Posted on 08/07/2011 6:08:47 AM PDT by Mean Daddy
My wife and I are planning to go to San Diego at the end of September, beginning of October. Since we've never have been there, looking for suggestions on where to stay.
Don't need a $300 a night hotel, but don't want to end up with one where the guy next door is making a batch of meth either.
Also, would appreciate any suggestions on what to see/do while we are there.
Thank you.
For really good Mexican Food, try Tony's Jacal in Solana Beach. Fidel's around the corner is also very good. Poseidon is an excellent fish restaurant and if you can get an outside table, you'll be right on the beach. Also, Bully's in Del Mar is delicious.
There is a 'restaurant row' on the beach between Solana Beach and Encinitas. All the restaurants there are good.
For sights, don't miss the zoo. And up in Escondido is the wild animal version of the zoo..it used to be called the Wild Animal Park, but I think the name has changed. They used to have an hour's ride on a monorail around the park that was very interesting.
If you go to the main zoo, I would suggest taking the double decker bus tour as soon as you get there. The zoo is huge and is full of steep up and down hill climbs. It is impossible to see it all in one day by foot. The bus tour (sit on top if you can) give a nice overview, and then you can pick where you want to walk back.
Old Town is a good place to visit old San Diego history, get some souvenirs, but the Mexican food is just so-so - it caters to the tourist crowd. Seaport Village in downtown San Diego is nice. Near the downtown Marriott is the Kansas City Barbecue Restaurant. Awesome BBQ, and it's the place where they filmed the bar scenes in Top Gun. Speaking of Top Gun, the "top gun house" is one block back from the beach, way up in Oceanside.
Lots to do and see in beautiful San Diego. The weather is perfect. Have fun. I get homesick for the weather and amenities, but I don't miss the high prices of housing and gas.
We were in San Diego about two months ago for a week. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in La Mesa. San Diego is not that large so it does not take too long to get to any point of interest. The room rates are reasonable (less than if you were staying closer to the center city). Rooms include a hot breakfast as well as free WiFi.
Balboa Park has a seven day pass that you pay one price and get a ticket for all the art galleries and museums as well as one day at the Zoo. We thought it was worth the money (info is on line)
The Maritime Museum is worth the price, also may the extra few dollars for a “harbor tour”.
Make sure you plan a trip to Point Loma. An awesome view of the city.
forgot to mention the Gas Lamp District downtown.
Now I miss San Diego LOL.
Yeah. We lived there for almost four years, Navy. My youngest son was born in Balboa Naval Hospital so we still have a fairly strong connection, even though we dont get there often. Some of the best weather in the northern hemisphere, lots and lots to do. One of the most fun things we’d do in the winter was go to the beach in the morning and then head up into the hills to Julian to play in the snow. Too cool!
Dont you mean Chula Juana? Lol.
Just make sure you stay north of the border. Tijuana isn't the fun day trip that it used to be.
Try the Hilton on Harbor Island. Last time I stayed a room with a harbor view was about $160.00. Close to the airport, downtown, Little Italy, etc.
If you like hiking there is Cowles Mtn in the San Carlos neighborhood and Mission Trails Park. If you can, stay in Coronado and travel from there.
Go to Mona Lisa in Little Italy for sandwiches($), Oceanaire for oysters and seafood in the Gaslamp ($$$$), ......
The weather will be perfect. Have a great trip.
Don’t miss Cabrillo National Monument on Pt Loma. Fantastic views of the ocean and bay, overlooks North Island Naval Air Station and submarine pens. Restored lighthouse and related museum and a small artillery museum (the area housed a coastal artillery battery and observation points during WWII). Down below are interesting tide pools. $5 per car entry. One of my favorite spots in San Diego. As someone else mentioned, USS Midway is a must see also.
Nicely done...you captured much of the essence of San Diego in one sentence. We lived in Fallbrook for four years in the 80's - I do miss it sometimes.
I too lived in San Diego (Point Loma, during Desert Storm), what a patriotic city!
