It didn’t take San Diego’s founding fathers too long to figure out that their city by the bay had the potential to become an irresistible destination for visitors. Along with the first buildings in downtown San Diego—the general stores, saloons, and rooming houses—came places for guests to hang their hats. As increasing numbers of tourists targeted San Diego for their vacations, hotels began to spring up around the beaches and downtown.
Today there are hundreds of places from which to choose. If your idea of a room is only a place to hang your clothes and grab a few hours sleep, you’ll find it here. But if you plan to spend a lot of time in your room or enjoy the touches of luxury that only top hotels can offer, you’ll find that, too. You need only decide what best fits your style and budget.
Even though San Diego is a year-round destination, it does have a high season during the summer months. Summer is when you’re least likely to find your first choice in accommodations unless you plan ahead. The good news is that there are so many hotels and motels spread throughout the county that you can almost always find an available room, even on short notice. Even during Super Bowl week in 2003, when hotels were sold out a year in advance, rooms were available here and there. If you’re the spontaneous type who likes to pack a bag on Friday night and see what you can find once you arrive, chances are a nice room will be waiting for you somewhere in the county.
Your choice of accommodation depends on your plans. If you’re visiting friends or relatives, it makes sense to book a room close to their neighborhood. If hiking and nature walks are high on your itinerary, you might look at facilities in the East County or North County Inland to be near the foothills and local mountains. If sun and sand are your first priorities, you would naturally want to investigate beachside hotels and motels.
If you plan to do it all—sightseeing, shopping, dining, the beach, and nightlife—you can stay just about anywhere in the county, although it’s best to stay close to freeway entrances for easy driving. If you’re without a car, though, we recommend that you check out some of the more centrally located facilities in downtown San Diego, Mission Bay or Mission Valley, and Carlsbad so you can take advantage of the bus system, the Coaster, and the San Diego Trolley for transportation.
Downtown has become an ever more popular destination for leisure travelers as well as conventioneers. Several hotels have opened around the baseball park and the convention center, and older hotels throughout downtown have been renovated. Many business hotels have special weekend packages for leisure travelers and families, with considerable discounts in room rates.
Whatever your idea of the perfect holiday may be, this chapter includes a good cross-section of available accommodations. Each facility is described to give you an idea of what makes it unique and desirable. We also list special amenities such as workout rooms or business centers. If the hotel has a great restaurant, we mention it.
Hotels and motels frequently change management companies and affiliations. Don’t be surprised if you call one of our listings and the facility has a different name. If this happens, be sure to ask if the accommodation has undergone any significant changes. Remember, too, that the quality of chain hotels can vary from city to city. What might be an outstanding hotel in your city might be a little less desirable someplace else. Read our descriptions carefully, and we promise to steer you in the right direction. We’ve focused on the one-of-a-kind hotels that Insiders recommend to their friends and listed only exceptional chain hotels.
We’ve divided this chapter into our usual regional designations: Central San Diego, North County Coastal, North County Inland, East County, and South Bay. For your convenience, San Diego has been further divided into the areas most visitors target in their search for a hotel or motel. Bed-and-breakfast inns, spas and resorts, and vacation rentals are covered in separate chapters; campgrounds and RV parks are noted in our Recreation chapter.
Bed-and-breakfast inns in the San Diego region have a flavor that’s strictly Southern California. Each has an easygoing ambience that makes you long to check in and dread saying good-bye. These inns are special, warm, restful, and inviting. They’ve been chosen because we would enjoy revisiting them or would recommend them to our closest friends.
These are not the bare-bones accommodations found in some parts of Europe. You know the places: one bath down the hall, “take a number please,” and a pint-size sleeping room where if you sneeze, your next-door neighbor might respond, “Bless you.”
All of the rooms at the bed-and-breakfast inns described in this chapter have private baths unless otherwise noted. Most have enticing, easy-to-get-to locations, which also happen to be some of our favorite places in San Diego County.
For instance, the Britt Scripps Inn is elegant and luxurious, like a boutique hotel from the Victorian era. It’s the perfect choice for a romantic getaway close to Balboa Park and excellent restaurants. The Pelican Cove Inn in North County Coastal is so close to the Pacific that you’re surrounded with ocean breezes—just the right prescription for even the most ragged spirit. Everything you could want for a relaxing weekend is there, and all within walking distance.
As you look over our listings, keep in mind that it’s wise to call and double-check rates and availability of rooms. All of the bed-and-breakfast inns encourage reservations. If you want to book for a holiday, say Christmas or Valentine’s Day, we recommend you do so months ahead so you won’t be disappointed. Unless otherwise noted, the inns we’ve included all accept MasterCard, Visa, or cash but do not accept indoor smoking or pets. Assume, too, that children are discouraged, unless we tell you otherwise.
Some of the bed-and-breakfast inns featured here serve a continental breakfast, with plump muffins and fresh juice along with coffees and teas. It’s simple but enough. Others have a full European-style (sometimes called gourmet) breakfast. These are the breakfast feasts of which fantasies are made, that spoil you to the bone while you’re enjoying every minute of munching. Some of the inns have in-room eating options, too—nice if you’d prefer to have a romantic breakfast on the balcony or in your room. Our entries will tell you what to expect.
