I visited San Diego last October due to a work meeting. As it was such a long way to travel I thought it would be a good idea to add on a few days holiday to explore the area with a friend who was coming along.
Getting There
There are direct flights to San Diego from London however at ... Read review
Situated in San Diego's vibrant Gaslamp District, this luxurious hotel offers guestrooms ... more
with modern, Italian design as well as relaxing spa services and an on-site restaurant.The guestrooms at the Keating feature flat-screen TVs and alarm clocks with MP3 connection. After a day exploring San Diego, guests can relax with a refreshment from the fully stocked mini bar or with an in-room massage.MerK Italian Bistro at the Keating serves a variety of Italian favorites combined with a California twist. After dinner, guests can visit the hotel's trendy Sway Lounge.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
excl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: /10 - The Mission Valley Resort hotel is a charming, ... more
beautifully landscaped 20 acre property in the heart of Mission Valley, near San Diego's Old Town, the birthplace of California. The hotel's facilities provide easy access to the Beach, historic Old Town, downtown's Gaslamp Quarter, museums, golf and San Diego attractions such as SeaWorld & the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
excl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: 7,62/10 - Hotel - Boutique Historical In The Heart Of ... more
Downtown San Diego This Historic Hotel Is 2 Blocks From Horton Plaza -4 Blocks From The Gaslamp Quarter -And 6 Blocks From The San Diego Convention Center And The Cruise Ship Terminal. Retreat-Like Highlights At The Smoke-Free Sofia Hotel Include A Full-Service Spa And A 24-Hour Yoga Center And Fitness Center. Business Amenities Include A 24-Hour Business Center And Meeting Facilities. Sofia Hotel Houses 211 Guestrooms With Natural Influences -Down Comforters -And Pillowtop Mattresses. Amenities Include High-Speed Internet Access -Flatscreen Tvs -Compact Refrigerators -And Microwaves. The Sofia Hotel Takes Pride In The Fact That We Pay All Travel Agent Commissions Within A 15 Day Period Of Your Guests Departure Date.
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Gorgeous scenery, sunshine Disadvantages: transport links
I visited San Diego last October due to a work meeting. As it was such a long way to travel I thought it would be a good idea to add on a few days holiday to explore the area with a friend who was coming along.
Getting There
There are direct flights to San Diego from London however at the time these were three times as expensive as a fare with stopovers in the US and with a friend coming I wanted our flights to be as cheap ... ...got our final plane to San Diego. This may seem too much for some, but for me it was great as the plane changing gave me a chance to stretch my legs. I think I would have found 13 hours cooped up in a plane too much! One thing I did ensure was that the route was sold as one fare (rather than book individual internal US flights myself) as I would be covered should one of the flights be delayed.
I visited San Diego last October due to a work meeting. As it was such a long way to travel I thought it would be a good idea to add on a few days holiday to explore the area with a friend who was coming along.
Getting There There are direct flights to San Diego from London however at the time these were three times as expensive as a fare with stopovers in the US and with a friend coming I wanted our flights to be as cheap as possible. Our flights went from Heathrow to Washington where we changed planes for a flight to Chicago and then another change for a plane to LA, where we got our final plane to San Diego. This may seem too much for some, but for me it was great as the plane changing gave me a chance to stretch my legs. I think I would have found 13 hours cooped up in a plane too much! One thing I did ensure was that the route was sold as one fare (rather than book individual internal US flights myself) as I would be covered should one of the flights be delayed.
Where we stayed Having researched extensively we decided to stay in the Gas Lamp quarter in downtown San Diego as this has the vast majority of restaurants and shops and also has good transport links to and from the airport. We stayed in a hotel called the Gas Lamp Plaza Suites and I thought the service there was excellent. The rooms were basically mini apartments and contained a double bed, sofa (which can be turned into a sofa bed), television with cable, a small kitchen with a microwave but no other cooking facilities, and an ensuite bathroom. The staff were very friendly and approachable and were always on hand to plan trips, hire cars and advise us on where to go and what to avoid. Continental breakfast was included in the rate and took place on the rooftop terrace with excellent views over downtown San Diego and the port.
