Disneyland and San Diego Hotel

[PLUTO2]

Hi everyone, Well after reading other threads we've narrowed our choices of where to stay in Disneyland but still wondering about San Diego. If anyone could recommend a hotel there it would be much appreciated. We would like to go to Sea World, San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Thank you!

 

[cinderlexa's mom]

We visited San Diego in 2002 and loved staying at the Loew's resort. They really cater to children and the rooms are very nice. It seems you can get a good rate in advance.

Also, when we were in the downtown area, we thought that would be a nice place to stay.

 

[amw]

I also need to plan for the San Diego portion of our trip. I prefer to have a separate room for my DDs to sleep in. The hotel currently in the running for us is The Residence Inn Mission Valley/Seaworld area. They have complementary hot breakfast, Manager's Reception, and Kidsuites with a full kitchen. It's received great reviews on Trip Advisor (check out that website for more info on San Diego hotels). Here's the Residence Inn link:

http://www.residenceinnsd.com/index.php

I've never been to San Diego either, so I'm curious what people will recommend. The hotels due tend to be a little pricey though.

 

[fidoprincess]

If that is the residence inn on hotel circle, we stayed there last year and we loved it. It was nice and clean and we loved the breakfast, full with eggs, sausage and make your own waffles and also the "cocktail hour" because they served pizza and corn dogs so it was like dinner for my kids. It took just minutes to go to the zoo and seaworld but the animal park is much farther away. I'd recommend this hotel, 2 Queen beds in the bedroom, full kitchen with large fridge, sofa sleeper in living room. And the pool was nice and clean too, one baby pool and a reg pool. The location is nothing great other than easy to get everywhere else but the price is good compared to beachfront places that got sketchy reviews.

 

[amw]

If that is the residence inn on hotel circle, we stayed there last year and we loved it. It was nice and clean and we loved the breakfast, full with eggs, sausage and make your own waffles and also the "cocktail hour" because they served pizza and corn dogs so it was like dinner for my kids. It took just minutes to go to the zoo and seaworld but the animal park is much farther away. I'd recommend this hotel, 2 Queen beds in the bedroom, full kitchen with large fridge, sofa sleeper in living room. And the pool was nice and clean too, one baby pool and a reg pool. The location is nothing great other than easy to get everywhere else but the price is good compared to beachfront places that got sketchy reviews.

Glad to hear a happy customer on the disboards I was also looking into beachfront places, but couldn't find anything with consistent reviews and decent prices. Plus, we're going in March -- I'm sure one afternoon visit to the beach will be enough for my DDs! Did you manage to visit one during your trip? What woudl be the closest?

Did you book directly through the hotel? I'm trying to find the cheapest rooms, but we still have a fair bit to go before our trip. My AAA book says it's around $200/night for a kidsuite, but the Marriott hotel website lists $250/night with the AAA discount.

Sorry for all the questions. I've posted San Diego questions in the past, and never got much feedback.

TIA

 

[kitashus]

Hi everyone, Well after reading other threads we've narrowed our choices of where to stay in Disneyland but still wondering about San Diego. If anyone could recommend a hotel there it would be much appreciated. We would like to go to Sea World, San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Thank you!

Hmmm...

I used to live in San Diego...so let's see if I can help you here. Considering where you want to go, a place in Hotel Circle would be the most central. Each of those 3 parks are in totally different areas of San Diego! The traffic is absolutely horrendous there, so being central is key imho!

Hope that helps...

 

[PLUTO2]

Thanks for the ideas, when I first did a search for hotels in San Diego I was so overwhelmed and wasn't sure where to start. I knew if I asked on the DIS board I would get answers, keep them coming!

 

[fidoprincess]

The beach is very close by, both Mission Bay(that Seaworld is located on) and mission beach. When we were there we met some friends at a restaurant for dinner at Mission Beach and walked around a bit-kind of a boardwalk area with touristy shops but the waves are big and the water is rough and we live on the beach at home so my kids weren't interested in doing the beach thing. It was easy to find our way around. We paid $208/night including tax booking directly on their website using the AAA discount code. We were too late to get the kids suite though but I thought it looked cute and mine would have loved it.
It was a wonderful trip though! We bought City Passes from Costco and it was really cheap. The only extra we bought was Legoland. We did legoland, seaworld, the zoo and went on a short bay cruise the kids loved and then went up to DL for 3 days with a short visit to Knotts (came with CityPass but now it comes with Universal Studios) City Pass you have to pick either the zoo OR the wild animal park but my DD loves Pandas so we did the zoo and it was wonderful because they have a shuttle you ride everywhere. It's built on a hill so do the tour first then take the shuttle up the hill and walk down! Be sure to do DL last though because it is the best!

 

[LukenDC]

The Marriott Marina in downtown San Diego is a good hotel for families. They have a wonderful tropical themed pool complex that is very relaxing and a lot of fun. The hotel is within easy walking distance of Seaport Village and the Horton Plaza shopping complex. The Zoo is about a ten minute drive; Sea World about a fifteen to twenty minute drive.

