Nor Cal Nestie planning weekend in SD

legaleagles

Hi!

DH and I will be in San Diego in June for the RnR Marathon (our first) and ILs will be with us from florida. 

We'll be there from around June 4 - 8 (the race is on the 6th). On sunday after the race I plan to just rest and relax - and am hoping to find a hotel with a great pool and some pool side service if possible. Monday we will likely be up for some more touristy things, but again due to our work schedule both have to head home by Tuesday morning. Would you recommend the zoo? shopping? beaches?

I don't know exactly where the race starts b/c the map isn't out yet, but the expo is at the convention center so I assume the start is within a couple of miles of there. 

Are there any restaurants we can't miss?
What hotels do you recommend? We're looking for somehting around $150-$200/night; nice pool, nearby nice restaurants, maybe a nice view.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! THanks!

sarahbear

The starting line is at 6th & Laurel in Balboa Park, which is up a steep hill from downtown and too far from the convention center to walk. I would advise taking a taxi if you are staying near the convention center. There are lots of hotels downtown. Some big ones with pools are the Hyatt and Marriott, both will have rooms with downtown or bay views. Both are next to the convention center. Gaslamp Quarter is the area between 4th and 7th streets south of Broadway and is packed with tons of restaurants, nightlife and stores. Anything there would be cool. It's walking distance from hotels downtown.

SBS0628

First bit of advice -- if you stay in the Gaslamp, recognize that other events WILL be going on (night clubs, special parties, possibly even a Padres game) and they don't usually quiet down until midnight or later. I worked a special event at Petco last year, and the Marriott (across the street) kept getting complaints about the noise because guests were trying to sleep for the marathon. Either stay outside of the Gaslamp, or bring ear plugs!

As far as restaurants go, one of the best downtown is Cafe Sevilla.