My family enjoyed a wonderful trip to San Diego this past week and have brought back a ton of recommendations for your next trip. ​
We stayed with my sister in Golden Hills which is very centrally located. We would rent a house close to that neighborhood or on Mission Bay.
My family enjoys Mission Bay as it is peaceful and uncrowded. My children enjoy swimming in the bay and playing volleyball on the beach. If you are looking for more action, you can walk a block or two to the more crowded Mission Beach and take advantage of the waves. My children also enjoyed spending time at Belmont Park which has greatly improved over the years with a mini Santa Cruz Boardwalk feel. They did a ropes course, roller coaster, carnival games and even bought Dole Whip which is usually a Disneyland only treat.
On my daughter’s birthday, we visited this fun Tikki restaurant in Pacific Beach (right next to Mission Beach) called Grass Skirt. It has a secret, hidden speakeasy entrance which started our night out with lots of laughs just trying to get in. Once inside we enjoyed a light show and décor that did not disappoint. The food was tasty and I would recommend the salmon cones, kimchi fried rice and don’t forget a rum drink! Lot’s of dishes and drink are served on fire!
The only other beach we visited this trip was just west of Hotel del Coronado. Parking is usually fairly easy, it tends to not be overly crowded and is clean. There are even little sand dunes to explore. On my daughter’s birthday, we visited this fun Tikki restaurant in Pacific Beach (right next to Mission Beach) called Grass Skirt. It has a secret, hidden speakeasy entrance which started our night out with lots of laughs just trying to get in. Once inside we enjoyed a light show and décor that did not disappoint. The food was tasty and I would recommend the salmon cones, kimchi fried rice and don’t forget a rum drink! Lot’s of dishes and drink are served on fire!
The only other beach we visited this trip was just west of Hotel del Coronado. Parking is usually fairly easy, it tends to not be overly crowded and is clean. There are even little sand dunes to explore.
Whenever we visit San Diego during baseball season we hit up a Padres game. Petco park is my absolute favorite ballpark. They do an amazing job filling the park with local breweries and food vendors. You can eat from several top San Diego restaurants and taste some of the best beer in one place! As a Giants fan, it is such a treat to take a 10 minute Uber to the game, get seats close up last minute and all for a great price! If you head to a game be sure to seek out another speakeasy type bar called Fairweather http://fairweatherbar.com/
It overlooks the baseball park and has some quality mixed drinks.
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If you end up staying close to Golden Hills or North Park, treat yourself to coffee at Dark Horse Roasters and an amazing Italian dinner at Buona Forchetta. http://buonaforchettasd.com/ Eat unusual tacos inside a wrestling ring at Lucha Libre https://www.luchalibretacoshop.com/ or authentic Mexican food at La Fachada. All of these will not disappoint. Treating yourself to a pedicure or manicure? We already miss Hello Birdie www.hellobirdielab.com/​ and wonder why such a swanky salon doesn’t exist in Napa. The walkability of these neighborhoods and the cute houses are a huge perk plus we were 10-15 minutes to all the other places mentioned in this recommendation.
It was a wonderful trip needed to recharge and we are already making plans to come back at the end of summer!
​Please comment with your favorite San Diego recommendations!