Gaslamp Plaza Suites

A June 2003 trip to San Diego by mariaurchick

We had a great time in San Diego. The resort was perfectly located downtown if you enjoy city life. We love it!! Reminded us of Chicago. Tons to do within walking distance. Great restaurants and great shopping. The staff at the resort was the best. Extremely friendly and VERY helpful.

  • 13 reviews
If you go to San Diego you have to go to the San Diego Zoo. The gorilla's were the best to see that day. You should also take some time to go to Coronado Island . . . visit the Hotel Del Coronado while there . . . take a walk down Orange St. for shopping and good food and also visit the shops over at Ferry Landing. You get a great view of the San Diego skyline. You should also check out the Viejas outlet stores. Great selection of stores with great deals. There's also a casino there if you like to gamble. Seaport Village was also very nice. Had nice gift shops with a nice atmosphere. We took a day and went to Pacific Beach. You'll see tons of surfers while there. There's a strip of gift shops and restaurants to choose from. You definitely should do the Harbor cruise while there also. It was both relaxing and interesting.

Quick Tips:

Bring lots of cash!! We found that the restaurants were a bit pricey . . . plus there's a fee for parking (if you have a car) . . . and the shopping was GREAT!!! Plus there's quite a few things to see and do there. Also . . . something we never knew . . . avoid traveling to San Diego in June. All the locals told us it was 'June Gloom' season. The whole week we were there for the exception of about three days was cloudy and in the low 60's.

Best Way To Get Around:

You pretty much can get around town on foot, bus or trolley so I don't really recommend renting a car. Besides . . . parking is a day. Everything is pretty close together. The bus usually runs a person each way. It took us as far as Pacific beach. The trolley takes you as far as the Tijuana border so if your interested in going there you could get there easily. They have bus and trolley day tripper cards that you can purchase. We never looked into it and we wish we had. I'm sure the front desk could help you with this.
Best Things Nearby:
Horton Plaza Shopping Center, Ghirardelli's ice cream parlor, Starbucks on almost every corner, Seaport Village, San Diego Zoo, Hash House A Go Go restaurant, Coronado Island and the Ferry Landing at Coronado, Viejas Outlet stores, Harbor Cruise Excursion.

Best Things About the Resort:
It was within walking distance to so much. The location was perfectly located downtown. The staff was fantastic. There was maid service daily. Dakota's restaurant was on the ground floor which was excellent and also had room service. They had movie rentals if you were interested. It had a partial kitchen which consisted of a microwave, coffee pot, sink, a few dishes, and a mini fridge. It had a full size iron and board which I love to find where I'm staying. It was very clean and comfortable.

Resort Experience:
If you don't like being around big cities you may not like it here. It's right in the center of downtown so you can definitely hear the traffic and the nightlife.

It's not a fancy resort by any means so if your looking for something that's pretty modern this is not the place for you. It's an old historical building which used to be first a bank then turned into businesses. You'll be able to tell this by the full length glass doors and walls in the hallway. The rooms were very clean with daily maid service. We loved it!!

I wouldn't really recommed it for a family though. The rooms are on the small side and we felt the downtown area was more for adults than children.

  • Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
  • Activities: Very Good
  • Amenities: Good
  • Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
  • Family Friendliness: Poor
  • Service: Excellent
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 18, 2003

Gaslamp Plaza Suites
520 E STREET San Diego, California 92101
1-619-232-9500

Sevilla Cafe RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Sevilla"

Sevilla was a great experience for us. We went to the Salsa dinner show. We had a table right in front. The show was also very nice. The food was very good, but make sure it's something you'll be able to eat. The menu is fixed for the dinner shows, so you won't be able to order from the menu. My husband wasn't able to eat the fish, but they were able to accommodate him with beef medallions for an additional $5. You should try the sangria while there. It's a bit sweet though, so don't order it if you don't like sugary drinks.

The $36 only covered the show and dinner. Any drinks or appetizers were extra, so I'd have to say it was a bit on the pricey side.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 18, 2003

Sevilla Cafe Restaurant
8560 Production Ave San Diego, California 92121
619-233-5979

Ghirardelli ChocolateBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Ghiradelli soda fountain parlor"

Ghiradelli's has one of the best chocolates ever. We went here several times . . . usually in the evening after dinner. The chocolate shake is great and they have the best chocolate chip cookies. There's also an area where you can bring back some of their delicious chocolate or buy some for a gift.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 19, 2003

Ghirardelli Chocolate
643 5th Avenue San Diego, California 92101
(619) 234-2449

Hash House a GogoBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Hash House A Go Go"

FANTASTIC!!!! Staff was friendly and a pleasure . . . food was exceptional. Make sure you bring a big appetite when you come here.

