Priceline Hotel: 3* San Diego (Del Mar-Rancho Santa Fe) Hilton Del Mar

[HoneymoonCA]

There are three showing that I am wondering about. I am not able to see user ratings or Trip Advisor ratings :)

2* SeaWorld - Mission Bay - Shelter Island Hotel $39

Pool is only amenity listed

Points of interest:

1. SeaWorld San Diego

2* San Diego North - Poway - Rancho Bernardo Hotel $42

Complimentary breakfast

Pool

Restaurant

2* Otay Mesa Hotel $47 (Having never been to CA, is this a good/safe area?)

Suite

Complementary Breakfast

Fitness Pool

Laundry

Internet

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! :) Thanks!

[Colfax]

Welcome to BetterBidding, HoneymoonCA.

None of these hotels has been identified but they'll all be basic budget hotels, something like a Days Inn, Super8, or Travelodge. Hotwire doesn't have a 1* rating. 2* is their lowest, so don't expect much from any of these three. As for Otay Mesa, it's a major truck crossing on the Mexico border, and not a convenient or attractive location for visitors.

Maybe we can approach this from a different angle. Instead of starting with Hotel IDs can you tell a little about your trip and then people can offer suggestions. I've already picked up that budget is important and I think you'll probably have some better options than these three for under $50 before taxes.

My questions are:

Is this trip your honeymoon?

How many in your party?

Is one bed enough?

Will you have a car?

What are you planning to see and do in San Diego? Do you have any location preference?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your purchases.

[HoneymoonCA]

Thank you very much for the response!

Is this trip your honeymoon? --Yes, it will be our Honeymoon and first time in California - we live on the East Coast

How many in your party? -- 2 in our party

Is one bed enough? -- 1 bed is perfect

Will you have a car? -- Yes, we will have a rental car

What are you planning to see and do in San Diego? -- We are beginning our trip in San Diego - going to the Zoo and Sea World -- and then are working our way up the coast...we plan on staying 2 nights in LA (going to a hockey game), then 1 night around Monterey (we are are likely taking Rt. 1), and finally 1 night in San Fran. which is where we are flying out of. Other than those attractions, I just want to enjoy the ocean and relax. I would LOVE a balcony, but realize that at this price point that is pretty unrealistic.

Do you have any location preference? -- No location preference

Budget is very important...We don't need fancy, just a CLEAN and SAFE place to sleep, as most of the time we will be out and about.

Thanks again!!! :)

[Colfax]

That info really helps and congratulations on your wedding.

Since one bed is enough I'll suggest PRICELINE over HOTWIRE. You can reserve two beds on Hotwire and you can't do that on Priceline. But you don't need two beds, so you might as well use PRICELINE as it's usually less expensive.

A few more questions:

1) What's the highest you're willing to pay per night for a room, before taxes and fees?

2) The hotels in the most popular tourist zones (Downtown, Coastal, Mission Valley, SeaWorld) also tend to charge for parking--around $5-25/night depending on hotel. Not all of them charge but most do and on Priceline you can't choose your hotel so there's no guarantee you'll win a hotel with free parking. Would you rather pay $50 for a hotel Downtown or near the Zoo that charges for parking OR drive maybe 5-10 miles to a similar $50 hotel where parking is free?

and finally,

3) Since this is your honeymoon are you interested in splurging your first night for a nice 4* hotel (with pay parking) for $60-75is, if available, and make up for it by staying in $40's places the rest of your stay? Or would you rather stay in the same hotel all four nights and not move?

If you reply tonite I'll see it tomorrow.

[HoneymoonCA]

Thanks again for your reply - I really appreciate your help!!! Thank you for the Congrats - we are really looking forward to spending time in California! :)

This whole Hotwire and Priceline idea is very new to me - I am used to just logging on to a hotel's website and booking from there. I have become quite familiar with Trip Advisor - I use that as a guide. I am definitely willing to try Priceline - I figure for our price point we can't do much worse than going directly through the hotel/motel. Since we are on a budget, I just want the best bang for our buck that we can get.

1) What's the highest you're willing to pay per night for a room, before taxes and fees? -- I would like to stay $50 or below

2) The hotels in the most popular tourist zones (Downtown, Coastal, Mission Valley, SeaWorld) also tend to charge for parking--around $5-25/night depending on hotel. Not all of them charge but most do and on Priceline you can't choose your hotel so there's no guarantee you'll win a hotel with free parking. Would you rather pay $50 for a hotel Downtown or near the Zoo that charges for parking OR drive maybe 5-10 miles to a similar $50 hotel where parking is free? -- We would much more prefer driving a bit to our destination to avoid the parking charges.

and finally,

3) Since this is your honeymoon are you interested in splurging your first night for a nice 4* hotel (with pay parking) for $60-75is, if available, and make up for it by staying in $40's places the rest of your stay? Or would you rather stay in the same hotel all four nights and not move?

-- We are actually planning on splurging on a nicer hotel in the Monterey area, so we are looking to stay all 4 nights in the same place.

Thank you SO MUCH for your help!!!

[Colfax]

My suggestion is to try for a 3* in PRICELINE's Sorrento Mesa zone. It's a fairly safe area with good freeway access and none of the 3* hotels in Sorrento Mesa charges for parking. If you're lucky you'll win a hotel with free breakfast too.

When bidding 3* in San Diego you have three free rebid zones. Those are zones that only offer lower rated hotels than you're seeking.

Since you're bidding for a 3* your rebid zones are zones that only go up to 2.5* or 2*. You can post the three zone names here if you want confirmation before you bid, or ask for help if you're having trouble ID'ing them.

After you've ID'ed your rebid zones I suggest bidding $39 for a 3* in Sorrento Mesa. Then add your rebid zones, one at a time, and bid $40, $42, and $45.

Please start you bids with this PRICELINE link. Ask if you have questions. Good luck!

[HoneymoonCA]

Thank you very much for all of your help...I will be sure to use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links from here, and I will update once I bid...which may not be for a few days.

[HoneymoonCA]

OK - well this should probably be moved to the Priceline thread....

I went with the Colfax strategy...and started w/ 3* Sorrento Mesa at $39...then added re-bid zones w/ no 3* and bid $41....then $42....then $43 - none were accepted. I added San Diego Coastal and bid $44 (there were 3* here; I would not have minded this area) - rejected. I added the Del Mar area which also had 3* and bid $45---it was accepted at the Hilton San Diego/Del Mar. There is a parking fee of $14 per day...which I knew would be possible when I started adding in other areas, but I don't really mind so much since it looks like a nice hotel. I'm happy! Thanks so much for the help!!!

Also, I forgot to use the PRICELINE links from here - I am sorry!!!

Hilton San Diego/Del Mar

15575 Jimmy Durante Blvd

Del Mar, California

1/16-1/20

$45 per night x 4 nights

$180 subtotal

32.88 taxes and fees

$212.88 Total

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success.

Wow! Very nice deal for this property! Glad you are pleased with the results and looking forward to your stay. Again, have a wonderful honeymoon! :)

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE link to start your purchases.

Enjoy your stay.

[Colfax]

Nice job, HoneymoonCA. Enjoy!