12 Months in San Diego

Project work (yes, I'm a consultant who spends more time in hotels than home) took me to San Diego in January 2006, where I stayed in a number of hotels and ate at a number of fine restaurants over 12 months. Here's my account...

Quick Tips:

The location of Westin Horton Plaza and US Grant is probably the best of the chain hotels. These hotels are literally a few steps away from the Gaslamp Quarter (shopping, drinks, and restaurants) and the Horton Plaza mall.

Best Way To Get Around:

A taxi from the airport to downtown is .

The W San Diego is about a 10-minute walk to Horton Plaza mall and the Gaslamp Quarter, located in a quiet area near the county jail and some homeless people. They are quite harmless but it might be a bit disconcerting for families.

The staff are generally friendly, but I found some to be snobbish.

Standard rooms are on the small side, but the Cool Corner rooms and standard suites offer a lot of space. All room types have DVD players but there is a charge to take out a DVD from the hotel library, so consider bringing your own DVDs. All rooms also provide Bliss toiletries, so leave some room in your luggage!

The Cool Corner rooms have a large bath tub complete with bath bomb and loofah, while standard suites include plasma TV and sofa.

The gym and pool are very small and not very practical, but consider checking out the rooftop bar called The Beach, which has a firepit, heated sand, and cabanas.

Room rates are on the high side (usually from $270 per night), but all hotels in San Diego are overpriced anyway. I'd recommend staying in the hotel at least one night to try it out.

A tip: the lobby area has free wireless Internet, as are rooms in the first 3 levels.

From a location standpoint, the Westin cannot be beat for proximity to the Horton Plaza mall (it is right next door) and the Gaslamp Quarter, a 3-minute stroll away.

Rooms are practical and have the appearance of a business hotel, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Rooms are clean and have windows that can open to allow in fresh air. The hotel has four bi-level suites, which features dining area and a separate living area with plasma TV, with the bedroom and bathroom/Jacuzzi upstairs. All rooms have the Westin Heavenly Bed which is the best thing about the hotel. You are bound to get a good night's sleep on the bed.

The gym has a good range of cardio equipment (bikes and Stairmasters) and an adequate number of weights. Prices are comparable to the W San Diego (see my other review), so your choice of hotel is dependent on whether you prefer chic (W) or practical and better location (Westin).

Tip: The lobby area bar/lounge has free wireless Internet.

This hotel is located next to Seaport Village and the marina, and a 15-minute walk to the Gaslamp Quarters. Location-wise, it is a little bit further away to the Gaslamp than W San Diego (extra 5 minutes walk), but is in an area with less shady characters.

The hotel has two towers: Harbor and Seaport. Seaport is the newer tower but there is little difference in terms of room decor. The most impressive aspect of the hotel is the large lobby which creates a good impression, however, the rest of hotel (especially the guest rooms) have a somewhat dated feel, from the floral bed sheet to the furniture and TV cabinet. By no means are the rooms unclean, however, they do not have the same modern look as the Westin Horton Plaza (see my other review in this journal).

The hotel has a number of restaurants, however, I am not a hotel restaurant person so no comments will be provided. The hotel has several tennis courts available for rental (I think it is $18/hour) and a large fitness center with lots of equipment. Internet access from the rooms is $9.95/day and self-parking is $20/day.

Rates are on the high side, but hotel rates in all San Diego is overpriced anyway. All in all, this is a decent hotel but I don't think it is quite deserving of the "Grand Hyatt" moniker.

This hotel is located in Mission Bay, off the 8 Fwy near Seaworld. My initial impression from several stays in 2006 was that it is not deserving of the Hyatt name (more details below), but it is in the middle of a multi-million dollar renovation project and I stayed in one of the renovated rooms in January 2007. The renovated room was a vast improvement and I was told all renovations will be completed by July 4.

The hotel is not ideally located as there isn't much to do or eat in Mission Bay. It is a $15 taxi ride to downtown, or $14 for self-parking. In my opinion, the self-parking system is in need of change. The process is you get a parking tag from the front desk during check-in, then you have to walk back to the car to hang the tag on the central rearview mirror. Definitely not the most user friendly or efficient system for self-parking.

The hotel has a tower building and several bi-level buildings that resemble cheap motels. I have not stay at the bi-level buildings so no comments will be provided. In the tower building, unrenovated guest rooms are certainly not Hyatt standard as they have a very dated 1970s look and feel to them, from the shower (there is no shower caddy/shelf to hold toiletries, and some showers drips or have yellow stains), flimsy front door to the general furniture. During the current renovations, worker begin dismantle the rooms at 9 am, so avoid this hotel if you plan on sleeping late.

I stayed at a renovated corner room this week, and the changes were immediate observable. The front door is sturdy, the bed (and bed sheets) is new, and the entire bathroom was changed also. Unfortunately the shower area still does not have a shelf to hold toiletries. The corner room also has a plasma TV.

The hotel pool is closed during the renovation project, but there are several artists' impressions of what the pools will look like upon completion, which includes water slides. There are also new signs around the hotel, and it looks like it will be re branded from Hyatt Regency Islandia to Hyatt Regency Mission Bay when all the renovations are done.

The Hyatt Regency La Jolla is one of my favorite hotels in the San Diego area. It should be noted that it is located in La Jolla rather than San Diego itself, so transportation may be a factor. In terms of driving, it is a 10-minute drive to either San Diego downtown or Prospect Street in La Jolla. Self parking is $16 per night, while there are plenty of street parking right behind the hotel on University Center Lane.

The hotel has a Mediterranean feel to its style and architecture, and is quite modern without being chic. The lobby area is welcoming but lacks any "wow" touch in terms of decor. I found the staff (front desk, bell-men, housekeeping) to be professional and friendly, with quick response time to issues.

Like the hotel itself, guest rooms are modern, practical but not chic. It includes the usual amenities such as in-room Internet ($10 a night), toiletries and in-room safe. Rooms are brightly lit and usually smell fresh.

For those guests with access to the Regency Club Lounge, there is a good selection of food for breakfast and hors dourve. Again, the lounge concierge is helpful and can offer useful advice.

All hotel guests have complimentary use of the outdoor heated swimming pool and tennis courts. The pool area is large, with Jacuzzi, deck chairs and cabanas. The pool is large, designed for lap swimming. It is quite relaxing to go for a swim at night, even if the weather is a little chilly. However, it might help to take a dip in the Jacuzzi to warm up first.

The downside to the fitness facilities is that use of the fitness center requires a fee, even for guests. This is one aspect that I didn't like as I have come to expect that all hotels provide free access to fitness centers.

Prospect Street in La Jolla has a range of nice restaurants, but for those who want a quick meal, food is available at the nearby La Jolla Village Square, on the corner of Nobel Drive and Villa La Jolla Drive.

Rates are quite high, usually starting from $250. However, all hotels in San Diego are overpriced anyway.

TIPS:

Free Internet via a desktop is available in the Regency Club Lounge (you need access to the lounge though).

Free street parking is available on University Center Lane.