If you’re looking for prices you can afford for an excellent San Diego vacation, check out “The Rock”, Hard Rock, that is. Located at the entrance to Gaslamp Quarter, the hotel features incredible rooms that offer comfort, cool and location. You can go down to the lobby for music and drinks, or head out the door for some great Gaslamp steaks and sizzling nightlife.

Check out prices at Hard Rock these days!

Nearby, enjoy a variety of family entertainment. Our favorites include San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Sea World, and shopping for silver jewelry, leather goods, and even pharmaceuticals at a fraction of U.S. prices just across the border in Tijuana.

Be sure to check out Hard Rock soon. There are some deals, but by summer, they’ll be gone.

Hard Rock Hotel

A great family hotel in San Diego often overlooked for the better known beach properties to the south is the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. With many perks and amenities for families with kids, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the beach activities, plus on site resort activities that will keep you having fun all day and night.  There are suites with kitchenettes, but with so much dining on site and nearby in La Jolla village, you probably won’t do that much cooking, except maybe the beach BBQ at sunset on the hotel’s beach.

Some call the hotel “old school” because of the club atmosphere with the active tennis club. If you’re priming your kids for tennis careers or just want them to have the experience of playing this is a great spot. The tennis courts are one of the most immaculate portions of the property, in fact.

What’s neat about La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club is the way the suites easily access the beach. With lawn chairs lined up facing the ocean, it’s all about the beach in La Jolla. For the kids, we like the fact that burgers can cost around $10 instead of the gourmet bleu cheese burgers at expensive San Diego beach resorts where you pay a mininum of $15 and usually more for just a hamburger for the kids.

There’s golf, a small gym, and the famed Marine Room restaurant with spectacular ocean views and dynamo chefs preparing fine cuisine.

The cheapest rooms at the hotel are the garden view one bedroom options. But you can step your way up to a luxury accommodation with ocean front setting, full living room, kitchen, and bedrooms.

La Jolla is a region of San Diego that is located on the northern end of the city and its beaches. It has long been considered the luxury part of town, kind of like Carmel on the the Central Coast. La Jolla has other luxury beach resorts and casual beach accommodations. It features a great, beach-close downtown with arts, shopping and dining.  The attractions of San Diego such as Sea World and the Zoo are no more than 15 minutes or so away. If you are looking for an unpretentious family vacation where you’ll have a comfortable, secure feeling, La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club is one of the best bets.

For an extensive list of San Diego Family hotels, the website, California Beaches, has put together a pretty good one.

La Quinta Mission Valley

La Quinta Mission Valley is well known for its great prices, ideal for families and those on a budget. With Free Parking, Complimentary High-Speed Wireless Internet, and Continental Breakfast, it is no wonder that the place is so popular. Centrally located to major attractions, shopping and ball parks, La Quinta Inn Mission Valley is less than one mile from two world-class shopping centers, Petco Park, Mission Bay, SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Old Town, the San Diego Harbor, Gaslamp Quarter,  the airport and more.

La Quinta Prices & Package Deals with Theme Park Tickets

While the parking is free, one of the biggest complaints for those driving large vehicles and big SUVs is the size of the parking spaces in the garage. The parking is tight. Two room suites are available, and the rooms are clean.

An inviting outdoor swimming pool appeals to the many families who frequent the hotel. Summers are winters offer equal opportunities to swim as the San Diego weather is some of the mildest in the United States during December through February. Many folks from the midwest gravitate to San Diego and this budget hotel, staying three days to a week at a time. My family and I stayed here for 3 nights and recommend getting two queen beds rather than counting on the sofa bed, which is less comfortable.  It’s a really nice motel with friendly, helpful staff.

The breakfast room can be quite busy as the hotel does a whopping business and there isn’t space for all families to eat there at once. You can either sneak your food back to your room, which we prefer to do, or just move on in and get what you want, tight quarters or not. It’s really no big deal as far as I’m concerned, as I don’t eat breakfast anyway.

As a matter of fact, I hopped in the car and went looking for a Starbucks cafe, finding one not far away. Overall, my family said the breakfast choices and quality were good for being free. Would I stay there again for $89/night? Why not? The prices are decent, plus you get a free breakfast meal. That’s a heck of a deal.

Where to eat? There are many great Mission Valley restaurants for families and adults. Denny’s for the full American breakfast is one of our favorites. Steakhouses abound in the Mission Valley, and family favorites include Applebees.

US Grant

The stately US Grant hotel in downtown in San Diego, an early 1900′s  brick building on the National Register of Historic Places, was built by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., son of the 19th president of the United States. Opened in 1910 after delays because of the shortage of lumber as a result of th San Francisco 1909 earthquake, the building opened  with much fanfare. It was a beautiful hotel with marble and rich wood treatments, a 500 seat ballroom, and location across from Horton Plaza. Check out the great photos of the hotel.

Experiencing several massive renovations (one was over $80 million), the US Grant has hosted 14 presidents during its illustrious career as San Diego’s jewel of the downtown. Recent renovations occurred in 2006 and everything shines as a Starwood Hotel. Located in the center of the downtown area,  walking distance from Petco Park, Gaslamp Quarter with its wonderful Croce’s, many great restaurants and bars, and special street events, if you seek historic ambiance, and location, you will love it.

Guests arriving by Amtrak from Union Station can easily make the walk over to the hotel, or catch a cab a few short blocks it that makes more sense.

