Lodging 4/5/08 - 4/10/08

We are coming from Atlanta with our 7 year old, and plan on hitting the Zoo and other sites.

We don%26#39;t need to stay downtown or in the city, and we will have a car.

I was looking to stay near a beach (Mission/Pacific/Coranado) and have not had much sucess.

I have looked at some condos, but a lot of them seem filled already and others make you rent by the week only.

A few of my questions to the experts are this:

1) Will lodging availability open up later, or is it best to firm lodging up now in advance?

As an example, when we go to Orlando we always book at the last minute and get a great deal. For July 4th at the beach in Florida, I usually book 8 months in advance...

2) I was surprised by the cost of lodging even outside the city. Do I have to pay $250+ per night to find something safe and clean? Maybe I need to adjust my thinking... I originally thought $150 a night could get us into something decent, but I don%26#39;t see it.

Thanks !

Lodging 4/5/08 - 4/10/08

In my opinion, it%26#39;s best to arrange lodging in advance. As you%26#39;ve found, San Diego is a very popular destination and can be quite expensive, and the beach areas book up quickly. I always book as soon as I can, but make reservations that are cancellable without penalty in case something more desireable or reasonable becomes available. Most of the condos here, as most places, do book for a week minimum.

$150 a night is quite inexpensive for San Diego, particularly in April which is typically spring break. Usually $200 will get you a nice, safe mid-range hotel, but this far in advance you should be able to find something under $200. Keep in mind that the beach areas are usually the most expensive.

Even with a car, downtown is a nice, safe area to stay, and sometimes has the best bargains. There are several reasonably priced, well located hotels downtown.

If you don%26#39;t need to be at the beach, then I would look at the Balboa Park Inn - just a couple blocks from Balboa Park/zoo in a nice, safe, quiet residential neighborhood. Not fancy, but clean, and well located for going to the zoo, and easy freeway access for visiting other areas.

I also personally like the downtown neighborhood of Little Italy because it%26#39;s safe and centrally located and you can walk to the bay, take a ferry to Coronado, and walk to many shops and restaurants. A hotel there in your price range would be the Porto Vista.

Also, Old Town is a nice location, centrally located, and another safe area. The La Quinta is a good choice in that area.

Keep in mind that Mission Beach is pretty much ';spring break'; central, so staying there is probably going to be expensive and perhaps noisy in April. If you want to stay at a beach, I%26#39;d look at La Jolla - the La Jolla Shores Inn is right on the beach, and the Empress is in the village of La Jolla - not on a beach, but nearby, right in the midst of lots of restaurants and shops so you wouldn%26#39;t have to drive everywhere. That will be more expensive than the other places I mentioned.

On Coronado, you might look at the L%26#39;Avenida Inn - nothing fancy, but right in Coronado an easy walk from the beach in a great area.

I hope this helps....

Lodging 4/5/08 - 4/10/08

I just want to make sure that you are aware that April at the beach will be very chilly and the water will be flat out cold. My mom and I stayed both at a Hyatt and Sheraton on or near the water in late summer when SD is the hottest and we were cold (there is usually a strong breeze). I didn%26#39;t even get in the pool and we had to have our jackets for even a short walk,so bear that in mind when considering beach area accommodations. There are a lot of hotels in Mission Valley on Hotel Circle. This area is right on the freeway and minutes from pretty much everything, and there are hotels for every budget out there, so you might want to check them out.

I would book soon. I am perusing this forum right now b/c I am planning to go to San Diego for a large conference (12,000-15,000 people) that is running the same dates as you have listed. . . . . In the past, if I had not booked early, it was hard to find a hotel.

I took my husband to San Diego for his 40th birthday over New Year%26#39;s Eve weekend. I wanted it to be a little more special, so we ended up staying at the Loew%26#39;s on Coronado Island. The grounds and the lobby were wonderful but the rooms themselves were somewhat dated to be a 4 star class resort. Where we witnessed this most was in the bathroom.....like they had regrouted and regrouted existing tub and shower instead of simply replacing it. The pool are and grounds themselves were very nice though. The lobby was gorgeous and the food there above par. The location was nice and private and only about a 5 - 7 minute drive to downtown San Diego. (You can rent gondolas there where they will take you along the canals of Coronado Bay....kind of cheesy but a neat way to get to see that part of the city). I enlisted the help of a friend%26#39;s brother who is stationed in San Diego and in addtion to Loew%26#39;s the other resorts that were recommended to me were Humphreys Half Moon Inn and Suites on Shelter Island and Catamaran Resort and Spa, Bahia Resort and Hotel, and Paradise Point Resort and Spa at Mission Beach. If you do end up staying on Coronado, you have to tour the Hotel Del Mar or better yet, stay there if your budget allows for it. It is a beautiful, historical resort! Also, be on the look out for resorts that charge parking fees. We had to pay, I believe, an additional $20 a night for parking at Loew%26#39;s.

I just won a bid for later that month at a 4 star in the downtown district for $98 a night..no pool though. It is the Marriot near seaside village. Try hotwire for a 3 star at 129 a night.

sorry, the bid was actually on priceline, but I wish I had done hotwire so we would have a pool.

All the neighborhoods where you are looking are IN the city.The beaches are IN the city so you will be paying city prices. $200+ a night is not unusual in most ciites in this country.Orland is NOT a big city.Try comparing to Atlanta or Miami.

And to the folks talking abou tPriceline. I love Priceline BUT not for a family as you cannot be sure to get more than 1 bed!

I am also from Atlanta and will be in SD from Apr 5th to 13th. We%26#39;ll mostly stay in Carlsbad Inn via timeshare, but will stay two nights in SD. I got 4* ';W San diego'; via Hotwire in downtown for $159+tax (it is now $169, the one with lots of amenities listed). Unlike priceline, you can specify occupancy 4 room for Hotwire. The hotel price is certainly increasing for that period, as I%26#39;ve watched this hotwire listing for $134 to $169 in the last two weeks.