San Diego hotel help PLEASE!!

[Marge123]

My family is planning our first trip to CA in August. We plan on spending time in both Anaheim and San Diego. I think I've narrowed down our Anaheim hotel, but I have no idea which hotel to stay at in San Diego! My son is 3 and we would like to go to Sea World, possibly Legoland and maybe the zoo and/ or beach. We will have 4 days to spend in San Diego and most likely will have a car. Any thoughts on hotels keeping in mind the following things:

-Cleanliness is a MUST!
-We would prefer not to have to pay for parking
-My husband is very concerned about bed bugs and safe hotel location
-Complimentary bfast would be nice
-We're on a budget so the cheaper the better, but not to entirely sacrifice the above

Thanks MUCH for any advice you have!!

 

[kymom99]

I am planning our first CA trip for July and we are also doing Anaheim and SD. I chose Best Western Island Palms on Shelter Island for our SD hotel. By the time I get back, my actual experiences will be too late to help you decide, but I can share some of my research with you. This hotel has good reviews on Tripadvisor. I have a AAA rate of about $200 per night average between weekday and weekend rates. The room I have reserved is a junior suite. It has 2 beds and a table with 4 chairs. There is a small fridge and microwave in the room. The hotel has free bikes you can borrow. There is NOT free breakfast but there is no charge for parking. There are 2 pools and a hot tub. The Shelter Island area seems a little out of the way, but we will have a car so I went for the more peaceful setting. Here's hoping I made a good choice! I'll let you know.

Check out their website:
http://islandpalms1-px.trvlclick.com/san-diego-hotels/index.cfm

 

[Marge123]

That's so funny because that is where I would love to stay. We don't have the AAA thing going for us so spending around $1000 or more for 5 days is a lot for us. MAYBE I too will find some way to stay there too!!

 

[kymom99]

I don't work for AAA or anything but I have gotten my money's worth from my membership in the last year or so due to car problems. That being said, a basic membership isn't too expensive. What you would save at any hotel you choose would cover the cost and you should still come out ahead. Just a thought.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great time!

 

[Huff]

I can't afford $200/nt for us! We're budget conscience as well so lately we've been staying at the Holiday Inn Bayside using the entertainment card rate for $65-$90. We have stayed on Shelter Island using priceline for under $100 but they only guarantee a room for 2 people so not always an option.

 

[kymom99]

That price is high for me too, trust me! This is our trip of a lifetime, so I'm kinda blowing the normal vacation budget. I am finishing my Rank I and I have been working very hard, so I am using that to justify the expense. I want the atmosphere, not just a place to sleep. But I can see where there is so much to do in SD that many people would rather spend the money on sightseeing. Normally a moderate at WDW is a stretch for us to spend.

OP I would like to know what you decide to go with.

 

[rizzo0904]

We are staying at the Residence Inn Sorrento Mesa. We looked at the La Jolla one, but it's $12/day to park and that adds up. I like Residence Inns...they are clean, you get breakfast and weeknights have social hour. I like the extra room and the kichenette. We are staying for $133/night.

 

[Marge123]

I'm still looking, but will post our choice when we decide. I, too agree that paying for parking is ridiculous, but that seems to be the norm for most hotels. Oh decisions decisions!

 

[Huff]

There are plenty of hotels and resorts with free parking. Most 3 or 4 star hotels in Hotel Circle, Gaslamp, Shelter Island or Downtown will charge for parking as well as many beach front resorts. Most others I've found elsewhere are free.

 

[deanimal]

I haven't been yet, but we've booked Homewood Suites Liberty Station for our fall trip. It cost $155 per night and it's two room suites with small kitchens. We've stayed at several other Homewood suites and between the hot breakfast buffets and having access to a kitchen for suppers and packing lunches we've saved a lot on food. It also has free parking and is close to Seaworld, Seaport village, etc. As I said, I haven't been there yet, but I've always been happy with other Homewood suites in the past.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I haven't been yet, but we've booked Homewood Suites Liberty Station for our fall trip. It cost $155 per night and it's two room suites with small kitchens. We've stayed at several other Homewood suites and between the hot breakfast buffets and having access to a kitchen for suppers and packing lunches we've saved a lot on food. It also has free parking and is close to Seaworld, Seaport village, etc. As I said, I haven't been there yet, but I've always been happy with other Homewood suites in the past.

We just stayed at this hotel during spring break last month and loved it. We had a great visit to San Diego and didn't find it hard to get to anything. We visited Legoland, Balboa Park, the Gaslamp district, and a restaurant on Harbor during our stay. The hotel itself suited our needs well. We didn't use the kitchen much, but it was nice to have. There were several restaurants nearby and a Trader Joe's a short distance away. My kids loved the hot breakfast served by the hotel each morning, and we even took advantage of the evening weeknight dinners. The boys liked the swimming pool; they said it was small but warm enough even on a cooler day. They also loved playing at the pool table and half basketball court.

 

[kristie73]

I'm looking for something decent too in the $100-$150 a night range. Free parking, internet, and a fridge are my hopes. We'll be there in October for about 3-4 nights. And then 2 nights in Anaheim for Disneyland. I think we will go with the Best Western across from Disneyland.

I was looking into the Best Western on Hotel Circle. Nothing fancy though and a little motel like. I am hoping to find something a little better than this with a good rate. We'll be doing the beach and Legoland in San Diego.

Any other suggestions out there?

 

[alyssa810]

We stayed at the Four Points last September; at check in we, got vouchers for items from the store for up to $6 per person, which gave us enough for muffins, drinks, and snacks for later (you might have needed to be a Starwood preferred guest, but that's easy enough (and free) to sign up for if you decide to book there). I thought the rooms were clean and spacious, we had a fridge, and if I recall, free internet in the room - or it might have been free wifi throughout the hotel. Parking was free and plentiful. I believe we paid a little over $100 per night, and I don't remember if we used a AAA rate or some other discount, but I'd stay there again.

 

[thomaslw]

you can't go wrong with marriott or sheraton. to give some advice on location though, hotel circle is a popular choice and pretty nicely located in mission valley. if you primarily are hitting up the zoo and balboa park, hotel circle is pretty close. there are hotels that are even closer in downtown san diego (near the convention center) but those are very pricey. within that area of sd lies sea world, balboa park, sd zoo, seaport village (tourist trap), downtown sd, horton plaza, old town, etc.

if you don't mind a longer drive, golden triangle in la jolla / UTC is about 10 miles north and has the big 3 chains, all nice hotels, very clean. area is right next to UCSD, but has good access to the highways. miramesa rt to the north has 2 small hotels, usually frequented by business travelers, that are pretty good. traffic on the 5 is pretty good, in fact it's very good for socal standards, and as long as you aren't driving during rush hour you will be fine.

legoland is actually in carlsbad, a good 15 miles north from la jolla and a solid 25 miles from downtown SD. another interesting attraction is the san diego wild animal park, which is located way in the north east in escondido. it's a good 30 minute drive from la jolla.

if you want a central location, then the big 3 hotels (hyatt, marriot, sheraton) in UTC/la jolla area is a good bet, it's close to downtown la jolla and its beaches (shores, blacks, and cove) and yummy restaurants, and has good access to the 5. you will need a car obviously. you can hit up pretty much any of the SD attractions in 20 minutes (a bit more for wild animal park) and rush hour is over by 10am and only really lasts 4pm-6pm.