Family Vacation Central

If you’re going on a beach holiday this year then you might have already got everything you need, and are just counting down the days, Alternatively, you might not really know what to wear, and are worried you won’t have what you need.

Here’s what you need.

1. You’ll want a fantastic bikini or swimsuit to make the most of your figure and so you can enjoy the weather. Perhaps a particular style is best for you, or you have certain requirements from your designer bikinis, or perhaps you just like a certain brand of designer swimwear.

2. A sarong is ideal for when you need to be covered up, or to protect you from the sun, or for when you aren’t on the beach. Why not choose a matching, or contrasting cover up, or with a bold or understated design? Read the rest of this entry »

In our recent trip to San Diego we stayed in two hotels. We had originally planned to leave on a Monday and had our hotel booked for the Monday to Friday but decided in the end to go a couple of days early and could not extend our hotel. Sadly our original hotel was not able to give us a room for the first two days so we had another for the first two days.

Mission Plaza Hotel and Suites

This is the hotel that we stayed in for the first couple of days. Although the hotel was clean enough for my wife it was not a high end hotel by any means. The room that we got had a bunk bed that the kids fought over but was a very nice to have a bed to ourselves instead of having the kids crawling in.

The hotel had a pool that hte kids used quite a bit and the location of the Mission Plaza Hotel is just a few minutes to both SeaWorld San Diego and Ocean Beach (different directions).

The hotel is really affordable and that is what got my wife interested. To be perfectly honest my wife picks hotels based on pool, location and mostly price so this place worked out great for us for a couple of nights in San Diego

Comfort Inn and Suites Seaworld

This hotel was the place that we stayed for our last four nights and again we had bunk beds for the kids (less fighting this time) and the hotel was good for us in that it was right next to the highway on hotel circle in San Diego and not only did the hotel have a pool but also a pretty extensive free breakfast that included make you own waffles.

The hotel was again just as clean as the earlier hotel that we stayed in and the Comfort Inn and Suites Seaworld is the same motel style where you can park in front of the unit. The other plus that the place had was a laundry room which all of us families know can come in really handy in an emergency.

The one thing that I did not like about the Comfort Inn that we stayed at in San Diego was the generic looking area, all hotels on two strips one on each side of the highway. A couple of  things that are really close by though is the Old Town San Diego area as well as a place called the Presidio, which is the oldest settlement on the west coast of the US

Last week our family went to San Diego on Vacation.

It was a lot of fun.

Usually when going to California we tend to go to Los Angeles as there are beaches and Disneyland there but just as a change of pace this time we went to San Diego and did lots and still there was a lot that we missed.  Here is a big of an overview of the stuff that we did and then later on you can get the more indepth for each of the things that we did in other posts:

Day 1 San Diego – flew in and went to Ocean Beach. We changed plans last minute before we left so we needed to get a hotel for the first two days and then stayed at another for the last five days. The hotel we stayed in was the Holiday Inn Seaworld and as usual on our trips it was a fairly clean hotel with a pool of course and our room actually had bunk beds that the kids fought over. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to reader Darlene for her comments in support of NOT bringing your dog to Independence Day celebrations, as I recommend in When you should leave the dog home. She mentioned the website www.the-best-dog-for-you.com/pet-vacations.html as a good resource for ideas about and cautions regarding vacationing with your dog. The site has excellent reminders about planning trips with dogs, one of which is worth expanding on here.

National parks and monuments—great places for the family, full of natural beauty and/or historic significance. By all means, put them on your must-see list. Plan on taking the kids—or grandkids—but you may do better to leave the dog at home.

National Parks and Public Lands generally permit dogs only if kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet in length at all times, unless they are caged or crated. Park management at each park may restrict pet (and possibly service dog) access to open areas such as trails, buildings or campgrounds in the interest of keeping visitors and the park environment protected. Read the rest of this entry »