In all of the bed-and-breakfast inns we’ve featured there is a comfortable sitting room, parlor, or library. You may find overstuffed chairs loaded with pillows, lots of reading material, perhaps a puzzle in progress or a stack of board games, maybe a player piano, a decanter of sherry and some crackers, and maybe—but not always—a television. (Some inns only have a television in the main part of the house, not in individual bedrooms; some don’t have televisions at all.)
Even when the bed-and-breakfast inn’s parlor is deliciously old-fashioned, it’s not unusual to find the rooms decorated in anything from African safari themes to South Seas motifs. Most are furnished with antiques and fresh flowers, lovely furnishings, and plump comforters. The morning paper will probably be placed by your door, as might a rose or decanter of coffee. Some of the inns have lovingly placed extras in each of the rooms, such as bowls of local fruit or plates of homemade cookies to nourish your inner child.
If you haven’t tried a bed-and-breakfast inn and need a few days off or want to stay somewhere unique when you’re visiting San Diego, these entries will help you design the perfect getaway.
Spas, fitness centers, and alternative therapies have been part of the San Diego scene for decades. The Golden Door, still one of the finest spas in the country, has been attracting celebrities since the 1960s, as has La Costa and other lavish destination spas in the county. Today most San Diego hotels offer some sort of massage and spa treatments, and many have low-calorie selections on their menus. The full-scale resorts, however, take pampering and wellness to a whole different level. If you’re on vacation with your family and want some me-time for self-improvement, these resorts are the perfect solution. They’ll keep the kids busy with special activities, distract spouses with golf and tennis, and make it possible for spa lovers to truly enjoy their experiences. Couples on romantic getaways get special treatment with spa rooms designed for two, allowing partners to be pampered together.
In this chapter we’ve only included those spas and resorts that have special health, beauty, recreation, or relaxation programs and whose main thrust is to nurture the mind and body. These are not places to leave your belongings while you go out sightseeing; they’re destinations in themselves—places where time slows, relaxation begins, tensions melt, and you leave your worries behind.
And they are the cream of the crop. These are the places we’d like to revisit or would suggest to a best friend. In fact, San Diego has some of the most prestigious spas and resorts in the world. If you’re looking to relax, rethink fitness goals, revitalize your spirit, or play some sports, read on. The spas and resorts in this chapter will give you plenty of opportunities.
The first thing you may notice is that they’re all different. Some, like the Golden Door, cater to women (although they do have a few weeks a year when men are invited). Others have incomparable spa and beauty facilities, but do not offer separate healthful or calorie-conscious meals. Some of the spas and resorts included in this chapter have day-spa packages where you can have all the fitness classes and pampering you want and then go back home or to your hotel at day’s end.
We’ve tried to give you an idea about current prices for accommodations and treatments. Some spas charge by the week and do not allow guests to stay for just a few nights. Spas within hotels typically have a separate menu of services and rates that’s not affected by the room rate—though spa packages may be available. If you plan to spend a lot of time at a hotel spa, check out the full-day programs that include several treatments and perhaps a spa lunch. Some of the resorts in this chapter are also included in the Hotels and Motels chapter—we’ve given you more information on their spa and health services here. For even more detailed information, you may want to call the spas to get their brochures and to be put on their mailing lists for upcoming spa-related events. (You might even receive a discount coupon that could make your spa visit even more delicious.)
Be aware that sometimes spas offer two-for-one specials and group discounts (in case everyone in your office or investment club wants to come, too). A few of the spas have seasonal packages, and there are discounts available. However, here in San Diego it’s resort time 365 days a year, so don’t expect to save a lot by visiting in an off-season.
We’re about to let you in on the secret to becoming a real San Diegan, if only temporarily. Whether your stay in San Diego is short, long, or indefinite, one of the best ways to enjoy the true San Diego experience is by living it in a vacation rental. Within minutes of unpacking your bags, you’ll find yourself doing the same things the natives do. The only difference is, you don’t have to go to work.
Vacation rentals are plentiful and offer a cost-effective way to spend some time in San Diego, especially if you’re bringing the whole family along. From a quaint 1940s cottage to a modern, fully appointed condominium to a grandiose house in La Jolla, if you can imagine it, you’ll find it.
The vast majority of vacation rentals hug the beach, mainly because that’s where most people gravitate. Picture waking up to the sound of the ocean waves gently breaking on the shore and having that first cup of coffee on a deck or patio just steps away from the sand. Or perhaps you’re more inclined to be inland a few miles, in the wooded enclave of Rancho Santa Fe, or on the fairway of a world-class golf course.
From Oceanside in North County Coastal to Imperial Beach in the South Bay, rentals are available with an array of amenities and price ranges. The primary appeal to staying in a fully furnished house, condo, or cottage, aside from the lower cost, is that you can fend for yourself, and not rely on hotels and restaurants for your needs. It’s a much more casual existence. Plus, many people love being absorbed by the local culture, mingling with neighborhood residents, browsing nearby shops, even making the obligatory trip to the local Laundromat.
So pack your bags lightly (remember, we’re very informal here), bring along your sunscreen, and become a bona fide San Diegan. Imagine lazy days on the beach, a glass of champagne while watching the sunset, a leisurely dinner, and an evening stroll along the water. Then you’ll understand why so many people have discovered that a vacation rental is the ideal way to go.