If you have the time, try to spend half a day in La Jolla. The Cove is gorgeous!

 

[fidoprincess]

Oops, forgot to say, if you are going for a longer time, you can find condos for rent cheaper than the hotels. We found one we really liked right next to mission bay and beach area but the owner was going the same time so we didn't get it! It was really nice and had a pool and lots of extra space and did I say it was CHEAPER than the hotel.

 

[Sue & Co.]

We have not long returned from San Diego. We stayed on hotel circle north and it was a great location, not too long to get to anywhere BUT do not stay at the Handlery Hotel. We used this through a Uk travel company and it was a nightmare for many reasons, if we go again we would book the hotel separately using recommendations from sites such as this.

Sue

 

[cyjmhill]

Last time I was in san Diego I stayed at the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay (downtown area). It is located right across the street from the Seaport Village (a must see while in San Diego - the little Greek restaurant was very good). The Embassy Suites offers a great cook to order breakfast plus an evening manager's reception (cocktails and snacks - kids can come too).

Also near the hotel is the USS Midway (another must see) and Sea World and the Zoo are not too far away.

Hope this helps!!! Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[dornen]

i happen to live in san diego currently. if you are looking to save money i suggest getting a hotel on north hotel circle as the ones on the other side of the freeway are pretty lux. also downtown is rather expensive. make sure you have very clear directions to the zoo as it can be a bit complicated to find. seaworld not so much. sea world is just down i-8 west from hotel circle and is well marked. the animal park is way out near escondido a good 20 -40 minute drive but if you go make sure to feed the lorikeets. its a memory you'll keep for the rest of your life. especially if you're afraid of birds. march weather can be quite tempermental in san diego so you might want to bring a light jacket and rain gear just in case. if you plan on staying late at seaworld and the zoo definitely bring a light jacket with you. it may be hot during the day but nights can get cold. the childrens zoo at the zoo is pretty cool and there's a "tide" pool at seaworld with small harmless creatures kids can play with and a manta pool where you can feed mantas. i dont recommend the manta pool if you have a sensitive stomach. oh and watch out for seagulls.

 

[jemilah]

We always stay at the best western hacienda in old town. It is very centraly located and in the evening we walk to one of the many resturaunts and stores there. It is also a short walk to the train system "trolly" which you can take to the stadium , border, airport, or shopping among other stops. It is always clean and has a friendly staff. we have never been disapointed in the over 12 years of staying there!

 

[mommabo]

We have done San Diego twice before (live in AZ). Last time we stayed at the Hawthorne Suites on Hotel Circle. Please understand, this is definitely not the Ritz (think off property hotels across from DL), but we like having the extra room. It was very easy to get to SW, the Zoo and beaches (hint: print up mapquest directions before you go). We are going again this year and despite looking at many, many other places, we are back at Hawthorne Suites. We get a one bedroom with living room and sofa sleeper and full kitchen. I notice reviews on trip advisor don't paint a pretty picture, but for the special rate I found (99.00 a night), hubby wants to try it again. I have also make alternate ressies at the embassy for the second night, if things are really bad. If not, I will cancel Embassy (more that 2x as expensive, but much nicer). For a helpful website, try localwally(dot)com. He has good information on beaches, attractions and restaurants (I tend to agree with info on attractions, only did mission beach before so can't comment on others and mostly eat in as we have the kitchen and save lots of money ...... this helped us afford our 8 night Ft Wilderness cabins and AKL WDW new year vacation this past January - spectacular!). We are doing the city pass this summer and staying at the Desert Inn and Suites in Anaheim - never stayed there, any feedback? The trips people have posted about from San Fran to Anaheim also look like fun, will have to try that when youngest is a little older and more patient with touring Hope this helps, I have been doing lots of research so please let me know if you need more info.

 

[ploeb]

I will be staying at the Bahia in May, great hotel/resort! Alittle pricey, but on the water-Bayside. Another great place is the Catamaran. Look it up on the net, or call 800-576-4229. They have fire stunts and a feed pond, beutiul grounds. You can also see the fireworks from Sea world! Have fun!

 

[PLUTO2]

Thanks for giving some great hotel choices.

 

[lark]

How many days? For what you'll end up spending on a hotel, you could easily rent a condo. We stay up in Carlsbad. Half hour to all the places you mention (and a little less to the WAP). We just rent timeshares from owners. It's great, easy, you're at the beach, and you don't have to worry about getting two rooms -- you have a whole condo.

 

[ploeb]

Lark, great idea! Do you stay on the water??? Let mw know how I can do this.

 

[thatgirl'smom]

Last time I was in san Diego I stayed at the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay (downtown area). It is located right across the street from the Seaport Village (a must see while in San Diego - the little Greek restaurant was very good). The Embassy Suites offers a great cook to order breakfast plus an evening manager's reception (cocktails and snacks - kids can come too).

Also near the hotel is the USS Midway (another must see) and Sea World and the Zoo are not too far away.

Hope this helps!!! Enjoy your trip!!!

Oh my gosh, I totally got violently ill after eating at that Greek restaurant! Love Seaport Village, though