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| *Travel Tips>>>San Diego Travel Tips |
Where is a good place in Sandiego to stay? |
Travel Info Im going there for the first time with my family and we were more looking for 1. Many places to visit 2. Get a good sense of what SanDiego is like 3. Are more interested in the MIDDLE OF THE CROWD and middle of city places. 4. Ocean side is ok, but not the best. Where should we stay? What is the downtown like? Are there any free entertainments or cheap waterparks, amusement parks, etc that we can enjoy? Please help me plan this Sandiego trip as fun as possible for my family. Travel Tips I think if you are looking to be centrally located that Mission Bay would be a good choice. It is right next to the "Dipper" wooden rollercoaster at Belmont Park which is on the beach. YOu can spend a day cruising the boardwalk o the beack and at Belmot Park. It is also minutes away from Sea World though I am told it is not cheap anymore. I personally have not been there in years. The other benefit of Mission Beach is that you can be on the beach or cross the street and be on the bay side. The World Famous San Diego Zoo is only a 20 minute drive away and Balboa Park is a great place to walk through with many attractions that dont cost a cent. There is a waterpark south county in Chula Vista. I would have to go look up the name for you. There is so much do do in San Diego al within 20-30 minute drive. Actually you can be at the beach at sea level and in the mountains at 5,000 ft in a matter of 30 minutes. I don;t spend much time downtown but the Gaslamp has been redone and tourist friendly not to mention Seaport Village. If you take the ride actoss the san diego-Coronada Bay Bridge it will take you into Coronado and you can stroll the cleanest beach around. It is beautiful. It is also home of the famous Hotel Del Coronado Hotel which the "wizard of Oz" was written at and loosely based on. I am sure I can think of more but that is a good start. I forgot to mention "Old Town" which is another place you can spend the day strolling around for pennies and learn some history and I always take my company up to Mt. Soledad so they can get a great view of the sourrounding area. La Jolla is well known but extremely congested and high dollar. It was home to Dr. Suess and the coves are nice to visit but as I said it is congested. I would not suggest going into Tijuana at this time. There are a lot of political issues going on and personally it isnt that great an attraction uless you just want to say you crossed the border and went to Mexico...lol Others THE ZOO THE ZOO THE ZOO THE park is great they have some pretty cool musems there Downtown has a great mall Then there's the Light house and you might want to consider visiting TJ while you're there. (Make sure you have a passport) Katson6 pretty much hit right on target for everything. We were there last year and to cut cost we stayed at a hotel on Hotel Circle Dr. easy access to anywhere you want to go. I highly recommend the Old Town Trolley tour. You not only get the history but you will get a good feeling of the places you want to go back to. to me San Diego is the easiest city to get around and I would defiantly go back. Sea World is a fun place to go, also La Jolla shores is a really nice beach, you can surf, swim and they have areas where you can go snorkling. I would stay some where near La Jolla shores because they have really nice hotels and the town is beautiful, there is also alot of outlets and different resturants. Not all the hotels are bye the shore though except one. If you want to have some night life around that really crowded I recomend staying in downtown San Diego because its young and alot of fun. You can find alot of historic hotels there also. From now 'til Labor Day, you're entering into a very busy time of the year. For example, San Diego was rated #1 in the Southland as the place most travelers would be visiting over Memorial Day weekend. Let me try and answer, however. WHERE SHOULD YOU STAY? You want to be centrally located. Mission Valley is essentially the heart of the county, and the area known as Hotel Circle is where many hotels are located. I would check several traveler websites for objective reviews. (See below for traveler reviews). As you know, you want to be booked at least 3-4 weeks before visiting anywhere in the summer. If you're driving a car, then you won't be too faraway from most places. Keep in mind, however -- like most major cities, rush hour traffic is problematic. You don't want to be on the freeways before 9 a.m., or between 3:30-6:30 p.m. WHAT IS SAN DIEGO LIKE? The weather is wonderful. Rain will never be an issue, but it will be hot, late July through August. But, so is everywhere else! So, it's not as bad, especially near the water. Despite being the nation's 7th largest, San Diego feels like a village. San Diego is part Southern California / part Mexico. It's relaxing. The only uptight folks are, perhaps, out-of-towners. Or transplants from out of town. So it's cool here. Yes -- there's crime, like everywhere else, so just be careful like you would in any major city. (Crime is down, but there's crime, that's all). MIDDLE OF THE CROWD -- Being a tourist-oriented city, you won't find too many discounts. But the Zoo is as good as any zoo on the planet, and the Wild Animal Park is wonderful. You can get a package deal if you go to both. Just inquire at the ticket booth for deals. Sea World, in my opinion, is too expensive. But, if you plan on being there all day, you'll get more bang from your buck, rather than a shortened stay. Seaport Village is a wonderful place to visit. It's just south of the Embarcadero on Harbor Drive. Lots of casual eateries, shopping, and sightseeing. Even if you don't buy anything, it's a nice place to walk around. You can take the ferry to Coronado Island. It's $5 roundtrip, and it's a nice boatride to a famous resort island. The ferry landing is pretty close to Harbor Drive, as well. There are also 1 and 2 hour schooner / boat rides of San Diego Bay -- and some have dinner served. Someone mentioned La Jolla Shores. Yes, definitely a great place. One of the largest beaches in California, and it's free. (Parking is tough, so you need to get there by 10 a.m. If the parking lot is full, you can park on the streets, but only for 2 hours, before moving to a new location). The La Jolla Caves are great. There's snorkeling, kayaks, etc. I would avoid Mission Bay. It's polluted. And while there are excellent beaches in other southern areas, unfortunately, the closer you get to Mexico, the more bacteria is hanging out in the water. The sewage from Mexico is winked at, for the sake of us being good (tolerant) neighbors. But unless you have your ears covered, you might get bacteria. Another Middle of the Road place is Belmont Park. It's an amusement park, with a small roller coaster, and other fun stuff. Beach, too. Someone else mentioned Old Town. Good idea. Shops, places to eat, touristy, nice walking areas. Of course -- the jewel of San Diego is Balboa Park. In addition to the zoo, there are MANY museums. Visit the Park Headquarters (or look online) to see what discounted offers are available for visiting multiple museums in one week. Cheap waterparks? There's a Splash park in Chula Vista. But if you can do that anywhere. I'd take advantage of the beaches to get the most fun. Just bring plenty of sunscreen, ok? You don't want a bad burn to ruin your vacation. You mentione "Ocean side". If you mean the city, you're right. Besides, it's 45 minutes away, and that's too far. "Free entertainment"? Balboa Park, Old Town, are the closest you'll get to free, though not entertainment. The atmosphere in the Park is so relaxing and yet, cultural. Downtown. If you're a baseball fan, it would be a great ending to a downtown visit. Just look up the San Diego (Petco Park) website to see when there are games and just promise you'll behave and cheer for the Padres! (Heh). San Diego doesn't feel like a busy downtown, or an old one, even though we are the oldest city in California. Horton Plaza is THE mall to visit downtown. From there, you can head towards the Gaslamp Quarter and enjoy a meal, or even catch a movie. (There are movies in Horton Plaza as well, but the Gaslamp Theaters are better, and less crowded). Hmm. I guess that's a good start. Have fun! Let the Creator be your travel agent (give Him your thoughts) and your plans will go beyond your expectations. Plus -- He will accompany you. www.tripadvisor.com www.hotels.com lifelong (and native) San Diegan |
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