Hyatt Regency Islandia Question

[Spot]

Can anyone give me personal experience of this hotel pre-cruise?

This hotel is offered by Celebrity at a decent price ($149 to include taxes,portage,transfers).

 

Thanks for your assistance!

[Splinter]

It is a nice enough hotel, with a good Sunday brunch and views of Mission Bay, but you are pretty isolated there. If you want to see anything of San Diego you will need a car, as the only thing close enough to walk to is the Mission Beach boardwalk and roller coaster. There are some decent restaurants in Mission Beach as well. If you want to be near the ship, or Balboa Park/Zoo or the Gaslamp Quarter, I would look at another hotel (check Priceline or Travelocity, etc. for bargins) that is closer to those locations. You may be able to get a price that is just as good even with adding in cab or shuttle fares.

[Spot]

Thanks for your hometown advice Splinter, I appreciate it very much!

 

Do you have some specific recommendations closer to the cruise port? I don't want to spend a fortune but I'm willing to spend what a hotel is worth if it makes a difference in location, services, and overall hotel ambiance.

[Splinter]

You really can't go wrong with any of the major hotels in the Gaslamp or Marina area of San Diego, or if you prefer something inexpensive but in a nice area, consider The Balboa Park Inn (walking distance to the Zoo and all of Balboa Park) or La Pensione in Little Italy (basic, but good location) for walking distance to shops and good restaurants right on the San Diego Trolley line.

 

For other hotels, check out the Downtown area at this link: http://www.sandiegohotels.com/

[kaiiak]

We live in LA and visit SD every other year or so. We've stayed at the Islandia twice. I have gotten this hotel both times off of priceline. It is VERY close to Sea World, so it is great if you are taking the kids there. In my opinion, it seems a bit more like a 3 1/2* than a 4*. It is a bit older. It doesn't have that "resort" feel that you get at some of the other SD hotels. IT also isn't in an area where you can walk to shops, restaurants, etc. In the past, I am pretty sure that I paid $100 or less on priceline for that same hotel. Depends on if it is peak season or not. Overall, it's nice to be close to Sea World, but you'll want to take a cab to the downtown area for better nightlife, etc.

Hope this helps!

[Spot]

kaiiak - we are in our 50's and retired (no children around any longer :)).

We are looking for a nice hotel, comfortable rooms (good beds, decent service), and if not close to outside eating establishments then the hotel needs to have an eatery with good food.

I'm agast at $300+ per night for many hotels that are near the cruise port/airport. Although I would much rather spend less than this, I would pay this if I don't need to spend alot on transportation (taxis from airport to hotel, then to eat, then in the morning to the cruise port............do you know what I mean?

 

Thanks!

[Splinter]

You can get a nice place to stay downtown for much less than $300/night if you want a motel type place to stay, or if you are willing to stay at someplace that is a non-traditional hotel like La Pensione, or if you take the time to find good rates on Priceline, Expedia, Travelocity, etc. etc. The Balboa Park Inn (above) is close enough to Balboa Park to walk to The Prado for dinner, which is one of the nicest restaurants in San Diego. You can also take a cab (or even the bus) very inexpensively to eat in the Uptown area along University Avenue (try Cafe Eleven).

[JSR]

HI

We travel to SD often. We used to stay at the Islandia but I would no longer recomend it. We now stay at the Hilton on Mission Bay. Nice location if you just want to relax, rent a bike, see the water. There is nothing in walking distance though the hotel resturant is good. Make sure not to be in the high rise part.

[gratefulguy]

Have you looked at:

http://www.mobissimo.com

http://www.tripadvisor.com

?--these might help.

Also, another post gave the link to the SD convention Ctr. (http://www.visitsandiego.com) to see if there are any big conventions that might affect the rate at nearby hotels (and restaurant space), since the cruise pier is only a few blocks from it.

[Spot]

I'm still looking, seems that so many of the better locations have rates are sky high.

I appreciate all the suggestions though and will continue to troll for just awhile longer before settling on someplace.

 

Thanks Everyone!!

[SoBaycruiser]

If you are going to be spending the night on a weekend, you can get some better deals at the waterfront. The Manchester Grand Hyatt is on the water and a beautiful hotel. We've found an occasional deal there on a weekend.

 

You might also try Best Western's Hacienda Hotel in Old Town if you want the flavor of Mexico and early California. It's centrally located and if you have a day, it's the starting point of the San Diego's tourist trolley. That's a great way to see San Diego without a car... it goes in a large circle to the main sites in San Diego and you can hop on and off as often as you'd like.

[Spot]

We ended up booking a room with Doubletree Mission Valley, got a decent price and the reviews are good.

 

Anyone know more about this hotel?

 

Thank you everyone!!