Priceline Hotel: 3* San Diego (Del Mar) Hilton Del Mar

[djohannw]

Just a quick question...I am thinking about ending my tour of the west with a few days in San Diego - I have no idea however how San Diego is like that time of year (something like Feb 16th onwards). Is it high-season like in the desert-areas, rather low-season as it is cold, or something in-between?

Also, I will of course use Priceline for that stay...which zone would you recommend for a first-time visitor?

Greetings - Dirk

[Senoreit]

Dirk,

Here is a link to some graphs showing San Diego's average temperatures and precipitation amounts throughout the year: SAN DIEGO WEATHER.

Since I've never been there, I can't really speak with any authority about the best area in San Diego in which to stay, so I hope others chime in on the subject. I do know that when I was doing some preliminary research in hopes of being able to visit there in the upcoming year, it seemed like the Downtown-Harbor Island zone would be most attractive to me. With the exception of the Sheraton which is close to the airport and known to give less desirable rooms to HW/PL guests, all of the hotels in that zone are generally well-reviewed and close to abundant shopping and dining and things to do (zoo, coastal attractions, etc.). Of course if I do go to San Diego, I'll have a rental car so I have easy access to outside of downtown too, but I almost always like to stay downtown when I'm visiting a city on vacation as I feel that's the best way to get a true "experience" and sense of the city. I know some people like to stay in less busy/more secluded areas, so it depends on your individual personality too.

Like I said, hopefully others will offer their opinions.

[djohannw]

Senoreit, thanks for the link to San Diego weather. I will have a car also, so getting to/from places should not be that much of a problem. As to personal "taste", I usually prefer to stay out of city-centers and rather commute there because being a light sleeper cities like NY prevent me from getting any sleep because of the environmental noises...

But again, thanks for your information!

Greetings - Dirk

[Guest aldo]

I live in SoCal. As my birthday is at the end of February, I have vivid memories of that time of year. It can be sunny and warm, or rainy and cold. If it rains, there are some coastal areas in San Diego that are prone to flooding. You may want to consider the possiblility of bad weather during your stay.

That said, what are you looking to do in San Diego? Since you have a car, you will have more options. I'm like you, I don't like city-centers, and San Diego downtown is especially confusing. It has many one-way streets, and limited parking (hotel parking can be very expensive, too).

Mission Valley is centrally located, less expensive, and most properties have free parking. It's close to all freeways to take you in any direction. Shopping is convenient, as is Old Town, Balboa Park, and the Zoo. There are no 4* properties there on Priceline, so if you are looking for more upscale, I would try the Coastal Zone. All nice properties, plenty of free rebids.

If you're sure of your dates, you can give it a try now on Priceline. Be aware, it's President's Day weekend 2/18-21, so if these are your dates, you may have a hard time getting a good deal on Priceline until closer to arrival. Make sure you have a back-up, just in case.

Good Luck!

[djohannw]

aldo, thanks for your information. Our "dates" are somewhere around 2/20 - currently we have arranged our stays until 2/17 - after that until 2/25 we are still "open". I am still considering to stop a few days in Palm Springs after that on the way to San Diego, but I am not really sure if I want that or not. But if we do, we would just arrive in time for President's day weekend (I was not aware of that, btw - so thanks also for that information).

As to

That said, what are you looking to do in San Diego?

I have no real idea. We have been to Orange County, Las Vegas and Phoenix by that time, so relaxation should have set in then. So maybe some "action", like San Diego Zoo, Sea World and the like, and also some heavy shopping would be nice...,-)!

Greetings - Dirk

[lwitchel]

Dirk -

I visited San Diego in February last year; the weather was pleasant and mild. I stayed in downtown San Diego but ended up doing very little there (maybe with more time) so having access to a car and perhaps bidding on the coastal zone would be an option. From what I saw of that area, La Jolla is very pretty as is Del Mar and the rest of the coast. I'm a city boy at heart, but the most interesting things I did in San Diego were all outdoors, hiking (Anza Borrego, about a 80 mile drive inland into the desert), coastal drives and the like. I didn't think of it as a shopping town, but I'm not walking around with Euros burning a hole in my pocket! The other thing I remember fondly as an Easterner was that Mexican food in California, even fast food, seemed like a real cuisine, delicious and fresh. In NYC, it's mostly an excuse to get drunk on margaritas :).

