The upcoming San Diego Restaurant Week opens the floodgates to lip smacking delicacies at more than 180 of the best restaurants in the city. Both city residents and tourists wait for this week to try out an array of feasts at the best restaurants.

Considered as the largest and the most successful dining event in San Diego County, San Diego Restaurant Week was initiated to make San Diego a top destination for fine dining. Organized by the California Restaurant Association San Diego County, the San Diego Restaurant Week is held twice a year. It will flag off on 19 September and go up to 24 September, 2010.

You can pick a restaurant of your choice during the week and enjoy a three course menu there. There are no tickets, coupons or passes required. Best part of this week long festival is that you get to savor a three-course dinner for merely $20, $30 or $40 per person, depending upon the restaurant you choose. Where else can you get the chance to discover new restaurants all at one place and relish delicious meals at such a reasonable prices?

This gastronomic week also provides a great opportunity to food lovers when they can explore the new eateries as well as revisit the old favorites. However it is advisable to reserve tables at the restaurants in advance.

Starting from downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter to Old Town, La Jolla, Coronado, Del Mar and beyond, food lovers can treat themselves to delicious meals at various restaurants at several places throughout San Diego during the food festival. If you are visiting San Diego during this time, make sure you stay in a San Diego lodging from where all the above mentioned locations are nearby so that you save time on commute.

Located right in the middle of San Diego, California Suites Hotel is one of the leading budget hotels in San Diego which provides tempting discounts,and high value services to their visitors.

Ahead of other budget hotels in delivering the best to their clients, California Suites Hotel many other facilities such as complimentary breakfast, free parking, spa tub, safe deposit box, voice mail, Internet facility and lots more.

San Diego Restaurant Week is a sheer delight for foodies! Don’t miss it!

Photo Courtesy: http://www.activerain.com/

Shark Week is one of the most popular events in San Diego attracting thousands of visitors in a week. As the name suggests, Shark Week is dedicated to sharks. To be held at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps at La Jolla, the Shark Week will run from July 17 to July 23.
The famous Birch Aquarium is home to more than 10 species of sharks. Once you are at the Birch Aquarium you can get up close and personal with different species of sharks including leopard sharks, brown banded bamboo sharks, wobbegongs, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, Port Jackson sharks and more. You can watch the videos of the sharks in the wild or go on a shark scavenger hunt.

Shark Week at the Birch Aquarium allows you a one-of-a-kind experience of close encounters with sharks, which you can’t expect anywhere else on land! You can touch swell shark pups and docile horn. And don’t forget to get yourself photographed with a white shark.

If you are planning your California family vacations in July, do make it a point to bring your kids to the Shark Week. This 7-day long program educates visitors about these powerful creatures.

Sharks are usually portrayed as dangerous species which kill their vulnerable preys indiscriminately. However this is an unfortunate myth associated with sharks. The researchers at the Scripps do a great job in educating visitors on how sharks are important to marine life, how they can be just as vulnerable and why there is a growing need to protect their declining population.

In order to best enjoy the activities and all the fun at the Shark Week, you should stay at a San Diego lodging from where you can commute easily to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.  There are several San Diego accommodations which provide nice San Diego packages and California vacation packages. Talking about best budget motels and hotels, California Suites Hotel offers fine quality services at competitive prices. It is located 15 minute away from the San Diego International Airport, and other attractions such as the Sea World and the Zoo and of course, the sun kissed beaches of San Diego.

San Diego attracts a heavy inflow of tourists during this season, so book your rooms in advance. And don’t forget to include Shark week at Birch Aquarium in your itinerary on your San Diego vacation.

Photo courtesy: blogs.inlandsocal.com/moms/weekly-topic/

San Diego attracts a huge number of tourists during the month of May as Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with gusto. And this colorful event takes place in none other than the historic Old Town of San Diego. Here people come together to celebrate the victory of Battle of Puebla in which the Mexican forces defeated the French Army in 1862. This is the oldest and largest celebration of its kind in San Diego!

