Priceline Hotel: 4* San Diego (Coastal) Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa

[LD5]

Family of 4 (with 2 young kids) going to San Diego Feb 11 to 15, 2009. Looking at 4* since 3.5* seems quite variable.

Tempted to try PRICELINE bid and try for a steal but two issues challenging my pea brain.

Can you help with your comments & suggestions?

1. PRICELINE only guarantees space for 2 people. We need 2 beds or at least 1 bed and 1 crib.

Should we avoid Priceline? What are the chances we get a hotel or a room that is unusable?

2. PRICELINE offers pricing on hotels in the Mission Bay area but for the bidding process it is not that defined.

The Mission Bay area is part of the Coastal region that includes La Jolla. Is it a problem? We plan on visiting

Sea World, San Diego Zoo, and Legoland. Are we better off booking Downtown? Also worried some resorts in La Jolla

might freak out when they see kids show up.

Any other tips on San Diego?

Almost booked the Hyatt Mission Bay which has a stay 4 nights, get 1 free deal which makes the net price about $168 per night.

Booked directly with Hyatt the 24 hour cancellation policy is available.

[grram1]

We are a family with small kids as well. I have used PRICELINE extensively for 6 years now with over a 90% success rate at getting the bedding type that we want. Once you've booked the room just call the hotel directly and place a request for a room with two beds (this is hit or miss... but most of the time they will at least note your request... and about 1/2 of the time they'll just go ahead and give you your request right then and there). At times it does happen where hotel room availability is such that they won't be able to accommodate your request for 2 beds. San Diego is one of our favorite weekend getaways. In dozens of trips we've been assigned a room with only 1 bed three times... the last time was recently in a 4* in La Jolla (Torre pines Hilton). For what it's worth the hotels have actually been pretty understanding... each time we were able to get extra bedding and have the kids sleep on the floor (so it's not like we were relegated to sneaking them in/out of the hotel ;-) If you're really worried about it, and still want to seek a deep discount, I would suggest HOTWIRE... you can list the kids on that reservation (and thus guarantee the desired bedding)... but it's been our experience that the very best deals are through Priceline. For what it's worth we normally go with Priceline... until we get within $10 of the HOTWIRE price (you don't bid with Hotwire... it's also an opaque service, but they simply give you a price and you either take it or leave it). Once we get within $10 of the Hotwire price we figure that added piece of mind is worth the minor charge (plus you'll know ahead of time if the property has a pool, or other amenities that may appeal to you... as those are also listed before you purchase on HOTWIRE). If it's weighing on your mind, it's never a bad idea to book a cancel-able back-up plan (like the Hyatt you mentioned for $168/night)... as long as there's no fee to cancel, you've got nothing to lose (it's actually an established strategy... kinda like taking out insurance).

As for location... it really depends on what you're into. Coastal and Mission bay areas are both good choices... downtown can be fun too... but parking is higher downtown, and it's a little more hectic... but there's a lot to see and do on the other hand. We've stayed downtown a few times, but normally either choose the Coastal or Mission Valley areas (they may have changed names... PRICELINE does that with some regularity). Sometimes we make our choice based strictly upon where the best deals are at that time (you can use this web site to see where rooms are being won, and in what price range... then play with it using Priceline).

San Diego is awesome! We love Seaworld, they have a world-class zoo, and too many beaches to name... one of our favorites is in La Jolla... just a block or two from the Hard Rock Cafe there's a scenic beach with a seal colony... http://www.lajollaseals.com/

Downtown is also surprisingly clean and welcoming (compared to most cities of its' size)... lots of good shopping and dining.

[thereuare]

I would begin by searching HOTWIRE for quad occupancy to at least get a feel for prices and the hotel you're likely to receive... if you're happy with the price and location of the likely outcome and go with that for peace of mind as well as a good location.

