San Diego: Mission Bay or Coronado

[MickeyMagic]

We are planning a split stay in Southern California - 5 days in San Diego & 5 days at Disneyland. Plans for SD include Sea World, SD Zoo, Belmont Park, maybe a visit to see the seals at La Jolla, and a day at the beach.

We currently have reservations at the Dana Inn & Marina in the Mission Bay area, but I am thinking about bidding on priceline for either Mission Bay or Coronado. It looks like the possible hotels via priceline would be:

Mission Bay: SD Hilton Resort
Hyatt Regency Islandia

Coronado: Coronado Marriott
Loews Coronado

Any opinions on those resorts? With our intended schedule, would we be better off staying in the Mission Bay area? Would traffic be a concern going from Coronado? Let me know your opinions on the pros and cons of each area as it relates to our plans.

Thanks so much for any comments/opinions!
MickeyMagic

 

[Michelle]

I LOVE the Loews Coronado Bay Resort and have stayed there several times...I used to have a work conference there every year. It is a lovely resort with lots of pools. The only minus is that it is FAR down the peninsula and you're about a 5-10 minute drive away from the heart of Coronado where the other restaurants and shops are.

You're definitely closer to the San Diego attractions you want to see if you stay in Mission Bay, so if that is your determining factor I'd stay there. At the Loews we pretty much spent our time at the resort and in downtown Coronado and didn't venture to other attractions, as it is a bit of a drive from there.

Have a great time!

 

[MickeyMagic]

Michelle,

Loews Coronado really does sound great. We will have a rental car - how long would it take to drive to Sea World or the SD Zoo from Loews? Is traffic a concern (ie rush hour) over the Bridge and around San Diego?

Thanks for your help!

 

[profdsny]

I love Coronado. I was stationed there some years ago, and it is a fabulous place. However, Mission Bay may be closer to things. Coronado does have the ocean on one side and the bay on the other. It depends on what you want to see or if you'd rather relax around the pool and beach.

I question though: someone mentioned about Priceline and knowing which hotels are available. How do you do that? We've never used Priceline, but are going to SanFranciso in the summer and would like to have an idea on what hotels would be available through them We'd like to stay close to downtown. Any help is always appreciated. Thanks

 

[MickeyMagic]

profdsny:

Thanks for the info. We plan to do a little of both - some relaxing around the pool & beach and some touring. If we stay on Coronado, how long will it take us to get to the SD Zoo? How long to Sea World?

The best advice I can give you regarding priceline is to go to the website: www.biddingfortravel.com
Check out the FAQ and look at the hotels in the area you want. FAQ's will give good advice on bidding and the hotel information will show what hotels have come up in the past (always subject to new ones!) I've used priceline 5 times and have loved the prices and had absolutely no problems with the reservations.

 

[Michelle]

MickeyMagic, from the Loews to Mission Bay would be about a 30-40 minute drive, depending upon traffic. The bridge can get quite congested in the mornings as the commuters head into town. If you're traveling during off-peak times it would be much quicker.

 

[profdsny]

First off, thanks for the tip.
As far as getting over to the zoo or MB. If you are down the Strand, south of Coronado, it would take about 5 minutes to get to the bridge. Depending on traffic, which is a consideration, anywhere from 15 minutes to 40. But that's everywhere with rush hour, no matter where you live. If you travel off peak, as they say, it shouldn't take you much more than 15 minutes to get to the Zoo, and maybe 20 to get to MB.
When the expressways are moving, they are good, almost too fast. So just consider your desination and the time of day you want to travel and you should be fine.
Get a guide book to SD if you haven't one already. I would really recommend going up to Point Loma for a fabulous view at some point. And try to get to one of the beaches for a sunset.
Then wish you had a cazillion dollars so you could afford to live in one of the house facing the ocean. Have fun.

 

[_somnombulance_]

If you're coming to relax I would say Coronado is definitely preferable to MB. MB is a young and somewhat "seedier" crowd in certain areas; perfect if you're adventuresome but not so great if you're more mature and looking to unwind. Of course there are all types out there, but in general Coronado is a much classier and relaxed atmosphere although if you stay at one of the bigger hotels I'm sure this won't matter much. Personally I'm 22 so I would say MB all the way but my parents would of course go to Coronado or somewhere inland.

From MB you're 5 minutes to Sea World and you could probably walk to Belmont if you rent a house near the beach (expensive though). It gets really crowded in the summer so driving/parking can be a real pain. If you must drive, try for a spot in the Belmont parking lot or behind it at 'Canes; parking down the street can be a mess when you find that your rental car has been vandalized while you were away =[ For a cheap snack/lunch try 'Canes - they have good food and drinks and you get to sit on the roof overlooking the beach, very cool at sunset too.

If you decide to stay in Coronado just avoid the rush hour traffic between 6:30am-8:30am and again in the early evening. It's not bad at all during other times. If for some reason it's horribly congested you can go south along silver strand then make your way back up the coast. Kind of a long drive and I don't suggest it but at least if there is an accident etc. on the bridge you have a way out.

If you're into theater and you stay in Coronado and have a spare night check out Lamb's Players Theater or head into Balboa park to the Old Globe; both excellent. If you prefer to see a movie go to Pacific 15 in the gaslamp quarter downtown - a great spot for dinner/bars/clubs/shopping/people watching or just about anything even getting a spontaneous tattoo =) Lot's of other great things to do as well, pick up an issue of the Reader for free at any convenience store when you arrive and get complete listings of everything that's going on in SD.

Have fun!

 

[teri]

We stayed at Paradise Point Resort one month ago, on Mission Bay, and it was laid back and lovely. We were right across the bay from Sea World (nice), right across from Belmont Park (which can be done in less than an hour on a weekday morning). Traffic was never a problem, water sports were all around, it was clean and lovely. My husband took the kids sailing on the bay, and they all survived with huge smiles. Mission Beach was busy and very much a beach town atmosphere. There was an internet special for about $125 for a garden view room at the time, through their website. The extensive gardens and lagoons are very relaxing.. it is a laid-back and unpretentious place. Nice pools, too. You definitely need a car there. The Zoo was the best zoo ever, we never felt sorry for a single animal and we had a great time. We drove up to La Jolla and beyond to Solana Beach -- again, traffic was never an issue. Affordable and pleasant dining options were all around us at all times. We also had a very nice visit to the Wild Animal Park, which is THE nicest animal park we have ever visited anywhere.

We were so busy having fun in our 5 days there that we didn't even get to Coronado, but we didn't miss it, we were fine at Mission Bay.