to San Diego for a few days. I have never been there and would like any suggestions on hotels. We have 2 9yr olds so pool is a must. We are doing some day trips but depending on the hotel might like to hang out and enjoy nice weather.

(From rainy NW)

[preshi]

The San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina is beautiful! It has a great pool too. Right downtown about 3 miles away from the zoo and right next to a HUGE mall with all the fun resturaunts :) And 2 miles form the airport :)

here's the pool....

http://www.marriott.com/Epp/images/dining_image2_SANDT.jpg

[LuvTigger]

We like the Dana Inn Hotel and Marina. It's like a motel, 2-stories with several different buildings. Nothing fancy, but nice-sized rooms that are clean and in a very convenient, safe location close to Sea World, right on the Bay. First time we stayed there we had a room with the pool right outside our back door, second time the marina outside our front door. It's reasonably priced for San Diego too, and they have a terrific home-style restaurant.

[Momof2]

I'd love hotels suggestions as well. We'll have 4 nights in San Diego at beginning of August, before we head to DL. We've got a teenage boy and girl, so we'd love to find a suite - or we'll prob get 2 rooms. Thanks.

[tinkcc99]

Also are there places close to beach that people like. Not sure if there are good areas and bad areas. Figured we take a couple of days to enjoy the weather and water!

Also any good deals and how you got them! Thanks!

[RAZ24]

We are also spending a couple of days in San Diego. We have a 15yr old, 12 yr old and 4 yr old. The hotels we are looking at are Hotel Del Coronado (is it worth the money?), Coronado Island Marriott, and the Loews Coronado Bay resort. What do you think. Pools, restaurants, room size, decor, area around hotel, of course cleanliness?
I hope there's some people with a lot of info. out there!

Thanks,

Christine

[mesnowwhite]

Here is my two cents on the Coronado Hotels listed in the above reply. Since I live near San Diego, I've been to these three places several times and they are all great hotels, you won't be disappointed with any of them. However, their styles are completely different so your choice should be based upon what type of hotel you prefer.
Hotel Del Coronado: Beautiful old hotel, with lots of history and antiques in the public areas. It has its own tennis courts and beach access. However, its probably the most expensive and not necessarily worth the money. Soem of the rooms are dark and small, unless you pay the Really big bucks to stay in an oceanfront room. If you stay at either of the other hotels mentioned (the marriot and Loews - also in Coronado) you can walk thru and tour the Hotel Del to see the history, etc.

Marriott: Of the three hotels, its the most affordable (relatively speaking) and is conveniently located to other fun things/restarants in Coronado. Downside is they don't have the best beach access, but the beach is close by. This hotel is more business-crowd oriented and less "resort" feeling.

Loes Coronado: Really cool hotel with a great pool, its a more modern and upscale property (less stuffy, more fun than Hotel Del). Even the standard rooms are luxuriously appointed, with upscale decorations. The rooms are larger than the Hotel Del. The only down side is the location of the property. It is down the straight about 1-2 miles, and there's really nothing within walking distance around it. That's OK if you have a car or if you are just going to stay on the site. They do have a water taxi that takes you across the Bay to Sea Port Village (in San Diego). This would be my choice for the best accomodations amoung the three Coronado hotels listed by the previous poster.

Hope this helps you some. Enjoy your stay in San Diego. Its a beautiful city!

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I'm trying to choose between the three Coronado Hotels as well. Thanks for the descriptions on the hotels. I'm still unsure on which we'd want to stay at --- we want something ON the beach, but at a convienent location as well. I guess I'll have to see what kind of rate I can get at the Hotel Del...what types of bedding do they have in their rooms? We'd need atleast two doubles and a rollaway. :) Any experiences with their Oceanfront Junior Suites?

Thanks! ;)

[Planogirl]

I hope to see a lot more posts about the San Diego hotels because this is the only part of our trip I haven't booked yet and it's giving me trouble. Those resorts on Coronado look nice but are all a bit too pricey for us. I would also prefer to be a bit closer to some of the attractions like Sea World or maybe the historic areas.

Can anyone recommend a nice hotel in the Sea World or Harbor areas? I'll look at the Dana Inn.

By the way, I checked the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina for the first week of August and it was sold out! I'll keep on checking though.

[MickeyMagic]

We are going at the end of August and splitting our vacation between San Diego and Disneyland. I have checked a number of guidebooks and websites looking for a good deal on a hotel in San Diego. (We are using DVC points for our DLH stay).

We narrowed our SD hotel choices to (1) close to Sea World/Mission Bay or (2) Coronado. I found a great coupon for the Coronado Marriott, but it was unavailable for my dates. The coupon was for $99-$139 (subject to availability). I found the coupon on www.DisneyDollarless.com under Group Discounts - WildVacationsCA. I think they also had a coupon for the Dana Inn. Also found some okay prices on www.get-away-today.com (with some great deals on attraction tickets).

In the end, I bid on priceline and received the Hyatt Regency Islandia on Mission Bay for $50.00 a night. If you're flexible and a little gutsy, bid on priceline. Many people have received the Marriott Coronado or Loews Coronado for $100 or less per night. Go to www.biddingfortravel.com for great information on how to use priceline and to see what other people are bidding and getting for hotels in the San Diego area. They also have a section for hotel reviews which is nice to review even if you don't use priceline.

Good luck!

[RAZ24]

Thanks for all of the responses so far.

Loews sounds like it's the one for us, but I will check some other possibilities.

I am too scared to try priceline for hotels:( I do use them for air and car. Has always worked out well.

