Vacation in San Diego: The Ultimate San Diego Travel Guide
San Diego is located in famous Southern California and is one of California’s most popular tourist destinations. San Diego is one of our favorite cities to visit. There is no shortage of activities, restaurants, or beautiful skyline views.
San Diego is truly an entertainment destination with something for everyone. Are you looking for a relaxing beachside vacation with ocean views of the surfers and all the fish tacos you can eat? A luxury experience at a boutique waterfront hotel with the best shopping around? Or maybe an adults-only trip with incredible nightlife, craft breweries, and a rooftop lounge? Whatever it is you want out of your vacation, you'll find it in San Diego.
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When to Visit San Diego
If the entertainment and dining options weren't enough to convince you to visit my favorite city, the weather probably will. The temperature is consistent all year round, averaging around 75 degrees Fahrenheit with occasional chilly mornings and evenings.
It’s truly the perfect getaway for a relaxing trip filled with sunshine and amazing experiences. Even in February, San Diego had perfect beach weather with a light breeze all day long.
A Travel Destination for the Whole Family
San Diego is a great place for a romantic getaway, but if you're looking for a family vacation, San Diego is perfect for that too. There are lots of activities that would be perfect for kids.
Best of all, San Diego is hands down the most pet-friendly city I’ve ever been to so even your dog can join in on the fun. About 90% of the restaurants and activities we did during our visit were happy to accommodate our handsome dog without a problem.
Where to Stay in San Diego
San Diego is a collection of smaller neighborhoods, each with their own unique vibes. Where you stay will make a big impact on the experience you have, so consider what kind of vacation you want when choosing your accommodations. Staying closer to the majority of your activities will allow you to walk to many of the locations in this travel guide. That said, it's pretty easy to get around in the city!
Downtown: Hotel Solamar
We stayed at the beautiful, very Instagrammable Hotel Solamar during our stay in Downtown San Diego. The location of Hotel Solamar is spectacular considering that we walked to almost all of our dining, activities, and even to Harbor View. The hotel itself is super cozy and clean and features a rooftop pool.
La Jolla: Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
When in La Jolla, we stayed at the absolutely stunning Estancia Hotel. Estancia La Jolla is one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever stayed at. The landscape and gardens all around the property were outstanding, even in February! It was truly like staying in a Botanical Garden, making it such a unique experience. This hotel is extremely peaceful, and the customer service was amazing!
Mission Bay: San Diego Mission Bay Resort
We stayed at San Diego Mission Bay before and absolutely loved our experience here. The staff was incredibly welcoming, and the resort itself is stunning. San Diego Mission Bay is located right on the water so it’s an easy walk around the bay to watch the sunset or rent water toys and gear for a fun day on the water.
Shelter Island: Kona Kai Resort
We stayed at the Kona Kai Resort at the end of the island, and it was one of the most stunning room views we have ever experienced. The hotel is within walking distance of a variety of restaurants as well as nearby parks. The hotel itself is stunning and has spacious rooms.
What Not to Miss in San Diego
San Diego has an unbelievable number of activities and restaurants, but there are a few specific locations I can't recommend enough. You'll not only be awed by the beautiful scenery, but you'll find plenty of hidden gems and activities to do at each of them as well.
Balboa Park
The culture and history of San Diego can easily be found in Balboa Park. I have never seen anything like this park. It was a collection of beautiful architecture, museums, stunning landscaping, street vendors, and so much more. You can easily spend a whole day here enjoying every bit of it.
La Jolla Village
La Jolla Village is a quaint shopping and dining area located by the ocean in La Jolla. La Jolla Village claims multiple streets for all the shopping you can ask for as well as a variety of restaurants. There are small stair alleys that will take you right to the water where you can enjoy watching some sea lions.
San Diego Bay Marina
We had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful owners and captains of this super cool & unique racing sailboat called Stars and Stripes. As they explained, this sailboat was built in Italy like a formula one race boat. Every few years, the US Open Sailing Series happens around the world and to which this sailboat was built for, back in the 90s. In other words, this sailboat goes much faster than most sailboats and yachts on the bay.
Today, you can grab tickets to a fully interactive sailing trip for your group (as individuals or private sailing) for 3 hours around San Diego Bay. You and your peers will be able to steer the boat, raise the sail, and so much more! Of course, a crew will be on board to help. This unique experience is not one you would want to miss out on.
Torrey Pines Natural Reserve and Glider Port
Located in La Jolla, just a quick 5-min drive from Estancia La Jolla, The Torrey Pines Natural Reserve and Glider port serve some of the best ocean views to enjoy. We had multiple individuals recommend the Glider port as the best view of the sunset in the entire city.
