San Diego Beaches

Below are some tips to help visitors save time and money when visiting San Diego. More time and money means more fun on your vacation.

Coupons and Discounts

The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau offers dozens of coupons and discounts for local restaurants and attractions. Most of the coupons can be printed so it’s easy to present them for redemption.

Hotels

When selecting a hotel, it’s important to consider cost, location and amenities. Time spent driving to attractions and dining is time you’re not having fun. The hotels listed below not only offer very reasonable rates, but are located close to San Diego’s most popular attractions. These San Diego hotels offer onsite dining or have restaurants nearby and consistently offer quality accommodations at affordable rates.

Kings Inn Mission Valley

Comfort Inn & Suites Zoo/SeaWorld

Holiday Inn Express Old Town

The Dana on Mission Bay

Howard Johnson SeaWorld/Airport

Best Western Island Palms Hotel & Marina

Also, we suggest you check the latest "Hot Deals" offered by ARES travel. ARES travel is a local company that negotiates great rates with San Diego hotels and often has better rates than national resellers like Orbitz and Travelocity.

San Diego Zoo

The Best Value Package from ARES Travel includes 1 full day admission with unlimited use of guided bus tour and Skyfari. Not only do you save off the gate price, but you save valuable time by not waiting in line. The guided bus tour and Skyfari are great ways to maximize your zoo experience by saving time and energy getting around the very large San Diego Zoo.

If you live within a 90000-92999 zip code, we recommend you consider purchasing a 1-year zoo membership. For not much more than the price of regular Zoo admission, you receive a 1-year membership which includes unlimited admission, unlimited use of the Skyfari Aerial Tram and other benefits like gift shop discounts and subscription to Zoonooz magazine. This is an especially good value if you plan on visiting the zoo for more than one day or if you plan on returning within a year. See the zoo’s website for more details or simply visit the membership kiosk located at the front entrance of the zoo. Oh, by the way, membership also includes admission the San Diego Wild Animal Park. If you plan on visiting both facilities during your vacation, purchasing a membership will save you a ton of money.

Hotel and Attraction Packages

ARES Travel of San Diego offers packages that include your hotel room and tickets to favorite attractions like the Zoo, SeaWorld, Wild Animal Park and Legoland. Bundling rooms and tickets definitely saves money and our motto is “why not” if you’re going to buy a room and ticket anyway. Plus you save time by not waiting in line at the gate.

Ticket Bundles

The Fab Four combo will save nearly $25 of regular admission prices and at least an hour of your time waiting in line. This combo include admission to the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, SeaWorld and Legoland.

If you plan on spending several days in San Diego and want to visit as many attractions as possible then the San Diego Go Card could save a lot of money. We don’t recommend the one-day card because it’s logistically difficult to visit enough attractions to make it worthwhile.

Transportation

The price of gas is skyrocketing. Here are a couple of ways to pay less…..

See San Diego’s latest gas prices at http://www.sandiegogasprices.com/. You may fill up once or twice during your stay. Choosing the right station could save as much as $10-$20 and only takes a few minutes on this easy to use website. Also consider signing up for a Discover Card on this site which will save 5% on all gas purchases.

The San Diego Trolley is a great way to get around San Diego. We highly recommend it especially if you are staying near a trolley station and plan on visiting Old Town, San Diego Harbor, Seaport Village, Gaslamp and Downtown. The Trolley offers a great deal on passes called the “Day Trippers”. The passes come in one, two, three and four day versions and will save tons of money and time if you plan on using the trolley. Plus you save on parking. Take a minute and check out the website with information on routes, stations and scheduling.

Food and Dining

Food can be a significant portion of your travel budget and it pays to save when you can. It’s also good to maintain a healthy diet when traveling. San Diego has some great grocery stores that offer healthy, inexpensive food that is pre-made, packaged and ready to go.

Trader Joe’s Pacific Beach

Trader Joe’s Hillcrest

Henry’s Pacific Beach

People’s Coop Ocean Beach

Most areas of San Diego have tons of inexpensive and healthy restaurants if you just ask a local. Also see the coupons on the San Diego Convention and Visitors bureau website for discounts.

San Diego makes a great "Home for the Holidays". Get in the holiday spirit this year--with the multitude of holiday activities planned in San Diego. Check out the sampling of activities below:

November 22 – December 18, 2006 – Skating by the Sea – Although the temperatures feel like summer, you can still ice skate close to the waves at the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island. The Windsor Lawn becomes a skating rink for skating aficionados with daily sessions from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Weekends and holidays also include a matinee session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost to skate for two hours is $15 for adults and $10 for children age 10 and under. Skate rental costs an additional $5.

November 23, 2006 – Thanksgiving Day - If you want to work off the Thanksgiving feast, you can participate in a Thanksgiving Day Paddle with Hike Bike & Kayak in La Jolla, California. Kayaks launch in the waves at the end of Avenida de la Playa at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and go out to the caves in La Jolla Cove. Cost is $30 per person and reservations are recommended. Call 858-551-9510 for reservations. Amy Kangleon said they expect 20 to 30 people and “we always have a lot of fun”. www.hikebikekayak.com

November 23, 2006 to January 1, 2007 – Festival of Lights – The racetrack at the Del Mar Fairgrounds is aglow with 350 light displays from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The cost to drive through the displays is $13 per car up to five people and $18 per vehicle with six or more people. www.sdfair.com

December 3, 2006 – 2006 La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival “Legends of the Season” – This annual parade begins at 1:30 p.m. and travels down Girard to Prospect. It includes traditional floats and marching bands and coincides with the Holiday Festival on Silverado Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. www.ljparade.com

December 8 & 9, 2006 – Christmas on the Promenade – Travel through Christmas Tree Alley or play in the snow in the Winter Wonderland Snow Zone located in the NTC Promenade in Point Loma. Activities run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. www.christmasonthepromenade.org

December 9, 2006 – Pacific Beach Holiday Parade – This parade run from noon to 3 p.m. down Garnet Street between Haines and Cass Street, and features the Budweiser Clydesdales. www.pacificbeach.org

December 10 & 17, 2006 – 35th Annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights “Aloha Holiday” - A fireworks display starts the show on both dates at 5:30 p.m. followed by the parade of brilliantly lit boats from Shelter Island past the Embarcadero and Seaport Village, ending at the Ferry Landing on Coronado at approximately 9 p.m. www.sdparadeoflights.org

December 11, 2006 – 32nd Annual Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade - Watch 100 boats lit up like Christmas trees when they leave Quivira Basin at 7 p.m. and pass by Crown Point, Vacation Island, and Fiesta Island. The parade culminates in a fireworks display and lighting the Skytower Tree of Lights at Sea World at 9 p.m.

San Diego Hotel Deals San Diego Zoo SeaWorld Legoland Go San Diego Card