Destination: San Diego : SAN DIEGO HOTELS : The Best for Style and Value

In the early 1970s, I formed my first preferences among this city’s hotels. My favorite was Vacation Village on Mission Bay because a young delinquent San Diegan could stand atop the 81 steps of its handsome wood-and-iron observation tower, survey 360 degrees of ocean, bay and beach, gaze down on landscaped walking paths, and spit.

Since then, the world has turned a few times. Vacation Village has been taken over and renamed by the people who own Princess Cruises. The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, which counted 7,282 hotel rooms in the county in 1972, now puts the number at 45,000. Also, I have completed junior high school, moved away after 25 years of intermittent San Diego residence, and become less inclined to expectorate from great heights.

But I’m still sneaking around hotels. This story singles out 10 top San Diego hotels for high style and 10 for good value. In making ratings, I anonymously inspected public and private rooms in 59 hotels over the last two months. All the hotels in the top-10 lists lie within the cities of San Diego (which includes La Jolla) or Coronado. (Inside, a companion article focuses on hotels in northern San Diego County.)

Of all the hotels my wife and I saw, my favorite (and my wife’s) was Le Meridien San Diego at Coronado--neither a cheap place nor a landmark building, but a comfortable, low-profile lodging in a prime location, with bright, handsome rooms, black and white swans in its ponds, a ferry landing at hand and alert service without haughty attitude. My favorite “value” property was the Princess Resort for its Mission Bay location, its well-tended landscaping and its many on-site options for kids and adults. (Adolescent travelers will be pleased to know that the observation tower is still there too.)

Elsewhere are surprises of all kinds. At the downtown Westgate, which cultivates an Old-World European look and old-money clientele, the staff treated me like a king, even though I arrived tieless, anonymous and rumpled from walking in wind and rain.

Bargain-hunting at the Best Western Inn by the Sea in La Jolla, my wife and I settled into an afternoon nap in our third-floor room one day, and woke to major quaking. The bed, the lampshades, the floor--everything throbbed. When my wife called the front desk, the clerk admitted that it was dry-cycle time in the laundry room below. We fled.

The venerated La Valencia Hotel, also in La Jolla, was another disappointment. The public rooms of the 69-year-old pink, Spanish-style building have high ceilings, decorative tiles and creeping bougainvillea, but the hotel took our $150 and confined us to a small, dark room with a cramped bath, slow drains and aged South Pacific-style furniture. When we checked out in the morning, bell service for our bags was very slow. A hotel is no better than its worst room, and this one was a bad deal.

We should have stopped in for a drink or lunch, enjoyed the shoreline view from the balcony, and been on our way. (A new general manager arrived about two months ago, so we can only hope there are changes coming.)

At some hotels, my wife and I checked in, spent a night and paid the usual public rates. At others, I’d stroll in between noon and 5 p.m., request a brochure and a rate card, and ask if I could look at a room or two. Just as in other cities where I’ve done this, the hotels most committed to service responded by dispatching a bellman to offer a guided tour.

At about one hotel in every five, the clerks said no and claimed that all rooms were occupied or not yet clean. (I usually roamed the premises on my own, peeking past maid carts into rooms being cleaned.)

Since San Diego County is such a sprawling place (70 miles of beaches), I concentrated on hotels with more than 30 rooms that put a traveler within reasonable striking range of beaches, the zoo, Balboa Park, Old Town and the shops and restaurants of the city’s recently enlivened downtown core.

Visitors should keep in mind that the city has become a nearly incessant convention site. America’s Cup yacht races are now in progress, with the conclusion scheduled for May 20 (and most of the city’s high-end waterfront hotels are sold out for the last half of that month). In June, as many as 80,000 delegates are expected for the International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous. In August, 1996, the Republicans will hold their national convention here. And in January, 1998, the Super Bowl will be here.

It’s also worth noting that several lodgings have major renovations in the works, most notably the San Diego Hilton Beach and Tennis Resort. The Hilton, an 18-acre, 357-room Mission Bay site that has for years been a favorite family destination despite its tired ‘60s look, is being given a top-to-bottom, Mediterranean-flavored redesign this July. (The hotel is renting rooms now, but the property is, in part, a construction site.)

