San Diego
San Diego is where it all began for us. Where Vinny and I first met, where we got married and where we birthed all three of our children. Although San Diego is not our home anymore, it will forever hold a special place in our heart. It is also still a place that we frequently return to to visit family and friends so we love keeping up with the newest eateries, entertainment, and accomodations in one of our favorite cities.
Contents
1 When to go
2 Getting to San Diego
3 Visas
4 Accomodations To Stay In San Diego
5 Where to stay in San Diego
5.1 Coronado
5.2 North Park
5.3 Downtown
6 Eating in San Diego
6.1 Family friendly restaurants
7 Top 10 things to do in San Diego with kids
7.1 Get wet at Aquatica San Diego
7.2 Have a manicure/pedicure/massage
7.3 Learn to surf
7.4 Play on the beach
8 Getting Around San Diego
9 What to pack for San Diego
When To Visit SAN DIEGO:
The best time to visit San Diego depends on what you consider the "best time". Are you looking for the best weather? OR are you looking for it to be less crowded? Or maybe the best combo of both?
So there's really two things to consider when figuing out the best time to visit San Diego.
The first is the weather which can be summed up in two seasons: Warm & Slightly Less Warm.
Warm: April – September (best time to visit weather wise)
Slightly Less Warm: October – March
In general, it still doesn't rain that often and even when it does, its usually only for a few hours. There are still plenty of sunny and warm days to be had during these months, its just not as guaranteed. We have had some of the best weather of our lives in San Diego during October and March, so definitely don't shy away if you're thinking about coming then.
The second thing to consider is the holiday schedule.
Busy Season*:
June, July & August
Spring Break (March)
Christmas / New Year (December till 1st week of January)
*Even at busy times though, there is plenty of room for everyone and there is plenty to do in San Diego for families at any time of year.
So if you are looking for both the dry season and for it to be less busy (and less expensive), the best time to come to San Diego would be :
Best Time To Visit:
April-May (just trying to avoid Easter if possible)
September and early October
Shoulder Season:
October & March would be considered the "shoulder" season and would not be a bad option either. You may see a little rain but the prices and affordability will be better.
Accomodations
We see there being 2 main options for family accommodations in San Diego and then some sub categories beneath them.
1. Family Hotel or Resorts
When it comes to hotels and resorts, San Diego is tons of family friendly options to choose from.
The advantage to the resorts is that they typically have everything you need to entertain you and your kids and technically you don't even have to leave. Most of them have multiple pools and restaurants, a kids club, fitness gym and many other amenities and activities at your disposal.
2. Entire Family Home/Apartment Rentals
Homes/Apartments in San Diego can be an excellent option for San Diego vacations with kids. This generally means an entire house with a private yard and maybe even a pool if its in your budget.
For specific bookings you also have multiple options.
What Area of SAN DIEGO To Stay In
We currently have 2 top picks for this. Ubud and Canggu.
Coronado
If you've never been to San Diego before, Coronado is a must for at least part of your visit. One of our favorite hotels there is El Cordova, and you can read and see more about it here.
Canggu
We love Canggu because we feel its the perfect blend of having some of the more "trendy" restaurants and shops while still not being completely overrun by tourism. You get the benefit of eating great meals and a stylish environment while not dealing with the over commercialized aspect that other parts of Bali (*Cough* Seminyak, Kuta, Legian *Cough*) have. Canggu also has more family-friendly restaurants than any other place in the world (at least that we know of). We're talking jungle gyms, trampolines, or skate parks built right next to the dining tables.
Eating In SAN DIEGO
Arguably our favorite thing about Bali: the food. Bali makes it SO easy to eat healthy because there are an endless amount of options that taste amazing. We've had some of the best vegan burgers of our lives in Bali. Not to mention the endless amount of asian, indian and balinese dining options, all of which have vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free otoons. We could go on and on about how amazing the food is. Do keep in mind though that Bali has tons to offer. So if eating healthy isn't your thing, you can easily find "the bad stuff" too. What we like though, is that Bali makes it easy to find healthy options which makes it easy to stick to your ideal diet.
Here's a list our our favorite healthy and family friendly restaurants.