Since our plans for a winter beach vacation in Hawai were downsized a bit this year, we are considering San Diego as an alternative for a 1 week vacation around Easter time. We have a 6-yr old son who loves the beach & pool, is also airplane mad, but a rather fussy/picky eater.
There are some great threads on San Diego in the archives, notably this one, from which I gather that Coronado Island is the place to be. Is that still the case?
In terms of hotels we tend to prefer the nice-ish end of the spectrum, but not necessarily the resorts of the rich & famous like the Del. We’re looking mainly for a wider option of activities and eating options, kid-friendliness, with good access to a nice bit of beach and water to splash in. From the links in the above thread, I was considering the Mariott Coronado Beach Reasort. What say you, SD-Dopers? Is there something the glossy web site doesn’t mention that we should know about this place? Is there a lesser known hidden gem?
In addition to the beach, we would definitely hit the USS Midway and the Air & Space Museum, and probably Sea-world. There was also mention of a beach visited by dolphins (or was it seals?) in the afternoon. Any other suggestion a bouncy 6-yr old boy might enjoy?
There seems to be a lot of military installations nearby. Are there any that offer tours, or a good place for a picnic while watching fighter-jets take-off & land?
I was thinking of renting a car from the airport, but everything looks so close on the map. Is it still the easiest option? How long a walk is it from Coronado to the Navy pier? The hotel (if we pick that one) has a car rental desk if we would only need one for a few days.
And who knows, perhaps we could get together with some San Diego dopers for dinner one evening? There seems to be a lot of us down there.
Any advice or tips, big or small, would be greatly appreciated.
The seal beach unless there is another that I don’t know of is in La Jolla where I live. And that could be another option, La Jolla Cove or La Jolla Shores area. If your kid is into planes and depending on your budget I’d check out doing a biplane ride, here is the link http://www.barnstorming.com/documents/44.html I did that once and it was fun although I think an hour was too long. Also you can do a dolphin or beluga interaction program at Sea world but you have to book in advance for it but it is fun too. And I’d recommend renting a car but I haven’t travelled by bus here so Im not sure how good it is.
Sea World has plenty of close encounters with seals and dolphins that you don’t have to pay extra for.
The Aerospace Museum is in Balboa Park, which has all sorts of things, but can be a lot of walking. The Zoo is right there, too.
Along the Harbor near the Midway, there are other ships and a submarine that you can tour. You can’t walk there from Coronado, which is across the Harbor from everything else. You either have to go across the Bridge (no walking, usually) or go on a boat.
Seal beach must be the one just south of Scripps park in La Jolla. The best family beach is probably Coronado – going up the coast, OB (Ocean Beach) is more “hippyish”, Mission Beach more college studenty (yes it’s a word), and PB (Pacific Beach) hmm, I always considered it more touristy. There’s also Mission Bay Park which has a bunch of green acreage to run around, play ball, or what not, plus nice playground, picnic tables and bbqs (bring charcoal), beach with calm water (if the ocean waves are big and your kids aren’t). Hit google maps and check it out.
Could also go to Petco Park and catch a Padres game – very family friendly, inexpensive, and they play at home 4/6-12 including a few day games. Roller skating or biking on the (concrete) boardwalk at the beach could be fun. Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma has amazing views of the city, and in that vein, catch the sunset from Sunset Cliffs in OB – best if there’s some clouds in the sky for color. The zoo, as mentioned, is about the best in this country and big.
You’ll need a car – you can’t walk from Coronado to anywhere not Coronado. If you base yourself downtown you can walk to a number of things like Petco, certain beaches, lots of restaurants/shops/etc, the marina is a bit of a haul. Everything may look close, but it’s not.
With the economy in the toilet, you may find some real steals in other areas as well. Coronado is very nice but a bit isolated from the rest of the city and somewhat expensive. There is a ferry that goes across from Coronado to Seaport Village in downtown, but as others have already mentioned, you’ll need a car as the public transportation is mediocre at best and doesn’t go to many popular destinations without numerous transfers. You’ll find great food everywhere, particulalry Mexican food.
Other areas you might want to consider for a beach stay include anything on the Coast starting in La Jolla (also unfortunately expensive), going north to Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Cariff by the Sea, etc., which are all very nice and family friendly. Personally I find Pacific, Mission, and Ocean Beach a bit obnoxious with too many teenagers and homeless people to attract a family. With a young kid, you’ll definitely want to hit the San Diego Zoo, but you may want to also consider taking them to Legoland in Carlsbad (north county). The Wild Animal Park is a waste, out of the way, and quite pricey for what you get, so I’d avoid that. Mexico has also gone very downhill recently with all the drug cartel violence, less you think about a trip South of the Border while you’re here… Enjoy our city! We sure do!
