We are hoping to take our D and S and DIL and G’son (4) on a mini reunion this August to San Diego.
8/4-8/9 so not a full week.
Looking for advice on rental agencies that you have used or even places you liked.
Open to location. Beach would be nice but not necessary.
Very last minute! Both D and DIL are in Med school and this is their mutual slice of time.
Would love to make it happen! Just learned of their time free this week…
Thanks!
I live in San Diego, so I don’t stay in hotels or rentals around here, but out of town guests have stayed in the Wyndham Worldmark, which is more of a resort near the beach in Oceanside (the northern-most suburb of San Diego) https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/resorts/oh/
They have all said good things about it.
I also live in San Diego and would suggest looking at Airbnb or VRBO. Nice beach locations to stay are La Jolla Shores or Coronado. Places like Pacific Beach and Mission Beach are more college aged people. My Aunt and rented a condo for a week in Cardiff a few years ago for their kids ands grandkids for a week.
There is a residence inn near UCSD which would be less than 10 minutes to the beach. What is your budget?
Take a look at the Catamaran Resort on Mission Bay. Lots of activities, room types.
My parents have stayed at a timeshare in Oceanside. It was a relaxing vacation for them as they just spent time at the beach since my dad was recovering from surgery. Oceanside is a 40 minute or more drive from San Diego in summer traffic. Does your family just want to hang out at the beach or do you want to do other things? Your grandson is a great age to take to the zoo. We also have Sea world and the Wild Animal Park. Horse racing will be on at Del Mar during your stay.
We used VRBO and found a great rental near the beach in La Jolla last July. Much more affordable than we expected.
Thanks everyone! Very helpful!
We will want to visit the beach but the zoo and other sights are as important.
I love horse racing!
Had not thought of a resort due to $$$ but after seeing some of the house rental prices I will rethink this.
We really have not set a dollar amount on this last minute trip but would hope to find housing for less than
$1000 a night which is what I have found so far.
Will keep you posted and if you have more thought I welcome them.
May I suggest that you go on the Trip Advisor website for San Diego. At the top header, click on “vacation rentals”. You can put in your dates, number of bedrooms/baths and price point. I found quite a few that are in the $400-$700 per night price range with 3-4 bedrooms and close to the beach. The ones on the beach are quite higher. The rentals slightly inland, but some close to the beach are much less in price. Some offer wonderful views and pools.
Also AAA if any of you are members, and Costco.
Your grandson will love [Legoland[/url] and [url=<a href=“http://www.rhfleet.org%5DFleet”>http://www.rhfleet.org]Fleet Science Center!](LEGOLAND California | Theme Park & Vacation Destination)
I would definitely recommend a day at the Del Mar race track for the older group. Go online to DMTC (del mar thoroughbred club) and try to find one of the tables in their track side restaurants. It makes it a much better experience to sit at a table than standing in sun all day or up in a bleacher seat. Thursdays are their slower day
Take a look at Paradise Point; lovely resort on Mission Bay with a variety of rooms, including bungalows with kitchen facilities. It might work with your price point; very child friendly with various pools, beach on the bay, very nice restaurants. I also checked Homewood Suites and Liberty Station - they have two bedroom suites - but it looks like it’s sold out for one of your nights. But you could call; you never know!
We once rented a house in Del Mar via VRBO for a month and enjoyed our stay - one block from the beach. You have to book 7 days but the rate seems to be $4500 for the week and it’s available for your dates. If you might be interested in that location (somewhat of a drive into San Diego), please PM me for the link.
Over on TripAdvisor, they often recommend Capri by the Sea, which is a condo building at the north end of Pacific Beach bordering La Jolla. If you find places you like on VRBO and/or AirBnB, be sure of the exact location because there are plenty of misleading postings.
Del Mar is a fun experience but probably not good for the 4 year old. There are a lot of special events/concerts linked in with the race schedule so you might want to avoid those.
An oft overlooked museum in Balboa Park is the Model Railroad Museum, fascinating for all ages and a winner with children.
“Your grandson will love Legoland and Fleet Science Center!”
IMO a 4 year old will enjoy Legoland a lot more than the Fleet. Most of the exhibits at the Fleet are pitched at the middle school level. In contrast Legoland is for tykes.
If you are looking at Trip Advisor-ABB-VRBO, only on VRBO can you contact the host directly, the rest mask the connection. All three charge fees, though many owners will book direct so you can avoid the VRBO fee, the fee is charged to the guest not the host. By the end of this year, we expect VRBO will also mask the contact info!
I am a native local and I would suggest VRBO as well (vacation rentals by owner) since we’ve had really good luck with them for other cities. (Right now, they are swamped because we have the All Star game and Comic Con in town, so the site might be packed.) You can look at VRBO and the prices in the areas that you want to stay near or central to. Message me or any of the locals who have posted here if you have a question about the locations.
You need a rental car. Public transportation is very poor in San Diego County.
Oceanside and Carlsbad are in the North County, so if you plan on doing things in Anaheim (Disneyland) or Orange County (Knotts Berry Farm, Medieval Times, Laguna) or LegoLand, then you may want to stay there. Be careful on the listings (Oceanside and Carlsbad housing may not be anywhere near the beach and miles inland).
I have to warn you that commuting from those communities, into San Diego Proper, can be a bear.
The Catamaran is a really good idea. The property is an older property and sits between Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. The rooms are small, but there are lots of walkable things to do. They have a good luau program. You can get to Sea World and most central activities (Zoo, downtown, etc.) from there within 20 minutes.
La Jolla is really good if you can find a property that is inexpensive. Some people claim to be in La Jolla and say that parts of University Towne Center are La Jolla. “if you can’t see the water, it ain’t La Jolla”.
Del Mar is nice, but is very expensive.
Good luck! and let us know if you need further suggestions.
So much wonderful information!
I know (or hope) all of you will understand that my uncommunicative S just texted to say he has to travel that week.
grrr…
Still, we had talked of the week before Christmas (which DIL and D would love).
Is the weather ok then?
Please know that I value you input and all will be saved. I know we will get there in the next months.
For VRBO/ABB type accommodations, try the mega search engine tripping.com You will see the various price points of the same place listed on the different sites.
If you are looking at Airbnb and VRBO in La Jolla make sure the zipcode is 92037 which is La Jolla. Christmas here can be nice, but not a guarantee. Beach water will be cool and weather mostly in the mid 60’s.
Thanks for the zip.
60’s are fine but is there a lot of rain?
December is not a rainy month. There are also a lot of holiday activities and a few neighborhoods with great decorations. When you’re closer to your trip, look into Jungle Bells at the Zoo, the San Diego Botanic Garden “Garden of Lights”, the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, and the X-mas decorations in the Model Railroad Museum displays. There’s a huge celebration in Balboa Park called December Nights, but we haven’t been because of the massive crowds. Bump this thread in early December when your dates are firm.
It could DEFINITELY be rainy in San Diego around Christmas. There have been big storms around Christmas in some years. End of December thru February is typically the rainy season in Southern California.