Where is best place to stay in san diego?

[Sillyminny40]

We are looking at Ch'mas 2009 family of 8, arriving before holidays and staying 2 weeks. Best area to stay in would be helpful! Thanks.

 

[phishy25]

We went to San Diego a few weeks ago and stayed in a suite at the Best Western Island Palms. It's a great hotel as long as you have a car. I was really happy. We took sunset walks along the harbor and marina. The suite was huge and had a full kitchen. It had two queen beds in the bedroom and a fold out sofa in the living room. Two TVs. Sea World, the Zoo, and downtown are very close. There are many restaurants, Vons, and Trader Joes nearby. I used the entertainment card to get a very good rate. I booked the BW because it has great reviews on tripadvisor.com. I would definitely recommend tripadvisor to help you find your hotel.

 

[Sillyminny40]

Thanks! We are in Canada so I don't know about the ent card. I am trying to figure out the best place to stay. My dh really wants a vrbo on the beach and we will rent a car. The kids want to visit some theme parks but we are mostly into beach, walks and nice dinners at the hotel/vrbo.

 

[PHXscuba]

If I were staying that long, with that many people, I'd definitely want a condo/house. There's something nice about being able to sit on a couch, not a bed when you want to watch TV. And having your own kitchen will save you a lot in time and money, even if it's just breakfasts and some dinners. If you're traveling with kids, it's nice to put them down to bed and then relax together, as opposed to finding someplace with many connecting rooms or public space.

We rented a 3-bedroom condo on Mission Bay through someplace we found on VRBO. and were very happy. Mission Bay isn't quite as "hip" as Mission Beach or Pacific Beach, but it was beautiful and the bay was right out the door of the complex. Our kids had so much fun. I thought it was close to freeways and downtown. I don't think anywhere except Legoland was more than 15-20 minutes away.

Good luck with your hunt!

PHXscuba

 

[Donald_Quackers]

I'm staying in the Manchester Hyatt in July, I'll provide a review when I'm back if needed.

 

[eduk8r26]

The only problem with December and the beach is the weather can be "iffy". Sometimes it's rainy, sometimes it's cold, sometimes it's warm. You never know what it will be like. If you want the beach, though, I'll second VRBO. I've rented summer rentals the last 4 years and never had a problem. Another good one is vacation rentals.

 

[dismsn]

We were there in mid-April and stayed in the Mission Beach/Bay area in this house: www.vrbo.com/153795

We shared it with my brother-in-law's family and it fit nine people well--we all had beds, no pull-outs. It was near the south end of Mission Beach/Bay so it was several blocks to the amusement park area (we had just been at Disneyland so we just played on the beach and avoided the amusement park).

It is an older home and a tad bit quirky but it worked out fine for us. The best part was that it was just a block or so from Mission Bay (we spent a day there sunning ourselves and playing in the water--we're from Washington State and the sun was wonderful) and about two blocks to the ocean.

That area is extremely close to Sea World if you are interested in visiting and there was a grocery store down the main street.

Enjoy your trip!