Great recommendations posted and I must agree, a non *touristy* visit to the Point Loma Peninsula/Ocean Beach area.
The drive out is stunning - Naval Submarine Base (now closed) and National Cemetery at the end of the Peninsula. It is an unbelievable sight with thousands of our finest buried overlooking either side of the drive. Some of the markers iirc date back to the Spanish/American War.
Hiking at Torrey Pines State Park is a great way to spend a few hours. You can walk on the beach and then climb the bluffs, beautiful views of La Jolla, the Gliderport and the golf course.
I would highly recommend some of the bed & breakfasts in San Diego. They have lots of advantages over hotels and motels, such as being closer to the beach, having better breakfasts and nicer rooms, and generally much less expensive.
Sea World is rather expensive, but entertaining. The San Diego Zoo is more than just the zoo, as it is in the historical/museum district of Balboa Park, which is great if everybody is ambulatory, because there is a lot to see on foot, including an arboretum, goldfish and koi ponds, and lots of Spanish colonial architecture.
Old Town San Diego has a bunch of stuff to see, and includes the trolley which can take you across the border to the Zona Rosa (tourist area) of Tijuana, if you have passports.
http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/attractions.html
The Zona Rosa is worth it, if you are traveling to San Diego by car, not plane, because you can take prescriptions for very expensive pharmaceuticals with you and buy US made drugs at a fraction of their cost in the US. This is a big trade, as about every fifth business in the Zona Rosa is a Pharmacia. Some people save thousands of dollars.
There are, of course, several beaches, and I will defer to locals about which is “nicest”, but one of my favorites is the “dog beach”, where unleashed dogs frolic in the shallow water in a comic fashion.
Lot’s of great ideas here on where to stay. You really can’t go wrong with most hotels in the Hotel Circle area. I really like the Town and Country. It looks and feels like a San Diego hotel.
Also lots of great ideas on what to see. If you are renting a car, you can hit them all with ease. San Diego is a small town really and downtown, Balboa Park, the Embarcadero and Sea Port Village are all within 10 minutes or less of Hotel Circle. Coronado and Point Loma are about 15 - 20 minutes away and that is only because of the traffic lights on the surface streets.
For the true SoCal beach community experience, visit Ocean Beach. While you are there, have a burger at Hodad’s. (featured on Drive ins, Diners and Dives) The wait can be long, depending on the time of day, but it is a landmark.
To get an idea of what San Diego was like 40 - 50 years ago, visit the North Park and Kensington area. Some of the neighborhoods in those areas are very well preserved.
Also, visit MCRD during the weekday and see the Marine Recruits on the grinder. MCRD is one of the most beautiful bases in the world and they train the finest Marines in the world.
Do not forget to swing by Coronado. Visit the Hotel Del and head south on the Silver Strand to NAB. If you are lucky, you will see a BUDS class running down the beach with their boats on their heads.
Finally, for Mexican food - the Mexican Restaurant in Old Town is a must, as is El Indio on India Street, also featured on on Drive ins, Diners and Dives. I ran into Dennis Conner there one day. For a more beachy mexican experience, try Taco Surf on Mission Blvd in Pacific beach.
We were stationed at Camp Pendleton. We lived in Vista for about 6 months, but moved onto base, where we had a beach view. I loved it there and would have retired there if we could afford it. We chose North Carolina but the 4 years we lived in San Diego county were paradise. Hubby has 3 more years to retirement, and I’m kicking myself for not going back at least one more time.
Fallbrook—The avocado capital of the world.
I can personally reccomend El Indio's for Mexican food, though. I will agree about nothing special about the Mexican food in Old Town.
A mission tour is interesting for kids as well as adults and a nice, calm break from the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Sea World.
Have fun and enjoy!
Considering getting a car???? Please, this is southern California, a car is a necessity. Don’t know what your interests are or what you like, so I don’t know what to recommend. I stayed at a Sheraton or Hilton in the Gaslight District for $100. a night via hotwire.
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