Looking to head to San Diego for a few nights for my wife's birthday at the end of August. Any suggestions on good places to stay?

A friend of mine has traveled there quite a bit for work and he recommended renting a condo on Mission Beach. Trying to figure out if that's the best route or getting a hotel near the Gaslamp Quarter or somewhere else in town would be a better option. Would love to hear everyone's opinions. Thanks!

We stayed at the US Grant in the Gas Lamp quarter. Hotel wasn't anything super luxurious, but a neat historic vibe. The Gas Lamp district wasn't anything special. I had a top 5 bad restaurant experience there - believe they just open/close places constantly as they're all just tourist traps and just cycle out as review reports go south. Maybe there are some gems but we definitely whiffed.

People always talk about the Coronado hotel...that was out of my price range at the time (this was 10-15 years ago).

Driving up the coast is a must...La Jolla, Cardiff, etc...think we went all the way to Dana Point and did a whale watching boat tour there. I got horrifically seasick but the seemed like everyone else had a good time.

Client favorites --- Hotel del Coronado, Pendry, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe (La Jolla)

L'Auberge Del Mar

I'd look in La Jolla too.

Nice, thanks y'all! I appreciate any recommendations on places to / not to stay and things to / not to do.

I had looked at the US Grant a little but it looks like I might take that off the list. It seems the more people I hear back from, the more attractive La Jolla sounds as an option… thanks again, everyone, and feel free to drop any additional recommendations.

If you end up staying in La Jolla we had a good Italian meal at Piazza 1909.

I always enjoy staying on Coronado. The new towers at the Del are pretty nice and they have condos/cottages if you're looking for a little bit more room.

Hotel del Coronado is easy #1. Also many good options near Petco Park. La Jolla is very nice as well but outside main part of SD.

Will you have a rental car? I assume so. Lots to do, but SD is pretty spread out. Coronado and La Jolla are both a good bit away from the rest of what you'll do. Mission Beach is very walkable.

Had a conference at Paradise Point many years ago and thought it was very lovely. I stayed at Dana on Mission Point (cheaper, work was paying for it). While the Dana was fine, I wouldn't say it was amazing.

We stayed at the Hard Rock in/near the Gas Lamp and really liked it.

I've stayed in a few places in San Diego. You're probably driving a little to most of your activities so staying an extra few minutes away isn't a big deal. when I'm in SoCal, I like beach vibes so I prefer the place away from Gaslamp area.

US Grant - cool hotel but felt like we're in a city, which you are. Cool restraints and bars within walking distance.

Hyatt Manchester - good hotel for work and being central. Staying there next year for comic con since it's really close. Still feels city-like, but with water views. It's a big hotel. Somewhat limited food options (I usually stay there for work so can't remember what's close by food-wise or the restaurant has available)

Hyatt Mission Bay - no complaints other than limited food options. On a marina and you can hire a sailboat captain to take you out for an hour or two.

Hotel Del Coronado - probably #3 on my list. Cool historic hotel and right on the water.

La Jolla - a little further away but I liked being close to the water and the beach town vibe. Lots of restaurants nearby.

VRBO on Pacific Beach - this was my favorite, closely behind La Jolla. Cool local restaurants and on the beach. Liked the vibe. I was younger then and my buddy lived there so he took me around. I wonder if I'd know where to go these days. Definitely worth looking into.

The last several years we have gone to SD in August to get out of the Texas heat.

The GasLamp District is for the 20 year olds. Last year we stayed at a Marriott on Broadway about halfway between the GasLamp and the water. Everything in downtown SD is walkable from there.

Uber over to Coronado Island for the day. We like doing that rather than staying on Coronado Island.

LaJolla is great but very expensive and you will need a car. We Uber up to LaJolla for the day also.

For a true beach experience go up to Del Mar or Oceanside or Encinitas. Obviously will need a car and rooms might be hard to come by at this late date.

Jake's in Del Mar is a great place to eat. Need reservations for dinner. Lots of good Italian food in SD. Our best Italian food was found in Southpark, not in Little Italy. If I can remember the 2 places in Southpark I will let you know.

Top recommendation closest to Gas Lamp is the Pendry.

Second the recs for Hotel Del Coronado. They also have two other properties on site (Shore House & Beach Village) that are more exclusive.

A bit north of town but clients have loved Alilia Marea Beach Encinitas.

Happy to answer any questions!

I stayed at the Marriott Gaslamp for a work trip. Liked the area, but hated the hotel (and its staff). Probably the only Marriott I wouldn't visit again.

Doesn't sound like it's on OP's short list, but FYI.

Forgot to mention, if you have access, along with the Del, staying on NAS north island is pretty nice as well. They have a pretty nice hotel (for DoD standards) and also some 2 bedroom cottages right on the beach.

Took my family there a few years ago. Stayed near gaslamp and as soon as we pulled up to the valet my 8 yr old daughter was accosted by a homeless man. Valet had to intervene. Scary situation. The hotel let us cancel our reservation and ended finding a place in Carlsbad that was nice. Won't ever stay near downtown again. Homeless population is just so bad and they are aggressive as hell.

https://driftvh.com/vacation-rental/neptune-escape/

Stayed here with the family last year. The location was awesome and would definitely do it again.

The homeless problem has improved a lot the last 2 years. Three or 4 years ago we had to step over poop on our way to breakfast. Not nearly as bad last 2 years.

But still a problem in the GasLamp area but not like before.