Where to Stay in San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's website recommendations on Where to Stay in San Diego include reviews of budget and luxury hotels in downtown San Diego.
If you're checking out where to stay in San Diego then here are a few of our recommendations. We've been lucky enough to stay in some of these, or at least to visit them when we've been in San Diego. They range from budget to luxury choices, and include a couple of special suggestions for Coronado Island, as well as in downtown San Diego.
Our Pick of San Diego Guides
Where to Stay in San Diego
BUDGET
500 West Hotel
500 W Broadway
619/234-5252
Close to the Amtrak station and a few blocks back from the waterfront, the 500 West provides inexpensive accommodation that's also close enough to the downtown/Gaslamp Quarter attractions. With rooms well under $100 a night, this is a cross between a hotel and a hostel, housed in a historic 1920s landmark building. Rooms share bathrooms but all have TVs and wireless internet.
La Pensione
606 West Date Street
800/232-4683
619/236-8000
There aren’t too many boutique hotels at budget prices but La Pensione is one of them. With a downtown location in Little Italy, only a few blocks from I-5, it’s a great bargain choice to start or end your PCH drive. There are 68 rooms and they range from the Budget standard rooms to the more expensive suites, but all have private bathrooms. There’s also a café and a restaurant onsite, and free wireless internet for all guests.
MODERATE
Gaslamp Plaza Suites
520 E. Street
619/232-9500
800/874-8770
In the heart of the Gaslamp district, a great place to be for restaurants and nightlife, you'll find this characterful hotel that was built in 1913. It has 64 rooms and suites, its own restaurant and bar, and a rooftop terrace where you can enjoy the complimentary breakfast. It isn't fancy but it's good, inexpensive central accommodation (which means you usually need to book ahead).
LUXURY
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
1380 Harbor Island Drive
619/291-2900
Five restaurants, three pools, its own spa and fitness center, and a great location right on San Diego Bay are just some of the things that mark this hotel out as one of the better places to stay if you prefer resort-style accommodation rather than a city center hotel.
The center of San Diego is only about three miles away, and the Sheraton is also very close to the international airport, if you have early or late flights to take into account.
US Grant
326 Broadway
619/232-3121
800/237-5029
This is a downtown landmark, on the National Register of Historic Sites, and a luxury hotel that's also part of San Diego's history. It has 223 guest rooms and another 47 suites. There are chandeliers and marble floors, and original artworks in the rooms, which have been modernized without losing their opulence.
The classic art-deco Grant Grill restaurant is an excellent place to eat even if you're not staying at the hotel.
Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter
910 Broadway Circle
619/239-2200
800/937-8461
The Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego is a great place to be if you want to make the most of the city’s restaurants, bars, shopping, and nightlife. The Westin has some very reasonably priced rooms for its location, though others are in the Expensive category. It has an outdoor pool, Pure Body Spa, fitness center, restaurant, and bar.
Where to Stay on Coronado Island
LUXURY
Marriott Coronado Island Resort
2000 2nd Street
619/435-3000
800/543-4300
This resort has all the amenities you'd expect – restaurant, bar, pools, tennis, beach and water sports, gym, and spa. The 16 acres of grounds on the waterfront are lovely and lush and the rooms are, well, very roomy.
Hotel del Coronado
1500 Orange Avenue
619/435-6611
800/468-3533
This big and busy resort opened in 1888 and today it's a tourist attraction as well as the place to stay in Coronado. Some rooms are still in the original building, which are great if you want the historic atmosphere, but there are also more modern rooms in separate newer buildings, and these are closer to the private beach and all its watersports options.
Other San Diego pages
Best Time to Visit San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway Travel recommends the best time to visit San Diego, giving the city’s weather and climate month by month and season by season.
San Diego
San Diego in Southern California is a major travel destination and this page from Pacific Coast Highway Travel has visitor information and best things to do.
Visiting Balboa Park
Visiting Balboa Park is one of the best things to do in San Diego, California, as the park is home to San Diego Zoo, several museums, and beautiful gardens.
Where to Eat in San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway Travel guide to where to eat in San Diego from fresh local seafood to Mexican, Italian, fine dining and the best fried chicken in the US.
San Diego Things to Do
Things to do in San Diego include visiting the world famous San Diego Zoo, touring the city's outstanding Wild Animal Park, whale-watching and visiting museums.
Cheap Flights to San Diego
Cheap flights to San Diego with Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, WestJet and other airlines from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Travel Guide to Coronado
Pacific Coast Highway Travel brings you a travel guide to Coronado, near San Diego, the perfect place to relax for a few days either before or after your drive.
SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld in San Diego is the original marine theme park, featuring killer whales, dolphins, shark encounters, manatee rescue, and Journey to Atlantis.
Balboa Park in Facts and Figures
Here are facts and figures about Balboa Park in San Diego, which is bigger than New York's Central Park and contains 19 gardens, 17 museums and 14 restaurants.
San Diego Whale Watching
San Diego whale watching tours like this from Hornblower Cruises let visitors get up close to see gray whales, dolphins, sea lions and other wildlife.
Best Museums in San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway Travel recommends the best museums in San Diego, including art museums, science centers, historical museums, and motor museums.
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo is in Balboa Park, San Diego, California has been called the best zoo in the world and is the most visited zoo in the United States.
San Diego Museum of Art
The San Diego Museum of Art is in Balboa Park, San Diego, and is the oldest and biggest art museum in the city with a fine collection of Spanish art.
Whale Watching from the San Diego Shoreline
Whale watching trips and tours in San Diego are one of the California city's best activities but you can watch the whales from the San Diego shoreline too.
Perfect Day in San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway Travel suggests how to spend the perfect day in San Diego, taking in Balboa Park, the Gaslight Quarter, and Little Italy.
Good Cheap Motels in San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway Travel recommends good cheap motels in San Diego including Super-8, Motel 6, Travelodge and Days Inn.
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LATEST NEWS
Recent Articles
-
Expect Delays: PCH Lane Closures in Malibu Begin Friday and One Lane Closure Continues Next Week
Nov 17, 24 11:21 AM
Caltrans Schedules Rock Scaling Work, Announces a Week-Long 24/7 Lane Closure -
Think Big Sur Is Thrilling From the Road? Try Paddling It in a Winter Storm
Nov 16, 24 10:17 AM
A highway closure along the wildest stretch of California’s Central Coast inspired three dauntless paddlers to try another route. Here’s how that four-day odyssey went. -
New Hotels in Los Angeles
Nov 12, 24 05:40 PM
Pacific Coast Highway Travel lists the new hotels in Los Angeles, and those refurbished and renovated, and all open for business in 2025.
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