This completely free and sponsored event attracts up to 250,000 visitors each year to enjoy music and entertainment, authentic food through Old Town restaurants, cultural and historic exhibits and reenactments. In just one place you can get a real taste of Mexican culture, cuisine, handicraft, spirit, and music.

This year, Fiesta Cinco de Mayo is going to take place on 1st and 2nd May, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. This family friendly event is the premiere celebration of arts and culture and this year it has got an interesting line-up of lots of entertainment activities for the whole family. and stay in a hotel in San Diego close to where the event is held in nearby to Old Town.Plus, Old Town has got over 15 historic sites, including the State Historic Park, Heritage Park, Presidio Park, Sheriff’s Museum, La Casa de Estudillo, the first Church in Old Town, La Casa de Bandini, La Casa de Altamirno Pedrorena, Mormon Battalion Visitors Center, Mason Street School and lots more which are FREE to explore.

Old Town is also a virtual Mecca for shopping and fine dining. Visitors interested in music and enjoy the sizzling beats of Flamenco, and the traditional Mariachi music and watch Mariachi players playing guitar.

To explore the Old Town conveniently at your pace during your San Diego vacation, book your stay at California Suites Hotel which is located about 15 minutes from Old Town. Here you will get the best value accommodation services. From a complimentary extended buffet breakfast, to free parking, Internet connection, swimming pool, safe deposit box, 24 hour Security Patrol and more, California Suites Hotel offers the best value for money. If you are planning your San Diego vacation to coincide with the Cinco de Mayo, reserve your rooms now.

 Courtesy: http://score.rims.k12.ca.us

If you are planning a San Diego vacation to spend some quality time away from the regular hustle bustle of busy city life, you cannot afford to miss the Rolando Street Fair. People come here to spend a sizzling spring day at the fair, and to enjoy the cozy feel of a community gathering that is rare to find in other places.

This street fair is a great way for people to get together and enjoy.Rolando is a small and beautiful urban neighborhood lined with older homes, trees on both sides of the road. This is one of the more appealing and affordable neighborhoods in San Diego.

The 14th annual Rolando Street Fair will take place in Sunday, March 28th, 2010 from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Bring yourself, bring your kids, and have fun on the rides and enjoy dancing to live music. This time, more than 100 vendor booths with a wide variety of hand-made items will be participating in fair. Last year, this street fair attracted over 15,000 and many more are expected this year.

Amid local musical entertainment of rock, jazz and blues, there will be lots more to enjoy here at the street fair. For kids, there are carnival rides of different types that will make any child ask for more! Plus, children can enjoy doing face painting and feast on all sorts of sweet treats. There are various food courts offering delicacies to try.

This year, you can enjoy excellent music from awesome local talent. The band schedule includes names like the San Diego School of Rock, the New Primordials, Steph Johnson Band, Lee Coulter and Len Rainey and the Midnight
Players.

Along with this, there is lots more to experience in San Diego. When planning a trip to this adventurous land, come with some time on your hands to fully explore and experience the varied delights of this place.

If you are a budget traveler, come and stay at California Suites Hotel, best amongst quality budget hotels in San Diego that offer affordable vacation rentals and complementary breakfast.

Courtesy: http://www.rolandovillage.com/

San Diego is a mecca of cultural events and festivals. Around the year, San Diego hosts a number of exciting and spectacular festivals and events ranging from Salsa festival, kite festivals, food festival and lots more. If you are a movie buff, be assured that you would have a hard time choosing from among the umpteen choices in good cinema available, as San Diego hosts a number of film festivals around the year. One of the most popular festivals is the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

This internationally renowned festival is a celebration of Latino films by filmmakers around the world. So if you are a fan of Latino movies, you can’t afford to miss this prestigious festival. Presented by the Media Arts Center San Diego, the 17th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival would take place from March 11 to 21, 2010. Originally established as a student film festival, over the years this festival has gained recognition internationally and has gone on to become one of the most respected Latino film festivals.

