San Diego Hotels

[lorimay]

I was all set for a couple days in San Diego after our Panama Canal Cruise in Feb. 2019.
I was so looking forward to a stay at The Del Coronado Hotel, until I went to Trip Advisor today and started reading the reviews.
There are less than stellar reviews about the rooms far too many times.

Has anyone stayed there?

I am now thinking The Manchester Grand Hyatt.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

We just stayed at both in July! Please tell me more what you are hoping to experience while you are in San Diego and then I will reply. Are you wanting a beach vacation? Are you going to the Zoo and doing a bunch of site-seeing? Will you have a car? Please share your vision then I will reply with details on both! Thanks!

 

[lorimay]

We just stayed at both in July! Please tell me more what you are hoping to experience while you are in San Diego and then I will reply. Are you wanting a beach vacation? Are you going to the Zoo and doing a bunch of site-seeing? Will you have a car? Please share your vision then I will reply with details on both! Thanks!

We are thinking more sites and a visit to the beach for a couple hours.
We will probably rent a car for a day.
I can't wait to hear about your time at both!

Thanks!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

We have been blessed to stay at the Del three times and have visited it on day trips to eat many other times. Prior to our stay in July, the last time we had an overnight visit was 10 years ago. It has been one of our most favorite resorts EVER due to the history and grandeur of the property.

Over 4th of July, we split our stay between the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the Del. We really enjoyed the Hyatt, our first time there. It is right next door to Seaport Village which is a popular tourist destination with shops and restaurants. (SPV is set to undergo a big renovation, but not sure if construction will begin prior to your trip or not). We paid a bit extra for a very large corner room and I would do so again. We liked their grab and go food area in the lobby - Starbucks coffee and tea, breakfast sandwiches, fruit cups, etc. We enjoyed their pool. You would need to drive to a beach or take the nearby ferry from this area over to Coronado Island and get transportation on that end. Overall, a really great experience, and we would stay there again without hesitation. Parking is pricey as it is at most San Diego properties.

Some of the reasons we love staying at the Del is because we can park once and not leave! Parking is very pricey here as well. We love being able to go from the pool to the beach and back to the pool. The beach is beautiful and amazing. Kids love looking for snails and crabs on the rocks. Everything, and I mean everything costs A LOT. The breakfast buffet for our family of four (me, DH, DD14 and DD18) was $160+ before tip. NOT kidding. It was a good buffet, but not an exceptional buffet, so those prices are something to keep in mind. Hamburgers on the deck are $26, extra for cheese. Some of the rooms in the original Victorian building can be quite small and some quite spacious. The overall feel is much different than what we experienced there in the past. It's hard to put my finger on it, but it just isn't the same. If you want to hang at the beach and have some down time, you will enjoy staying at the Del. If you plan to be driving all around the city and checking out different places, then I am not sure it would be a good choice. You might want to stay closer to Downtown or to Mission Beach. Staying at the Del and getting your money's worth, in my opinion, means staying put there to really enjoy the beach, not leaving the property to go do other things around San Diego.

Please let me know if you have any other specific questions.

 

[abdgeek]

I stayed at the Hotel Del for three nights in July and I agree with Carrie in AZ. When I stayed at the Del, it was solely to enjoy the property, do the Sunday Brunch, the beach, pool, and restaurants. While my room in the Victorian Building had an ocean view, it was very small. I only left the property once to eat. It is a very busy resort with customers and tourists galore. The food prices on property are also high, but you can walk into town for more moderately priced food. If you want to see San Diego, I wouldn’t stay on Coronado Island. I also visited San Diego on this same trip and I stayed in a timeshare in the Gaslamp Quarter that was only a bus ride from the major attractions.

 

[lorimay]

Thank you both for your input.

I understand what you guys are saying about the Del being a resort you just stay at, thats what happened when we did Aulani. We didn't want to leave the hotel.
I think we will go with The Manchester Hyatt this time since its just a couple days and I want to see San Diego sites.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Yes, VERY similar to staying at Aulani.

Have fun!

 

[GuardMusic]

We looked at The Del, because we could have done it on points. Love the beach there, but the reviews of the hotel overall and cost of food turned us away. While we might Uber or Trolley out to the beach one day, we also love staying in the Little Italy portion of the city, primarily due to the food. (I'm looking at your Extraordinary Desserts!)

 

[teetoppz28]

We usually stay in the Gaslamp district and take the ferry over to Coronado Island to spend the day at the Del. You can do pretty much everything being a day visitor as you can by staying there... This saves us so much money to spend on other things (great dinners, the Zoo, la Jolla, etc.). There are so many things to do on the mainland that I wouldn't want to pay 3 times or more per night on a room at the Del, honestly.

