In April, I drove down to San Diego for my cousin’s bachelorette party. San Diego has always been one of my favorite places and as a Southern Californian native, I have spent some fun times there. I thought I would throw together a quick travel guide of San Diego because I think everyone should visit someday. Since I was there recently without my kids, in this guide I’m going to focus on an adult’s only trip! Maybe I’ll do a family friendly one sometime soon though!
The Adults Only Guide to San Diego – Gaslamp Quarter
Edition
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I recommend making the Gaslamp Quarter the home base for an adults-only trip to San Diego. On my most recent trip to San Diego, we stayed at the Kimpton Solamar Hotel, and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. This Kimpton is centrally located, making it easy to walk around the city. I also loved that the Solamar had a “rooftop” (4th floor) pool and bar with seating, fire pits, a water station, and outdoor games. They also provided an evening SoCal Hour featuring Kimpton’s traditional wines, local beer, and coffee and tea in the morning. I didn’t realize while we were staying there that the hotel had complimentary bikes to ride around town. I’m all about riding bikes when traveling, too (Did you see my post about our stay in Avila Beach??)
I would recommend parking off-site. Parking at the hotel is $50 a day…
Other Places to Stay
If you are looking to splurge, I would stay at the Pendry. We had drinks there on Saturday afternoon, and it’s a beautiful hotel.
DAY 1
Depending on what time you get into town depends on what you could do on day 1. If you just want to hang out, head up to the pool area at the Kimpton Solamar. Enjoy a drink at the Upper East Bar and play some lawn games. They have a happy hour Monday – Friday from 3pm -6pm.
Dinner
When it comes to eating, I don’t care about how fancy it is. If it’s good food, great. Honestly, some of the best food I have had while traveling came from a food truck, shack, or little market. Food in San Diego can be expensive, so I kept that in mind while compiling this list.
If you want to stay within walking distance from the hotel:
I would walk 5 minutes down J Street to Whiphand. It’s French-inspired American food and is a good mix between fancy and casual!
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OR
My other pick would be Fairweather Bar. It’s on a rooftop overlooking Petco Park. It’s simple food, but they specialize in tiki-inspired drinks. It also looks like what my vacation dreams are made of. It’s about a three-minute walk.
OR
Walk to Basic Bar and Pizza. It’s about 5 blocks away from the Kimpton Solamar. It’s simple, but who doesn’t love a good pizza. If you still want pizza but want something “fancier,” check out Biga in the Gaslamp District; it’s about a ten-minute walk from Kimpton Solamar.
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Other options: BESHOCK Ramen, Burger Lounge, Half Door Brewing, or Fuego
If you want to drive or Uber:
Little Italy has some great food options that aren’t just pasta and bread.
The Crack Shack – They serve comfort food with a California twist.
Queenstown Public House – The atmosphere is what people go for!
El Camino – Mexican, fun decor, and you can watch the planes fly overhead if you like that kind of thing.
Kettner Exchange – You could stay there all night with an outdoor rooftop bar.
Late Night Eats/Drinks
Now if you just want to turn in after dinner and hang out in the hotel room, I don’t blame you. But for those of you who stay up late, this is for you.
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Bar scene: When we were there last, we found ourselves at The Deck at Moonshine Flats. It’s a little country, but they have games and a huge dance floor in the back if that’s your thing. I have also been to Tipsy Cow in college, but it looks the same. If you want a theme bar, check out Trailer Park After Dark. Or head to the hotel bar Upper East; at least you’ll be close to your room
Deserts: CrunchTime Popcorn & Ice Cream. I wanted to try this but never did.
DAY 2
The second day in San Diego depends on what you like to do. Sleep in and go to a late brunch? Wake up early and ride bikes around town to get coffee and a small bite to eat.
Coffee!
Naturally, I wake up around 7 am and love some good coffee and exploring. While the Kimpton Solamar has free coffee and tea in the lobby, I like my coffee over ice. When I was in San Diego last, the staff at the Solamar directed me to Spill the Beans Coffee and Bagels, about two blocks away. It’s a cute little coffee shop with well coffee and bagels. Both were good. I had an everything bagel and a cold brew latte.
Other coffee shops that seem interesting: Copa Vida and Genteel Coffee Co
After coffee, if you are still looking for something to eat, head to Donut Bar or The Morning After.
Bunch
If waking up later and attending a sit-down brunch is more your thing. I would definitely check out these places:
Rustic Root – The last time I was in town, we had a late brunch here. If mimosas are your thing, they have a beautiful (and delicious) mimosa tray. The food is amazing too. And a six-minute walk from the Kimpton Solamar!
Breakfast Republic – They have a Horchata Cold Brew Cocktail that is calling my name, and oh, yeah, the food looks bomb. Several people have eaten here recently, and they all rave about it. Breakfast Republic is about a 6-minute walk from Kimpton Solamar.
Garage Kitchen and Bar – This fun spot also looks like it would be good all day. Also about a six-minute walk.
Day Time Activities
What is nice about the Kimpton Solamar is that they have an amazing pool area, and you could spend all day there if you wanted. They have a really good BLT sandwich I ate while sitting by the pool, and my cousins sipped on Frozen Rose.
OR
First, take a bike, walk, rent a scooter, or summon an Uber and head up to Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market (open from 8am-2pm and is 1.4 miles away from Kimpton Solamar. There are apparently over 200 vendor tents and live music. I live at farmer’s market and would probably snack on food from vendors while walking around.
OR
Spend the day at Balboa Park. There’s a little something for everyone there. I would wander around Old Cactus Garden, the Botanical Building, the Spanish Village Art Center, the Timken Museum of Art, and maybe a bite to eat at the Prado or Panama 66.
OR
Maybe checking out a cute spot on Instagram is what you want. You have options:
- Head to You & Yours Distillery and enjoy handcrafted cocktails in the East Village.
- Communal Coffee – This is the place with the wall that says Coffee + Flowers in North Park or South Park
- Go browse Pigment in North Park. It is what Instagram dreams are made of.
- Greetings from San Diego Mural
OR
Head to the beach; it is San Diego, after all. I would say take the ferry to Coronado Island and explore from there. I haven’t visited Coronado, but I would love to explore there!
Dinner & Fun
You could eat dinner at any of the places I mentioned for Day 1 or kick it up a notch.
Walk to Quartyard; it’s an outdoor spot worth checking out on the way to dinner. Heck, you can even have dinner there if you want. The burgers look awesome, but remember it is an urban park, and all eating is outside. Food trucks come by, a bar stocked with the good stuff, free wifi (you know, so you can Instagram), and a dog run.
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When you are ready to move on to the next thing and you still need to/want to check out You and Yours Distillery, walk a couple blocks, and you’re taking your next Instagram photo at the bar.
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After Instagraming and cocktails, walk a couple more blocks up to Punch Bowl Social for dinner, drinks, and fun. With bowling alleys, bocce courts, private karaoke rooms, shuffleboard, foosball tables, a vintage arcade, and board games. I dare you to get bored.
Day 3
Usually, I try to leave a weekend getaway early to miss the traffic. It is also easier to get back to “real life” by getting home by the afternoon.
View this post on InstagramChild free on the streets of San Diego. Can somebody tell me what I do with my hands?
Have you been to San Diego? What’s your favorite part of that town!