San Diego Hotel Recommendations Needed

[angelaj]

We're going to Disneyland in early September, then doing 2 days/1 night in San Diego over Labor Day weekend. We'll be going to Sea World, the zoo, and the wild animal park. Does anyone know of a nice hotel in the $100-180 price range? Thanks!

 

[tlovesdis]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites in LaJolla two years ago. It was so nice! I paid $150 a night. It has an indoor pool and free breakfast, which was very good! It is just a short drive to SW and the zoo, plus there is a PF Chang's right at the hotel (this is one of my favorite palces to eat!!!). We really liked it!

 

[LuvTigger]

Last year I stayed at the Westin Horton Plaza. I got it for $90 on Priceline (but we had to pay $20-$25 for parking -- still a good deal though). I think rack rate is close to $200. It was so convenient being next to the shopping center, where we spent our evening. The zoo is only a few minutes away.

 

[poconoboatniks]

We stayed at the Red Lion in June. However, we thought we were booking the Red Lion we stayed at 10 yrs. ago. Found out that the Red Lion we wanted is now a DoubleTree. Near sports bar, Starbucks, shopping and freeways.The Red Lion was ok (a bit old) and the price was right.

Poconoboatniks

 

[caimakale]

We are staying at the Dana at mission bay or something similar to that when we go next month. Somebody on here has stayed there as well and really enjoyed it. I went for the third story room that overlooks the bay, it's more expensive, but I want to make this trip as memorable as possible.

I think its also like a 10 minute walk from sea world, but they do offer a free shuttle.

 

[marvel]

Sorry to jump the thread but we are also trying to find somewhere decent to stay for 5 nights in San Diego. IS the Embassy Suites in a good location? The reports on Tripadvisor are so so about the location and quality of the rooms.

Caimakale - is the mission bay area nice? We will have a car and are tossing up staying on Coronado island.

We probably will only go to Sea World as we have a pretty good zoo in Melbourne, so also wondering if 5 nights may be too long. How long did you guys stay??

 

[tlovesdis]

Sorry to jump the thread but we are also trying to find somewhere decent to stay for 5 nights in San Diego. IS the Embassy Suites in a good location? The reports on Tripadvisor are so so about the location and quality of the rooms.

Caimakale - is the mission bay area nice? We will have a car and are tossing up staying on Coronado island.

We probably will only go to Sea World as we have a pretty good zoo in Melbourne, so also wondering if 5 nights may be too long. How long did you guys stay??

The ES in LaJolla is in a great area! LaJolla is an upscale area of SD and we loved it! There is a shopping center nearby with a Starbuck's and tons of places to eat!

 

[abby]

In my opinion the best place to stay is Paradise Point resort and Spa. It's out by sea world and built on 44 acres. Throughout the property are single story buildings with four or so rooms in each. Most open to private patio's in lush gardens. My DD (5) loves to go to the gift shop and buy duck food and walk around the property feeding the ducks. The pool is great (so is the bar with the pool) It can be pricey, but usually you can find good rates on expedia

 

[Sue & Co.]

Sorry to jump in but does anyone have any opinions on the Handlery? We are supposed to be staying here on the recommendation of our travel agent.

Thanks

Sue

 

[SANDIEGOFAN]

Sorry to jump in but does anyone have any opinions on the Handlery? We are supposed to be staying here on the recommendation of our travel agent.

Thanks

Sue

It's OK. It's centrally located, a walk to a mall and a golfcourse, close to old town and the beaches. My sister was visiting and stayed there. The room was clean but smelled of smoke - it was a smokeless room. Other people here have recommended La Jolla area. Much nicer, not as centrally located but is worth the extra drive time.

 

[marvel]

How does laJolla compare to Coronado Island??

 

[Grandma Debby]

We stayed at the Catamaran on Mission Bay in June and it was fantastic Out your back door is Mission Bay - calm with great beach, rental boats, etc.
Out the front door and across the street is the ocean - wild waves, surfers and all Restaurants and stores within walking distance - easy access to Interstate We were on a SanDiego/Disneyland/ Disney cruise package so I know we got a better deal but check it out - even the tower would be okay

 

[LuvTigger]

I've stayed at the Dana Inn and liked it. It does not compare to the Westin, but for the San Diego area, it is very reasonably priced, and it's clean, safe, and in a convenient and nice location. I would compare it more to a motel because it has exterior corridors and is only a couple of stories high. We also really liked the Red Hen (?) restaurant on site there (country fried steak, mmmm!).

