Best San Diego hotel area for families

[vicarrieous]

We are looking for a family friendly hotel in proximity to a beach for a 3 day/2 night stay before we head to Anaheim and two friends recommended the Bahia & Catamaran but have seen somewhat mixed reviews for the quality of the resort vs. price. These seem to be two resorts that really have nice beach access but looking for other thoughts as well. We also plan to spend a day at the San Diego Zoo and won't be renting a car. I am assuming Uber/Lyft if fairly regular within these areas?

 

[StarSeven7]

We are looking for a family friendly hotel in proximity to a beach for a 3 day/2 night stay before we head to Anaheim and two friends recommended the Bahia & Catamaran but have seen somewhat mixed reviews for the quality of the resort vs. price. These seem to be two resorts that really have nice beach access but looking for other thoughts as well. We also plan to spend a day at the San Diego Zoo and won't be renting a car. I am assuming Uber/Lyft if fairly regular within these areas?

We ended up booking at the Old Town Inn. It had good reviews on Tripadvisor and the Old Town area seems pretty central to everything. We don't really need to be walking distance to a beach since we will be there in March so we were fine with the location.

 

[vicarrieous]

We ended up booking at the Old Town Inn. It had good reviews on Tripadvisor and the Old Town area seems pretty central to everything. We don't really need to be walking distance to a beach since we will be there in March so we were fine with the location.

Thanks for the recommendations, unfortunately I think hubby is set to be by the beach which makes it tougher.

 

[StarSeven7]

Thanks for the recommendations, unfortunately I think hubby is set to be by the beach which makes it tougher.

Yeah sorry, I don't really have any recommendations! I just looked at a couple by the beach and they were way out of our price range so I didn't look too carefully at them.

 

[DLgal]

Thanks for the recommendations, unfortunately I think hubby is set to be by the beach which makes it tougher.

Be aware that Mission Bay is NOT "the beach." Its more like a lakefront. It's definitely not an area that I would recommend, as mentioned above. It's all old and run down. Mission Beach is not the nicest beach.

It's hard to find actual beachfront hotels in San Diego unless you stay at the Hotel del Coronado. The Loews Coronado Bay is very close to beach access also.

A lot of San Diego waterfront is harbors and bays.

 

[vicarrieous]

Be aware that Mission Bay is NOT "the beach." Its more like a lakefront. It's definitely not an area that I would recommend, as mentioned above. It's all old and run down. Mission Beach is not the nicest beach.

It's hard to find actual beachfront hotels in San Diego unless you stay at the Hotel del Coronado. The Loews Coronado Bay is very close to beach access also.

A lot of San Diego waterfront is harbors and bays.

Thanks this is helpful. The more I look the more I think staying in the Gaslamp area will be more conducive for getting around to the things we want to do, except beach.

 

[oakleycat]

If you're looking for budget but still nice than Old Town Inn will be great. Close to the zoo and fun to wander around Old Town and have dinner at night. The Hotel Circle area also has a lot of good places in that category. We've stayed there a lot for overnights with our kids when we don't want to spend a lot and be close to everything.

For nicer/closer to the water but still not ridiculously priced and with kids, I'd recommend Hyatt Mission Bay, Dana Inn, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Humpheys Half Moon Inn or if you want Coronado, Glorietta Bay Inn. Encinitas and Carlsbad are great but not convenient for the Zoo and most tourist activities.

 

[StarSeven7]

If you're looking for budget but still nice than Old Town Inn will be great. Close to the zoo and fun to wander around Old Town and have dinner at night. The Hotel Circle area also has a lot of good places in that category. We've stayed there a lot for overnights with our kids when we don't want to spend a lot and be close to everything.

For nicer/closer to the water but still not ridiculously priced and with kids, I'd recommend Hyatt Mission Bay, Dana Inn, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Humpheys Half Moon Inn or if you want Coronado, Glorietta Bay Inn. Encinitas and Carlsbad are great but not convenient for the Zoo and most tourist activities.

Thanks for the recommendations! I checked out a few of those hotels and those would be great options if we had a bit more time to spend actually at the beach!

 

[vicarrieous]

If you're looking for budget but still nice than Old Town Inn will be great. Close to the zoo and fun to wander around Old Town and have dinner at night. The Hotel Circle area also has a lot of good places in that category. We've stayed there a lot for overnights with our kids when we don't want to spend a lot and be close to everything.

For nicer/closer to the water but still not ridiculously priced and with kids, I'd recommend Hyatt Mission Bay, Dana Inn, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Humpheys Half Moon Inn or if you want Coronado, Glorietta Bay Inn. Encinitas and Carlsbad are great but not convenient for the Zoo and most tourist activities.

Thanks for this! I think we really need to pin down our priorities. With only a day and a half we wanted to find the best way to enjoy the Zoo and the Beach, but I think we may have to give up one and really focus on the other which will drive our hotel choice.

 

[Sabine W.]

My kids love places like Residence Inn. It's not about the hotel so much when you are visiting a place with so many activities to keep you busy all day. The Residence Inn is perfect for families because you can give kids their own room so everyone sleeps better plus a kitchen where you can prepare snacks or small meals for the kids, if necessary. Plus, free breakfast every morning is nice.

That particular one has some really nice bay views and a cool rooftop pool.

Just found this thread and planning a similar trip for summer. Do you recall specifically which Residence Inn would be best? There seem to be 3 in a very small area in San Diego. I'm not familiar with the area at all so spell it out for me. Thank you!

 

[DLgal]

Just found this thread and planning a similar trip for summer. Do you recall specifically which Residence Inn would be best? There seem to be 3 in a very small area in San Diego. I'm not familiar with the area at all so spell it out for me. Thank you!

This one:

Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego Downtown/Bayfront
(619) 831-0225
900 Bayfront Ct, San Diego, CA 92101


https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hote...ce=1_MjgyNjc4MS03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24ud2Vic2l0ZQ==

 

[Sabine W.]

This one:

Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego Downtown/Bayfront
(619) 831-0225
900 Bayfront Ct, San Diego, CA 92101


https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hote...ce=1_MjgyNjc4MS03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24ud2Vic2l0ZQ==

Thank you!!