San Diego Attractions: Things To Do on Your Trip
San Diego has so many unique things to do outside of just hanging by the beach. I have listed some of our recommendations for fun things to do in San Diego for your next visit.
Gondola Cruise
The Gondola Company located on Coronado Island is one of our favorite experiences in San Diego. They take you and your group on a 45-minute Gondola Ride along the Coronado Cays. Paired with a bottle of bubbly, this experience is a must during your visit! Major plus - they are more than happy to take your pup along for the ride!
San Diego Zoo
Located in Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo is a world-famous zoo that every individual needs to visit at least once in their life. The San Diego Zoo sits on over 1,000 acres of land in the heart of San Diego and houses over 12,000 animals. They are a nonprofit conservation organization so not only are you enjoying yourself, but you are also doing the world good when visiting the San Diego Zoo!
Harbor View
Similar to La Jolla Village, Harbor View is a strip filled with shopping and a collection of restaurants. It’s a great place to take a stroll around sunset and enjoy the good weather.
Smoking Gun
Smoking Gun offers some fun table games and an old-school arcade where you can showcase your skill from when you were younger! It's also a delicious restaurant with incredible food.
Take A Walk By The Water
…Or bike down the pedestrian path by the water. Mission Bay Resort and Kona Kai Resort are conveniently located by a pedestrian path right next to the bay where we took daily walks as the sun rose and set each day. Not only was this a beautiful experience - but it also set your mood up for the day! La Jolla also has beautiful beaches you can drive to and walk if you like hearing the water crash against the shore.
Where To Eat in San Diego
San Diego is home to some of the country’s greatest chefs and alongside them are some of the best hidden gems I’ve ever encountered! San Diego is flooded with amazing food, and here are some of our absolute favorites.
Communal Coffee
This beautiful coffee shop is located in North Park, right next to North Park Nursery. Communal Coffee serves breakfast, lunch, and goodies in between. The food here is delicious and the restaurant is stunning. I highly recommend their Lavender Latte and Banh Mi.
Smoking Gun
Unique and delicious – we loved dining at Smoking Gun, located in Gaslamp, just a short walk from Hotel Solamar. This restaurant is all about doing it old school. From décor to dining, this restaurant reminds you of the good ol’ days. I recommend ordering the TV Dinner with Brisket, and bring your appetite because it’s massive!
Gaslamp Breakfast Company
Across the street from Hotel Solamar, the Gaslamp Breakfast Company was recommended to us by the staff at the hotel and it did not disappoint! Like many of the restaurants in San Diego, Gaslamp Breakfast Company was Instagram-worthy and served delicious food. I recommend the Fried Rice Benedict and Fresh orange juice!
Cafe 21
MY FAVORITE! Café 21 is located at Gaslamp and is about a 15-minute walk from Hotel Solamar. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, and the décor is absolutely stunning! Everything we ate here was out-of-this-world amazing and truly doesn’t compare to anything we’ve had before. It’s difficult to choose a recommendation but I recommend the Mediterranean Fried Rice the most, along with one of their Instagram-worthy coffees!
Mustangs & Burros
Mustangs and Burrows is in Estancia La Jolla, and it was as stunning as the rest of the property. They too have indoor and outdoor seating but their patio is so gorgeous, I recommend getting a table outside. The food is incredible, and if you like Octopus – they have the only Octopus Tacos I’ve ever tried and loved!
Nine-Ten
Nine-Ten is in the heart of La Jolla Village and serves some of the most uniquely flavored American dishes I’ve had. The staff is incredible and everything about this restaurant is well thought out. I recommend the Cacio e Pepe (and a side of sourdough bread), as well as the Duck Breast!
Taco Stand
The Taco Stand is in La Jolla and has some of the most incredible and freshest Mexican food I’ve ever tried. The line can get long so get there early because it’s worth the wait. I recommend the Sonora Taco and their churros!
Parakeet Café
The cutest café! I loved the vibe at Parakeet Café. We visited the La Jolla location, but they have multiple locations across town. Everything was delicious and quite healthy. I highly recommend the charcoal latte as well as their Belgian Waffle! Both are super pretty and very delicious.
Cloak and Petal
Cloak and Petal is a STUNNING Japanese restaurant in the heart of Little Italy. I absolutely adored the décor in Cloak and Petal and they have both indoor and outdoor dining for whatever you’re wanting to do. I HIGHLY recommend their pork belly appetizer; it is hands down one of the best pork belly dishes I have ever tried!
Fall in Love with San Diego
San Diego will always have my heart as one of my favorite cities along the California coast, mostly because of the amazing weather. San Diego will also have to take the award for the most pet-friendly city we have ever visited! I hope you enjoy your stay in San Diego as much as we did!
Sincerely,
Reneze
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