This festival is a haven for film lovers. Every year it showcases a selection of acclaimed films, short movies, documentaries by new, talented and established filmmakers. More than160 works would be screened from across Latin America and the United States. Along with great cinema you would also get to hear and know renowned filmmakers, actors, technicians and film critics. Apart from watching films, attend workshops, seminars, concerts, exhilarating activities and lots more.

Since San Diego Latino film festival is going to take place over a period of few days, it is best that you stay in a San Diego lodging which is located in the heart of San Diego so that you can commute easily. California Suites Hotel is a value price leader among budget hotels in San Diego providing complimentary breakfast and good facilities at affordable prices.

The San Diego Latino film festival is a great opportunity to meet filmmakers, enjoy great movies and gain an understanding in the visual arts field through cross-cultural communication. Don’t miss this event for a great cinema experience you would remember for years to come.

Pic Courtesy: http://www.sdlatinofilm.com

Here is your chance to discover the finest restaurants in San Diego. The San Diego Restaurant Week presents spectacular three course meals from the best restaurants in San Diego. Experience the best of the city cuisine during the week of  January 17th to January 22nd, 2010. In its sixth year, the San Diego Restaurant Week was launched with the intention of highlighting the city as a premier dining destination. Anyone taking a San Diego family vacation can have an extraordinary time at the Restaurant Week with cuisine pleasing to the palate and culinary magic which delights your taste buds.

Unlike ordinary food fairs where you get to sample only a small portion of any dish, San Diego Restaurant Week allows you to sit down and have a scrumptious feast complete with a three course menu. Experience the art of dining from over 180 participating restaurants and that too at discounted prices.

Enjoy a three course meal for $20, $30 or $40 per person, depending on the restaurant. Do not miss out on this rare opportunity to discover new culinary destinations in San Diego. It is the perfect idea for a good San Diego family vacation where your whole family can have a wonderful and delectable week.

You can also give out Restaurant Week gift cards of any denomination to surprise your friends and relatives this holiday season. These gift cards will be valid at all the participating locations during the Restaurant Week.

San Diego is known for its dining treats and this event will illustrate why the city is much talked about among food connoisseurs. The San Diego Restaurant Week is organized by the San Diego chapter of the California Restaurant Association and through this event, they aim to introduce the local community to the finest restaurants in the city while showcasing the industry’s best talent.

California Suites Hotel is located minutes away from some of the finest restaurants of San Diego. Enjoy a comfortable stay and dine away to your heart’s content at the restaurants of your choice.

Pic Courtesy: Sandiegorestaurantweek.com

With Christmas and New Year holidays just round the corner, San Diego is all set to celebrate this grand holiday season. In the spirit of the holidays, the renowned Balboa Park is preparing to hold the largest free community festival known as December Nights. This is one event that people wait for eagerly throughout the year. Not just the localities, even people from far away places come to San Diego to be a part of this celebration.

The excitement for this grand celebration can be felt everywhere in the environment. Preparation for this grand event begin months before and hotel rooms are booked in advance to get rooms in good budget hotels in San Diego at the last moment.

Balboa Park December Nights features sparkling lights and theatrical and musical performances. These events are scheduled to take place on the 4th and 5th of December this year and are expected to attract more than 400,000 visitors. During this festival, most of the Balboa Park museums can be explored free of any charges.

Balboa Park brims with joy and holiday cheer during this event. There are major activities and various entertainment options for everyone. Food samples available from around the globe make this festival very special. The major highlights of December Nights this year are: Christmas on the Prado, International Cottage Christmas Festival, Cascades Holiday Marketplace, Palisades Midway – The Ultimate Family Zone, Museums & Cultural Organizations, My Ancestor’s Village, etc.

Balboa Park December Nights would be incomplete without the lighting of the Plaza de Panama. Beautiful light displays make the gorgeous Spanish Revival architecture in the Plaza de Panama even more attractive. The Spirit Lounge located at Plaza de Panama will offer mouth watering food delicacies along with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Shopping opportunities also abound at the Balboa Park December Nights for purchasing one-of-a-kind and specialty gift items. There are appropriate arrangements for dance and music. With the music and dance artisans of local as well as international fame performing here, the fun never ends here for the entire two days of celebrations.

