San Diego Overview - An Look At The Local Area

Overview of San Diego, California

San Diego Hotels

San Diego hotels range from the tropical settings to give you the feeling that you are on a paradise island with no around to San Diego hotels that sit right next to downtown San Diego and put you right in the middle of it all. One San Diego hotel, actually located in Coronado, is the hotel Del Coronado. This San Diego hotel will give you the exclusive feeling of being on your own tropical paradise. Hotel Circle, however, is a chain of San Diego Hotels located near attractions such as Sea Word and world class shopping. San Diego hotels range in price and location. There are hotels in san Diego that snug right up next to the beach, some San Diego hotels are smack in the middle of downtown, and some San Diego hotels have give you a little of both worlds. Fast access to the San Diego Beaches but still a good distance for all of the San Diego attractions.

The beaches in San Diego are world class. From Mission Beach to Black’s beach there is a beach for you. La Jolla shores is about a mile long and has the most gentle waves in all of San Diego and it has one of the few beaches with a boat launch. Want a rocky shoreline? Then try Windansea. Want to see a steady stream of people, then try Mission Beach. And, the famous Ocean Beach has a special “dog” area where dogs are permitted on the beach. Black’s beach is for the more adventurous as it’s billed as a clothing optional beach. Pick a beach and then pick a hotel that’s right for your budget. You’ll find many hotel choices on our hotel pages that are near many of the beaches mentioned above.

Bring your appetite when you travel to San Diego. San Diego has a variety of restaurants that cover almost any cuisine. So, from Vietnamese to Cajun, you can find just the right restaurant in San Diego. We like Anthony’s Fish Grotto which is a San Diego landmark. Try the Parkhouse a neighborhood eatery that features an outdoor garden patio and a bright window-lit living room for casual dining. We also like Blue Point Coastal Cuisine which is billed as San Diego’s favorite Seafood Restaurant. It’s located in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter on Fifth Avenue. The Blue Point features a raw bar with fresh oysters.

You could spend a week in San Diego and still not find the time to see all the family attractions or participate in all the sporting activities that San Diego has to offer. One of our favorite recreational activities is Over the Line softball. This game was actually invented on the beach in San Diego. It’s a three person softball team with rules created for the beach. Check out the annual Over the Line tournaments that bring thousands of players each year. In fact, this year there are 1,200 teams expected to play with over 2,400 games in two weekends.

San Diego Tours cover the city of San Diego and all the major tourist areas as well as tours that take advantage of the close proximity to Mexico. You can easily visit Ensenada, Tijuana or Rosarito with tour operators in San Diego. Spend a few hours or a full day visiting Mexico. One of the most popular “tours” is the Harbor Excursion tour which takes passengers on a harbor cruise around San Diego bay. Other popular tours will take you to the top San Diego attractions like the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal
Park or Sea World.

It’s always a good idea to know the layout of the city you’re visiting. Use our San Diego maps to orient yourself with the city and San Diego County. You’ll find the location of the freeways make it easy to get around the city and to the major San Diego area attractions and the many beaches. We also have detailed maps of hotels in the area. These San Diego hotel maps help you determine the location of your hotel in relation to the attractions you want to visit on your trip. These hotel maps feature clickable links that take you to the hotel information pages.

From family fun to adult entertainment, San Diego has it all. Try the Gaslamp Quarter for great nightlife with dancing at the Tsunami Beach Club, great martinis from Martini Ranch and live music from a variety of clubs including the Blue Tattoo in the GasLamp Quarter. Some of our favorites include the Cannibal Bar located on Mission Boulevard offers a number of acts with rock, reggae, swing and more. From concerts to comedy to dancing 4^th and B is another great venue. And try the Casbah which has hosted bands such as Nirvana, Lemonheads and the Smashing Pumpkins.

Spend a little, spend a lot, San Diego is a shopping Mecca. There are a number of factory outlets in the San Diego area including Las Americas which is a Latin themed shopping complex located next to the Mexican border, or Carlsbad Premium Outlets with over 90 outlet stores or the Viejas Outlet Center which is located near the Viejas Casino. For upscale shopping try the Horton Plaza in Downtown San Diego. Or, you can spend the day at one of the largest malls in the country at , Mission Valley which is home to Fashion Valley.

San Diego is a great family vacation location because of the many attractions in the area. Spend a day at the San Diego Zoo, which is one of the top zoos in the world. Take time to go to Sea World and Scripps Aquarium to learn about the creatures in the sea. Legoland is a fun place for kids as well as adults. Don’t forget to ride the roller coaster at Mission Beach.