Family Vacation: San Diego, California

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Jan 4, 2020
5 min read

detailed Itinerary included

Our very first family trip! Why did we choose San Diego, California? It was kind of random actually. We really wanted to go to Europe but time got away from us and it just did not workout so we asked around for a “place that is warm, has the ocean and is family friendly.” Check out THISpost on my toddler airplane activity list, THIS post for toddler travel essentials and at the bottom of this post you’ll see a BONUS: Toddler packing checklist. Also at the end of this post is the ULTIMATE Sand Diego Vacation must do list.

San Diego was SO DREAMY and I would go back over and over again.

Transportation

We rented a car because we knew we would be doing A LOT of exploring and we had a toddler on board. It was just easier for us. I recommend if you’re traveling with kids that you rent a car. If you are solo or on a couples trip - car services will be just fine. San Diego has motorized scooters all over town for transportation too!

Where to stay

I specifically bookedThe Rockaway House because it was family/child friendly. The hosts have a child not much older than Dominik so they had EVERYTHING a family could need. Upon arrival they had snacks, water and even beer in the fridge. They had a pack n’ play, books, toys and child beach essentials for Dom. They lived directly below the AirBNB so if we ever needed anything we could just text them! The place was just stunning and the perfect size for us; we didn’t need anything big or fancy because our goal was to explore most of the trip. I HIGHLY recommend this AirBnb if you are a family traveling. The location was prime for everything including parks, beach was steps away and all the delicious food…most importantly the BEST coffee ever Better Buzz. I have a highlight saved IG of a little tour of this AirBnb.

For a family trip I recommend staying on Mission Beach (where we stayed). Pacific Beach is also great. La Jolla is further north and is absolutely stunning but beware that it does cost a bit more. Mission Beach is SO clean and is packed with families, but not overly packed. We never felt like we were in anyone’s space on the beach. Our AirBNB was only steps away from the ocean; this was important to us because we wanted to have beach and ocean access.

The Rockaway House

Itinerary:

Day 1: Wisconin —> California

Checked into AirBnb
Walked the board walk to stretch our legs and to smell the ocean
Grocery Store & Target
Spaghetti Dinner at our AirBnb

Day 2: Coronado Island

Coffee at Better Buzz, 2 minute walk and this quickly became a 1-2 times/daily event (You have to try “the best drink ever” and/or iced latte with coconut powder.)
Strolled the boardwalk with coffee in hand
Dom took a 1 hour long nap at the AirBnb (we did plan our days around his naps, nap one was usually at the AirBnb and nap 2 was either in stroller or car while out and about)
Coronado Island/Beach: Our AirBnb provided us with all the beach essentials (tent, chairs, toys) so we packed the car and it took us about 25 minutes total to get to Coronado and park our car. Parking was no issue because it was a week day. We set up camp in front of Hotel Del Coronado (to later find out it is famous for being haunted). The beach was breathtaking, the ocean was perfect and the temperature was 76 and sunny! Dom LOVED the ocean waves and playing in the sand. We spent a good 2-3 hours at the beach until Dom got cranky. I briefly saw the inside of Hotel Del to use the restroom and experienced some spooky lights going in and out. The hotel is just stunning, it is a must see! Dom passed out in his stroller and we enjoyed a delicious meal at Miguel’s Cocina (best margaritas ever).
Strolled the boardwalk after dinner. The boardwalk is so busy at night. Everyone is out and about.

Day 3:

Breakfast At Kono’s Cafe - Your MUST get a burrito. BEST EVER. Then we stopped at Swell Coffee Co. for coffee, it was delicious!
USS Midway Museum: This was on my must do list because my heart is with our American Veterans. It was truly amazing to see the beautiful ship and to hear about the history of the Navy. I highly recommend checking this out, there’s truly nothing like it. Fun for kiddos too, they get to sit in old planes.
Lunch at Hodad’s for a delicious burger (this was the most recommended spot to eat from my IG fam). This little spot is located downtown, so we got to see downtown San Diego- which was not our scene at all…reminded me a lot of business district of some sort.
Back to AirBNB for Dom’s nap
Mission Beach for the rest of the day.

Day 4

Grabbed our morning coffee, strolled until nap time then headed to Parakeet Cafe in La Jolla for brunch. The cafe is super Instagram friendly but NOT family friendly at all; we were out of place with a child and the food was too boujee for us. But it is a cute place to check out nonetheless.
La Jolla Cove: Watched the sea lions relax & strolled along the gorgeous shoreline. We tried to go to the beach but it there was construction and we were over it. At the MOST EPIC California Burritos at The Taco Stand (the #1 recommended place by my IG place)
Home to Mission Beach for the afternoon then dinner at PB Alehouse, which was probably one of our favorite places. Very “Wisconsin-y” food and delicious beer.

Day 5

San Diego zoo: EPIC. MUST DO.
- Go during a weekday if you can
- Bring a stroller & Carrier, food, snacks, water
- Wear comfortable shoes & plan for a nap at the zoo because it is so big, you’ll spend most of your day there!
- They do have trolley type transportation/tours at the zoo, so if you’d rather not walk!
Little Italy
- You have to go here, it is SO sweet. Its a short street that has a lot of immigrant history. Amazing food, ice cream, sunset watching, music and big fountain for kiddos to enjoy. We ate pizza at Fillipi’s Pizza Grotto. Farmer’s Table restaurant/bar also came highly recommended and I wish we could have gone.

Day 6

Mission Beach
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
- YOU HAVE TO GO HERE! IT is breathtaking. Parking can be tricky, but we lucked out. If you get there an hour or two before sunset and set up for a picnic then you should be fine. These are cliffs so it’s not a place to let a young kiddo run around. We only spent about 30 minutes max here. If we ever go back, I would love to hike this park.

I think this was the perfect amount of days for our little trip. We just went with the flow and planned for naps to happen out and about on our long days. To save your mind, don’t think that you have to do ALL of these things; I felt like we had to and it did get stressful at times. I really hope this was helpful for you and I would love to hear from you here or over on IG if you end up visiting San Diego!