The rates quoted for the favorites below are for a room for two, and exclude taxes of 10.5% in San Diego, 7% in Coronado. The first price listed in each entry is the so-called rack rate that hotels charge their least savvy guests; following that is a sample discount price or two.

Every hotel has discounts--for slow seasons or weekdays or weeknights, for American Automobile Assn. members, for American Assn. of Retired Persons members, for Entertainment discount cardholders, for corporate customers, for those who book through San Diego Hotel Reservations (telephone 800-728-3227) and so on. Virtually all discounts are subject to availability and are often in short supply.

In selected “value” properties, I favored location over amenities, under the reasoning that San Diego is most popular with outdoorsy types and families--two groups that would rather wake in the morning with a bay out their window than a phone next to their toilet.

Finally, my lists below are alphabetical, and there are plenty of good hotels not on these lists. The Sheraton Torrey Pines in northern La Jolla, for instance, offers golf course-adjacent luxury services in a sparkling complex--but when compared with similar lodgings, it seems less convenient. The Pacific Terrace Inn is an attractive, secure place (with a four-diamond AAA rating and excellent service on the night of our visit) along the oceanfront boardwalk in Pacific Beach--but its rack rates ($135 and up) are high for a place with small grounds and no restaurant. The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club has long been a secret refuge (rates begin at $95), but its devotees are overlooking the fact that many rooms need renovating.

For Style

Hotel del Coronado (1500 Orange Ave., Coronado; tel. 800-468-3533 or 619-435-6611, fax 619-522-8238). Striking red-and-white architecture outside, incredible woodwork inside, around which scores of sightseers usually swarm. Since 1988, all guest rooms (399 in the famous 1888 main building; 293 in a poolside building and the plain, ‘70s-era Ocean Towers) have gotten new linens, wallpaper and other features. Four restaurants. Two pools. A great, wide beach. Six tennis courts; an 18-hole city golf course half a mile away. Summer and holiday programs for children 3-18. Bicycle and water-sports equipment rentals. Beach volleyball. Parking: $10-$14. Rack rates: $154-$269, more for lanais and suites. AARP members often get 20% off. Sometimes the hotel offers packages at rack rates, which throws in breakfast in the Crown Room, bicycle rental for two (normally $8), an hour of tennis for two (normally $8) and unlimited spa use (normally $10 a day).

Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine (3777 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, tel. 800-233-1234 or 619-552-1234, fax 619-552-6066) . Michael Graves-designed neoclassical building, with open atrium space that makes it feel nearly empty even when it’s nearly full. 400 rooms and suites. Half of the guests are business travelers, the other half leisure; not many children. Five restaurants, one large pool. Next door to a 32,000-square-foot health club (which costs Hyatt guests $9 daily). Half-mile walk to scores of stores and movie screens at University Town Centre shopping mall. About a two-mile drive from La Jolla Shores beach; eight miles from San Diego’s airport. Parking: $7-$11. Rack rates: $168-$193. Frequent weekend discounts as low as $124.

Hyatt Regency San Diego (1 Market Place, tel. 800-233-1234 or 619-232-1234, fax 619-233-6464). At 40 stories, with 875 rooms and suites, it describes itself as the tallest waterfront building on the West Coast, with a view bar on top. The furniture and indoor appointments are handsome and impressive, if a bit corporate. All rooms have harbor or bay views (but no balconies). Two restaurants, a pool, four tennis courts. Bicycle and water-sports equipment rentals available on site. A block and a half from the city’s convention center on one side, the 75-shop Seaport Village on the other. Health club. Opened in December, 1992, which makes it the newest major hotel in town. Parking: $8-$11. Rack rates: $149 (weekends) to $265. Booking through San Diego Hotel Reservations (see number above), rooms are frequently available for $135.

Le Meridien San Diego at Coronado (2000 2nd St. , tel. 800-543-4300 or 619-435-3000, fax 619-435-3032 ) . The design is modern, but very low profile, with 300 rooms, suites and villas on 16 grassy waterfront acres, half a mile from the base of the Coronado Bridge. Inside, subdued lighting, pastel colors, modern art, colorful flowers. San Diego skyline views. Two restaurants, three pools. Free shuttle to Horton Plaza. Bicycle rentals available on site. Health club. Spa and six lighted tennis courts. Rack rates: $165-$255, more for suites and villas. 10% off for AAA and AARP. Occasional “getaway” rates of $145, and bookings sometimes possible through San Diego Hotel Reservations at $135-$195.

