California - San Diego Hotel

Hi

Taking the family (wife + 15 yr old + 11 yr old) to California next April. We are struggling to decide which San Diego hotel to choose.
We will stay 3 nights and plan to visit Seaworld, Zoo and general chill out as we will have just arrived from UK

Currently we are looking at Hilton Mission Bay or Marriot Gaslamp Quarter but would be very happy to hear other recommendations.

We will have a hire car but have no problem using public transport to get around. What we are looking for is a decent standard hotel with good sized rooms that is in a location suitable for seeing the sights

Thanks in advance for any advice

nickyboy

We stayed as a family at the Hyatt Mission Bay near SeaWorld in December and thought it was a fine place to stay. If you were a Hyatt Diamond, I'd recommend this in a second. Since I don't see any hotel status in your profile, you may be looking for something different.

You can also get Hyatt certs for 20% off your stay at Costco, or perhaps a FT'er can help you out obtaining some.

We stayed as a family at the Hyatt Mission Bay near SeaWorld in December and thought it was a fine place to stay. If you were a Hyatt Diamond, I'd recommend this in a second. Since I don't see any hotel status in your profile, you may be looking for something different.

You can also get Hyatt certs for 20% off your stay at Costco, or perhaps a FT'er can help you out obtaining some.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have no Hotel group status so am not aligned to anywhere in particular

I am in UK so how might I get hold of a Hyatt cert (or any other discounts for that matter)?

Thanks again

nickyboy

Mariott Gaslamp has no pool- a deal breaker for my kids!

Since you'll have teen/tween kids in tow, you might consider a 2-bedroom suite at a place like the Homewood Suites Liberty Station, near the San Diego Airport. Homewood is Hilton's extended-stay division, but shorter stays are certainly welcome as well.

A suite arrangement will allow the parents privacy, while the kids can use the second bedroom and the sofa-bed in the living room. Kids and parents will also have separate bathrooms and televisions. Kitchen facilities are provided as well, as is no-charge internet access and parking).

http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/SANLSHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-San-Diego-Airport-Liberty-Station-California/index.do

The location is good (San Diego's airport is very centrally-located, rather than being in some remote suburb), so access to the freeways you will take to the various attractions is easy.

If you are not committed to a chain, I suggest you seriously consider Humphrey's Half Moon Inn. It is conveniently located on Shelter Island by
the marina and has very comfortable suites. We have stayed there with our 3 kids several times and always been very pleased.

http://halfmooninn.reachlocal.net/index.cfm

Thanks for replies so far

We prefer to stay in a place where we can walk out or take public transport to the cool areas in the evenings so we can have a few margueritas ;)

Is this possible from Homewood Suites or Shelter Island?

Also appreciate any advice on how to snag discounts on Hotels. Should we wait until nearer the date or are there discount coupons available anywhere?

nickyboy

We prefer to stay in a place where we can walk out or take public transport to the cool areas in the evenings so we can have a few margueritas ;) Is this possible from Homewood Suites or Shelter Island?
For Homewood, it would involve a short free ride on the hotel shuttle to the front of the airport terminal, from where you would catch Bus # 992 for the relatively short ride downtown:

http://www.sdmts.com/mtscr/Route.aspx?r=992

http://www.sdmts.com/Trolley/Trolley.asp

When the #992 reaches Broadway, you can transfer to the trolley (Orange Line south to the Gaslamp Quarter, or Blue Line north to Old Town for Mexican food and those margaritas :D

There is a family orientated hotel right on the Bay in Pacific Beach...very close to SeaWorld...some families could walk it, certainly could easily do on rental bikes. It has a boardwalk that takes you all around this part of the Bay (called Sail Bay) and connects of course to the ocean boardwalk, the Belmont Park (roller coaster etc.)

