Short honeymoon in San Diego area

[Holy]

Not sure if there''s a better forum for this. Any ideas for a short (1-2 night) honeymoon in San Diego? Just a place to be with my new bride alone for a few nights. No need for "things to do" as we will have that covered. No need for touristy things; we both live here (separately until we''re married) and have grown up here. A quiet, romantic place would be nice. No major need for anything fancy or expensive. A longer honeymoon (7-10 days) will come later which can be away from the area (e.g. cruise, Hawaii, Caribbean) but our schedules preclude doing that now. Thanks!

 

[dtnyc]

Date: 12/20/2006 1:33:13 PM
Author:Holy
Not sure if there's a better forum for this. Any ideas for a short (1-2 night) honeymoon in San Diego? Just a place to be with my new bride alone for a few nights. No need for 'things to do' as we will have that covered. No need for touristy things; we both live here (separately until we're married) and have grown up here. A quiet, romantic place would be nice. No major need for anything fancy or expensive. A longer honeymoon (7-10 days) will come later which can be away from the area (e.g. cruise, Hawaii, Caribbean) but our schedules preclude doing that now. Thanks!

Do you live in San Diego?

I am not from there, but when I went I stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado and it was absolutely GORGEOUS! It's the ideal spot for a mini-moon!

ETA: to add link and pic www.hoteldel.com

 

[firebirdgold]

I was just going to suggest the Del! I second that motion!

 

[TravelingGal]

The Del is great just to relax and have a drink while looking at the ocean...very pretty. I''d also suggest La Jolla...so pretty and good restaurants. I love the Brockton Villa (I think it''s called) for lunch or dinner.

 

[MustangGal]

Also, up near Julian is Warner Springs Ranch. It''s a little rustic, but the natural hot springs are great! (I worked there a few years ago)

 

[San Diego Bride]

i second a few of the suggestions here.

the del is always great, but it depends on your budget. you can spend the day at the del, eat outside at the sheerwater, spend time on the beach, maybe have sunday brunch, all without being a guest. you don''t have to pay the high prices to enjoy it.

i love la valencia. i am clearly biased though since i got married there. you can''t beat the location.

my favorite in la jolla is probably la parisi. it''s right across the street from la valencia and was redone last year. the rooms are huge and super modern. the bathrooms are big enough to put a bed in as well. you don''t have an ocean view, but you''re still right in the middle of everything. and they have a very nice breakfast included with the room. this is probably where we''ll stay during our next trip. we''ll have brunch at the del, definitely visit la valencia for a drink, but we''ll sleep at la parisi.

 

[Holy]

I think it''s going to be the Del, even though it''s $340 for one night, on a special no less! Oh well, our weeklong honeymoon will be cheaper on a per-night basis and will be more vacation-y than this initial mini-honeymoon, which will be more of a "real" honeymoon.

 

[nicolejrx]

I am just going to put a little plug in for the place I got married at, the Rancho Bernardo Inn! We loved the fact that it felt like we were in a totally different place. Take your new wife to El Bizcocho for dinner and then sit in the hot tub by a roaring fire....
Nicole

 

[Holy]

Well, we did our "mini-moon" at the Del. Even with a holiday "deal," we spent about $400 including taxes and all the ridiculous added-on fees which we could not refuse ($20+ for high-speed Internet access, which we did not use; $20 for parking for one night; $20+ "resort fee"--what the heck was the regular room fee for??!!??). And for all that money, we got a small room with a fair view and no space in the bathroom, not even a countertop. The bed was "poofy" and seemed small for a king, with dirty-looking linens and covers that we probably wouldn't want to see under blacklight. The entire place creaked and didn't have a feeling of privacy. The only good things were the included breakfast buffet at the Shearwater and my lovely and charming and non-fussy, non-complaining bride!

Conclusion: Save $200-300 and get a nice, big room almost anywhere else! Take pictures of the Del or get post cards if you feel you have to! No worries; our "real" honeymoon will be better and longer and even less expensive on a per-day or value basis. Plus the company was perfect regardless of the setting.

 

[TravelingGal]

Sorry to hear about your experience at the Del, although it is hardly surprising. The reviews on tripadvisor are pretty mixed, and tripadvisor has rarely led me wrong. I thought I mentioned about just having a drink there, but I realized I didn''t say that maybe the rooms aren''t that great - although I believe another poster mentioned it. I remember walking through and peeking into the rooms and thinking some were very dark.

 

[KimberlyH]

The Del is all about it''s history, so you need to be someone who loves that sort of atmosphere or it might not be worth your money; the hotel was built in the late 1800s, the rooms were considered spacious back then. I''ve stayed there a few times and really enjoyed it, but my husband and I are big into the history and architecture and atmosphere of hotels as opposed to wanting a large room, it''s all about personal preference.

If you''re into a more modern atmosphere the Hyatt in downtown SD is nice and centrally located (the Gaslamp is right down the street, the bay is about a 10 minute walk).

I was married at The Rancho Bernardo Inn also and the Inn itself is beautiful and the food at El Bizcocho but the feedback from our guests was that the rooms were nice enough, but nothing special (the costs included resort fees that they ended up waving, parking, etc. and I think that turned them off a bit). Our room was comped so I didn''t think much about it.

La Jolla is a ton of fun. I''ve never stayed at The Grande Colonial but we considered getting married there and the restaurant that is part of the hotel, Nine Ten, is one of the best I''ve ever had the pleasure of dining at, it is definitely the best restaurant I''ve eaten at in San Diego. It would be worth checking into.

Good luck!