California - San Diego suggestions - where to stay etc

Hey all,

Thought I might post a question in here that hopefully some locals/frequent visitors may be able to answer for me.

Heading off to the states for a trip (nyc + vegas confirmed destinations) and before heading back home to Australia we were going to head to San Diego for a couple of nights. (we being 3 guys aged around 30). They would be a Friday and Saturday night in early September.

I really don't know a lot about the place, many people have said though its well worth the visit. We don't have too much of a budget to stick to, I guess we would like to pay sub $200 for our room each per night.

We don't really want to do the tourist thing, more just hang around and do whatever, take it easy, have a few drinks etc.

Some people have suggested it may be better to go to one of the beach towns - "Ocean Beach" was mentioned a couple of times for example.

So, any suggestions from those in the know?

Thanks
Hayden

I'd recommend staying downtown (near the Gaslamp district). Good place just to hang out and have a few drinks, etc. Lot's of interesting bars, restaurants, and shops right on the bay - all very walkable too.

You'll need to rent a car (or take a bus/taxi) to get to the beach though.

I would second downtown also, its a fun place with a lot of bars at night and plenty to see during the day. One thing I would say is you need to rent a car to get pretty much anywhere. You can take the trolley, but that wont get you to La Jolla (I would definitely recommend going here) or places like the zoo if you would be interested in that.

Theres a ton of options downtown for hotels and it should be easy to find a nice one in your price range.

Thanks for the information guys - sounds like downtown might be the place to stay.

Had a look on hotwire etc and accom looks pretty reasonable actually, should easily be able to find something within the budget.

San Diego hotel rates in the downtown/Gaslamp area can be impacted by conventions (the Convention Center is adjacent).

If your Friday/Saturday are September 2-3, be aware that there is an 18,000 delegate convention on those dates. That is not a super-huge number on a par with Comic-Com, but it may affect your ability to obtain a discounted rate.

As (partial) compensation, if you and your friends are sports fans and would like to take in a baseball game, the Padres are in town on that weekend (also on the weekend of the 16th-17th); the stadium is, like the Convention center, located on the southern side of the Gaslamp and is a very easy walk from downtown hotels (the hotel across from the stadium, the Omni, even has a private sky-bridge entrance into the ballpark).

be sure to try the mexican food...

San Diego hotel rates in the downtown/Gaslamp area can be impacted by conventions (the Convention Center is adjacent).

If your Friday/Saturday are September 2-3, be aware that there is an 18,000 delegate convention on those dates. That is not a super-huge number on a par with Comic-Com, but it may affect your ability to obtain a discounted rate.

As (partial) compensation, if you and your friends are sports fans and would like to take in a baseball game, the Padres are in town on that weekend (also on the weekend of the 16th-17th); the stadium is, like the Convention center, located on the southern side of the Gaslamp and is a very easy walk from downtown hotels (the hotel across from the stadium, the Omni, even has a private sky-bridge entrance into the ballpark).

Thanks for the heads up re the conventions.

We'll actually be there the following weekend (fri 9th/sat 10th) - which I see the padre's wont be playing at home that weekend which is a bit unfortunate.

be sure to try the mexican food...

Any recommendations on where to get good mexican food? sounds like you've been there and tried it!

Any recommendations on where to get good mexican food? sounds like you've been there and tried it!


Valentine's - MX, Breakfast, Gaslamp Adj.
Nico's - MX, Lunch, Ocean Beach
Bronx Pizza - Lunch, Hillcrest

Any recommendations on where to get good mexican food? sounds like you've been there and tried it!

My favorite place is Mexican Fiesta in little italy (on india at ash). It is a little hole in the wall thats only open for lunch and is only take out but I would suggest getting their carne asada and walking across the street and sitting outside by the fountain for lunch one day if you have time to spare. Or take it down to the waterfront and find a bench.

Nicos is good as well.

For a sit down place there is ponces in kensington that i would recommend, but every so often they have a night where the food isn't as good as normal, just a warning.

Valentine's - MX, Breakfast, Gaslamp Adj.
Nico's - MX, Lunch, Ocean Beach
Bronx Pizza - Lunch, Hillcrest


My favorite place is Mexican Fiesta in little italy (on india at ash). It is a little hole in the wall thats only open for lunch and is only take out but I would suggest getting their carne asada and walking across the street and sitting outside by the fountain for lunch one day if you have time to spare. Or take it down to the waterfront and find a bench.

Nicos is good as well.

For a sit down place there is ponces in kensington that i would recommend, but every so often they have a night where the food isn't as good as normal, just a warning.

Thanks guys for the food recommendations. Much appreciated and I'll be making sure to visit these places.

Re my accommodation, I think I've decided on the hard rock. Seems to fit within the budget (less than $250 a night) and has some great reviews on tripadvisor etc.

I've been to San Diego more than 100 times, and I would definitely recommend the Gaslamp area as well. There is also the Hilton Harbor Island SAN, which is conveniently located right across from the airport. It has views of the bay and is no more than five minutes from Gaslamp.

Hard Rock is in a very good location. If your interested in a baseball game, Petco Park is right next door.

Any recommendations on where to get good mexican food? sounds like you've been there and tried it!

El Indio on India Street
Bahia #2 (aka Bahia Don Bravo) on La Jolla Blvd in Bird Rock

I'm booked in here for our 3 nights in SD

http://www.tower23hotel.com/