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.

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.

Grand Del Mar

The Grand Del Mar is one of the most luxurious spa and golf resorts in all of San Diego County. If you’re seeking elegance that reminds many of Del Mar’s esteemed pass aa home to visiting celebrities, then you are certainly on the right track as to the elegant look and feel you will be greeted with on your visit.

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

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.

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.

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.

Oceanside Wyndham

When you visit Oceanside and see the new Wyndham overlooking the Oceanside Pier from atop a hill, it’s a breath of fresh air. The setting is similar to a hotel that currently is charging close to three time more for a similar room in Santa Monica, but between you and me, I actually prefer Oceanside. With more expansive beaches, less traffic, and a laid back beach vibe that rolls you back to the 60’s, Oceanside is still that hidden gem you wish you could freeze in time so that it will never change.

The moment I arrived in town and stopped at the California Welcome Center, I was blown away by the friendly staff and amazing help. I’ve been to 6 California Welcome Centers throughout the state and none rival this place for people going out of their way to assist your needs. Make it your first stop off the Interstate 5 if you want to get some maps, tips, and great advice.

Oceanside is the northernmost San Diego County beach city buffered by Camp Pendleteon. A mix between a surfer town, retirement community, military community, and family destination, Oceanside is easy to fall in love with.

The Wyndham is fairly new and it has views. When you add that to the amazingly low prices, you have a winning combo not to be beat! This is the dream situation, and beach location.

Wyndham Oceanside Pier Prices