Anonymous wrote:The LaJolla Beach and Tennis Club was one of my favorite hotels ever

Have fun!

Not OP but I just looked this place up - love the sound of everything they offer. Can't find any prices though. What would be a nightly rate, roughly for a family of 4 do you think?

The LaJolla Beach and Tennis Club was one of my favorite hotels ever

Have fun!

I like Manhattan Beach. San Diego is a quick drive from LA though - only 2.5 hours, or one time when we were driving home to LA from SD it took us only 1 hour 50 as there was zero traffic.

I live in San Diego & never thought of San Clemente as a travel destination.
Aren't the beaches there pretty much government based?
I could be wrong on this though.

I say visit San Diego, known as "America's Finest City."

I would book a hotel either on or walking distance to the beach vs. downtown or Old Town.

Take a walk through the beautiful quaint Seaport Villiage, visit Cabrillo National Monument (the lighthouse/museums are must-sees, & stroll vintage Old Town.
I love the one-room red schoolhouse there.

As for the beaches, the finest ones are in Coronado, La Jolla + Del Mar. Very upscale.

Mission and Pacific Beach are okay though more loud and Pacific Beach tends to be party central.

Avoid Ocean Beach.
Too much crime and homelessness abound.

Hope this helps!

Huh? I'm originally from DC, now in San Diego, and people drive fast. They also drive nicely---Darwin tends to weed out the idiots fairly quickly. Plan on leaving either very early or very late, so as to miss rush hour.

I'd stay at either the Wyndham in the gaslamp or the Hotel Del on Coronado. LaJolla is overrated and one of the more likely to be polluted areas---the cove means tons of bacteria plus it's freaking mobbed. Snorkeling near there is nice, though, and there are tours. If you stay at the gaslamp, get lunch/brunch and gelato at chocolat cremerie. It's amazing.

Coronado Beach in San Diego. Taking the 5 is a nice drive too.

Thanks for the tips! Love the idea of Laguna and heard great things about Del Mar too. Too much to do one night at each? I'm a pretty seasoned traveler so don't mind packing up again as I'd prefer to see/do as much as I can.

And, appreciate the warning about traffic/road rage/parking too.

Former So. County (orange) person here - you do know the traffic is horrendous from LA to San Diego? That's the first thing you need to understand - it's like the Beltway but all the way from L.A. Drivers are terrible, like here, so expect road rage and idiots changing lanes at 100 MPH. It's very stressful so plan ahead. Newport Coast is nice for a stop. Laguna is, too as is San clemente. but you will want hotel stops. Parking is tough and just too many cars everywhere.

Laguna Beach is lovely and Montage hotel is pricey but would be a perfect escape on your own.

Father down, Del Mar is a great option closer to San Diego and with another upscale resort on beach (can't remember name) and the town is a little less hectic than Laguna.

La Jolla nice also but not sure of hotel options

I'm in LA for work next week and then am taking a couple of days to drive south from there as I've never been further down. Any recommendations on where to stop or stay? I will be traveling alone and have only two days sadly. I was thinking San Diego because I've heard so many great things, but am not sure if I should stay downtown or near the beach or in Old Town? My ideal day would be 1/2 day exploring the city/town a bit and then 1/2 day on the beach (maybe with a beach activity like kayaking or stand up paddle boarding).

It's also been suggested that I stop at a smaller beach town on the way like San Clemente. Obviously if I do one night there and another in San Diego I'm running out of time and cutting into relaxation and actually enjoying myself. Thanks in advance!