H and I will be in San Diego in a few weeks for 5 nights.
We are trying to decide between the:
Marriott Coronado Island Resort and Spa --King with Bay view and Balcony
or
Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines–King with Balcony overlooking the pool.
We will be all over the San Diego area and are open to some driving.
Love great restaurants and La Jolla does seems to have the best although the
most expensive.
Just know folks here will have information to help decide–and thanks!
You can’t go wrong with either. Coronado is an island that you need to cross a bridge to get to; it’s closer to downtown, Balboa Park/Zoo area.
Hilton Torrey Pines is on the cliffs overlooking the ocean near the golf course, and Torrey Pines State Park with slightly easier access to north county beaches, Orange County, Los Angeles, etc… Most attractions in the San Diego area are only a 10-15 minute drive from either.
Both hotels are off of the I-5. Coronado island is quaint and the resort feel is there. If you are on the bayside (the Marriott I’m thinking about has a great view of the downtown skyline) the distance to downtown is quick. Torrey Pines is in a high tech area with amazing views of the ocean. You are close to great beaches. UCSD is right down the road. It’s a good starting point if you plan on going into Orange County (60 to 90 minutes if no traffic) You will need a car for both since our public transportation is horrible.
If you travel during off hours, then yes you can get to most places in 15-20 minutes. I-5 can be a headache.
We stayed at both, and IMO the Marrtiott is better because of its great resort feel. The breakfast buffet there was superb. Getting into the city was not an issue, but you do need a car.
Disclaimer…we have relatives there so don’t use hotels.
Having said that…my dream is to spend ONE night at the Hotel Del. If I can’t do that, I’d stay at the Marriott on Coronado. It’s just so pretty there.
But then so is La Jolla.
Tough choice. You are so much closer to the downtown area in Coronado, but I personally wouldn’t want to be taking that bridge back and forth…I hate those huge tall bridges. I think there may be more to do in La Jolla, and I’d love staying at a hotel overlooking the cliffs. I guess my vote is for La Jolla. Have you considered ubering instead of driving a rental? We did and life was so much easier and it cost the same in the end. If you factor in that hotels may charge a daily rate, parking fees, and ubering to and fro anyone some evenings…no drinking and driving…we loved not having the hassle of figuring out where we were going.
We had a similar dilemma last year and chose to stay in La Jolla - which was a great choice! We stayed at the Pantai Inn - it has an incredible location (beach front, walking distance to most everything) and a variety of room options. We had a 3 bedroom bungalow which was very nice. They have free parking and a lovely breakfast which is also included in the price. We loved it.
Having lived in La Jolla near UCSD for the past 28 years you can say I’m somewhat partial to the area, but also love Coronado and have stayed in many places there over the years. It really boils down to what kinds of activities you plan to do while here. Both places are easy to get to most San Diego attractions from during non rush hour driving, but both areas can see a lot of traffic in peak hours.
Some La Jolla suggestions for lunch or dinners are George’s, Duke’s or Eddie V’s for great views. Nine Ten at the Colonial Hotel, Herringbone or Whisk and Ladle. Also try Puesto for upscale streets tacos. Breakfast in La Jolla - Brockton Villa, The Cottage, Cody’s or Harry’s. Brick and Bell for the best scones! All of these places are in downtown La Jolla. In La Jollla Shores there is Piatti’s and Barbarella for dinner and Caroline’s or Brick and Bell for breakfast. If you like craft beers (San Diego is the craft brewing capital!) then you are a short Uber ride from the Miramar area which has a ton of breweries if you stay at the Hilton.
I second George’s at the Cove. We had breakfast at The Cottage…yum…shopped, and had a Bloody Mary later at the outdoor bar at Georges overlooking the cove. Very nice place!
I’ve stayed at the Hilton but not the Marriott, although I’ve stayed at the Del Coronado on Coronado a few times. The Hilton is more of a business hotel than a resort, and it’s on a “business” road for lack of a better term. If you had kids along I’d recommend Coronado, but for 2 adults who don’t mind jumping in the car for every outing then La Jolla might be a better location.
Another hotel to consider is “The Lodge at Torrey Pines” which is more of a resort and is walking distance (I think, it’s been a while) from amazing bluffs overlooking the ocean. It’s a spectacular sunset walk. I do also love George’s at the Cove. For a foodie looking for a bit of a hidden gem dive, check out the Promiscuous Fork.
Also check out Bird Rock Coffee Roasters to see if they have an open mic afternoon during your stay - they have all the windows and doors open and you can sit and sip a latte while listening to hippies sing folk music. I did that on my last business trip out there and topped it off with dinner and drinks at “The Marine Room” in La Jolla which has truly awesome verging on ridiculous views of the ocean through huge glass windows. Seriously, at least stop by there once for drinks if not dinner.
The Lodge is another great suggestion. You will be on the Torrey Pines golf course and can walk to the Torrey Pines Reserve which has great walks/hiking. Marine Room has excellent views, but is in need of an update.
If you stay at the Lodge at Torrey Pines (which is more expensive than the other hotels) make sure you don’t get a ground floor room. They are like dark caves, with knolls outside the window/ deck areas for privacy.
Even the rooms on the upper floors are dark because of the heavy eaves. I’ve had to stay there often for retreats and other business events.
Another problem with that hotel is that there are often private events in the nice part of the outdoor areas that are blocked off to other guests. And if you don’t play golf, the most spectacular part of the grounds aren’t open to you.
It looks so charming when you first arrive but I’ve had a lot of problems at that hotel.
I love the access to the hiking trails, though.
OMG when we stayed at the Lodge our room was so dark with poor lighting we had to request an extra lamp and even that barely helped! It’s funny to hear all the rooms are dark.
We stayed there for New Year’s Eve a number of years ago and on a whim when we were checking in I asked about special upgrades. For only $25 they us 2 spa treatments every day of our 4-day stay. I only went once since I’m not a spa guy, and gave the rest to DW. Even she got overdosed on spa stuff and ended up skipping one or two by the last day.
I am going to be at the Del in February for a conference for DH. Haven’t been there in 20 years and had kids with us then so now it will be a different story… no Sea World or the Zoo this time around.
So I remember that it was easy to walk out the of the Del to Coronado and there were shops and restaurants. Any suggestions?
Moo Time Creamery and Burger Lounge. Candela’s at the Ferry Landing is a nice lunch spot. The public library is a beautiful building with some interesting exhibits.