San Diego hotel advice wanted

[ATAY1184]

Hi
Covid permitting my wife and I are going to San Diego next week. First few days we are staying near State University to help son settle in as studying there for a semester.
We are hiring a car.
Looking for advice for 6 nights stay at decent hotel central or near beaches ( although as we have a car we don’t need to pay a huge premium to be on a beach)
Any tips appreciated.
Thanks
Andrew

[davefl]

Don’t stay at the Hilton in the Gaslamp district. You’re directly opposite the level crossing for the trams and the bells are deafening every few mins. They supply earplugs on the bedside table but they’re pretty inefective.

[kwisstan]

Agree about Hilton Gaslamp.

There is another Hilton on the waterfront, which I stayed at. A 5 min walk into Gaslamp district, and nice wander along the promenade. Although you said about a car, we found the water taxi across the bay pretty good.

[Lyn]

I’ve just been logged out and lost my comment so will keep this shorter. If you are better at searching than I am you may be able to find recent recommendations on areas to stay in San Diego, probably in one of the Daily Chats. .

Coronado, La Jolla and Del Mar were amongst the areas recommended. They are indeed very nice, and lovely places to spend time and have a “village” feel since they are a little cut off for various reasons. This means they aren’t necessarily good bases for exploring other areas. However, that may not matter in your case, because the area around San Diego State where you are staying for the first few days should actually be reasonably central for exploring the whole city by car if you have any time available while you are there. Trader Joes, on the University campus, would be a good place to stock-up for picnics or self-catering.

There are other waterfront areas as well as the beaches, such as Shelter Island or Harbor Island further north along the harbour from the downtown area. Or the various coves in Mission Bay. I’m not sure, but suspect parking could be a problem if you choose to stay downtown itself. Unfortunately I don’t have any specific hotel recommendations and don’t remember any from the comments, except perhaps the “Hotel Del” in Coronado might have been mentioned.

Balboa Park is worth a visit, with the San Diego Zoo. Also the Wild Animal Park outside San Diego. They are part of the same organisation and respected for their Wildlife Conservation work with endangered species worldwide. I think it was the first place allowed to breed koalas outside Australia for instance, and they were very involved in koala rescue efforts after recent devastating bushfires in Australia.

I hope your son enjoys his semester at SD State and you and your wife enjoy your visit.

[Will in SJC]

Here are my thoughts in no particular order:

1. IC San Diego: new hotel, right opposite the Midway. Mixed reviews- people moaning it isn’t up to IC standards but looking at pictures online it seems fine;

2. Hotel Del Cornado: The classic. Last time I visited there was a lot of construction going on. TBH I don’t get the hype. Sure staying on Coronado is nice but the hotel is dated IMHO, overcrowded and overpriced;

3. Andaz: Good reputation but is in the Gaslamp Quarter so can be lively in the evenings;

4. Grand Hyatt Manchester: Large hotel attached to the conference center. Decent reputation;

5. US Grant: Another classic that is probably worth a look

6. Carte Hotel which is part of Hilton’s Currio collection

7. Hilton Homewood Suites/Garden Inn Downtown Bayside: Excellent location on harbor front, new hotel (built 2018), close to Little Italy. Was decent when I stayed in it previously. The Garden Inn restaurant does a good breakfast- not what you would expect.

8. Kimpton Paloma: Not stayed but Kimpton’s in the US are decent. Not as high quality as in Europe but still very comfortable and different to your cookie cutter Hilton or Crowne Plaza

9. Pendry: Owned by Montage- so should be very nice and has a good reputation.

If you want to go further north then the Park Hyatt was refurbished during the pandemic.

[merlin90]

I last went to the Hotel Del in 2019 and there was considerable construction work going on. I believe this has now completely—or at least to a very large extent—ended. It is a classic hotel but it is not cheap and many of the rooms are quite small. Coronado is lovely, though.

[ATAY1184]

Thanks all for responses