Sea World penguins

One of the most compelling reas0ns that people flock to see San Diego is the variety of attractions ranging from boat tours and rides to city tours and theme park attractions.

The top theme parks in San Diego County are SeaWorld San Diego, Legoland California, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Belmont Park. Among these popular attractions are seasonal events, rotating shows, world-class exhibits and rides, restaurants and collections of amazing animals.

Other types of attractions in San Diego include museums. The best collection of museums on the West Coast can be found in Balboa Park. In addition to focus on the sciences, there’s Old Town, which is an historic place comprised of a collection of buildings dating back over 100 year.  One of the most haunted houses (Whaley) is located here.

Attractions such as boat tours range from bay excursions, fishing trips out in the ocean, ferry boat rides, tours of a several types of ships, cruise ships docked in port, gondola rides at Coronado Bay, and kayak rentals.

Museums, botanical gardens such as Quail Botanic Garden in Encinitas, and Del Mar, home to the annual fair, a drive-through holiday lights show, and thoroughbred racing all provide sports, flowers, arts and crafts that are entertaining throughout the seasons.

Seaworld San Diego

We sell tickets to SeaWorld San Diego

for those seeking a seaside experience with a days’ worth of entertainment where you can count on year-round fun in the sun. Always reinventing itself and keeping it happy for locals and tourists, you can’t have a bad day when you’re watching the massive giants of the sea such as whales in huge tanks providing insider views of their huge eyes, bodies, and slick, dark colored skin.

Dolphin encounter is quite popular as a special ticketed item that allows guests to get up close and personal with the creatures, some of the friendliest in the sea.

SeaWorld has long been San Diego’s top attraction second only to its beaches. In addition to tons of exhibits, there are new and exciting shows that change quite often. Add to the shows, some thrill rides with nautical themes, plus a sky needle that takes you around the park, providing 360 degree views.

If you are looking for a family outing, you won’t find a more family friendly amusement, except maybe Legoland in Carlsbad.

Handlery Hotel San Diego

Are you looking for good San Diego hotels at great prices?  One such hotel that was in the $100 range as of this posting is the Handlery Hotel in San Diego. This is on the higher end of our “deals hotels” but because it is privately owned and has been in existence for decades, it can afford to charge less. Please scroll down for cheaper deals in the $50 – 100 range.

San Diego is an affordable vacation whether you stay at the beach, near the zoo, near SeaWorld or Old Town and Hotel Circle. We constantly check for low prices. The good news is that in off season (after August – through March) you can find countless $50 – 100 rooms. $50 seldom gets you much above a one or two diamond but if you are looking for price alone, then by all means, go have fun in San Diego. Many of the trendiest visitors stay at the cheapest hotels, opting for fashionable clothes over fashionable digs. Here are a few options to check out:

500 West
Welcome to 500 West, an affordable, upscale hostel in downtown San Diego. Enjoy comfortable, contemporary lodging, first-class service and a wide of array of amenities designed to please both convention travelers and budget vacationers.

Americas Best Value Inn
La Mesa, CA
The Americas Best Value Inn La Mesa is conveniently located between two major freeways, highway 8 and highway 94 just minutes away from San Diego attractions including Sea World, the World Famous San Diego Zoo, the Historic Gaslamp Quarter, Qualcomm Stadium, Petco Park, SDSU Transit Center…

Americas Best Value Inn

Escondido, CALocated in the beautiful city of Escondido near San Diego, The Americas Best Value Inn and Suites has a quiet, serene atmosphere- allowing you to relax peacefully while being conveniently close to Southern California*s finest attractions. Our charming 2-story property offers designated non-smoking…

Americas Best Value Inn Convention Center/Downtown

Americas Best Value Inn Convention Center / Downtown is located just off Interstate 5, in downtown San Diego. We are within one mile of the San Diego Convention Center and PETCO Park, and only one and a half miles from the San Diego International Airport.
Recently refurbished, Americas Best Value Inn…

San Ysidro, CA

Americas Best Value Inn San Diego SouthWelcome to Americas Best Value Inn & Suites San Diego / San Ysidro, located off the I-5 at Dairy Mart Road, approximately one mile from the US Mexico International Border. We are easily accessible from both 1-5 and I-805.
Our newly renovated hotel offers deluxe suites, with elevator access and a…

Beach Haven Inn

The Beach Haven Inn is located 1 block to the beach in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. Centrally located to many San Diego attractions, including Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Old Town San Diego and more. The Inn features large suites with kitchens, heated pool with spa

Best Western Golden Triangle Inn

Best Western Yacht Harbor Hotel

Hampton Inn Sea World

Homestead San Diego-Mission Valley

Hotel Occidental

The Hotel Occidental is a completely revitalized, Alonzo Award-winning historic property in the center of San Diego’s urban core, developed specifically for those business and leisure travelers who seek not only style, but value and quality.
Our idyllic location in the center of downtown’s main…

Crystal Pier San Diego

San Diego’s Crystal Pier is located at Pacific Beach. It is a wooden pier with some cute little cottages located on it. They are rented by a private company and are normally booked far in advance of a stay. You’re not missing a thing when you find out you can stay at hotels with ocean views overlooking the Crystal Pier and Pacific Beach.  Available for your visit is a handful of hotels at Pacific Beach known for its surfing, beach fun, and eclectic beach restaurants.

