Will be coming for vacation next month for a week in San Diego. Have the plane tickets and rental car reservations but, haven't picked a place to stay. Need some input on staying near Balboa Park. Looking for a good hotel (chain hotel) that is in a nice area and not to far from Lindbergh Field and Balboa Park.

Any help would be great.

uh, o.k...

How about in Chula Vista near Bonita rd and I805?

Or near Lindbergh Field?

Several hotel/motel chains in the Mission Valley area....Hotel Circle has probably three or four hotels.

or check this link:
Hotels near Balboa Park

After reading reviews on TripAdvisor hotel circle seems pretty shady...is this a good observation or are people expecting too much?

Would Mission Valley area be o.k.?

Looking for a good hotel, close to the zoo and other activities for the kids. $150/night range.

Motel Circle is going to be your best bet. It is a decent area and there are a couple malls and several eateries near by. I don't know what the price range is there. If you are looking form something closer to Balboa Park there is a Holiday Inn just off the 5 near the park, but I don't know how comfortable I would feel staying there. There is also a Holiday Inn down near the water, I believe its on Harbor Drive. My wife has stayed there and it was nice with a great view. Your other choice is the Marriott at the convention center. I hope this helps.

Thanks for the heads up on motel circle. We found something last night in Chula Vista that we booked. I guess the next thing is how is the traffic from Chula Vista to Balboa area in the mornings Thursday - Monday. Do I avoid the interstates and take local routes? Also, someone at work told me about Mexican food called Roberto's. The food there is supposed to be good even though it's kinda like a fast food joint. Ever heard of it??
Thanks for the help guys/gals.

I just got back from San Diego and my experience was that the traffic really wasn't bad. We stayed on Harbor Island since my wife was there for business and her company was paying. Didn't take long to get anywhere.

You didn't ask for recommendations on activities but here are mine anyway.

See the Zoo and if you can get up to their Wild Animal Park it's well worth the drive. There's a $59 ticket that gets you into both parks and is valid for 5 days. It includes extras like the Zoo's guided tour bus, express bus, Skyfari sky ride, and the wild animal park's Journey Into Africa.

I also strongly recommend Cabrillo National Monument . You'll find a spectacular view of San Diego along with the beautifully restored Old Point Loma Lighthouse. The harbor tour is also very nice.

Enjoy your trip.

We are really looking forward to doing as much as we can, but still relaxing at the beaches. The Zoo is a must. The gaslamp area sounds interesting as does a lot of Balboa Park and the fishing docks. Woo Hoo!!!

Chula Vista is a ways south of anything worthwhile, but you can probably save some money on hotels by staying down there. Depending on what time you get going in the morning you'll hit some traffic heading north towards downtown. Balboa Park is just off downtown. It's not that far, though, so you'll probably be OK.

You might want to check out the Marriott on Coronado. They are just wrapping up a renovation and may have a good deal. Anything near the airport is going to be a lot more centrally located than Chula Vista. Coronado may look out of the way, but you'll be going against traffic morning and evening.

Be sure to check out the Maritime Museum on Harbor Drive, also the Midway aircraft carrier museum.

The Fish Market Restaurant on Harbor Drive is great for fresh fish at a reasonable price.

Little Italy (India Street) has some great sausage sandwiches (Pete's - closed on Sunday) and gelato (ice cream) at Cafe Italia.

Roberto's is a fast food local chain. It's probably OK.

Cabrillo Monument, the Lighthouse and the nearby tide pools are great.

Depending on how old the kids are there is also Legoland, and Sea World.

I would avoid staying in Coronado island just to avoid having to cross the bridge. Motel Circle has plenty of places that are "reasonable".

If you were bringing your truck and wanted some good wheeling near by I would say CV would be ok but I would suggest that you definately cancel the reservation in CV. I grew up in CV - it is not a tourist destination and it is a good 20-30 minutes (no traffic) drive to the areas you want to visit. I would stay at a hotel on Hotel Circle. I lived on Hotel Circle South for 10 years. There is a free bus/shuttle that takes you on a loop to most of the tourist spots. You are about a mile to Old Town and 5-10 minute drive to Balboa Park, Seaworld, Gaslamp, Pt. Loma, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Lindeberg Field etc.
Check out this link http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/casdmenu/tp/hotel_circle.htm There are also other hotels on Hotel Cir South and North that are not listed.
Oh and Roberto's - it's just a regular old taco shop. You will see them everywhere, same as Alberto's, Rumberto's, Nico's, etc. There is good Mexican food in Old Town. Pacific Beach is the college/beach bar/dance area and Gaslamp has nice (but pricey) restaurants and fun bars/dance clubs.
Enjoy.
Tom

Hotel Circle is in Mission Valley (used to work in Mission Valley). La Mesa is right up I-8 and a little cheaper than hotel circle. I too wouldn't care to stay in Chula Vista. Traffic in San Diego is nothing - well, nothing like around here

Roberto's is pretty good - wish I had something like them out here in the DC area.

Great local restaurant in Mission Valley Good food, reasonably priced.

Also be sure to check out San Diego North County - Carlsbad/Del Mar - beautiful area, nice beaches and much less crowded than San Diego/Mission Bay.

I wonder if lobster burrito's are back at Rubio's yet? Hmmm...