I'm a full time professional chauffeur in San Diego and knowing the quality hotels in the area comes with the job. There are tons of very, very nice hotels in the area, but there are two in particular that I want to stay at myself one of these days:
1. The Hotel del Coronado. The Hotel Del (as it's known) is one of the most famous hotels in the country. Originally constructed in 1883 and built completely of wood, the Hotel Del simply reeks of charm and atmosphere and also sits on one of the most beautiful beaches in the United States (including Hawaii!). If you were a honeymooning couple or an older couple without kids, it is the one I'd recommend for you. But you're not, so I'm not recommending the Hotel Del. It is not convenient to the attractions you want to visit, it is *very* expensive, it is old enough that the rooms are relatively small by today's standards, and it holds little attraction for small children.
2. Paradise Point Resort. If I had small children, this is the place I'd want to stay in San Diego - hands down. When you come to Paradise Point you will literally think you've arrived in Tahiti. It is the only hotel in San Diego with a truly South Seas atmosphere. It is extremely quiet and secluded, yet it is the closest place you can possibly stay to Sea World - there isn't even a Motel 6 that is closer. It is built on Mission Bay and even with a 4 year old and a one year old, you'll come home from your vacation relaxed, refreshed, and with memories of fun-filled days and romantic evenings. There is easy access to Interstates 5 and 8, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and Belmont Park are two miles away, the Zoo and downtown with its wealth of attractions are 5 miles away, La Jolla is six miles away and Legoland is 25 miles straight north off of Interstate 5. But the main thing is that once you're at the resort you'll think you're on a secluded tropical island, yet you'll have all the attractions of San Diego close at hand. It's definitely a step up from a Residence Inn - not cheap, but definitely worth the price for an experience you will always remember. In terms of a real vacation in the truest sense of the word, you could not possibly do better than Paradise Point Resort.
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There are a lot of fun things to do in San Diego for senior citizens. In addition to the usual tourist destinations, like the San Diego Zoo (senior discount on their Best Value admission package), and Balboa Park's museums and environment, there are many places that might be more of interest to senior tourists.
Because of San Diego's fabulous weather, there are many resort hotels that have golf courses, especially in north county. Seniors looking for a good view might enjoy short hikes around Torrey Pines State Park or Cabrillo National Monument, both on the coast, with ocean views (Cabrillo also has a nice view of downtown). For the history buff, check out Old Town State Historic Park to learn about early California, or see the Maritime Museum (on San Diego Bay) or the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum. For shopping opportunities, Seaport Village (on the Bay) has some unique shops, and downtown La Jolla has ritzy shopping, while serious shoppers might enjoy the factory outlets at Viejas casino, or San Ysidro or Carlsbad. For nice dining, check out Little Italy or North Park or La Jolla.
For the mobility impaired - the San Diego transit system (trolley and bus) is fully ADA accessible, although not always easy to use.
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Downtown's redevelopment (from about 1980 on) has really brought life back to downtown.
In the 1970s, downtown was a pretty scuzzy place, where people abandoned after the workday. No one came to shop anymore with the malls all moving to other areas, like UTC, or Mission Valley. There were few nightspots and few residents. In the 1980's, CCDC (the Centre City Development Corp.), the planning group for downtown started trying to revitalize the area.
First, they got a downtown shopping center - Horton Plaza, which attracted shoppers (both San Diegans and tourists). Then they started revitalizing the Gaslamp Quarter to become a safe but fun nightspot - with restaurants, clubs, bars, and entertainment venues. In the 1990s, the area really started to pick up - the convention center was expanded, and more residential development started occuring downtown. Downtown's neighborhoods, like the Marina area, became nice places to live. in the early 2000s, downtown's growth was tremendous, with condos popping up everywhere. the development of Petco Park in East Village, brought another huge spurt of growth to downtown. Little Italy also started to be come more upscale, with nice restaurants and lots of condos.
Many parts of downtown are a lot nicer because of the redevelopment efforts and there is a lot more activity and life downtown - there's farmer's markets, and street fairs, and other activities for residents of downtown, other parts of san diego and visitors. but there are also some drawbacks - housing prices have gone up downtown, displacing many of the lower income housing areas, and areas where students live. parking in downtown is tougher as many street lots were sold to be turned into condo complexes. when Petco Park was build in east village, many service providers for the homeless were displaced, pushing downtown's homeless problem into other neighborhoods.
overall, i think that the redevelopment of downtown has been good, putting downtown back on the map as a destination for living, and for entertainment/shopping/recreat...
however, it could have been planned a little better - there is a lack of parks for most downtown residents, and the City's main library, which was promised to voters a long time ago, is still not built yet - instead we got a taxpayer-built ballpark that makes the padres owner rich.
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Well, I don't know about very recent changes, but last time I was there it seems like they're on the right track with the premise of giving the area a chic down-to-earth Spanish flair. The goal should not be to get rid of the things that are already right with Downtown in terms of cafes and shopping, but to transform it into a clean, safe, but trendy place that people will actually want to hang around in after the ballgame.
Compared to other California cities, San Diego has always had a "mid-level" skyline. Not as unassuming as San Jose or Sacramento thanks in part to One America Plaza (152 m) and similar medium height structures. But at the same time, San Diego lacks that instant recognizability that the US Bank Tower (310 m) or Transamerica Building (260 m) lends to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Moreover, San DIego's "street reputation" is not an organic one (that is, the cosmopolitanism didn't just happen like in other cities, it was carefully planned). Rather than view this organized, artificial urbanity as a problem, however, it can be viewed as an advantage. San Diegans have an opportunity for input few other cities' residents get.
Ultimately, I think San Diego has to think less about competing with size and history... and more about quality of life, taking advantage of the waterfront's natural beauty, and linking all the little new pieces together to form a cohesive whole.
A good site for things to do in San Diego and San Diego hotels is:
http://www.san-diego-vacation-attractions-tours.us/
A few additional San Diego related websites are:
http://www.brokerforyou.com
http://www.medical-research-study-directory.info/san-diego-medical-research-study.htm
