Traveling to San Diego

blndsnbrdr

I posted this on theknot as well, but I just wanted to get as much input as possible! I get nervous about booking trips without more than the hotels/parks/visitors buruea's website! Thanks for any input!

 

I'm posting here because FI and I are looking to take a mini-honeymoon to San Diego in Febuary or March 2009. We are from WI and haven't been that far out west, so this would be an experience for us.

We are not big beach people, which is good because of the season, but we would like to see the ocean, and we also want to go to the zoo and sea world (we are kids like that).

I'm a Hilton employee so I can get employee rates on Hilton brand hotels. We really like the breakfasts Embasy Suites provide, so we are currently looking at the San Diego Bay Embassy Suites - Downtown. I'm open to other suggestions, but this seems like a relatively central location from what I can tell (I may be way off!).

I guess what I'm looking for is any type of suggestion or recommendation you have for us.

TIA!

ses1199

The Embassy Suites downtown is in a great location.  It is blocks away from Seaport Village, right outside the Gaslamp Quarter which is full of awesome restaurants, and within 10- 15 minutes to both Sea World and the Zoo.  I don't think you can go wrong staying there.  Especially if you get an employee discount. 

danlisa

I'd definitely reccommend downtown, esp if you aren't beach people. We live downtown and we love it...you can walk to all fun bars/restaurants in the gaslamp, you are near seaport village, little italy & hillcrest.

I love sea world and the zoo, very fun. Balboa Park is so pretty, you should defiintely walk around there.

Have so much fun!

sallyc2003

Ditto pp's.  That ES hotel is a nice one - my best friend stayed there when she came to visit us last year.  And even though we live by the water, we ended up visiting her down there because they had a happy hour, and then we walked around the Gaslamp district for dinner.  You can't go wrong!

I highly recommend the Zoo.  Sea World is good too, but touristy (and expensive).  The Hotel Del Coronado has a great brunch on Sundays if you want something special.  You should go to La Jolla and see the seals and you can even rent kayaks and snorkel around the cove. There's also great outlets up in Carlsbad if you are renting a car. Drive up along the coast and see the sunset!

Good luck, it's a fun place!

SillyStraw

I'd recommend the Wild Animal Park over the Zoo. Though you'd need a car if you went there, it is in the northern part of the county in Escondido, I think about 30-45 min from downtown, of course depending on traffic (I've never driven from that direction, so not sure). They are associated with each other, but growing up in San Diego I've always liked it better than the Zoo.