La Jolla is a little north of San Diego. It's a beautiful area. I don't really know how to describe it, but it seems to me like Coronado is a little more of a resort-area, but I'm sure someone else could better describe than me.

If you're not particular about where you want to stay, but have a certain price range, you might want to consider Priceline. A lot of people seem to get the Westin for bids between $80-$100 (but just keep in mind that you will need to pay about $20-$25 for parking, but I figured that even with the parking, it was less than Dana Inn). There is a website called biddingfortravel.com that shows what hotels have been "won" in the area for anyone interested.

 

[MsYumiBr]

How does laJolla compare to Coronado Island??

I live in Coronado. I'm not a native of Coronado though. My personal opinion is that Coronado is for old people and La Jolla is for young people. Coronado has more of a resort feel to it as opposed to La Jolla which is more lively. It really depends on what you want to do. We are close to downtown so you can hop on the ferry and do the downtown thing (Gaslamp, ballpark, ship tours). We also don't have a movie theatre but you can go downtown for that too. We have a playhouse which is pretty popular and of course the Hotel Del. Their beaches are beautiful and well kept. Parking can be a problem but it's the same everywhere in the summer. You can always go to the Silver Strand State Beach too. However, La Jolla has better surfing. Coronado is what I consider a quaint retirement area full of rich (or pretentious) people. If you do decide to stay here, do not, under any circumstances, drive over the speed limit. Watch out for people crossing the street unexpectedly. I don't understand pedestrian mentality here. They think they have the right to cross whenever and wherever they want and get mad when you don't stop for them. Maybe it's just my driving. lol. I hope this helps.

 

[marvel]

Thanks for the info MSYumiBr it is really helpful. I initially looked at LaJolla in preference to Coranado but actually finding a suitable hotel is seeming near impossible. Some that people mentioned are just either too dear for the quality that you would expect, eg. Embassy Suites - has considerable negative reviews and works out pretty close in value to places like the Marriot Coronado Island which is rated 5 star.

We are definetly not old fogies though, in our 30's with kids ranging from 1 - 12 (that is across two families) so I guess it is back to the drawing board.

Do you think that 5 nights in San Diego would be too long in your opinion?
We have never been there and will most likely only do Sea World and general touring, and shopping.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I was in San Diego the first full week of July and we loved it. We actually did stay at the Handlery and it was okay. We had a nice room with a sliding door patio area that led to the pool area. Our room was a king size bed with a smaller television (in case that is important). However, I can see where the rooms would be small with two queen beds. The hotel is older. You can go to the Handley website and get more info. They do charge $9.00/day for parking and any food there is expensive but the Lobster club was so good with the onion rings. My dh kept saying he felt that the hotel was for older people but we say plenty of families so I just don't think that. I would reccommend anyone wanting somewhere to stay that is close to everything stay in Hotel Circle. There were all kinds of hotels on the circle for all price ranges. If anyone wants any suggestions for places to eat or things to do please let me know. We had a great trip and would have loved to stay more than our 5 days.

 

[angelaj]

Thanks so much for all of your replies! Based on reviews on tripadvisor.com, I've decided to stay at the Staybridge Suites in Rancho Bernardo. It's a two bedroom, two bathroom suite with a living room and kitchen for $167/night. It's a little bit of a drive to the zoo and Sea World, but since it's only for one night and it's close to the Wild Animal Park where we will be at the end of our first day, it works out perfectly for us.

Thanks again!

 

[karylrocks]

Haven't stayed there yet, but after many days of research I decided to stay at Staybridge Suites-Sorrento Mesa for our 2 nights at the end of August; It ranks #8 on Tripadvisor. I needed something for our family of 4 adults and 1 teen. I got a 2-bed/2-bath suite for $196, includes breakfast and free parking. A bit of a drive to SW/zoo, maybe up to 1/2 hour, but we will be there on the weekend so the traffic should not be too bad so I am not worried about it. They do not have daily maid service, but for 2 nights it will be fine for us.