Loews Coronado Bay Resort (4000 Coronado Bay Road, tel. 800-235-6397 or 619-424-4000, fax 619-424-4400). 440 rooms and suites on a 15-acre isolated location, three miles south of Coronado proper; 80-slip marina and private tunnel under the road to Silver Strand State Beach. Three restaurants. Three pools, five tennis courts, bicycle and water-sports equipment rentals on site. Health club. Year-round children’s program includes half-day, full-day and evening activities for ages 4-12. Free shuttles to Coronado shopping or connections with a water taxi service to downtown San Diego (10 minutes, $5 each way). Rack rates: $175-$225, more for suites. AAA and AARP members often pay $145. Entertainment cardholders often get 50% off rack rates.

The Pan Pacific Hotel (400 W. Broadway, San Diego, tel. 800-626-3988 or 619-239-4500, fax 619-239-3274). The most distinctive building in the downtown skyline, a 30-story honeycombed set of hexagonal towers of varying heights, the top floors outlined in neon green. Striking, 100-foot-high interior atrium suggesting a crystalline Emerald City. Next to a trolley stop a few blocks from Horton Plaza. 436 rooms and suites, two restaurants. Pool. Rack rates: $180-$200, more for suites. From May 15-Sept. 15, special rates often available at $125, including American breakfast for two.

San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina (333 W. Harbor Drive, tel. 800-228-9290 or 619-234-1500, fax 619-234-8678) . 1,355 rooms and suites (667 of which have balconies) in twin glass towers. Six restaurants, two pools (one with rock landscaping that looks as if it’s part of a Hawaiian mega-resort), six lighted tennis courts, basketball hoop, bicycles and water-sports equipment rentals on site, adjoining marina. Health club. Concierge level. The Marriott (formerly an Inter-Continental) is the biggest hotel in the county, by room count. Same conveniences of location as its next-door neighbor, the Hyatt Regency, but the pool area seems more kid-friendly. Parking: $8-$12. Rack rates: $200-$225. “Two for Breakfast” specials often available at $139-$159. AARP members often pay $147-$167. Corporate rates (usually given to anyone who can produce a business card) of $180-$190.

Sheraton Harbor Island Resort (1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, tel. 800-325-3535 or 619-291-2900, fax 619-692-2337) . Last month, the hotel completed a massive renovation that merged the ocean-adjacent, airport-convenient Sheraton Harbor Island East and Sheraton Harbor Island West (the east and west towers formerly operated as separate hotels). I have some reservations about service--on two different weekend afternoons, staff members claimed they were too busy to let me see a room--but you can’t argue with the facilities: 1,050 rooms and suites, four restaurants, big aquarium in lobby, three pools (one elaborately landscaped with waterfall, spewing sea horses, etc.), a new spa and health club facilities. Bicycle and water-sports equipment rentals on site. Parking: $8-$11. Free airport shuttle. Parking: $8-$11. Rack rates: $200-$220, more for suites. AAA and AARP members often get a $150 rate, and Entertainment cardholders sometimes pay $100.

U.S. Grant Hotel ( 326 Broadway, tel. 800-237-5029 or 800-334-6957 inside California or 619-232-3121, fax 619-232-3626) . This is the city’s landmark downtown hotel, dating to 1910. After years of lean times, it was revived with an $80-million restoration in 1985, about the time the Horton Plaza mall opened across the street. The Grant is still stately, with crystal chandeliers, tapestry wall coverings and a lobby with a grand piano and afternoon tea service. Financial footing has been uncertain. Last year, it was bought by Grand Heritage Hotels, which manages many other historic hotels across the United States. 280 rooms and suites, restaurant, no pool. Free shuttle service, depending on availability of the two-van fleet, to Sea World and other city sites. Parking: $10. Rack rates: $155 nightly. AAA and AARP members often pay 30% less.