I pricelined the Radisson Harbor View downtown for $53/night. It has mixed reviews, I found it completely acceptable.

Enjoy your trip!

[Guest aldo]

I see a previous poster got the Del Mar Hilton for $53 on your dates, Dirk. Nice hotel, but still almost 20 miles to Downtown San Diego (can be a tough drive with traffic). If you're looking to shop, Horton Plaza has lots of options- more unique than just the basic malls in the Mission Valley area. It's reason enough to deal with driving downtown.

Hope the weather clears by next month. It's miserable here today. We want to do Sea World ourselves sometime soon...

The Date Festival in Indio starts 2/18, then the Sinatra Invitational on the 24th in Indian Wells. High season in PS/PD: could be expensive, if even available.

[djohannw]

Wife and I today decided to go with San Diego (thereuare, please edit the subject-line for me as I cannot access it) and after evaluating our options we decided for saving money and against a classy hotel (I mean - after two weeks at Hyatt Resorts on Faster Free Night awards we can stand that...;-)) and started bidding for a three star in the Del Mar zone. After some discussions we set our dates to 2/18 to 2/23, over the holiday mentioned above.

As we still have some time to bid we decided to start low at 30$ and received a counteroffer of 38$. Declined as usual and raised to 32$, which was accepted:

Hilton San Diego/Del Mar

Zone: Del Mar

15575 Jimmy Durante Boulevard

Del Mar, California 92014

858-792-5200

Check-In Date: Fri, Feb 18, 2005

Check-In Time: After 04:00 PM

Check-Out Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2005

Check-Out Time: 12:00 PM

Your Offer Price: $32.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 5

Subtotal: $160.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $27.00

Total Charges: $187.00

Looks like I have hit a jackpot - while certainly not the best hotel in San Diego it is decent and said to be comfortable. Reports also say it has been remodelled last year so rooms are probably still in good shape. But for 32$ a night in what is probably high season in San Diego I think I can consider myself very lucky.

btw: The Hilton was showing up on Priceline's vacation-product at 277$ per person right before I checked, and was cheaper than even the Homestead suites - so I figured they would be pretty cheap. Regular rates for our dates were 139$ for each night - for that difference I can easily forgo the amenities as Hilton Gold...

Greetings - Dirk

[luveurope]

I think you got a great deal here. I live just north in south OC but work alot in SD. Note that Del Mar is in an area that has had huge residential expansion so wait till after AM traffic to go south to SD and coming back to Del Mar from the south come back before 4 PM or after 7PM or you will be sitting in traffic like the rest of us.

The weather can be really nice or not. The good thing is that if it rains one day it is usually sunny the next, however not warm enough for the beach.

Some of my favorite SD things-

1. Go to La Jolla not far from Del Mar. - pronounced La Hoya. Old money, small beach city feel, lots of shopping, resturants, and galleries.

2. Coronado Island- Hotel Del Coronado is beautiful, great for a drink.

3. Balboa Park- beautiful spanish colonial architecture, great museums. Dont go at night.

4. Take a harbor cruise, relaxing and great view of the coastline.

5. Go to old town, park, go into the square, have a margarita at the Pinata- can float a basketball in one of these.

6. On your way to SD from OC make sure you visit Laguna Beach. This is the true OC beach town funky, beautiful.

7. Horton Plaza- Excellent Restaurant on the very top -Napa Grill, memorable.

Have a great time.

[thereuare]

A great deal... your research really paid off on this one!

Welcome back to the states and have a great trip at all your hotels!

Hopefully there will be some NYC trips in your future soon and we'll meet up again.