San Diego hotel choice help

[HappyGrape]

Hotels shortlists and cost in euro, all have additional parking fee

1) Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina - 946

2) DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Diego - Mission Valley - 850 and includes breakfast

3) Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Mission Valley/Hotel Circle - 800

4) Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego Mission Valley 784, includes breakfast

Which one would you choose? price is very comparable and not huge factor.

 

[SMD]

Is there a reason that you're looking at one place on Shelter Island, two on Hotel Circle and another in Mission Valley? There is a Best Western and Doubletree on Hotel Circle, right next to your 2 other hotels, actually. What are you going to do in San Diego? You could end up expending a lot of time going to and from Shelter Island is you have something planned elsewhere every day.

 

[HappyGrape]

I am just starting to look at it but


Mission beach
Belmont Park
La Jolla
Balboa Park
Old Town
San Diego Safari Park or The Zoo or Seaworld. We only have 3 days so I will only do one of them

 

[SMD]

If you're going to the beach 2 out of 3 days, go with Shelter Island. If you want to walk anywhere outside your hotel, the other 3 are awful choices. The Marriott is about a mile walk from a mall, under a freeway overpass. The one in Mission Valley near Hazard Center and Fashion Valley may be walkable to the mall, next to the freeway, but not all of the streets are passable in that area and the detours can be confusing. I wouldn't stay there unless the plan was to drive to a park and ride to take the trolley or I was going to Qualcomm. I've stayed in Mission Valley, the driving part is a pain. I've stayed in Hotel Circle for Comic Con, because it's cheap. Otherwise, they're not super nice places and nothing much to do. My preference is Gaslamp (or closer to Horton Plaza) to be downtown, Coronado to be by the beach or La Jolla when I go to see family.

 

[HappyGrape]

We will have a car and we plan to drive around but I would prefer if there are some nice shops/places to eat near by.

Would Embassy Suites by Hilton La Jolla be better option?

 

[SMD]

Have you looked at these places on a map? I Googled it, it seems to be by a mall and gets decent enough reviews. There are other places closer to the beach, like the Sheraton if you're going to be going back and forth to the beach. Most people are looking to play golf or be near the beach or University in La Jolla, so I'd recommend having an itinerary and using Google Maps to see how far you're going to travel between locations. I just had a long discussion this morning with a friend who is going to his first Comic Con about considering how long it's going to take to cross the freeway every day if he stays in certain parts of hotel circle.

 

[gilsan]

We are going to San Diego in a month for a cruise. We books the Kings Inn on Hotel Circle. It was cheap, includes parking and reviewed very well on Trip advisor. We are renting a car so we will be able to get around.

 

[cruisehopeful]

We will have a car and we plan to drive around but I would prefer if there are some nice shops/places to eat near by.

Would Embassy Suites by Hilton La Jolla be better option?

That is a very nice location. It's a busy area, but there is a mall across the street and several nice restaurants in walking distance. You'd be very close to some of the beaches in La Jolla, but expect driving to take a long time and parking to be difficult. Everything in San Diego County is relatively close to each other, but we have over 4 million residents in the county and it seems like they all have their own car, which can make traffic pretty slooow. Embassy Suites has full cooked breakfast and evening reception during the week. That can save some money.

Since you are interested in a couple things in Mission Beach, have you looked at Bahia Hotel? It's on the bay and walking distance to the beach. Personally, I'd choose Embassy Suites, but I have zero desire to do anything in Mission Beach.

 

[HappyGrape]

Can I ask why you have no interest in mission beach?

 

[cruisehopeful]

Can I ask why you have no interest in mission beach?

I grew up in the area. My memories of it are drunk people (which I think it is no longer legal to drink on the beach and boardwalk), obnoxious people, thieves and just an overall dumpier beach than many of the beaches in the county. It could have change since then, but I like a lot of the north county beaches and just stick with those.

 

[rella's fan]

We stayed at the Fairfield in Old Town and loved it, lots of shops and restaurants. You can also pick up the hop on/off trolley there and take it to all the major points of interests in the city, there's also a trolley route that goes to La Jolla.

 

[Purrkins]

I grew up in the area. My memories of it are drunk people (which I think it is no longer legal to drink on the beach and boardwalk), obnoxious people, thieves and just an overall dumpier beach than many of the beaches in the county. It could have change since then, but I like a lot of the north county beaches and just stick with those.

Nope, this is still a valid assessment of Mission Beach.

If you have a car, Mission Valley/Hotel Circle is fine and central - easy freeway access to all major arteries. The area is kind of blah - hotels, malls, car dealerships, but if you spend all day out playing tourist it is fine to come back to at night. Also central to everything you want to see except Safari Park which is central to nothing.

Belmont is at Mission Beach so two birds, one stone. And the zoo is attached to Balboa Park, so if you plan well, you can also save on time and knock those both out. I've lived here 40 years and still don't understand Old Town's appeal. La Jolla is beautiful. I would also suggest looking into the hotels at Liberty Station - especially if you are traveling with kids. Good place to run around, nice playground, excellent places to eat. Central to your San Diego list and close to the harbor. Downside, it's next to the airport and the planes taking off are loud - but that stops at 10 PM and once you're inside you won't notice them. Plus side, it's close to the airport for arrivals and departures.