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Hotels Overview

San Diego is spread out, so the first thing to consider when selecting lodging is location. If you choose a hotel with a waterfront setting and extensive outdoor sports facilities, you may find yourself choosing to shorten your sightseeing agenda. But if you plan to sightsee, be sure to look into a hotel's proximity to attractions. There are plenty of hotel-resorts for families in Mission Valley and Mission Bay, which are convenient to the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, or nearby beaches.

The downtown center has hip boutique hotels and preserved Victorian-era hostelries in the Gaslamp Quarter. High-end hotels can be found anywhere from the downtown area up to La Jolla, which also has a landmark 1920s Spanish-style hotel. Staying on the water isn't only for wealthy leisure travelers: surfers make themselves at home at Banana Bungalow in Pacific Beach, and conventioneers pack themselves into towers on San Diego Bay.

Die-hard aficionados of California's Craftsman architectural tradition can book themselves into a 1,500-square-foot suite at the Lodge at Torrey Pines; there, they can cuddle in front of a fire in Stickley chairs and enjoy sweeping ocean and golf course views. Others, enamored of the downtown skyline, can settle into a window seat at the stylish WOW Presidential Suite at the W San Diego Hotel, decorated to reflect local beach culture.