Another vote for the zoo. The zoo is absolutely wonderful-- it’s interactive, and very well-done. Unlike the previous poster, I love the Wild Animal Park. Admittedly, since one of my best friends is a big-whig at the zoo, we were able to go on one of the pricey safaris where you are very close to the animals, but it’s a more “real” animal experience… kind of like stepping into a Discovery channel special. It’s about a half hour drive north, but completely worth it. (There are also a couple of wineries out that way, which was a nice way to end our day!) To me, Sea World is a “cheaper”, more plastic imitation of either the zoo or the wild animal park.
Balboa Park is beautiful-- nothing like it anywhere! La Jolla (and it’s beaches) is also beautiful. Not only are the seals amazing to watch, there are great tidal pools for exploring. And the shopping… oh, the shopping!
Just a note on the beaches… the surf can be pretty rough, especially for a child. Depending on the day, you can really get knocked around. I’m a strong ocean swimmer, but the Southern California Pacific really kicked my butt more than a few times! (BTW-- the water is a lot colder than a lot of people expect it to be too!).
I miss living there… =-(
Also-- I second the bit about Mexico. Dangerous, and the most un-authentic mexican experience you can get.
I don’t live in San Diego, but I live only a few hours away and have spent a lot of time there.
You will be missing out if you don’t do SeaWorld/San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park.
You don’t have to do all three, but try to do at least 2 of the above. They are fantastic (Sea World is good for kids, but I think is the least neat of the three). I have a particular love for the Wild Animal Park myself, and recently took my 7 year old niece down to visit and she loved it too. (They have a petting zoo filled with Deer that knocked her socks off).
The beach in San Diego is great of course, and Coranado is beautiful, but don’t miss one of the animal attractions San Diego has to offer.
cher3, I owe you a big one. When I checked out the submarine you can visit, I saw that the HMS Suprise (formerly the Rose) was also in the Maritime Museum, the very one used in filming Master & Commander. I’m a huge Patrick OBrian & Nelson’s navy history nerd, and my heart durn near skipped a beat.
Regarding the Zoo, I had read in one of the previous threads that it is pretty spread out, and requires a lot of walking, so it could be quite tiring for a young kid. I’m not sure how to calibrate that, as many Americans do not walk a lot. My son walks half a mile (750m) to & from school everyday, so he could probably handle some walking. Is it really that spread out?
Thanks for the notes on the Mission beach crowd. Would that also be true for the beaches on sail bay? One of the places we’re looking at (The Catamaran resort) is on the beach on sail bay. It seems close to mission, so I’m not sure if it falls into the same category. At least the surf probably won’t be an issue inside a bay.
Regarding the water temperature, right now it seems to be floating between 57F-59F. :eek: Wow, that’s brisk. Is that pretty normal?
We’re also checking out places in LaJolla now, since most of the places in Coronado don’t seem to be right on the beach.
No, it’s not. The Zoo itself is large but it isn’t really spread out (no long distances between exhibits). If your kid can do a half mile to and from school he can do the SD Zoo. Do consider the Wild Animal Park as well which has a bit more walking but is really worth the time. (If you can only do one I don’t know what I would tell you to pick, but really don’t miss going to see at least one of them).
California (the whole state) is having a cold snap right now. When are you planning on being down here? It is typically in the high 60s low 70s this time of year and should be back up to that in a couple of weeks.
Looking for right on the beach may be a mistake. Look for a nice place to stay generally and be willing to travel a bit to get to the beach for the day.
Great! The Surpise is fun and the Star of India is even bigger. I believe you can see all the Maritime History ships on one ticket, but the Midway is a separate deal. My kids enjoy the Midway, but the lower decks might be a bit boring for a littler kid. Mine enjoy the flight deck the most, where you can climb in and out of the planes and helicopters.
The Zoo is fine for a reasonably fit kid. There are bus tours, but I don’t really like them because the views of the animals aren’t always the best. However, they are organized so that you can hop off and reboard later, if you get tired of riding. There is also a Sky Ride that will whisk you all the way across the Park and back, if you don’t mind heights. Most things are easily accessible, although there is sometimes a big line to see the pandas.
:smack: I don’t know why but I totally missed that you were talking about water temp. Low 60s it very normal for this time of year with high 60s being normal for summer months. California Pacific Ocean water is cold.