 

[anjuan]

Glad to hear good things about the Manchester Hyatt. I'm a Federal employee and was able to get the Fed rate their for the night before our upcoming spring break cruise!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Glad to hear good things about the Manchester Hyatt. I'm a Federal employee and was able to get the Fed rate their for the night before our upcoming spring break cruise!

I hope you like it! We stayed there on points but paid a bit extra to get a larger, corner room. I would definitely ask for one, they may have enough inventory to offer it to you for free, but maybe not. Please note, all of the bathroom stuff was in one room - sink, shower, toilet - I mention it because it matters to some people/families. We easily used Uber.

Have fun!

 

[GPaLarry]

We will be staying in San Diego next March, prior to a DCL 5-day cruise. There will be three families with 11 total. Is there a hotel near the port and zoo that is reasonably priced and has good/excellent reviews? Thanks!!

 

[DCLDVC1]

We will be staying in San Diego next March, prior to a DCL 5-day cruise. There will be three families with 11 total. Is there a hotel near the port and zoo that is reasonably priced and has good/excellent reviews? Thanks!!

Some of the hotels within a short walking distance of the terminal that come to mind are the Wyndham, Springhill Suites and Best Western Plus Bayside.

 

[lorimay]

We will be staying in San Diego next March, prior to a DCL 5-day cruise. There will be three families with 11 total. Is there a hotel near the port and zoo that is reasonably priced and has good/excellent reviews? Thanks!!

I have been researching the hotels in San Diego on Trip Advisor. It's my go to before I book a room.
Traveler reviews and pictures are very helpful.

 

[ajo]

Some of the hotels within a short walking distance of the terminal that come to mind are the Wyndham, Springhill Suites and Best Western Plus Bayside.

We stayed at the Springhill Suites and it was perfect for the night before the cruise. We woke up in the morning and saw the Wonder out our window.

The free breakfast was great and it was definitely a popular spot for DCL cruisers as everyone at breakfast that morning was in their DCL gear.

 

[bcwife76]

We stayed at the Wyndham Bayside before our Wonder cruise this past May and it was great, woke up to see the Wonder right across the street. Saw many people at breakfast who were definitely going on the cruise with us! We are sailing out of SD again this coming March and will probably book the Wyndham again (finalizing plans as we speak for things like hotel etc).

 

[GPaLarry]

We stayed at the Wyndham Bayside before our Wonder cruise this past May and it was great, woke up to see the Wonder right across the street. Saw many people at breakfast who were definitely going on the cruise with us! We are sailing out of SD again this coming March and will probably book the Wyndham again (finalizing plans as we speak for things like hotel etc).

We are going on the March 24 DCL cruise. Are you folks on it?? Thanks for your recommendation.

 

[jetskigrl]

We will be staying in San Diego next March, prior to a DCL 5-day cruise. There will be three families with 11 total. Is there a hotel near the port and zoo that is reasonably priced and has good/excellent reviews? Thanks!!

We have stayed at both the Wyndham and Springhill Suites and would recommend both.

Both are right across the street so just a short walk to the crosswalk and you are there.

Wyndham Pros:
Closer to the crosswalk if you get the building closest to the port.
Great views from the Bay View rooms (look out directly at the ocean - all bay view rooms will be able to see ship come in).

Wyndham Cons:
Parking lot is kind of small with tight spaces (might be a consideration if you have a car with you).
Only offers 1 King or 2 Double beds (non-suite). Might be a consideration if you have to share beds with kids.

Springhill Pros:
Rooms come with 1 King or 2 Queen beds plus sofa bed.
Includes breakfast
Better parking structure
Brand new constuction

Springhill Cons:
Strange bathroom configuration (sliding frosted door and bathroom is in the middle of the room).
Unless you have the last (corner) room, most bay rooms have a side-view of the water. So you might pay for the Bay view (to see the ship come in) and be on the other side of the hotel away from the port.

 

[anjuan]

We are going on the March 24 DCL cruise. Are you folks on it?? Thanks for your recommendation.

We'll be on the March 24 cruise! Definitely looking forward to it! Considering bcwife76's count down is the same as ours I would guess they are as well.

 

[bcwife76]

We'll be on the March 24 cruise! Definitely looking forward to it! Considering bcwife76's count down is the same as ours I would guess they are as well.

Yep March 24!! Woohoo!!!