San Diego questions (August)

[Anonymous]

Recs to do:
kayak with the seals in La Jolla
surf lesson
del mar horse races
boating in mission bay
falconry experience
torrey pines hike
zoo or safari park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We spend several weeks in San Diego. Your kids would love the Carlsbad area (North County area including Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach). Upscale, fun boutiques, surf shops, nice restaurants that would still appeal to those ages, coffee shop, ice cream shops etc. La Jolla is more upscale/romantic with art galleries, fine dining, etc and a zoo with tourists. North County is a gorgeous area.

I agree with Encinitas and Solana Beach, not sure I would lump Del Mar into that same vibe.

[Anonymous]

I just spent a week at the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad for a meeting. The kids loved it and I would go back today.

[Anonymous]

Old Town is nice for an evening.

https://www.sandiego.org/members/shopping/bazaar-del-mundo.aspx

I'd stay downtown in the Gas Lamp district. You'll be close to the Padres, and lots of food/drink options

[Anonymous]

Native San Diegan back again and I would not stay in Carlsbad. But Del Mar and Solana Beach are lovely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Native San Diegan back again and I would not stay in Carlsbad. But Del Mar and Solana Beach are lovely.

Really? what’s wrong with Carlsbad? Which area do you live?

Gaslight is homeless territory. No way I would stay there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Old Town is nice for an evening.

https://www.sandiego.org/members/shopping/bazaar-del-mundo.aspx

I'd stay downtown in the Gas Lamp district. You'll be close to the Padres, and lots of food/drink options

Native San Diegan here. Unless there is something specific you really want to do, these are areas I would try to avoid. You can add Seaport Village to that. The things that are really worth the effort are Balboa Park, zoo safari park, La Jolla cove, Torrey Pines, Point Loma/Cabrillo. When I go back I like to stay near Solana beach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2 DSs (15 and 13) and I will have about 3 days in San Diego in August as part of a longer trip. I’ve been several times but always stayed at hotels on the bay. Looking for recs on where to stay (we prefer to have 2 rooms, so air bnb is often better - neighborhood recs?), and things to do. We will have a car, but I’d love to stay somewhere we can walk to restaurants for dinner. We’ll definitely see a Padres game and go out to Coronado - what else?

thanks!

Stay within walking distance of Balboa park. Do the zoo and some museums there.

Do not stay anywhere near Balboa Park/downtown area if you plan on walking - entirely too many homeless to navigate. Budget permitting, I would stay in Coronado (definitely with a/c in August) and take the ferry to downtown/Petco Park. Stay somewhere near the main drag in Coronado- bikes to rent, summer concerts, beach , lots of nice restaurants and SAFE to walk in the evenings.

This is bad advice. Many neighborhoods near the park like Hillcrest, North Park, and University Heights are not homeless enclaves. These are some of the best neighborhoods in San Diego to explore by foot. And Coronado is nice but not at all convenient to actually seeing San Diego. You could do a lot worse than The Lafayette Hotel, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old Town is nice for an evening.

https://www.sandiego.org/members/shopping/bazaar-del-mundo.aspx

I'd stay downtown in the Gas Lamp district. You'll be close to the Padres, and lots of food/drink options

Native San Diegan here. Unless there is something specific you really want to do, these are areas I would try to avoid. You can add Seaport Village to that. The things that are really worth the effort are Balboa Park, zoo safari park, La Jolla cove, Torrey Pines, Point Loma/Cabrillo. When I go back I like to stay near Solana beach.

PP who used to live in SD and +1

[Anonymous]

I think Carlsbad used to be considered not as nice as encinitas and del mar but it’s VERY nice now. I’m surprised you would say that That’s where Park Hyatt and Four Seasons resorts are, so definitely an upscale area. You may have just moved a while ago. I think Carlsbad offers more than Solana Beach with shopping and restaurants for that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Carlsbad used to be considered not as nice as encinitas and del mar but it’s VERY nice now. I’m surprised you would say that That’s where Park Hyatt and Four Seasons resorts are, so definitely an upscale area. You may have just moved a while ago. I think Carlsbad offers more than Solana Beach with shopping and restaurants for that age.

Even if that's the case, I don't necessarily equate upscale with ideal. Areas have different vibes, just depends on what you're looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are younger but we’ve stayed twice at Glorietta Bay in on Coronado. They have two room suites, it’s easy to drive to the zoo (what my kids like) / Balboa park and walk to the beach or dinner at night. That said it might be quiet for teens. Also, we were there last spring and due to a broken sewage pipe in Tijuana / northward moving currents, it wasn’t safe to go in the ocean. 🤢 My kids were fine building sand castles and playing in the pool, but something to be aware of. I don’t know whether the currents are different with La Jolla or if there are just different rules there, but my sister was in La Jolla at a similar time and didn’t see any similar warnings.

It’s not due to some broken pipe. Instead, just across the border from San Diego in Mexico, they are pumping raw sewage into the ocean, 24/7.

They are finding high levels of bacteria in Coronado, La Jolla and beyond, even up to Pacifica. Beaches close or post warnings and People complain about bad smells.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13565991/san-diego-beaches-closed-sewage-bacteria-water.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old Town is nice for an evening.

https://www.sandiego.org/members/shopping/bazaar-del-mundo.aspx

I'd stay downtown in the Gas Lamp district. You'll be close to the Padres, and lots of food/drink options

Native San Diegan here. Unless there is something specific you really want to do, these are areas I would try to avoid. You can add Seaport Village to that. The things that are really worth the effort are Balboa Park, zoo safari park, La Jolla cove, Torrey Pines, Point Loma/Cabrillo. When I go back I like to stay near Solana beach.

I’ll add pizza port solano beach and stone world bistro gardens in Escondido. They need a car. I’m hungry and thirsty.

[Anonymous]

I know you’re going as tourists, but I recommend thinking long and hard about seaworld, and whether you can morally jive with orcas in tanks.