Hotel at a Glance: PB Surf Beachside Inn

Located about a block from the Pacific Ocean, PB Surf Beachside Inn is close to some of San Diego’s best swimming and surfing spots. It’s also just a few minutes’ drive from Mission Bay Park, where you’ll find a number of coves, beaches, and canals. The best way to see the scenery is by boat, but there are plenty of walking and biking paths with nice picnicking spots nearby.

• Guest rooms feature flat-screen TVs, mini refrigerators, and photographs of the Pacific Ocean.
• For a little extra room, choose a suite, which has a separate living area.
• Dine on fish tacos and other local specialties at Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, a San Diego institution that’s a five-minute walk away.
• Distance from SeaWorld San Diego: less than 4 miles

San Diego, California: Electric Nightlife and Historical Attractions

San Diego’s sunny, comfortably warm weather and 70 miles of coastline have long attracted out-of-towners, but the city’s inland scene is no slouch, either. The Gaslamp Quarter is arguably the trendiest listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The area forms both the historic center of town and a hub of nightlife, with nearly 100 Victorian-era buildings occupied by high-end boutiques and gourmet restaurants.

A stroll through iconic Balboa Park takes you past 17 museums, as well as the world-famous San Diego Zoo. There’s also the vibrant Spanish Village Art Center, a living gallery where local artists produce pottery and oil paintings. In Old Town, shops in Mission-style stucco buildings sell colorful woven baskets and maracas. Nearby stands the Whaley House Museum, dubbed one of the Most Terrifying Places in America by the Travel Channel. Ghosts of former residents are said to inhabit the rooms, which are filled with Victorian furniture and eerie dolls.