Things to do 1. Gas Lamp Quarter This is where all the restaurants, shops and entertainment is. The place is always buzzing right into the early hours so a hotel in the centre of this area may not be for everyone. In terms of cuisine there is something for everyone- Thai , Indian, Italian and Greek to name a few. A place not to be missed for desert is Ghiradillis chocolate and ice cream parlour! There are many shops in the area and also the Horton Plaza shopping centre which is worth a visit just to see the way it is built with it's various intersecting levels and walkways.
2. Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo This park is home to a variety of museums such as the San Diego Natural History Museum, the automotive museum and the aerospace museum and gardens as well as San Diego Zoo. The parks Spanish architecture is gorgeous and reminded me of a recent visit to southern spain. This is worth a visit even if you don't intend to visit the museums. I'm not a huge museum fan and so decided to skip this and instead spend the time roaming the gardens (some of which have an entry charge of around $3). I would particularly recommend the Alcazar gardens modelled on some of the gardens in Southern spain and the Desert Garden with it's interesting variety of cacti. I also recommend visiting the zoo famous for its conservation work.
3. Old Town State Park This is like a mini mexico with cute little markets selling crafts and some decent Mexican restaurants.
4. Sea World This is great for a visit if you have kids to see the star of the place a killer whale called Shamu, who has become an icon for San Diego. There are a variety of shows to see such as the Believe show where Killer whales and their trainers perform choreographed routines. We spent a few hours there but got a little bored towards the end of our visit.
5. La Jolla For me this was the highlight of the trip. This seaside community is one of the wealthiest areas in San Diego with multi-million dollar seaside villas. We hired a couple of bikes and a guide and went on a 2 hour cycle ride along some of the most stunning coastline and up to Mount Soledad. The houses we past on the way made me green with envy! We came back a second day to visit Torrey Pines State Reserve which has some not too difficult hiking trails that wind past the coast line with stunning views of the Pacific. The beaches in the area were beautiful and clean and would be great for surfing and water sports. It was not very touristy with very few shops and restaurants around, which is a contrast to most UK seaside areas. Getting here from downtown San Diego is a little difficult - we took a bus and had to get off and walk a fair amount. On our second visit we hired a car.
6. Shopping Along with the gas lamp quarter San Diego has several large shopping centres and a couple of outlet centres too that are easily accessible via public transport. These include Fashion Valley, Mission Valley and Seaport Village.
General Overall I enjoyed my trip to San Diego. The weather was perfect, around 25 degrees C with clear blue skies and dazzling sunshine but it got quite cool at night. Getting around downtown San Diego was relatively easy by bus or train which run regularly and late into the night. However travelling further afield is a little more difficult and if you wish to do so I recommend hiring a car. We didn't hire a car until the end of our trip (as I was worried about driving on the right!) and this is something I regret as I would have loved to visit Joshua Tree National Park! San Diego is fairly close to LA and it's fairly easy to combine your trip with a day trip to Hollywood, Universal Studios or Disney World. These can be organised with a coach company through your hotel. The place is definately worth a visit and I will be going back!
This review is also posted on dooyoo as user ms_123
Advantages: Its so Relaxing Disadvantages: You wont want to leave!!!!!
...fantasic Harbour and great food San Diego is one of Americas finest cities! When we visited the city we had just had a week in Los Angeles, so we knew that it would have to be great to be anywhere near the standard of LA! But it was, if anything it was a bit better because there were even less people around and there was more time to relax.
It is the ideal place to go as a couple or as a family to just go and realx, and suprisingly enough, it is ... ...number of restaurants looking over San Diegos harbour with its 100's of boats, it is just a dream. Do you like shopping? well they are great places to go, including DownTown San Diego with a great shopping Arcade, where you can feel safe, as DownTown San Diego has one of the best crime rates in America for such a built up areas!
It is also perfectly situated so you can have a day trip to Tirujana, Mexico. From this you can see the total different ...
blackbrough 29.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of San Diego (California)
Advantages: a lovely way to start a fly drive holiday Disadvantages: The flight from the U.K. is approximately 11 hours
San Diego is well worth a visit but in my opinion 5 days is enough time to enjoy the attractions it offers. The weather is sunny but not too hot as being a coastal town the ocean is never too far away. There are many attractions and the best way to view them is to take a “Trolley bus” tour. These can usually be organised at your hotel. It costs around $20 or approx £14. It is a whole day tour, which is very professionally directed. Your ... ...few miles away from one of the richest countries in the world. Keep your wits about you.
