Non Disney Question

[Bennettsmommy]

Is anyone here from or been to San Diego? We are doing a few days in San Diego before Disneyland in October. I need recommendations on hotels. We would love to be on the beach but we would drive to the beach if the hotel is great and the beaches aren't to hard to find parking. We will be traveling with are 2 year old. Thanks

 

[larina]

I can't answer your question because I am not familiar with the area but this post might get more attention in the California section of the board

 

[figment_jii]

I agree that this thread is probably better suited for the California & West board (the moderators will probably move it at some point):
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=131

To the OP's question, I'd probably start by looking in the Hotel Circle area. It's pretty central to a lot of San Diego.

 

[superlarz]

Hotel Circle is in Mission Valley, central to many things but not a good place to stay if you want to be near anything. If you want to be on the beach, there a lot of nice hotels, a few more "affordable" hotels as well. The Pacific Terrace hotel is right on the beach and is a beautiful property. The Crystal Pier hotel is a group of cottages on a pier over the ocean. The Hotel del Coronado is a great option if you are looking to break the bank. I would not recommend staying away from the beach if your goal is to go to San Diego for the beach.

 

[mummabear]

I can tell you not to stay at Super 8 on Hotel Circle....unless you like drug dealers and working girls

 

[hjgaus]

www.pacificterrace.com

Pacific Terrace Hotel in Pacific Beach San Diego.

Have not been in a few years but still looks great!

We just stayed @ The Marriott in La Jolla and it's nice ! It's not beach front but a quick
5 to 10 minutes drive to the beach!
We used our rewards points for this stay!

 

[momof4fans]

I agree with higaus. The Pacific Terrace is wonderful! We stayed there in 2011 and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's right on the beach. You are able to check out chairs and sand toys for the kids. We got a room discount with AAA. They had a very nice breakfast that was $6 for adults and $3 for kids with AAA. It was worth every penny.

 

[lb2000]

Catamaran Resort is nice and at the beach. Paradise Point Resort is on the bay, about 1 mile to the ocean and is a beautiful resort, Bahia resort is walkable to the ocean and on the bay. All are very nice.

 

[LizzyS]

The Ocean Park Inn is where we stayed when we visited San Diego in 2012. It's beachfront and has an underground parking garage. It's an older hotel, but is clean and a great location, in my opinion.

 

[grnflash]

Hi. I'm from SD and would second the suggestion to stay at either the Bahia or Catamaran - depending on your budget really. They are both on the bay, across/down the street from the beach.

**Paradise Point is wonderful too of course, it's a proper upscale resort and very, very nice as well as on the bay. But you will need to drive to the beach (parking though will 100% not be an issue in October - there are huge parking lots in Mission Beach.) And of course the Hotel Del is simply awesome. If your budget allows for this, then do that and you won't regret it. But it's pricey.

The Cat is an upscale resort with some ocean view rooms and is very nice. It also has more dining options - both onsite and nearby. Anyone should be happy there.

The Bahia has lovely grounds and the rooms are clean, but "standard" if you know what I mean. Nothing plush or fancy. But the west-facing bay front rooms are great - you're basically walking right out to the sand and the bay. I would not stay in the east facing rooms though as I have heard they are in need of a remodel.

What's also neat is that there is a ferry boat (people only, not cars) that circles the bay hourly with docks to board/disembark at these 2 hotels. Rides are complimentary if you're staying at either resort.

Also, with a 2 year old, you may enjoy the bay at either hotel even more than the ocean because there are no waves. There's just a lot more freedom for the toddler set to run around and enjoy the bay's beach due to this. And the water conditions at the bay are the best in recorded history this year thanks to the unfortunate drought (no rain = no runoff = pollution not flowing into the bay.)

Have a great trip wherever you end up staying!