We stayed at Hyatt Manchester which has a great pool and wasn't too far of a drive to the zoo

We booked the behind the scenes tour with the Pandas where you get to go to the zoo before it opens to the Panda area and then get a small guided tour for 2 hours (parts are on a golf cart but you stop at several areas with naturalists). It was awesome and something my family still talks about - kids were 8 and 10 at the time.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks pp. As mentioned, if we did downtown I’d lyft / Uber and not have a car. I was looking at the drive from zoo to La Jolla at 5 pm tonight (30 mins) vs some other neighborhoods (10-15 mins) but at the same time see the appeal of being somewhere appealing at the end of the day and maybe the drive is worth it.

If we went back as a family it would prob be more beach focused but since that hadn’t been the plan this trip I was surprised not to hear many suggestions closer in.

OP, San Diego is not like DC, or any big cities. It's incredibly spread out, and downtown is not the focal point. If anything, the beaches are the focal points. La Jolla is not that far from anything. If you're talking Del Mar, that gets a little far, or further up the 5 into North County. But downtown La Jolla is not considered far out.

Thanks pp. As mentioned, if we did downtown I’d lyft / Uber and not have a car. I was looking at the drive from zoo to La Jolla at 5 pm tonight (30 mins) vs some other neighborhoods (10-15 mins) but at the same time see the appeal of being somewhere appealing at the end of the day and maybe the drive is worth it.

If we went back as a family it would prob be more beach focused but since that hadn’t been the plan this trip I was surprised not to hear many suggestions closer in.

Anonymous wrote:Op here -
A mix of a somewhat nervous driver (I do okay, but don’t like figuring out new places) and mostly skepticism about wanting to spend time “commuting” when our focus is the zoo. But it seems like that’s the way to go. My 6 year old said she doesn’t care about a beach and would rather have less time in the car too, but it’s not like she knows areas.

Would the “party” hotels be party hotels midweek?

Catamaran has some lower rates if I book a nonrefundable option.

OP, you're not going to save any commuting time staying downtown, between waiting for your car being brought to you and navigating one way streets (and be careful - some of those lead directly onto a freeway). And if you're there during the week when the Padres are in town you'll have the baseball crowds down there. Several posters who know SD quite well have given you advice which you seem determined to ignore, so you decide. Hope you and your DD have a great time!

Op here -
A mix of a somewhat nervous driver (I do okay, but don’t like figuring out new places) and mostly skepticism about wanting to spend time “commuting” when our focus is the zoo. But it seems like that’s the way to go. My 6 year old said she doesn’t care about a beach and would rather have less time in the car too, but it’s not like she knows areas.

Would the “party” hotels be party hotels midweek?

Catamaran has some lower rates if I book a nonrefundable option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here.
Various friends have recommended La Jolla but I don’t think we want to be commuting back and forth. Lafayette sounds good (and I’m holding a room there) but I now see Westin Gaslamp Quarter and Andaz San Diego have deals going on. Would these be better locations? Or too loud / too much of a party scene.

Andaz is right in Gaslamp Quarter and sounds like a party hotel (but we’ll be midweek). Westin Gaslamp sounds like it’s a nice hotel, but small pool.

If we’re looking for downtown with a pool any other locations / recs? Lafayette is my plan for now but would welcome other thoughts!

Stay by the ocean. If you want a pool the Catamaran is a good choice. La Jolla is a better choice for a kid that either the Gaslamp Quarter or downtown, but I don't know what hotels in La Jolla proper have good pools. The Lafayette also looks like a party hotel as reviews mention that the pool is open to outsiders. Everything in San Diego is 20 minutes from everything else - it's not like driving around LA or SF. Leave early, get to the zoo so you're there when it opens - it's much less crowded, the keepers are out, you can talk to them and sometimes see some feedings.

