I don’t know about you, but as the days grow colder and the dark nights grow longer I can’t help reminiscing about all the lovely, warm weather holidays I’ve been on in my life.  It seems like it must be time to plan another trip?  One of my all-time favourite destinations, which is definitely on our list of places to visit with the kids, is San Diego in California.

I am quite astounded to think it has been almost 20 years since I last visited the place.  How time has flown! It was a family trip, during my late teens, when I was living in the American Midwest.  As I recall we stayed in a great hotel called the Loews Coronado, not far from the Del Coronado. Marilyn Monroe stayed and filmed scenes in 1958 for the film “Some Like it Hot.”

These days as I would be bringing my husband and 3 young children along to San Diego, we would be more likely to book one of these gorgeous San Diego Beach rentals.  They look amazing and more than adequate to accommodate us and our gregarious brood!

One of the fun days I recall from our trip to San Diego was visiting the zoo there.  I have a fond memory of visiting the gift shop buying a lovely necklace with beads shaped like butterflies in all colours of the rainbow.  I wore that necklace so many times, until it finally broke!  I can see that San Diego zoo is still live and thriving though, and from the website it looks even more awesome than before.  It also has incredible reviews on tripadvisor.  Apparently there is a cable car ride!  I’m pretty sure that wasn’t there 20 years ago so it’s obviously time to go back.

Polar bear in the water at San Diego zoo
San Diego zoo

Of course we would have to visit the splendid beaches of San Diego.  There is nothing our kids love more than splashing around in the sea and messing around in the sand…and getting it ingrained in every pore of their bodies so we have to spend ages washing it all off them and their clothes.  I’m still finding some sand in my bag from our last beach holiday and it was a few months ago now!  With 70 miles of coastline it is going to be tough choosing which beaches to go to in San Diego!

La Jolla beach, San Diego, ocean with waves, tree in foreground
La Jolla beach, San Diego

Here is a list of the top 3 beaches in San Diego that I would like to visit, from the research I’ve done so far.

  1. Coronado Beach – of course, I have to return for all that nostalgia!  Apparently it is rated one of the best beaches in the world for families.
  2. La Jolla Beach – this has a nice long sandy stretch, and an aquarium too.
  3. Mission Beach – this sounds like a great beach too, which has something for everyone, including shopping, a rollercoaster and pristine coastline.

Have you visited these beaches and would you recommend them, or any others that you’ve been to?

I have some brilliant in-laws who live in San Diego too, so the trip obviously would not be complete without spending time with them!  I am sure they would have lots of recommendations for us.  However in advance of asking them I have had a quick look online to see what culinary delights may be in store in San Diego.  As you may well know by now I am a huge foodie.  My husband jokes that he has never met anybody else who thinks and talks about what they will have for their next meal, while they are in the middle of eating a meal!

oceanside pier San Diego
Pier, San Diego

I read some reviews of a San Diego restaurant called Blue Water Seafood.  Oh my goodness, just looking at the photos has made my mouth water.  They do fish tacos, and while I’ve never honestly tried one I can’t imagine not liking them! I don’t think great fish tacos would be easy to find in the UK, so it’s definitely on my list of foods to sample!

There’s another restaurant, in a similar vein, called Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab House.  Since my husband is a steak fan and I can’t get enough of seafood I think we would both be happy at this place!  Located in La Jolla, San Diego, it looks like a great place for a special occasion…so we’ll have to remember to bring some proper dining attire.

It also looks like Old Town California, in San Diego, will be a great place to head.  There are more than a dozen historic buildings to see, and lots of little shops selling souvenirs.  Densely packed with places to eat, I think there should be something for everyone, though their specialty is Mexican cuisine (which I can never get enough of…burritos, anyone!?)  Our daughter is a huge fan of cheese so I imagine she will be happy with a quesadilla!

And last but not least, I think we may have to consider some of the following child-friendly attractions.  So many to choose from!

  1. Legoland California – my 5-year old son is absolutely Lego mad so this will keep him happy.  I wonder how it will compare to Legoland Windsor in the UK, which we have now visited quite a few times!

2. SeaWorld San Diego

3. The New Children’s Museum in the downtown Gaslamp Quarter

4. Birch Aquarium

5. San Diego Zoo Safari Park

6. Of course if we are travelling this far, a trip to Disneyland is almost a certainty.  Located in Anaheim, 95 miles from San Diego, it is approximately a 1.5 hour drive so I guess we’ll be hiring a car or a minivan!

It’s looking already like we will need at least a week, if not two weeks in San Diego!

Have you been, and do you have any recommendations?  If you haven’t been, I hope you’re as excited to plan a future trip as I am!

Baby gorilla at San Diego zoo
San Diego zoo – picture courtesy of pixabay.com

This is a sponsored post, but as with all my posts everything I write is my own honest opinion

 

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4 Replies to “Dreaming of a family trip to San Diego, California”

  1. Looks like you have planned a great trip! I would love to visit San Diego Zoo, it’s supposed to be amazing. A bit further away from me in England though! #dreamteam

  2. It looks absolutely amazing! I’ve never been anywhere really and I used to completely lack wanderlust. We never went on family holidays and I’m not used to much spare money so I didn’t really think about going other places, but now I’m in my thirties I really want to see a bit more of the world and I’d love for my kids to as well.

    Thank you for linking up to #RVHT, it’ll be back this week, after the break !

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