ideal area in SD

Hi there!

Will be in SD this May6-8. Since its our first time dont really have any idea which part or area to look for a hotel. Would appreciate any suggestion best suited for a family of 6 (our kids all girls are 7,12,14 %26amp;16). The only thing at the moment we had in mind is to visit Lego Land although as i continue to surf theres so much more to see and do in San Diego aside from Lego Land and the zoo. Please help me with an itinerary of things to do %26amp; see for me and our daughters. Hope to hear from you guys soon! Thanks

ideal area in SD

Legoland will not be appropriate for your family as it was built for children under 11 or 12 and even many 11 year olds ar etoo old for it.

I do not think there are regular hotel rooms for 6 people so you would need a suite hotel. Take alook at the Residence Inns that are throughout the city,or the Homewood Suites. You will also need a rental vehicle like a mini van.Let us know if the prices seem OK for you so we can know your budget.

You could also look at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club as it has family cottages.

ideal area in SD

Hey thanks for suggestions. Yes we will be renting a van to allow us to do and see more of SD. SInce in your opinion my kdis wont enjoy lego land as much, could you please suggest on alternative places to see or things to do that would be more of an interest for kids their ages. From SD we plan to drive to Vegas to also spend 2nights. Thanks for all your great inputs!

Hi riffsmom!

i checked on the rates for both residence inn %26amp; homewood suites... The suites are indeed wonderful and simply beautiful although they cost an average of $310++ night which is kinda steep for us... I was just wondering, if there are other suites which might cost less? Does not have to be anything fancy. Something similar to a Holiday Inn express of some sort. Actually, before SD we would be coming from Disney and for our stay there, i made bookings at Holiday Inn express which even serves bfast. of course we dont expect much from their bfast but their rates are quite ';family friendly'; and cost efficient =) thanks again

Embassy Suites in La Jolla or Downtown should fit your price range.

I had no idea that the hotels I suggested were quoting such high prices !! We have Holiday Inn Express here as well. I didn%26#39;t realize that they have suites large enough for your group. It would be really strange if the Embassy Suites hotels were less expensive than the Residence Inns ,but I guess that is possible. The Embassy Suites offers a free cooked breakfast,afternoon wine and snacks and indoor pools. The one in La Jolla(about 20min north of downtown) was just remodeled last year and is sometimes less expensive than the one downtown.It is across the street from a nice outdoor mall with an indoor ice skating rink which might be fun for your kids instead of seeing snow.

We visited San Diego summer of 2006 and summer of 2007. We love San Diego! I would definitely NOT recommend Legoland. My 10 year old did not enjoy it at all. He was too old for it. My 6 year old liked it, but I didn%26#39;t think it was worth it -- especially with all the other things you can do. The zoo is definitely worth it. Plan to spend a good part of the day there. I suggest taking the tour bus, or the bus that makes stops at different areas that you can get off and on as you like. Be sure to check the map of the zoo before venturing off. Also, we saw a Padres game which we all loved. Visit Coronado Beach -- It%26#39;s beautiful. The hotel on the beach is called Hotel Del Coronado. It%26#39;s expensive to stay there, but a landmark to visit. We stayed downtown at the Hyatt. The Seaport Village is nice to walk around for a few hours. We also went to Seaworld, which we really enjoyed. Get there when it opens, though. It gets very crowded. As I think of things, I will write. Have a wonderful time -- San Diego was one of our best vacations! That%26#39;s why we went back last summer. Have fun!

I just remembered there is a website you should check out. It%26#39;s localwally.com

He is a local in San Diego that gives advice from hotels, to restaurants, to attractions. Hope this helps you.

Hey Guys,

I really do appreciate all the great inputs and suggestions. Do know that i will definitely check out the websites and hotels/suites you recommended for our family. Thanks for the fair warning about lego land. I guess since i come from Asia and all, our exposure and knowledge of San Diego is so limited to the commercial advertisements we get back here. By the way would there be other areas of interest in SD aside from beaches-- Back here in the phils we have tons of beautiful beaches since our country is made up of 7,100 islands. Was hoping to expose our kids to places and activities not that easily found in our country.

Please know, i so grateful for all the wonderful and practical suggestions. Mabuhay!

As you are going to go to Las Vegas I didn%26#39;t suggest visiting the desert which might be different for you guys.That is also why I suggested the ice skating as I thought that would be different as well. Our OldTown park area has some historic attractions dealing with our gold rush and the Mexican heritage.There are also little shops which might be interesting. You also might enjoy visiting the original Mission de Alcala here and the Cabrillo Narional Monument which has great 180 deg views and California history with nice walks etc.

Torrey Ines State Park has walks an dtrees that only grow here and on 1 island nearby. This is a city with a lot of outdoor attractions and activities.It is true that you may have some of the same activities at home.

Here are some suggestions for exposing your children to something more:

The San Diego Zoo was mentioned and that is a world famous zoo with many varieties of animals and plants. The zoo is within Balboa Park, which was has Spanish style buildings that were built for the Pan American Exposition near the beginning of the last century. The buildings house a variety of museums. The most popular with teens would probably be the Fleet Science Museum. The Nataural History Museum currently has the very popular Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. I don%26#39;t know if it will still be there in May. There are two art museums, a railroad museum, and, of course, the San Diego Historic Museum, to name a few. There is an interesting biotanical garden that is housed within a beautiful structure that sits near a large lilly pond. Very picturesque. If you would like to expose the children to theater, the park has the Old Globe Theater. There is also a pretty interesting walking trail. Inside the park, there is a nice restaurant called the Prado which includes pretty outdoor seating, as well as a more affordable sandwich shop.

The Hotel Del Coronado, just over the bridge from downtown on Coronado Island is the first hotel to have all electric wiring when it opened in 1888. Thomas Edison supervised the installation. It has one of the first birdcage elevators, still operational. It is large, beautiful, and impressive with a rich history. Built when there was nothing on the island (really a small pennisula) but jack rabbits, it is now a national historic landmark in the charming village of Coronado. It has been host to royalty and American Presidents as well as being used as a location for movies such as ';Some Like it Hot'; with Mariyn Monroe. It is said to be haunted by a beautiful ghost named Kate Morgan. It%26#39;s a wonderful place to visit and enjoy a walk on the large beautiful beach, lunch, and/or a tour.

Old Town was mentioned. Of course, you could also visit the Presidio. This are historic landmarks and places of interest.

I can%26#39;t remember if the Maritime Museums were mentioned. They are right downtown along San Diego Bay. One of the ships is a large ferry which has many seafaring exhibits on board. Another, the Star of India, has very rich history and is fun to tour. Yet another, the Californian was used in the movie ';Master and Commander'; and there are often actors protraying pirates on board.

Also, along San Diego Bay is the USS Midway museum and Naval Memorials. Very impressive air craft carrier and statues.

For fun, right down from the USS Midway, is Seaport Village. Little shops and restaurants along the bay. Great views make for a nice afternoon and often there is entertainment on the weekends.

I totally agree with the remarks about Legoland and you may want to consider Sea World as well as the San Diego Zoo.

If you will have time before coming to San Diego, you may also wish to visit Long Beach to see the historic Queen Mary. Or on your way from Anaheim to San Diego, stop into San Juan Capistrano to see the Mission.

One more suggestion. You are going to be here during baseball season. Why not think about all going to a baseball game? It ';America%26#39;s passtime';. In San Diego the team is the Padres. In Anaheim it is the Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim. In Los Angeles the team is the Dodgers.