<p>^^ If you need more San Diego info - PM me and I’ll be happy to help if I have anything to offer.</p>
<p>Thanks! Will make a note for when that time arrives.</p>
<p>nj2011mom - you should try VRBO to see if you can get a condo in Palm Springs or Palm Desert.</p>
<p>great lakes mom - I’m also happy to pass on information about San Diego as I came here for college 30 years ago and never left.</p>
<p>nj2011 - There are tons of condos in the Palm Springs area so it seems that it’d be easy to find one. There are also lots of resorts there. I stayed at this place once and it was nice (but not cheap) - [Palm</a> Springs Resorts- La Quinta Resort & Club- Palm Springs Hotel Spa, Golf Reservations](<a href=“http://www.laquintaresort.com/index.cfm]Palm”>http://www.laquintaresort.com/index.cfm)</p>
<p>I’ll tag on to this thread with a question of my own, since so many have given good advice.</p>
<p>DH and I will be driving down to SoCal for Parents’ weekend at my son’s college, and plan to take the coast route back home to the Bay Area. Would like a recommendation on where to stay north of LA on the coast. We’ll probably be checking in late Sunday night, so I’m assuming the weekend crowd will be gone and hotel rooms will be relatively available. Oxnard and Ventura seem to be the obvious choices. It might be too late at night to try to get to Santa Barbara that evening. Any suggestions for a last-minute getaway in that area?</p>
<p>A number of years ago, we had a great family vacation in So Cal…3 days in Disneyland followed by 2 days in Joshua Tree. It was a great contrast…all the wacky intensity of Disneyland followed by the serenity of the desert.</p>
<p>vballmom, </p>
<p>I don’t have a suggestion for Oxnard or Ventura, but if you have the time to make it to Santa Ynez or Santa Barbara, that would be my suggestion. Other possibilities are Carpenteria (just south of Santa Barbara) and Ojai.</p>
<p>Santa Ynez is thirty five minutes north of Santa Barbara so probably too far. Santa Barbara will be more expensive tthan Ventura . In Ventura there is a crowne plaza on the beach but it is a little run down. The Marriott is in better shape but not on the beach. I prefer the in on the beach on pierpont beach. I don’t think links are allowed but google it. Now understand that pierpont beach is a small residential type beach. Not a huge tourist attraction. No services on the Beach like restaurants etc but it is one of my favorite parts of California.</p>
<p>for those of you that know the Palm Spring area, which areas would be best to stay in if we rent a house? I have looked at VRBO and realtor websites, but it’s a bit overwhelming. We are looking for 4 nights and will have my 82 year old mom (very mobile - acts like she’s 65) who will not go hiking with us, but will prefer to walk around Palm Springs during the day. (She likes to window shop. I also plan to sign her up for a 1/2 day bus tour of the area). Which areas would suit our needs?</p>
<p>I can’t answer the Palm Springs question, but I wanted to share this: [L.A.:</a> Walking where few have walked before](<a href=“http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F10%2F15%2FTRBP1E39VS.DTL]L.A.:”>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F10%2F15%2FTRBP1E39VS.DTL)</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions about Ventura & points north!</p>
<p>vballmom, Oxnard has the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel - it’s on the beach. I haven’t stayed there but have been to meetings and events there. </p>
<p>Also, the Santa Ynez Inn in Santa Ynez is a nice b&b style place that you might like.
In Westlake, south of Thousand Oaks, is the Four Seasons. They sometimes advertise getaway packages.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>BTW, my S is loving CPSLO! Thanks fo the dorm/apt tips!</p>
<p>Thanks lilmom 
Santa Ynez is up by Solvang? I don’t think we’ll make it that far. I’ll check out the Four Seasons for last minute specials.</p>
<p>Are you going to Parents’ weekend at Cal Poly? We’ll be there Friday night to see S1 but will be leaving early Saturday to see S2 at his Parents’ weekend.</p>
<p>(excuse brief hijack)</p>
<p>vballmom- 2nd the suggestion of the Embassy Suites in Oxnard. I have not stayed there but H used to work in that area.
Not sure what level you are looking for but on the coast between Ventura and Santa Barbara on the coast is a small hotel. The name is escaping me right now but I will look it up. It is on the cliff right above the ocean. H and I stayed there about 7 yrs ago for an anniversary. Not fancy but the view is amazing and the food is good.
In SB there a tons of small motels on Cabrillo blvd right across from the ocean. If you just want a clean motel room for less cash try the Holiday Inn on Calle Real in Goleta. If you want something out of the ordinary just north of SB on the coast just in the canyon is El Capitan Canyon. They are tent cabins but luxury. If you have a ton of cash to spend check out the Bacara Resort just north of UCSB.
