San Diego Hotel Ideas

[MOM TO 4]

Hi. We are planning a 2 week trip to California in July with preteens/teens. We are staying in 3 different hotels. The Hilton universal for 4 nights and Disneyland hotel for 5 nights. We would like to stay in San Diego for 5 nights. I need help with hotel ideas and activities for that portion of the trip. I was thinking mission bay resort. How’s anyone stayed there ? Is it nice ? I am open to other hotels as well. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[bennifer]

I can't give you any recommendations yet, but we are staying at the mission bay resort in a few weeks for 3 nights, so I can give you my thoughts after! I spent all of yesterday thinking I may have made the wrong choice because there are so many other hotels closer to the things we want to do (zoo, Balboa Park, USS Midway), but in the end I decided that a lovely place on the beach with a water view will be perfect for my normally landlocked family.

 

[oakleycat]

I haven't been there but it looks beautiful. In that area of SD, I've stayed at the Hyatt Mission Bay and The Dana at Mission Bay and both were great.

 

[Gladys Belcher]

Beach hotels are great. It just depends upon ocean, water, and your vision of what you and the kids want to do....

Red Trolley Line runs up and down into college areas, Little Italy, Seaport Village , Downtown , Gaslight or down to Chula Vista.

We've taken Taxi /Uber /Lyft , Sea World , Navy Pier , Balboa Park. (Museums, Botanical gardens, etc... ) Freeways exchanges can get really silly.

Blessings for a safe trip.

 

[Kerr84]

I got a hotwire deal for Tower23 in June. I looked at Mission Bay and a few others too.

 

[DLgal]

Not a fan of Misson Bay. First of all, it's not the ocean. It's a bay. It's like a lake, and its not very clean. Second, it's quite isolated and not very close to most San Diego attractions except Sea World.

I prefer the Gaslamp Quarter area, or one of the hotels near the USS Midway Museum/Seaport Village.

 

[MOM TO 4]

Not a fan of Misson Bay. First of all, it's not the ocean. It's a bay. It's like a lake, and its not very clean. Second, it's quite isolated and not very close to most San Diego attractions except Sea World.

I prefer the Gaslamp Quarter area, or one of the hotels near the USS Midway Museum/Seaport Village.

Do you have any recommendations for a hotel on the beach and also has a nice pool?

 

[foolish_mortals]

I agree that Mission Bay isn’t really an ocean. It’s more like a lake that actually was dredged to cover a toxic waste landfill that borders Mission Bay. It’s why Sea World can’t build a hotel.

Hotel Del Coronado is fine, little old fashioned but, by the beach, and a nice pool

 

[DLgal]

Do you have any recommendations for a hotel on the beach and also has a nice pool?

There aren't really hotels on the beach in San Diego unless you go to Coronado and stay at the Del. I'd not focus on finding a beach hotel, specifically. Find a hotel centrally located to the things you want to do. The beach is easily accessible via car.

I like the Marriot Marquis or the Manchester Grand Hyatt. For more space, I like the Residence Inn near the Midway Museum. Lowes Coronado Bay is pretty spectacular, albeit kind of isolated.

 

[bennifer]

I agree that Mission Bay isn’t really an ocean. It’s more like a lake that actually was dredged to cover a toxic waste landfill that borders Mission Bay. It’s why Sea World can’t build a hotel.

Hotel Del Coronado is fine, little old fashioned but, by the beach, and a nice pool

Well, now I'm officially looking for a new hotel, too! Yikes!

 

[DLgal]

Well, now I'm officially looking for a new hotel, too! Yikes!

Honestly, good move. I stayed in Misson Bay once for one night and I was so grossed out. The hotel we stayed in was just damp and smelled mildewy and it was just...ugh, bad memory. We had to be there for an event at the hotel but I have never gone back. It was the Bahia. I just remember the whole place smelling bad and there being so many bugs all around.

 

[MOM TO 4]

Thanks everyone. I am definitely looking for a new hotel. Any hotels with water slides and pool activities? I wanted at least one resort day for relaxing.

 

[DLgal]

Thanks everyone. I am definitely looking for a new hotel. Any hotels with water slides and pool activities? I wanted at least one resort day for relaxing.

Waterslides? Probably not. The only hotel I know of with a waterslide is Hyatt Regency Mission Bay. But then you are back on Mission Bay...

Most hotels have a pool, but I can't imagine spending a whole day poolside.

The Marriott Marquis has one of the nicer pools.

Keep in mind that San Diego is a city. As such, most hotels have small footprints and don't have large, sprawling grounds and pools.

You'd have to go north to somewhere like Omni La Costa or the Park Hyatt Aviara to get a true resort pool experience.

 

[foolish_mortals]

The Lodge at Torrey Pines is another option, very resort and while I wouldn’t say it’s “kid friendly”, no water slides for example, I wouldn’t say it’s not… The beach isn’t walkable but they do have beach equipment for their guests to use. They have a nice pool and their spa is FANTASTIC!

 

[bookgirl]

Hi. We are planning a 2 week trip to California in July with preteens/teens. We are staying in 3 different hotels. The Hilton universal for 4 nights and Disneyland hotel for 5 nights. We would like to stay in San Diego for 5 nights. I need help with hotel ideas and activities for that portion of the trip. I was thinking mission bay resort. How’s anyone stayed there ? Is it nice ? I am open to other hotels as well. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

Be aware that Comic Con happens in SD in July. It will be near impossible to get accommodations during that time (20-24) in or near SD.

Basically the further out you go the easier but anything that gives train access to SD will also be booked.

 

[beckicnm]

Not a fan of Misson Bay. First of all, it's not the ocean. It's a bay. It's like a lake, and its not very clean. Second, it's quite isolated and not very close to most San Diego attractions except Sea World.

I prefer the Gaslamp Quarter area, or one of the hotels near the USS Midway Museum/Seaport Village.

I agree with this. I went to a conference there last year. There are no good dining options other than the resort, which is expensive. I didn't stay there, but a friend of mine did and she wasn't happy. I stayed at a Fairfield Inn (Marriott points) about a mile away and had many different options for eating that I could walk to.

I have also stayed at the Sheraton by the airport and it was lovely. Beautiful views - you can see the cruise terminal. Easy to get to downtown. I would definitely stay there again. The Residence Inn by the cruise terminal is also very nice.

 

[MOM TO 4]

Has anyone stayed at the Town and Country hotel? Is it far from the beach and attractions? Are their restaurants within walking distance? We will have a rental car

 

[bennifer]

Has anyone stayed at the Town and Country hotel? Is it far from the beach and attractions? Are their restaurants within walking distance? We will have a rental car

I haven't stayed there, but it was on my short list after I cancelled mission bay! I really like the look of the pool area, etc, but for this trip, I don't think we'd use it enough to make that worth it for us. We ended up booking Hard Rock Hotel in the Gaslamp District. My husband really likes that area and what 13 yr old boy won't like feeling like a rockstar?

 

[vicarrieous]

I know its farther up the coast, but anyone stay at La Jolla Shores Hotel?

 

[Becca1007]

We've stayed at the Park Hyatt Aviara and it was lovely. We also like the US Grant Hotel but it does not have a pool.