Tower 23 Hotel

Are you looking for the top rated business hotels in San Diego? Look here for the viewers’ choice awards for best amenities, quality and service! San Diego is one of the best places to attend conferences, conventions and business meetings, thanks to its quality hotels, many with ocean and bay views. Add to that distinction, the number of rooms available in the heart of the financial district which includes tours, attractions, shopping, dining, and nightlife, and you will feel comfortable in visiting on business and even bringing your family along.

Among the surprises is #7 ranked viewer’s choice, Tower 23 Hotel, on the strand at Pacific Beach. Egyptian cotton sheets and luxury amenities along with beach bars and restaurants show that business travelers can include surfers and beach-lovers selling their products to a multi-billion dollar industry base in the surfing industry!

Top-Rated Hotels

1. Homewood Suites San Diego Airport – Liberty Station
2. Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Airport/Liberty Station
3. Homewood Suites San Diego-Del Mar
4. Omni San Diego Hotel
5. Best Western Lamplighter Inn and Suites
6. The Grand Del Mar
7. Tower23 Hotel

Se San Diego Hotel

Se San Diego Offers 45% OFF!

Se San Diego looks and feels like the finer hotels of the world. When you visit China and stay in a four or five diamond accommodation, you can expect firm, luxury bedding (often with silk sheets and comforters), and city lights views. Se San Diego carries similar color schemes, modern, clean lines, and new glass windows and door treatments that clearly outshine the finer properties in China.

As of this posting, Se is offering a discount for accommodations. While such offers are guaranteed to change, the main thing you should know is that it’s likely you’ll be getting a room on a lower flower rather than the penthouse and higher floor city lights views. But if you are looking for a truly quality room and don’t need to be on top of the world, this is a perfect time to book a room at Se, located at 5th and Broadway at the gateway to Gaslamp Quarter.  You can pay more and get better views, of course.

Be sure to enjoy the swimming pool, spa and dining when you make your next visit. Se is a self-contained hotel with alll the creature comforts. It also accepts pets, through there’s a $150 deposit. You got it…Se isn’t a cheap hotel. Se is a luxury hotel and for that, you must pay. But when they take 45

Old Town San Diego Courtyard

San Diego’s Courtyard Old Town features a freeway close location that many like. When you get 20 opinions about something, one thing is certain. Not all will agree on most anything. That is true of the Courtyard San Diego Old Town. Having stayed there many times, we do like the location. The hotel features Old Town dining and shops just a few minutes walk away. It’s very convenient in that account.  Only a five to ten minute drive from SeaWorld, and very close to Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo, the Courtyard does a fair amount of business and offers nice little perks.

Some of the strong points include an incredibly friendly staff, clean rooms, and location, location. Located right off Interstate 5 Freeway, you have easy freeway access to most every attraction in the city. If you prefer not to drive or want to split up from your family or friends, you can hop aboard the Old Town Trolley, which requires a ticket, and enjoy not only getting a scenic ride around the the hotspots of San Diego, but also getting off at the trolley’s strategic stops where it circles around and picks you up in Old Town, downtown and Balboa Park next to the San Diego Zoo.

Hotel tip: Request rooms away from the freeway. The constant drone of noise on one side of the hotel is counter-productive to sleep, which is why they provide ear plugs next to your bed, presumably.

Britt Scripps Inn

Britt Scripps (Victorian) Inn

By far the most elegant and romantic hotel in the Balboa Park / Hillcrest district of San Diego, the artfully restored 1887 inn with its Queen Anne turret and tricolor facade was built by attorney Eugene Britt. Refurbished in the past few years from an office building back into accommodations, the nine-room boutique hotel requires guests be 21 or older to stay there.  A mere block west of Balboa Park in Bankers Hill neighborhood filled with elegant homes that date back 100 years, Britt Scripps Inn has developed a reputation as a romantic place for couples seeking a getaway.

The prices have suprisingly gone down because of the economy and the huge inventory of hotel rooms opened in San Diego recently. The good news is that if you shop weekdays, you may find a room for a price lower than when the hotel first opened several years ago.

Ideal for a weekend trip or weekday visit and walking tours, you can wander over to Balboa Park approx. one block away and spend the entire day visiting museums with the the Passport to Balboa.

Each room is different but never bland. People are always amazed at the vivid original color palettes of Victorian homes, according to Gordon Hattersley III, who restored the property to its original flavor. Like a detective, he contracted a historical consultant and investigated old layers of paint, determining that the Victorians indulged in brilliant, rich color palettes. From his 2001 purchase of the property and 24 months of restoration, Hattersley added modern conveniences such as private bathrooms and insulation, injecting several million dollars in the renovation.

1000 count sheets and linens, high-speed, wireless Internet access, flat-screen televisions and multiline telephones don’t destroy the ambiance one bit, however. All have been added in a manner to blend tastefully with with the stand-out decor. Richard Gatling of Gatling Design in Solana Beach was contracted for the fine details that include modern touches in rooms named Renaissance, Governor and Gothic.  Furnishings are authentic to the period but are functional for guests to relax and enjoy.

A hand-carved white oak staircase that curves around an 1887 two-story stained-glass window is interior centerpiece that sets the stage for the rare 85-key Steinway Art Case piano dating to approx. 1883.

The house was officially designated Historic Site 52 by the city of San Diego in 1971 and though much of its original woodwork is gone, the giant camphor tree that shades the carriage house hotel room is believed to be one of the oldest in North America.

Complimentary breakfast in the morning and artisan cheese plates and wine at night are but two of the amenities that make this the right place to visit and optimum time stay at Britt Scripps Inn.