All in all, San Diego offers good food, good hotels and a laid back atmosphere. There was no evidence of the “rat race” here. A destination well worth considering. ...
jewels 04.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of San Diego (California)
Advantages: One of the best Family Resorts in the World Disadvantages: You will never want to leave
San Diego is a city in a Million.
My wife and I live in Kidderminster , Worcestershire , UK and have visited the City on at least 10 occasions.
If we could emigrate , we would live in San Diego - but why.
Weather :- A constant pleasant temperate climate all year round. Never too hot , never too cold.
Beaches :- Mission Beach , La Jolla Beach - excellent places to see and be seen.
Shopping :- Horton Plaza , Seaport Village just for starters.
... ...Clyde the Sea Lions) , San Diego Zoo , without doubt the best Zoo in the World (http://www.sandiegozoo.org/) , Wildlife Park , Seaport Village , La Jolla , Del Coronado - I could go on and on.
This is a city where Kids , Couples & Familes will enjoy themselves till their hearts content.
Click on the link below to order a free City Guide.
http://www.sandiego.org/ ...
richardandkaye 26.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of San Diego (California)
Advantages: The place where lifestyles are created Disadvantages: Having to leave to come back to work
...later we arrived in Downtown San Diego.
San Diego is everything LA is not, it's clean, the downtown area was well lit with non threatening people.
Prior to leaving LA we had booked ourselves into the Banana Bungalow (BB) in the Northern costal resort of Mission Beach. BB is a hostel right on the beach with a beautiful and large deck out the back where you can just kick back and enjoy the view.
After settling in (staff were way friendly) we decided ... ...a residential resort that is making the most of its beach frontage. The front is full of bars and restaurants, a few motels but as you drift a couple of blocks in land it's residential housing.
The beach was wonderful, clean, long and soft sand and although we went in December the water was still warm enough that you didn't need a wetsuit.
For me there are two reasons why I will be going back and back and back. Firstly I am a triathlete, admittedly ...
simoncrouch 01.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of San Diego (California)
On the San Diego quey-side there is every kind of shop imaginable, all of high quality. If you want to buy indian carvings or possible do some Christmas shopping this is the place to go. During the day there are ships you can visit and explore and for a reasonable price. There are one or two hour tours of the bay which is also a good price and go all day. At night there is not much to do in the centre but there are plenty of wonderful restaurants ...
bigphil 25.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of San Diego (California)
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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Southern California.
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In 1911 the "Federal" (Mexican federal soldiers) slaughtered 31 "Mangonistas" (rebels) that just kept the control of Tijuana after the Mexican revolution..
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Tijuana become the "wildest in the wild" when in 1920 the Federal Government of the United States of America introduced the law against alcoholics and all Californians elected this city as their preferred destination.
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Advantages: Great Shows, plenty to see Disadvantages: Can't do it all in one day
Bay, Florida, Adventure Island in Tampa Bay, Florida, SeaWorld in SanDiego, California, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Virginia, SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas and Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
>>>Directions<<<
SeaWorld is located at the Intersection of Interstate 4 and Florida 528 just 10 minutes from Downtown Orlando. It is signposted well and is easy to access.
We were staying at the Comfort Inn hotel which provided a shuttle bus each day which was just a 15 minute journey from the hotel.
If you are staying on International Drive the I-Trolley operates a route to Seaworld reguarly and is fairly low in cost to catch.
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SeaWorld is open from 9am daily all year round, summer holidays do have extended opening hours and you may want to plan at least two ...
Advantages: Plenty to do, ability to interact with animals Disadvantages: None
Bay, Florida, Adventure Island in Tampa Bay, Florida, SeaWorld in SanDiego, California, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Virginia, SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas and Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
>>>Directions<<<
SeaWorld is located at the Intersection of Interstate 4 and Florida 528 just 10 minutes from Downtown Orlando. It is signposted well and is easy to access.
We were staying at the Comfort Inn hotel which provided a shuttle bus each day which was just a 15 minute journey from the hotel.
If you are staying on International Drive the I-Trolley operates a route to Seaworld reguarly and is fairly low in cost to catch.
<<>>
SeaWorld is open from 9am daily all year round, summer holidays do have extended opening hours and you may want to plan at least two ...
