San Diego or Miami
Jan 13, 2016, 10:38 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YQR
Programs: NEXUS; alas, no status anymore.
Posts: 1,181
I have been to San Diego four times (three by air, one by road). One of my favourite cities. Well worth visiting.
As for Miami, I will be there next month and can give you a comparison report if you like. It's considerably warmer there most of the time (even in summer San Diego can occasionally be cool and is rarely hot), but it's also a lot more humid. The feel is considerably different. (I have been to south Florida before but not specifically to Miami.)
As for Miami, I will be there next month and can give you a comparison report if you like. It's considerably warmer there most of the time (even in summer San Diego can occasionally be cool and is rarely hot), but it's also a lot more humid. The feel is considerably different. (I have been to south Florida before but not specifically to Miami.)
Jan 15, 2016, 12:56 pm
#17
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SMF
Posts: 1,251
We visited both in the past year with our three year old, although not for nearly as long as you're considering, spent 5-7 days at each. I found San Diego to be much more family-friendly with activities that are fun for both young kids and parents. Our 3 year old loved the USS Midway Museum, San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, the beaches, and Old Town. It had a more laid-back feel, but that's probably because we try to organize it to avoid the crowds (i.e. only going into downtown on weekend and traveling in May before school got out). Regarding the comment about the beaches, we never found any of the beaches we went to to be dirty at all.
The only really fun thing we liked in Miami was the Seaquarium. The beaches are nice, but our kid got toppled by a wave so he didn't want anything to do with the beach after that. During our trip there we spent 2 days down in the keys and drove over to Naples for a day as well. If I could do it over again I would go to Naples instead. Beaches were just as nice but it just felt slower and more relaxing. There's no way we could have spent 2 full weeks in Miami though. If you decide on Miami, I would do half in Miami and half in Orlando. We went to Orlando for a week on a separate trip and had a blast even without the Disney parks. There's cheap helicopter rides, Gatorland, and plenty of resorts with family activities going on constantly.
I don't know if this is a possibility for you, but with 16 days you could fly to Miami first, then onto San Diego, then back home. It might be a bit much, but with that much time its definitely doable.
The only really fun thing we liked in Miami was the Seaquarium. The beaches are nice, but our kid got toppled by a wave so he didn't want anything to do with the beach after that. During our trip there we spent 2 days down in the keys and drove over to Naples for a day as well. If I could do it over again I would go to Naples instead. Beaches were just as nice but it just felt slower and more relaxing. There's no way we could have spent 2 full weeks in Miami though. If you decide on Miami, I would do half in Miami and half in Orlando. We went to Orlando for a week on a separate trip and had a blast even without the Disney parks. There's cheap helicopter rides, Gatorland, and plenty of resorts with family activities going on constantly.
I don't know if this is a possibility for you, but with 16 days you could fly to Miami first, then onto San Diego, then back home. It might be a bit much, but with that much time its definitely doable.
Feb 18, 2016, 12:18 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 1
San Diego
So much in San Diego we have: Balboa Park, the USS Midway Museum, the Zoo Safari Park, the seaport Village, just to name a few.
You won't be able to see everything in 2 days, but you can see a lot. San Diego is very spread out, and public transportation to tourist sites can take forever.
What you want to see should determine where you stay. If you are interested in beaches, I would choose Miami. Interested in beautiful post and smooth trip Ill say San Diego^
You won't be able to see everything in 2 days, but you can see a lot. San Diego is very spread out, and public transportation to tourist sites can take forever.
What you want to see should determine where you stay. If you are interested in beaches, I would choose Miami. Interested in beautiful post and smooth trip Ill say San Diego^
Apr 21, 2016, 5:57 am
#19
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 17
My vote is definitely San Diego. It is much more family friendly and as stated in the other comments there are a ton of things to do, more so than Miami IMHO. With your length of stay, it would be an awesome time to drive up the coast on RT 1 or take a tour of some of the historic Missions. I also, disagree with the "filthy beaches" comment. SoCal has some beautiful beaches - it's worth a couple rides up the coast and picnic at a different beach each time.