Check all the travel sites for the best deal. I live on this Bay and it's one of the best places around:)

www.catamaranresort.com/

Price doesn't seem to be a factor for you. I don't see why you considered these two hotels. I would suggest checking parking prices. Many hotels in the Gas Lamp area charge $20-$30 per night, maybe more, for parking. We recently stayed at the Manchester Grand Hyatt while my wife attended a conference at the nearby convention center, and then moved to the Omni for one night (got a room through Priceline for under 1/3 what I'd paid at the Hyatt, though don't know I could have gotten that during the convention). Both charged high parking fees. Public transportation, both the trolley and busses, was convenient, but with a family I'd probably drive, especially if you'll definitely keep the car. I used public transportation to go to Balboa Park, and the Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla, but it took a while (especially the latter). At some hotels in the Gas Lamp/downtown/convention center area you can be bothered by noise from the trolley and trains (reviews on Tripadvisor.com and others mention this).

Both the Hyatt and Omni were near lots of places for pleasant walks, and bars and restaurants, but not near beaches. The Omni is immediately next door to Petco Park.

Also appreciate any advice on how to snag discounts on Hotels. Should we wait until nearer the date or are there discount coupons available anywhere?

nickyboy

The hotel I recommended - Humphrey's Half Moon Inn - is listed in the Entertainment Book. I suggest you call the hotel and ask if they have any rooms at the Entertainment rate. You can also check the Entertainment Book for other hotels you are considering. The EBs are very cheap right now, since they expire in the fall and the new ones will be coming out soon. There are lots of coupons for other activities and visitor attractions as well as restaurants.

Please consider adding the San Diego Wild Animal Park (name will change in the near future) in Escondido (about 30 miles away) for your free day. The SD Zoo is great (Elephant Odyssey a must), but is only one of the top 3 zoos. The WAP is the source of many of the surviving, or nearly so, animals in the world. It is 1800 acres, of which about 800 are open, in some way to the public. The "cages" range up to 130 acres!!! Animals are represented in herds! The most modern vet center in the world is located at the WAP. As membership in the Zoo is good at the WAP and vis-versa, a membership will likely save you money as a family of 4 (passes and discounts included, ask at the ticket booth) if you attend both. A balloon ride, African safari, Segways, and a zip line are also available at the WAP. The WAP also has dozens of animals, near extension, available in very few places in the world to be seen. It is THE zoo experience, especially for those 7 years old and older. Younger children do better at the zoo. It will take an entire day and evening to see the bulk of what is available. Lots of food choices, breakfast, lunch and dinner. April is perfect, as it can get very hot in Aug-Sep.

Agree 100% about the Wild Animal Park. At first, I thought your visit was this summer and thought, "How could anyone in their right mind recommend the WAP in the summer?" But April is a GREAT month. I LOVE the WAP.

As a family, Liberty Station is a pretty good location. The Homewood Suites would allow you to save a bunch of $$ as there is a kitchen and a Trader Joes in the same complex. The Corvette Diner is also there and is a big favorite of kids - a very fun place.

It is also close to the Cabrillo Monument, often overlooked but a very special place. They have some of the best tide pools in San Diego there and the lighthouse, small museums and films are worthwhile, especially for kids. If you miss it, you will miss something very special.

I'd recommend checking Marriott.com to see what's available in San Diego during your stay. They have many hotels in the SD area ranging from modest to quite swanky, but all of them are in strategic locations. You may qualify for one of their discounted rates such as Automobile Club, Corporate, Government, Senior etc. Fairfield Inn is their most reasonably priced hotels so I'd look there first. The Hilton on Mission Bay is a beautiful hotel in a great location but it is terribly expensive most of the year. Check Hilton.com. San Diego hotels have very high occupancy rates most of the year so it's hard to find any real bargains. Good luck and I know you'll love San Diego!

just finished a 3 week business trip to a place with almost no internet so only just been able to see the more recent posts

thanks so much, this will be a great help and we are all looking forward to next April in San Diego!

nickyboy

You can get some good deals through Hotwire or Priceline. We recently stayed at the Omni Hotel, adjacent to Petco Park (baseball) and the Gaslamp Quarter, and close to trolley and bus lines, for $80 plus taxes and fees. Many hotels in the area are also good, though some have problems with noise form the trolley/train tracks nearby (check reviews on Tripadvisor.com, and if you stay there request a room away from the tracks), and parking can be high, but it sounds like you won't have a car. You will need a car to get to the Wild Animal Park, unless you find a tour. You can get to the zoo, and nearby museums in Balboa Park, by bus.