The Westgate Hotel (1055 2nd Ave., San Diego, tel. 800-221-3802 or 619-238-1818, fax 619-557-3737). European elegance is the big selling point here. For the hotel’s 1969 opening, then-owner C. Arnholt Smith and his wife traveled Europe and Asia for crate after crate of antique furniture and artifacts, which remain in the public areas and suites, bringing to mind a mildly musty Versailles. 223 rooms and suites, each with a balcony. Two restaurants, and a terrace dining area that is open April-November. 24-hour room service. No pool. Across the street from City Hall, one block from Horton Plaza, six long blocks from the convention center. Parking: $10. Rack rates: $164-$194. Weekend rates of $125 often available.

For Value

Bahia Resort Hotel (998 W. Mission Bay Drive, San Diego, tel. 800-288-0770 or 619-488-0551, fax 619-488-1387). 325 rooms and suites (specify smoking or nonsmoking), many of them Spartan and brick-walled, most of them in one-story buildings on a 14-acre peninsula that juts into Mission Bay, two blocks from the surf of Mission Beach. (Units on west side have much better view.) A locally owned and managed property since the 1950s. Some studios and suites with kitchens. Restaurant, comedy nightclub. Pools (one for seals, one for people), tennis, shuffleboard, Ping-Pong and evening cruises aboard the stern-wheeler Bahia Belle, which also stops at the Princess Resort and at the Bahia’s younger, pricier sibling, the Catamaran. Bicycles and water-sports equipment rental available. Free parking. Rack rates: $125-$155 (more for studios and suites). Special through June 30: $79 weekdays, $89 weekends. Entertainment cardholders often get half off rack rates.

Best Western Shelter Island Marina Inn (2051 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, tel. 800-922-2336 or 619-222-0561, fax 619-222-9760). Unremarkable appearance and modest grounds, but among the best rates of the many hotels along Shelter Island. 97 rooms and suites, restaurant, pool. Free parking. Rack rates: $79-$99, more for suites. AAA and AARP members often get 10% off rack rates; Entertainment cardholders often get half off.

Catamaran Resort Hotel (3999 Mission Blvd., San Diego, tel. 800-288-0770 or 619-488-1081, fax 619-488-1619). A bay-front location (across the street from Pacific Beach) and a prominent Polynesian theme, from the Cannibal Bar to the many-colored macaws perched above the waterfall in the lobby. 312 rooms and suites, restaurant, pool. Workout room. Bicycles and water-sports equipment rentals. Heavily renovated in 1987. During my visit, service was weak in the lobby (no brochures) and restaurant (repeatedly tardy waiter), but the location is prime and amenities are numerous. If you can get in under $100, it’s still a bargain. Parking: $5-$7. Rack rates: $140-$195, more for studios, suites. AAA members often get 10% off rack rates. Entertainment cardholders often get half off.

Dana Inn & Marina (1710 W. Mission Bay Drive, San Diego, tel. 800-445-3339 or 619-222-6440, fax 619-222-5916. A child-friendly complex of unglamorous gray buildings on the edge of Mission Bay, a half-mile walk from Mission Beach. Free shuttle service to Sea World. 196 rooms and suites, restaurant, pool. Tennis courts, shuffleboard, Ping-Pong, paddle boat, bicycle and in-line skate rentals. Free parking. Rack rates $74-$99, higher June 16-Sept. 4. AAA members often pay $65-$75 in summer. 60 bay-front rooms ($89-$129.50) just got new interiors.

Best Western Hacienda Hotel Old Town (4041 Harney St., San Diego, tel. 800-888-1991 or 619-298-4707, fax 619-298-4771 ). This property was once a shopping center, but an enterprising entrepreneur came in about seven years ago and converted it into a 149-suite, family-friendly hotel in the heart of Old Town. Restaurant, pool. Cheerful Spanish Mission design, with courtyard fountain, rough-hewn furniture and high ceilings. Rack rates begin at $79 through June 15, $109-$119 in summer. AAA members pay $82-$92 year-round.