A lot depends on how important seeing the ocean is to you or if you just need a clean bed for the night.
Place between Ventura and Carpinteria is Cliff House Inn in Mussel Shoals. Funky but unique.</p>
<p>I went to San Diego then Anaheim for a senior class trip. We flew into San Diego, spent the afternoon at Sea World. Next day at San Diego Zoo. Then we took a bus from San Diego to Anaheim. Absolutely gorgeous ride. The ocean on one side, the mountains on the other. This was 30 years ago, and I still remember it. We spent a day at Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Disneyland, and some big market. As we were initially supposed to stay on the beach, one reason I booked the trip, but were later moved next door to Disneyland, we begged our tour bus driver to bring us to the beach to see the ocean. It was the end of May and the water was freezing, but the waves were awesome. Watching the NLCS, husband and I are dying to go to San Francisco. Would love to see the Golden Gate bridge and the Worlds Fair buildings featured in Time After Time. I did stay across the street from USC while on an overnight business trip and yearned to go over to see the campus, it was my dream school when I was young, but the desk clerk warned me to not set foot outside. My brothers visited a friend who was a Navy Seal often in La Jolla and they always raved about how they would go to the beach and see sea lions up on the rocks. I would definitely try to look into whale watching, if that’s available while you’re up there. We did a whale watching trip in Northern Washington this summer, and it was a wonderful experience.</p>
<p>BTW, my sister in law recently took her kids to Legoland, which made us insanely jealous. My son is 18, and would still love to go there. Your teenagers just might enjoy it!</p>
<p>Please report back on your trip!</p>
<p>^^ You reminded me of a few more activities -
- Whale watching (you already mentioned!)
- Take a fishing excursion offshore for the morning or multiple days (if one had lots of time)
- Go visit Catalina island - take the boat there and spend the day or stay the night
- In Long Beach visit the Queen Mary (and you can leave from here on a boat to Catalina as well)
- In San Diego - La Jolla - the ‘Children’s Pool’, actually a cove with a sea wall, has been taken over by sea lions so one can see plenty of them here frolicking in the water and laying on the beach and rocks (the ‘take-over’ is actually somewhat controversial - I used to snorkel here but can’t really anymore due to the sea lions)</p>
<p>I’m all about the view. Looking forward to hearing where that hotel is on the cliff with the great views.</p>
<p>The view of Morro Bay from Dorn’s Restaurant in Morro Bay is really wonderful. And the food is pretty good (generally not my experience with restaurants so close to the water.)</p>
<p>The Harbor Fish cafe in Carlsbad (north of San Diego) has exceptional fish and chips and fish sandwiches.</p>
<p>^^ Even better than the Harbor fish in Carlsbad is Harbor fish and Chips in Oceanside at the harbor. You get the fish and chips then sit at one of the tables outside right next to the boats. For some reason the fish and chips seem better at the Oceanside location.</p>
<p>If you want a nice restaurant with a fantastic view, reserve a dinner table at the Orange Hill restaurant in Santa Ana (next door to Anaheim and just 10-15 min from the SNA airport). In the fall and wintertime, you will be able to see the fireworks above the Disneyland in the distance. Typically, the better the view is, the more mediocre the food gets (Space Needle Restaurant in Seattle, Peaks in Palm Springs, Gondolen in Stockholm, etc.), but Orange Hill’s food and impeccable service excedeed my expectations.</p>
<p>In Palm Springs, if you want to splurge a little and hate to drive, I highly recommend Elite Land Tours. No wonder TripAdvisor reviewers gave it 5 stars out of 5!</p>
<p>[Hummer</a> Tour - Review of Elite Land Tours, Palm Springs, CA - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32847-d602631-r59322327-Elite_Land_Tours-Palm_Springs_California.html]Hummer”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32847-d602631-r59322327-Elite_Land_Tours-Palm_Springs_California.html)</p>
<p>OP, in addition to the desert tours, they also offer a guided tour of Palm Springs - something for your mom to consider. And if you are into shopping, the Outlets at Cabazon are hard to beat: Gucci, Prada, Loro Piana, and so on!</p>
<p>Sorry, I cannot recommend a house to rent, but we stayed at the Marriott Villas (and Westin Villas a few of years ago), and we liked it. Marriott’s property is wrapped around a golf course, has beautiful grounds, and is not far from the zoo, etc. The units are like furnished apartments: in 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, there is a full kitchen and a living room, and there are outdoor grills for making dinner (if you prefer to make your own). Westin’s property is beautiful, too, but it is located on the outskirts . Palm Springs and its surrounding towns is not a huge area; everything is within a short drive.</p>
<p>And I highly recomment the Living Desert Zoo - it is a beautiful zoo/botanical gardens park with hop-on-hop-off trams for people who do not feel like walking.</p>