Sports are big here, as well. Surfing, swimming, beach, running, jogging, walking kite flying, and  sand castle building are a few strenuous to easy activities to get your body moving. As beaches go, Pacific Beach is surrounded by Mission Beach to the south, and La Jolla beaches to the north.  There are some volleyball courts to play a game, and the little souvenir shops sells paddle ball sets, Frisbees, and other balls and toys for games.

Hotels near the Crystal Pier include Diamond Head.

balboa park san diego

San Diego, California’s region of Balboa Park also includes Hillcrest area and North Park. It almost sounds like you’re talking about Chicago, but when you learn about the California city of over one million residents and many more tourists, you discover that there are many communities within this large city that spans all the way 30 miles east to San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park surrounded by Escondido.

Approx. seven hotels can be found and booked for your vacation in the Balboa Park / Hillcrest / North Park region of San Diego. Those hotels include:

• Britt Scripps Inn- in the heart of historic Bankers Hill, this Victorian-era charmer is a brief walk from Balboa Park,  San Diego Zoo, trendy Hillcrest and historic Gaslamp Quarter.  Flat panel LCD television, high speed Internet access, heated towel racks, fine linens with 1,000 thread count sheets, and velvety soft Ariana bathrobes and towels, plus  American breakfast in the morning and artisan cheese and wine gathering in the parlor in the evening make this a treat. All guests must be 21 or older, and prices are amazingly low for such elegant accommodations!
• Hotel Occidental – a budget hotel. Youthful accommodations, some shared amenities. Bike rentals. This  revitalized Alonzo Award-winning historic property in the center of San Diego’s urban core caters to business and leisure travelers who seek value and quality.   Rating: 2 Star -  out of 5
• Lafayette Hotel – a budget hotel set in an elegant Colonial-style mansion. This is a San Diego landmark.  Rating: 3 Star (out of 5)
• Park Manor Suites – Italian Renaissance building with 75 spacious suites at reasonable rates. Included is a Deluxe Continental Breakfast each morning in the Penthouse. The hotel overlooks the San Diego skyline, world famous Balboa Park and the harbor. Rating: 3 Star -  out of 5
• Sommerset Suites Hotel – all suites hotel located in San Diego’s Uptown Hillcrest district, home to two of the city’s major medical centers and an exciting new area for dining and entertainment. Nearby you’ll find a wide selection of fine restaurants as well as theaters, interesting shops and galleries. You’re just minutes from the World Famous San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park with its exquisite gardens, fine museums and the acclaimed Old Globe Theatre. Rating: 3 Star out of 5
• The West Park Inn – clean, comfortable rooms with cable TV and air conditioning in a budget hotel. For your convenience each room is equipped with a microwave and refrigerator. Walk through the romantic courtyard, where you’ll find lush landscaping. No rating available.

Blue Sea Lodge

Blue Sea Lodge on the beach at Pacific Beach sits next door to the Surfer Beach Hotel. Both are located in the heart of PB’s dining, surfing, and beach hub. Within view of both hotels are more hotels near the Crystal Pier,  a unique wooden structure that artfully frames the bay views all the way to the hills skirting the edge of town and heading into La Jolla.

Blue Sea Lodge is one of the favorite California beach hotels in San Diego, known for year-round beach fun. While other Southern California hotels tend to lose their crowds, San Diego’s tourism holds strong even into the winter months. The word is out that the weather remains fine (even better than summer), hotel prices tend to drop, and the sunshine is out.

The Blue Sea Lodge includes ocean view and rooms without the ocean scene out your door that tend to cost a bit less. You can walk along the strand outside your hotel, and dine at beach-style restaurants serving, burgers, fish, chicken and a variety of menu items that adults and kids love.  One thing you may grow to love about San Diego is its casual style. Nine times out of ten you can dine at even the best restaurants with jeans, and a jacket. San Diego is one of the most relaxing cities to visit and it’s just one more reason to make this beach hotel your next stop on a vacation that gets you back to the basics.