La Jolla Cove Suites (1155 Coast Blvd., La Jolla, tel. 800-248-2683 or 619-459-2621, fax 619-454-3522). It is across the street from a sprawling green park and La Jolla Cove, and is surrounded by some of the most seductive real estate in California. But these 90 studios and suites (all with kitchens) stand in and around an unsightly five-story 1959 building. Not even a little fancy, but for traveling families who want to eat in, this is a live option. Pool, no restaurant (but several within two blocks). Rack rates: $75, rising to $95-$165 from May 26-Sept. 4 (larger suites higher). Same owner and management as the very similar 46-unit Shell Beach Apartment-Motel (981 Coast Blvd., La Jolla, same phones as above) a block away. Rack rates: $60-$115 for studios, more for suites. At both properties, AAA members and guests over 65 usually get 15% off rack rates.

San Diego Princess Resort (1404 W. Vacation Road, tel. 800-344-2626 or 619-274-4630, fax 619-581-5929) . Balancing rates and resources, this must be the foremost family resort within city limits. It’s a 44-acre island, about a three-mile bicycle ride from Pacific Beach, about half a mile from Sea World. Opened in 1962 as Vacation Village, it was bought by Princess Cruises in 1983. 462 rooms and suites, three restaurants, five pools, croquet lawn, volleyball court, marina, water-sports equipment and bicycle rentals (the paddle boats are a local institution), workout facility, 18-hole putting golf course, landscaped botanical walks. In summer, there are children’s programs for ages 3-18, ranging from two hours to five hours. At the outdoor Barefoot Bar and Grill, there’s a sand-covered dance floor and live music on weekend afternoons. A swim-up bar is being added in the main pool. Rack rates: $130-$170, rising May 26-Sept. 4 to $150-$195 (more for suites). Weekday special rates May through September: $99. AAA and AARP members often get 25% off rack rates.

Quality Resort Mission Valley (875 Hotel Circle South, San Diego, tel. 800-362-7871 or 619-298-8281, fax 619-295-5610). Known as the Mission Valley Inn until last Sept. 30, this formerly limping property has been renovated inside and out over the last year. Centrally located alongside Interstate 8 in Mission Valley, it includes three pools and two restaurants on 20 acres, with 150 of 202 rooms now in service. Guests also have access to the tennis and racquetball courts and spa facilities of neighboring Mission Valley Health and Racquet Club. On the night my wife and I spent there, the only problem we detected was the sound of passing freeway traffic, which could be bothersome to light sleepers in rooms closest to the freeway. Rack rates: $59-$89. AAA and AARP members often pay $49.

Town and Country Hotel (500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, tel. 800-772-8527 or 619-291-7131, fax 619-291-3584). In the middle of Mission Valley. It’s not new and it’s often full of conventioneers, but it’s comfortable. 1,000 rooms and suites on 32 acres. Five restaurants, four pools, golf course at hotel next door. Short walk from Fashion Valley shopping center. Rack rates $85-$110, more for suites. AAA members pay $69-$89. Entertainment cardholders often pay $55-$75.

Travelodge Harbor Island (1906 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, tel. 800-255-3050 or 619-291-6700, fax 619-293-0694). Better amenities than the average Travelodge. 207 rooms and suites, all with balconies and views. Restaurant, pool. Two miles from downtown, four miles from the zoo or Mission Bay. Free parking and shuttle service to Horton Plaza. Rack rates: $109-$135, suites higher. AAA members usually pay $69-$89, AARP members usually get 15% off rack rates. Entertainment cardholders often get half off.

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TOP TEN FOR STYLE

(in alphabetical order)

Hotel del Coronado Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine Hyatt Regency San Diego Le Meridien San Diego at Coronado Loews Coronado Bay Resort The Pan Pacific Hotel, San Diego San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina Sheraton Harbor Island Resort U.S. Grant Hotel The Westgate Hotel

TOP TEN FOR VALUE

Bahia Resort Hotel Best Western Hacienda Hotel Old Town Best Western Shelter Island Marina Inn Catamaran Resort Hotel Dana Inn & Marina La Jolla Cove Suites / Shell Beach Apts. Quality Resort Mission Valley San Diego Princess Resort Town and Country Hotel Travelodge Harbor Island

* MORE HOTELS: North San Diego County’s top five. L21