Now if anyone knows anything about Vegas! Kidding, really!

Christine

[honeymom]

I haven't been to San Diego in 8 years, but I used to live in LA and do business regularly down there. There are a lot of nice hotels, all over the place, in all different budgets. For Sea World, look at hotels in the Mission Bay, followed by Mission Beach areas. I'm sure you can find something in your price range. Shelter Island is another nice place with reasonable prices that is not as close, but I don't think it is too far either.

[Tink33]

There are so many hotels and resorts in San Diego. The key is to decide the area where you want to stay.

Coronado www.coronadohistory.org/visitorcenter/
Mission Bay www.aboutmissionbay.com/
Downtown www.gaslamp.org/
La Jolla www.lajollabythesea.com/
North County www.sandiegonorth.com/
Hotel Circle - Mission Valley

These are just a few popular locations. If you are looking for something inexpensive near or on the beach - try Carlsbad in North San Diego. Remember that the resorts on Coronado require a trip across the bridge which can add 30 - 45 minutes onto your travel time.

If you have specific questions about any area I would be happy to help. :)

[tinkcc99]

Any comments on Catamaran Resort Hotel? How far is it from Sea World?

We are looking for a resort like hotel to stay in while in San Diego. Of course we would like the nicest hotel at the best price possible (not unusual ..hehe) So any help or suggestions are appreciated. We plan on staying in San Diego 4 days. Of the 4 we will be going to the Zoo and Sea World. We wanted to make this part of our trip the most special....as in ... we wanted the a nice hotel but not stuffy. Hard to be stuffy with 2 8yr olds! lol

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Thanks for the additional reviews. The biggest thing I need is a hotel on the beach --- we'll be going out to CA from the East Coast, so it is a long trip and we want to make it a nice trip. ;) Any beachfront/oceanfront hotels that you can recommend, I'd appreciate! :)

[Planogirl]

I've been wondering about the Mission Bay area. Is this a good location for the beaches, Sea World, the zoo and the historic area? Or at least one of these attractions? :D

I had heard that staying on Coronado could add some transit time which I definitely don't need as hard as it is to get my guys going in the morning. That added to the prices means that Coronado is out.

Wow, this is definitely helping a lot! :D

[Momof2]

Decided to live dangerously tonight and bid on Priceline for our San Diego hotel. We got our bid of $50 per room (2 rooms) at the Hyatt Regency Islandia in Mission Bay. I had called that hotel and was quoted rates of about $200 per room, so I'm pretty happy. It's nice to finally have all the decision making behind us!

[Planogirl]

Momof2, congratulations! I wish that I had the nerve to try Priceline. Maybe tomorrow... :rolleyes:

[Sherlee]

We are also going to combine San Diego with Disneyland and are considering Loews. Does anyone know anything about the Paradise Point Resort? It looks nice and we get 50% off with the DC card.

[ceejay13]

We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Carlsbad in 2 weeks. It is directly across from the beach, and Carlsbad is a very nice area. It is, however, about a 30" drive to downtown San Diego. I just returned from my annual business trip and we always stay at the Mission Valley Marriott, which is nice but not close to the water.

[jdm]

I'm coming in late on this thread and was surprised to see the Bahia (I'm not sure I'm spelling that right) resort hotel in Mission Beach not mentioned. We stay there every time we go and love it. It's by the beach, nice pool and great location. Walking distance to Belmont park... we've stayed on the 4th of July a few times and you can see fireworks being set off from 4 different points around you. You can also see them going off at Sea World.
We always book through getaway and tell them we'll have 4-6 people which usually gets us a large room with a kitchenette. Hopes this helps anyone who is still thinking about places to stay.

Jenn

[RAZ24]

http://www.commonname.com/english/search/PSEngine.asp?userid=0&engine=msn&query=san%20diego%20discount%20wallys
Hope the link works-

Found this web site and booked our hotel in San Diego. Loews Coronado! I could not pass the rate up. Was a little nervous because it was not a familiar site. Called the hotel 2 days later and they confirmed our reservations. There is info on hotels, restaraunts, things to do etc.

Hope this helps someone still looking.

Christine

[tinkcc99]

RAZ24 Thanks for the link. It was perfect for trying to make the decision on hotels for San Diego.

[goofy1215]

I vote for the Hyatt Islandia!!!! What a steal for $50 per night! That is amazing. I've NEVER paid less than $170 per night.

The staff is very nice and it's 10 minutes from sea world! One side of the hotel will give you an ocean view and the other side of the hotel will give you a view of Coronado bride, harbor and sea world fireworks at night. i love both views equally.

Enjoy...can i come with???? hehehe!

[Momof2]

Goofy - thanks for posting. With just a couple weeks to go before our vacation, its nice to hear some positive feedback about the Islandia. :D

[tinkcc99]

I was looking at Paradise Point Resort & Spa. How can you get 50% off using your DC ? I would be curious if anyone else has stayed there also.

[disneydawn6]

We stayed at the Hotel del Coronado and loved it.. The rooms were lovely victorian rooms decorated in what looked like antique furniture. They have a book about a ghost that supposedly lives there. The hotel is on the beach and was voted best beach in CA by the travel channel this year.. It reminded me alot of the Grand Floridian at WDW from the outside.. The inside is dark paneling though and no huge lobby... They have a lovely resturant that sit by the beach called sheerwater and a great though expensive sunday brunch at the crown room that features 3 huge crown looking chandiliers that were design by the writer of the wizard of oz.... Baum.. They have an internet club you can sign up for that emails you of current special.. We stayed for $150 a night in the spring.