We first started off with breakfast . . . which turned into more breakfasts and a few dinners as well. I can't even describe the pancakes. Only order one . . . the 4 of us split one . . . but we also ordered eggs and potatoes. The banana brown sugar pancake was to die for. The latte was the best.

The menu is very unique/different . . . but very tasty.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 18, 2003

Hash House a Gogo
3628 5th Avenue San Diego, California 92103
(619) 298-4646

Kansas City BarbecueBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Kansas City BBQ"

This place was interesting. It's a little hole-in-the-wall with good BBQ. It's small and very casual. Your food is served on paper plates. Two of the bar scenes from the movie Top Gun were filmed here so it was interesting to see the place and ask the waitress about the scenes filmed.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 18, 2003

Kansas City Barbecue
610 West Market St San Diego, California 92101
+1 619 231 9680

Dakota Grill & SpiritsBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Dakota's"

Dakota's is the restaurant at the Gaslamp Plaza Suites. The food was very good, but pricey. The atmosphere was very nice . . . also, it had an upstairs. There was piano music playing during dinner, which was very nice also.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 18, 2003

Dakota Grill & Spirits
901 Fifth Ave San Diego, California 92101
+1 619 234 5554

San Diego ZooBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

The zoo was great. Great animals . . . nicely laid out. Could've used more signs to direct you to the animals though. It's quite large so make sure you wear comfortable shoes.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 18, 2003

San Diego Zoo
2920 Zoo Drive San Diego, California 92101
(619) 231-1515

Viejas Casino & Turf ClubBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Viejas Casino"

It's very nice inside. Has several restaurants to choose from. Across the street is the Viejas Outlets. They had some of the best brand name stores to choose from.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 19, 2003

Viejas Casino & Turf Club
5000 Willows Road Alpine, California 91901
(800) 847-6537

Seaport VillageBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

It's at a great location . . . right on the waterfront. The shops are great gift shops . . . they have unique things. The village also has four bay front restaurants . . . 13 sidewalk eateries . . . an 1890's carousel . . . live entertainment featuring salsa, blues, magicians, and more. You get a two-hour free parking pass if you purchase anything. It's open daily from 10am to 9pm. Check it out.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 19, 2003

Seaport Village
849 W. Harbor Drive, Suite D San Diego, California 92101
(619) 235-4014

Ferry Landing MarketplaceBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Coronado Ferry Landing"

You can take either the ferry over to the island or if you have a car you can drive over the bridge. It's right on the bayfront so you get a great view of the San Diego skyline. Great for pictures. The shops are unique shops that sell great gift items. You can also rent bikes if you'd like. They have several restaurants to dine at. It was well worth the trip over.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 19, 2003

Ferry Landing Marketplace
1201 First St Coronado, California 92118
+1 619 435 8895

I loved this place. We found some fantastic deals. They had great name brand stores like Polo, Eddie Bauer, Gap, Nike, Perry Ellis, Izod, Tommy Hilfiger, just to name a few.

They have a water fountain for your kids to play in right where the food court is. The setting is outdoors with Native American music playing and Native American architecture and landscaping. It was a beautiful setting.

Open from 10am to 9pm, Sundays until 7pm.
Shop Viejas.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 19, 2003

Viejas Outlet Center
5000 Willows Road Alpine, California 91901
(619) 659-2070

Horton Plaza -Westfield Shoppingtown: VersaillesBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Westfield Shoppingtown Horton Plaza"

It's in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. It's an open-air architectural mall with shops like Nordstrom, Macy's, Ann Taylor, Louis Vuitton, Banana Republic, Bebe, to name just a few. I loved this mall. We found some great deals here.

There's also a foreign exchange, US Post Office, travel agency services, hair and nail salons, restaurants, and a 14 screen movie theater.

Opens Mon-Sat at 10am, Sun at 11am.
.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by mariaurchick on June 19, 2003

Horton Plaza -Westfield Shoppingtown: Versailles
324 Horton PLZ San Diego, California 92101
(619) 232-2696

About the Writer

mariaurchick
mariaurchick
Brownstown, Michigan

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