While taking part in the December Nights extravaganza, take some time out to visit the awesome Balboa Park sprawled across a massive 1,200 acres of land and dotted with museums, theaters, gardens, shops and restaurants. For those who are interested in architecture, Balboa Park will surely live up to your expectations. There are many beautifully designed museums and cultural attractions that are living examples of Spanish and Latin American architecture.

For your convenience, stay at a hotel which is in close vicinity to the park. California Suites Hotel, one of the best amongst budget hotels in San Diego.

Extended stay hotels are always the best option for people who need to stay at a place for a period longer than a typical brief tour. You may have found that out the hard way when you stayed at an apartment studio or an ordinary hotel during your extended business trips and ended up with either a significantly lighter purse or with sub-standard services.

Although there are hotels offering extended stay facilities one has to be extra cautious while selecting one, simply because you need to stay in the accommodation for a longer period.  In other words, you just can’t afford to accept poor service or inflated prices when you got to put up with it for long.

California Suites Hotel scores over other hotels in this regard since this extended stay hotel in San Diego provides all essential facilities at economical prices, which you will find hard to get anywhere else.

In fact, extended stay hotels are the best bet for travelers who need to stay on in the city for a while, either on business or for some other purpose. These hotels offer reasonable rates for extended stay compared to regular hotels along with value added services and are thus very popular as they are considered to be a home away from home.

On an average, a business hotel would cost you about $100 a day and you would end up spending hundreds of dollars over weeks or months if you stay on. However, an extended stay hotel would cost you a more affordable $200 to $300 for a week with value added services bundled in, which you are unlikely to get in ordinary accommodations.

An added benefit is that they provide better facilities than a hotel room because a traveler stays for a week or more. Many hotels offer rooms equipped with internet access and telephone services, so you don’t have to worry about your business communication. Often, television, refrigerators and micro-wave ovens are all provided within the room rate.

Also, when you are planning to book rooms in an extended stay hotel in San Diego, go for one which is located close to the airport or next to the place which you need to frequently visit for business or training or any other such purpose. Check the value added services the hotel would be providing. Also keep in mind that usually there are no time considerations to be followed in an extended stay hotel as compared to a regular hotel. You can leave once your business is over.

Mouth-watering local delicacies, pleasing sounds of Mexican music by mariachi players, colorful shops selling unique items! That’s Old Town for you.

The atmosphere at the Old Town Market Place is always festive and buzzing. There is so much to explore here that you simply can’t get enough of this place.

Watching the local artists performing traditional Mariachi music and artisans demonstrating glass blowing is something you won’t come across easily elsewhere.

Historical Delights

The place is also a delight for any history buff, it lazily takes you back in time. And even if you aren’t a history freak, you still won’t be able to stop marveling at the rich and colorful history of early California, which the Old Town reflects. There are over 15 historic sites, including the Heritage Park, Old Town State Historic Park, Whaley House, Old Town State Historic Park and plenty more. And the icing on the cake is that all the guided tours of historical buildings are free!

Old Town in San Diego is also virtual Mecca for shopping and fine dining.

Shopper’s Paradise

Browse around leisurely in the local shops that stock up an awesome variety of Mexican handicrafts, artistic handmade jewelry, sun powered products, authentic hand made leather, home decor in vibrant colors and much more. It’s an ideal place to pick up some amazing and unique souvenirs for yourself and your friends and family. In fact, the items displayed in these shops are so tempting that they are really hard to resist.

For Authentic Mexican Cuisine

If you are a foodie, then Old Town is the best place to try out authentic Mexican cuisine. Its exciting array of restaurants offer delectable traditional Mexican delicacies. In some restaurants, you would even find waitresses serving you all dressed up in typical Mexican attire.

When in San Diego, don’t forget to tour the lively and vibrant Old Town, which still retains much of its pristine charm. To explore the Old Town conveniently at your pace, book your stay in California Suites Hotel which located not very far from Old Town. You don’t need to look for cheap motels in San Diego or San Diego Vacation Rental. With us, you will get the services you are looking for at budget prices.