Blue Sea Lodge can be easily accessed a short drive from Interstate 5 Freeway, or from the San Diego Airport. Taxis are plentiful, too. When you get your bearings, you can even hop on public buses outside the hotel at a bus stop. Locals love their public transportation and they ride it a lot. They also can tell you some tips on getting around.

Blue Sea Lodge prices are quite nice.

San Diego surfer hotel

Surfer Beach Hotel is a San Diego hotel on the beach smack dab in the heart of San Diego’s fun loving Pacific Beach. The only thing that separates you from the sand is a cement walkway or strand, a boardwalk of constant activity with bicyclers, roller bladers, joggers and pedestrians enjoying this sunny side of the street.

Hotels on the beach in San Diego are more plentiful than any other California destination and this neighborhood of the city of San Diego features not one but several such beaches. Hotels along this part of the beach include Best Western Blue Sea Lodge, Ocean Park Inn and

Check out the Surfer Beach Hotel rates and available rooms.

Hilton San Diego Bayfront Convention Hotel

While I heard on a recent visit that San Diego Convention faces similar dillemas to other venues that lose business because of their convention space limitations compared to larger convention halls in other cities, from what I have seen, there are some breakout options in the nearby hotels such as the Hilton Hotel on the San Diego Bay next to the convention center. I plan to return there and wander around to do a first-hand report. But here’s some useful data and three good reasons to consider a convention or business event in San Diego.

1. Hilton San Diego Bayfront features 1,190 guest rooms, allowing for booking many of your key attendees into close proximity of the venue.
2. Hilton San Diego Bayfron offers over 165,000 sq.ft. of meeting space that can be added as break-0ut to the convention center space.
3. The 30 story tower hotel is elevated to maximize the harbor views from the main lobby and meeting areas and to allow guests direct pedestrian access to the 4.3 acre exterior waterfront park and the Convention Center.
4. Everyone loves the ocean and nice weather. San Diego vacations make an appealing package for families to see attractions such as Sea World, Legoland and San Diego Zoo during conventions and event. Comparing the atmosphere to Las Vegas, for instance, the weather and wholesome family fun is ideal for the demographic of those who attend conventions, allowing them vacation time and business write-offs in many cases.

Explore the prices and options to get a feel for the hotel’s amenities, size, and brand new building!

Pacific Beach boardwalk

There’s a lot of argument over what’s the best San Diego beaches. Locals have definite opinions and you aren’t going to be able to convince them otherwise about their choices. But as tourists, we look for a few things special to our cause: 1. Hotels at beaches in San Diego. 2. Restaurants at beaches in San Diego. 3. Clean beaches and fun activities. 4. A lively beach vibe.  5. Location, location, San Diego beach location.

Here’s my Best San Diego Beach List based on nothing but the criteria above. My number one favorite beach is Pacific Beach, mainly because it has hotels on the beach.  Overlooking the beach and bay, it has a nice stretch of sand and friendly Crystal Pier. There are great beach view restaurants, bars,  a Banana hostel, shopping, Starbucks grocery stores… you name it.

When I go to San Diego and stay on the beach I pick three spots. My first choice is The Catamaran Hotel at Pacific Beach. There are a handful of great hotels, including Best Western and Surfer’s Hotel.

I also love Mission Bay and the Hilton Resort on the bay. It used to be my first choice, but now it’s dropped in position because of the price points for a stay. It usually is a little more than Catamaran.

Third and never last is Coronado Island’s Loews Coronado Bay Resort. While the beach is a walk through a tunnel under the coast highway, there’s kind of a resort feel to the beaches there, and the hotel itself is an oasis of resort living with tennis courts, pools, spas, etc.

The next time your picking your San Diego beach vacation, you might also want to check my Californiabeaches.com features on San Diego.

I never realized when I dined at the superb Croce’s Bar & Jazz Club  (named after famed singer/songwriter Jim Croce) and owned by his wife who’s kept his memory alive for decades with his gold records and memorabilia tastefully decorating the restaurant,  that  such a charming place exists–and it rocks!

Located in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter just a stone’s throw from the convention center and ball park,  Croce’s and its connected hotel, The Keating, don’t rock  in the same manner as  the Hard Rock down the street. They rock with a vibe that counts time in a bottle spirited by the cozy intimate atmosphere in the restaurant, or the elegance of the connected Keating Hotel.

Surrounded by grandeur and modern allure, this chic retreat on the corner of 5th & F in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter,  offers ergonomic modern Italian Design punctuated by historical detail.

Bang & Olufsen Entertainment Systems, 37″ Beovision HD plasma televisions, Beosound CD stereo systems, and LavAzza espresso machines! Now that’s a WOW!  Rooms are appointed with Pininfarina furnishings.