Agreed. I get the sense that OP is a nervous driver, but it really is only 20 min to get anywhere around SD. Also agree that the Gaslamp is not the place to stay with kids. I'm a PP who used to live in SD, and unless I'm going to a conference downtown, there's no reason to go there. Downtown La Jolla or Mission Bay hotels will have great views and grounds and be a lot more family friendly.

Anonymous wrote:Op here.
Various friends have recommended La Jolla but I don’t think we want to be commuting back and forth. Lafayette sounds good (and I’m holding a room there) but I now see Westin Gaslamp Quarter and Andaz San Diego have deals going on. Would these be better locations? Or too loud / too much of a party scene.

Andaz is right in Gaslamp Quarter and sounds like a party hotel (but we’ll be midweek). Westin Gaslamp sounds like it’s a nice hotel, but small pool.

If we’re looking for downtown with a pool any other locations / recs? Lafayette is my plan for now but would welcome other thoughts!

Stay by the ocean. If you want a pool the Catamaran is a good choice. La Jolla is a better choice for a kid that either the Gaslamp Quarter or downtown, but I don't know what hotels in La Jolla proper have good pools. The Lafayette also looks like a party hotel as reviews mention that the pool is open to outsiders. Everything in San Diego is 20 minutes from everything else - it's not like driving around LA or SF. Leave early, get to the zoo so you're there when it opens - it's much less crowded, the keepers are out, you can talk to them and sometimes see some feedings.

op here -
I ended up getting a membership to the zoo! If we go two days and factor in the discount on the tour it almost pays for itself. If we go 3 says it does - and lets us go our half days if we want. Also gives us options if we go back. It comes with 4 guest passes and I hade a good friend going in a few months, so that was a factor too.

Thanks for the tip re: children’s museum. It looks like they have reciprocity with a museum we belong to here, so it will be easy to check it out assuming there’s time!

Op here.
Various friends have recommended La Jolla but I don’t think we want to be commuting back and forth. Lafayette sounds good (and I’m holding a room there) but I now see Westin Gaslamp Quarter and Andaz San Diego have deals going on. Would these be better locations? Or too loud / too much of a party scene.

Andaz is right in Gaslamp Quarter and sounds like a party hotel (but we’ll be midweek). Westin Gaslamp sounds like it’s a nice hotel, but small pool.

If we’re looking for downtown with a pool any other locations / recs? Lafayette is my plan for now but would welcome other thoughts!

Anonymous wrote:Thanks pp!
So it sounds like you’d recommend Ocean Park in or Lafayette from the list, yes?

What did you think of Lafayette?

If our focus is zoo / balboa park (we may or may not drive to Safari park) do the Lafayette?

Actually, I like the funkiness of Ocean Beach, but some may not, and I think Pacific Beach is more family friendly, more upscale and what most on this board seem to prefer. (Even if you stay somewhere else, Ocean Beach has a fun Farmer's Market every Wednesday https://oceanbeachsandiego.com/attractions/annual-events/farmers-market-wednesdays ).

The Lafayette isn't super fancy, but it is nice and clean, has a great retro feel, and the pool is beautiful. If you're not going to be there on the weekend, it won't be a problem, but the only issue I could see someone having is that they have wedding receptions there quite often. One night the music was quite loud (it was pretty good music, so I didn't mind and it didn't go too late.) The don't have room service, per se, but you can order food from the restaurant for carry out -- I've done that, and the food is excellent. If they have them available, I think you can get a room that opens right out on the pool.

If you do the Lafayette, there's a hole-in-the-wall place a couple of blocks away called Mama's Bakery that has excellent Lebanese food for a reasonable price. I thought the Pizzeria Luigi nearby was good, too. There's also a fun place called Soda & Swine that makes all different kinds of meatballs -- it's not walkable from the Lafayette, but it's in University Heights and a short drive away and fun for kids.

Thanks pp!
So it sounds like you’d recommend Ocean Park in or Lafayette from the list, yes?

What did you think of Lafayette?

If our focus is zoo / balboa park (we may or may not drive to Safari park) do the Lafayette?