San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal
A sunny, intimate cruise port on the West Coast? Less than a third of Los Angeles' population yet with 70 miles of beaches? A major convention center, the Gaslamp Quarter and the sprawling Balboa Park? That would be seaside San Diego.
The San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal is for those who want "active relaxation" on their vacation. This lively border town, only 15 miles to Mexico, allows visitors to easily undertake "two-nation vacations" and experience an entirely different country.
In addition, a number of high-end properties are opening, giving San Diego cruise passengers more options for pre and post cruise stays.
There's little dispute that San Diego is milder than other coastal cities. And there is no shortage of trendy shopping, as well as arts and culture, amid the city's charming Spanish and Mission-style neighborhoods. San Diego's distinction is that is offers cruise passengers all the access to the evens and attractions of a popular urban locale without the frenzy of typical city-style stress.
San Diego Accommodations
North and south of downtown, the inviting shores of Coronado and the stunning views in Torrey Pines State Park are top choices for resort-goers. Visitors will find top golf courses and legendary inns there. For example, "The Del," the Hotel Del Coronado, has a 100 year history that includes hosting British royalty. Preserved period-peice rooms abut the beach, which is one of the most walkable and pristine in California. Average rates start at $195.
Also on tony Coronado Island is the 300-room Coronado Island Resort, a Marriott property that just finished a $15 million renovation that gave rooms, suites and villas such coveted amenities as walk-in showers and oversize tubs, flat panel TVs with HDTV and Internet browser/web TV and plug-in panels for laptops, cameras and MP3 players. The entire facility, including the pool area, has gone wireless. Visit coronadoresortmarriott.com.
In suburban Carlsbad is one of the city's highest ranked establishments, the Four Seasons Aviara, a 329-room AAA Five-Diamond resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Batiquitos Lagoon. A full-service spa includes entire villas for couples taking massages together; the Four Seasons Aviara Golf Club offers an Arnold Palmer-designed, 18-holes, par-72 course that is open to the public. Accommodations start at $385 per night.
San Diego Attractions
When it comes to family vacations, San Diego-an hour from Disneyland and minutes from a multitude of zoos, amusement parks and beaches - rules. Carlsbad is home to perhaps the city's best-known amusement park: Legoland. New rides include Land of Adventures, with its Lost Kindgom Adventure that "transports" families back millennia on journeys through temple ruins - trips that allow visitors to blast targets with lasers.
Balboa Park (designed in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition) harbors 15 museums as well as the city's Old Globe Theatre and legendary San Diego Zoo. The Pacific Ocean becomes a veritable aquarium from December to March as throngs of gray whales pass by at the end of their 5,000 mile journey to their Baja mating grounds.
Families can feed animals, work with trainers, have a penguin encounter or meet with Shamu at SeaWorld, just minutes from downtown.
For adults, Downtown's Gaslamp Quarter, settled in the 1870s, boasts 16 blocks of revived-brick Victorian ambience with artsy hotels, art galleries, boutiques, star culinary establishments and nightclubs. Abutting the district is PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres. A gleaming Omni Hotel tower connects to the park.
What's New: A five-star, luxury condo-hotel, The Setai San Diego is slated to open in early 2008. The Setai San Diego will feature 161 luxury rooms and suites and 24 penthouses ranging from 420 to 2,700 square feet with extensive room amenities, design and detail. Room additions will iclude 10-foot ceilings and balconies overlooking Gaslamp Quarter.
The Hard Rock Hotel San Diego in the Gaslamp Quarter opened its doors in November. The property features 420 luxury rooms and suites with cutting-edge design. The 12-story hotel houses a NOBU restaurant for Japanese cuisine, a lounge and sky bar by Rande Gerber, a spa and fitness center, even a screening room.
For more information: portofsandiego.org
