A Splash of San Diego 

September 1, 2015
By Rachel Kapur

Beautiful beaches, delicious cuisine, amazing weather and exciting nightlife... San Diego has it all. This beautiful city in California has excellent weather year round and is the perfect place to relax, explore and enjoy. We embarked on a 3-day adventure in this beautiful city and have some recommendations on where to stay, where to eat and what to do!

Where to Stay

The Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is conveniently located fifteen minutes from the San Diego International Airport, across the street from the San Diego Convention Center and across from Petco Park Stadium, which makes this hotel an ideal location for weddings, conferences and events.

The hotel has over 40,000 square-feet of indoor and outdoor event space which includes a 9,100 square-foot banquet hall that can accommodate up to 1,000 guests. The Edge is a 3,496 square-feet space which has pop culture memorabilia around the room that makes for great for conversation starters. It also has great views of the Gaslamp Quarter and an outdoor balcony with excellent lighting.

The hotel also features eight themed breakout rooms that feature different musicians like Madonna and David Bowie. Our favorite areas included Woodstock which is an outdoor space that can transform to a concert venue (Prince performed there) and Elevation which is on the roof of the hotel and has amazing views of the city.

TIP: For a meeting/conference, the hotel can accommodate as much branding as needed and can perform digital mapping for the event/conference.

Located at the foot of the Gaslamp Quarter, the Hard Rock San Diego Hotel is the most conveniently located and trendiest hotel in the area. The Hard Rock brand has been synonymous with music, memorabilia, celebrities and nightlife. With over 198 venues in 63 countries the Hard Rock brand is one of the most globally recognized brands in the world. 

The Hard Rock Hotel San Diego has had its share of celebrity visits, stays and performances. The Black Eyed Peas performed at the hotel's grand opening in 2008. The hotel has 421 rooms of which over 200 are suites. There are different types of suite levels that range from Silver to Diamond and have had a number of celebrity guests such as David Beckham, Ashton Kutcher, Justin Beiber and more. 

The amenities at the hotel include a fascinating array of memorabilia scattered across the hotel, a beautiful rooftop pool, a relaxing Rock Spa, gym and beautiful views of San Diego.

TIP: We highly recommend staying in a Rock Star Suite which includes VIP treatment and getting the All Thai'd Up Spa Treatment at Rock Spa.

Where to Eat

The Hard Rock San Diego has a number of dining options from casual to upscale. For delicious casual comfort food, check out the metro chic Maryjane's Diner. It serves up a mean breakfast and is open until 3 AM on weekends. For poolside or evening drinks check out Float, at night it has fire pits and excellent views of the city. Another trendy but at the same time casual option is 207 which turns into a club on the weekends. The sliders and chili lime fries are to die for!

Nobu is one of the upscale restaurants at the Hard Rock and is known for its delectable sushi and seafood dishes. Not into seafood or perhaps you are a vegetarian? Not to worry the restaurant has many other dishes to suit any palette and can cater to any food restrictions. Another unique fine dining option is the Wine Riff's experience, which is a food pairing with music, lighting and wine. It can be booked for special events but must be organized in advance, it is truly a one of a kind experience.

For outside dining we recommend exploring the many restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter including Union Kitchen & Tap for classic American fare and Zymology 21 for Farm to Kitchen & Bar with unique drink and food options in a science themed restaurant. Puesto Restaurant is perfect for Mexican food with a San Diego flair. Be sure to check out their lump crab guacamole and their unique popular tacos! Puesto just recently won the "Best Restaurants of San Diego Award".

TIP: The Omakase Tasting at Nobu is an experience to remember. Try the Shrub Flight at Zymology 21 for a very unique drink experiment/experience.

What to Do

San Diego has great weather year round which makes this the ideal vacation spot with plenty to see and do. There are plenty of options to choose from depending on your particular interests. For nature lovers, we recommend a cruise aboard a vintage sailing yacht with San Diego Sailing Tours. The cruise sails around San Diego and passengers are treated with views of Harbor Island, Downtown San Diego and Shelter Island. Another place to check out is La Jolla, it is a 30 minute ride from the Hard Rock San Diego and has beautiful beaches and is absolutely gorgeous.

For animal lovers we recommend Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. Sea World has live shows daily and fireworks nightly (check schedule), it’s a great way to get up close and personal with your favorite sea animal! The most visited zoo in the United States is the San Diego Zoo, with over 3,700 animals you will spend plenty of time meeting your favorite animals.

For adventure lovers we recommend a unique experience at the House of Hints. This live escape game is mystery, action and adventure all rolled into one and is perfect for groups! We also recommend the USS Midway Museum which was an aircraft carrier used by the Navy and now is a great museum to explore. Amazingly it still includes original aircraft!

For party lovers we recommend Social Saturdays for a daytime pool party at the Hard Rock Hotel's rooftop pool. For nocturnal adventures we highly recommend Parq for a Vegas like experience at an indoor park themed club.

We also recommend Omnia which is the newest nightclub in San Diego and has three levels including a rooftop bar. 

TIP: Book the Lana Kai Sailing Yacht for personal intimate tours of San Diego through San Diego Sailing Tours. House of Hints books up early, make sure to make a reservation in advance. 

With its amazing weather, beautiful scenery and excellent food, San Diego is a wonderful place to visit. We really enjoyed our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego and enjoyed exploring all that the city had to offer. With the hotel's proximity to the popular sites and restaurants, exploring the city was a breeze. We definitely plan to visit this beautiful city again soon.