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Hotels

Seeing as San Diego is, year after year, one of the United States' most popular vacation spots, it's no surprise that there are plenty of properties to consider when you're ready to book a room. Hotels are on the expensive side, but don't let that deter you – you'll find a hotel (or motel or inn) that will suit your budget and your tastes. To help get you started in your search we've outlined our favorites in each price category below.

On the luxury end of things, the Hotel del Coronado (1500 Orange Ave., Coronado; 619/435-6611; www.hoteldel.com), on a peninsula just across the bay from downtown, is undisputedely the best place to stay, its oceanfront setting and expansive beach making it a favorite of couples and families alike; this National Historic Landmark (built in 1888) also has a rich history, including providing the backdrop to the Marilyn Monroe movie Some Like it Hot and serving as a crash pad for ten US Presidents. Near Balboa Park, The Britt Scripps Inn (406 Maple St.; 888/881-1991; www.brittscripps.com) occupies a Queen Anne-Victorian style mansion; its nine rooms are decked out in period pieces, including antique furniture and lavish linens, but add on modern amenities like complimentary internet access and flat-screen televisions. For posh digs in a hot location, check into the W San Diego (421 West B St.; 619/398-3100; www.starwoodhotles.com) for a beach-cabana feel right downtown; the modern rooms are complemented by a pool, gym, spa, and rooftop beach bar (appropriately named Beach), complete with heated sand and a fire pit.

More moderately-priced lodging is also easy to come by in San Diego – if you dig the sandy location of the Hotel del Coronado (above) but don't like the price, stay across the street at El Cordova Hotel (1351 Orange Ave.; 619/435-4131; www.elcordovahotel.com), where 40 Spanish-style rooms are within walking distance of the beach and there's a pool side barbecue for guests' use. For accommodations in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, the boutique Bristol Hotel (1055 First Ave.; 619/232-6141; www.thebristolhotelsandiego.com) has 102 brightly-colored and modern rooms, all with free internet access. The Holiday Inn San Diego on the Bay (1355 North Harbor Dr.; 619/232-3861; www.ichotelsgroup.com) has a waterfront location just a short walk from the Gaslamp Quarter and downtown and clean and spacious rooms, some of them with stellar water views and/or balconies; a pool, gym, and three on-site restaurants round out the offerings.

Budget-priced hotels are harder to come by, but La Pensione Hotel (606 W. Date St.; 619/236-8000; www.lapensionehotel.com) offers 75 clean, but small, rooms outfitted with microwaves, refrigerators, and TVs in a downtown location near several major attractions. The younger set and die-hard beach bums might like the hostel-style rooms at Banana Bungalow (707 Reed Ave.; 858/273-3060; www.bananabungalow.com) in the Mission Beach neighborhood; granted, the place does have a dorm-like party atmosphere, but you'll love its beachfront location.

See San Diego Travel Guide