If on the otherhand prices are high, or you're not thrilled with the location of what you believe the likely hotel(s) would be if purchased, then weigh the risks involved of using PRICELINE (ie- guaranteed double occupancy vs. you being quad occupancy, a location anywhere within the given zone, etc)

The other question to ask yourself, "How would you (and your kids and/or spouse) handle a situation where you only received a room with one bed??" If you think everyone involved could 'handle' the situation then the risk becomes a little less... if your kids will be cranky as a result of sleeping on the floor or your (or your spouse's) vacation would be ruined if the kids had to sleep on the floor, then the risk increases substantially.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know your own thoughts and/or what you find on a HOTWIRE search, or we can suggest a bidding strategy.

[LD5]

Great info. Thanks.

Grram1: You seem to have lots of experience with San Diego and hit on a key point I was thinking about.

We like to stay at nicer hotels especially since you can get them at great rates these days.

When I looked at PRICELINE successful bids around San Diego (Coastal) the Torrey Pines resort you mentioned

was a possibility. We were a bit afraid of winning that one because I saw comments elsewhere that they

charge $ for kids under a certain age. To me, that means the place really doesn't want young kids.

I happen to have 2 of them. We don't want to go somewhere that we wouldn't be welcomed. That's nothing

against Torrey Pines or anyone else. We like nice hotels but don't want to be in a position where people

stare at us wondering why we brought 2 young kids. Can you comment on this?

Also, how is the safety level of walking around after dark in downtown San Diego?

If it's borderline then I will avoid bidding on downtown.

One last question, if I bid on San Diego Coastal on PRICELINE, and get a hotel in La Jolla, is it convenient

to drive to Sea World? I'm surprised they don't have Mission Bay as a separate area.

Thanks!

[Colfax]

We were a bit afraid of winning that one because I saw comments elsewhere that they

charge $ for kids under a certain age. To me, that means the place really doesn't want young kids.

Which hotel are you referring to? Something about this doesn't sound right to me. I've heard of hotels charging for cribs, or charging for a third person in the room (irrespective of age) but not a specific surcharge for children below a certain age. What you're saying is possible but I wouldn't want you excluding good options based on comments that might not be totally accurate. Generally speaking the Coastal zone is a family-friendly area.

One last question, if I bid on San Diego Coastal on PRICELINE, and get a hotel in La Jolla, is it convenient

to drive to Sea World? I'm surprised they don't have Mission Bay as a separate area.

La Jolla and Mission Bay used to be separate zones on Priceline. PRICELINE combined them several years ago. Everyone wishes they'd split the zone again, like Hotwire does. If you win a hotel in La Jolla you'll be about 7-10 miles from SeaWorld, depending which hotel you get. La Jolla is closer to Legoland though, which you're also visiting.

You might also consider staying three nights in Coastal zone and one night in North Coastal. If you win the 4* Sheraton Resort in Carlsbad you'll be next door to Legoland, like walking distance. The Sheraton's only a year old and the rooms are very large.

[LD5]

Just couldn't pass up the possibility of getting a deal with PRICELINE, decided to take a chance.

Used the PRICELINE link on this site.

Bid accepted at $81 per night for the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa for Feb 11-15, 2009.

Was a bit surprised that this price was accepted because Feb 14 is Valentine's Day and rates

for many resorts are a bit higher on that day.

They charge for parking and internet but I'm okay with it since I was ready to pay about double

the room rate for another similar hotel. Actually the other hotel charged for parking and internet too.

Not the best reviews for this hotel but it was recently renovated and we'll be spending most of our

time at Seaworld, the SD Zoo, and Legoland. Also glad because this hotel seems to have a lot of

rooms with 2 queen beds. I'll call them later to try and make sure we get that.

Thanks to all for the assistance on our hotel bookings. Ready to take on Southern California in Feb!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to hear you won a hotel at much less than you expected and that you're happy with the outcome.

Thank you for sharing your results wtih the board and using our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.

[Colfax]

And you got the Mission Bay location you were hoping for. Enjoy your stay!