The month of May is all set to rock San Diego. There are an array of events lined up which will delight both visitors residents. In this post, we are going to discuss two such events which visitors should not miss on their San Diego vacation:

Chocolate Festival

Do you love chocolates? Then surely you wouldn’t like to miss the upcoming Chocolate Festival which is all set to take place at the picturesque San Diego Botanic Garden on 7th May, 2011. Once there, gorge on delectable chocolate tastings brought by various chocolate vendors, enjoy the appetizing demonstrations, the streaming chocolate fountain and lots of children’ activities.

Besides savouring chocolates, you can also enjoy the scenic views of the San Diego Botanic Garden which turns even more breathtakingly beautiful during the spring season. The blossoming flowers, lush greenery, quaint lily ponds and tall bamboo groves add to its beauty.

And since the Chocolate Festival is taking place one day before the Mother’s Day, 8th May, 2011; you can use the occasion to take your mother along and spend some quality time. The festival also offers a range of Mother’s Day gifts. The Chocolate Festival is very much a family friendly event which you must check out if you are in San Diego during first week of the May.

Old Town Fiesta Cinco de Mayo

The 28th Annual Old Town Fiesta Cinco de Mayo is all set to take place at the Old Town State Historical Park on 30th April and 1st May, 2011. The colorful Old Town buzzes with so many entertaining activities during this festival.

Listen to the flamenco beats, and traditional Mariachi music, enjoy a chilled beer in the beer garden and watch the LIVE entertainment. And don’t forget the tequila sampling area for tastings.

Cinco de Mayo is also the time to shop for unique items. Explore the colorful shops and specialty stores to buy various items such as jewellery, handicraft, handmade leather and souvenirs. After shopping, get set to satisfy your hunger pangs and taste buds by gorging on delicious food at any of the restaurants there.

And if you have time in hand, also explore the various museums and historic sites that Old Town has to offer. Cinco de Mayo is the event where you can get to experience the history, cuisine and culture of Mexico. This two-day fiesta is free for one and all. Make sure you don’t miss it!

To explore the Old Town and enjoy Cinco de Mayo  and Chocolate Festival to the fullest, book your stay at the centrally located California Suites Hotel, one of the budget San Diego hotels, from where the Old Town and San Diego Botanic Garden are nearby. The hotel offers good services at the best hotel rates which are hard to find anywhere else. The hotel provides an extended complimentary breakfast, free parking, laundry service, large heated swimming pool and more.

California Suites Hotel is also an extended stay hotel San Diego which offers a home away from home kind of services, so that guest can enjoy apartment prices with hotel perks.

Photo Courtesy: sandiego.about.com

Are you passionate about the club-and-ball sport, better known as golf? Then you shouldn’t miss the forthcoming Farmers Insurance Open 2011 in San Diego.

The Farmers Insurance Open will take place from 24th to 30th January, 2011 at the picturesque Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, San Diego. The Farmers Insurance Open originated as the San Diego Open in 1952.

Between 1952 and 1953, the golf tournament was played at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, California. Later, the event was played at different locations such as Mission Valley Country Club in San Diego, Singing Hills Country Club in El Cajon, Rancho Bernardo Country Club in San Diego, and finally it moved to the charming Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla in 1968. Since then, this popular golf tournament is played here at the expansive greens of the Torrey Pines Golf Course.

If you happen to be on a San Diego vacation during this time, make sure to attend this golf tournament. The tournament also attracted fame with singer-actor Andy Williams playing celebrity host of the tournament from 1968 to 1988. Golf as a sport is one of the best way of releasing stress and watching this game is just as enjoyable.

The popular tournament is now known as the Farmers Insurance Open as it is sponsored by the Farmers Insurance Group. Prior to this, from 1992 to 2009, the tournament was named Buick Invitational, sponsored by the auto giant.

This golf tournament has had several winners and champions to its credit ranging from Tiger woods, who won Buick Invitational four times, Ben Crane, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer, Nick Watney, John Daly, Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love, Tommy Bolt, Gary Player, Billy Casper among other golf stalwarts.

Torrey Pines Golf Course is a beautiful golf course which overlooks the Pacific Ocean in the alluring La Jolla. Make sure that you spare a day to watch some golf action and enjoy nature as well. To save time on commuting, stay in a San Diego hotel from where La Jolla is nearby.

Located hardly 15 minutes away from the San Diego International Airport,the California Suites Hotel is one of the leading budget hotels in San Diego which offers fine accommodation at affordable prices which include spacious rooms, Internet access, complementary breakfast, laundry facilities, free parking and many more.

Besides the hotel offers good discounts from time to time to the San Diego visitors. Make it a point to include a trip to the Farmers Insurance Open at the Torrey pines Golf Course in La Jolla, in your San Diego vacation.

Photo Courtesy: lajollalight.com

Are you fond of boating on the blue expansive seas? If the speeding crafts and smoothly sailing yachts give you a high, then San Diego is the place to be this January.

Boating enthusiasts from across the country are getting ready to converge in San Diego for the much awaited San Diego Sunroad Boat Show which is back again this year by popular demand. Hosted by the Sunroad Resort Marina, the 21-year annual tradition will be held January 27-30, 2011 and features exciting land side and in water exhibits. Attendees from Las Vegas, Arizona, Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire as well as local San Diegans flock to the annual San Diego show. If you happen to be on San Diego vacations during this time, make sure to check out this exciting event.

Fantastic new and used boats and yachts, plus the latest products and services for boaters are waiting to exhibit their beauty and power on the East end of scenic Harbor Island in San Diego Bay. Fun for the whole family, the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show at the Sunroad Resort Marina will have something for everybody who wants to see how affordable it is to experience the dream of owning your own vessel on San Diego’s beautiful waterways.

The 2011 Sunroad Boat Show will feature on land and in water locations, focusing on the latest boats and marine equipment. Its new location (the show relocated in 2010 from the SD Convention Center and Marriott Marina) puts the show on the spacious east end of beautiful Harbor Island in San Diego Bay with free shuttle transports.

One of the most exciting elements of the show’s new location at the Sunroad Marina is the utilization of more marina space, giving more dealers slips to showcase their boats and attendees even more boats to enjoy. Sunroad Marina’s vast 610 slip spaces, the 2011 show will really boast an expansive offering of boats from 8-feet to 90-feet, including new and used sail and power models for every budget. This is a major change from the previous Boat Shows where the in-water marina portion was always the most popular aspect of the annual event but was limited in its ability to grow. The huge demand for dealers that wanted space and could not get it has propelled this major increase in in-marina space for the Boat Show this year.

Boating is big business. There are more than 17 million recreational boats owned in the United States and California is the second top boating state in the nation. If you don’t want to miss the biggest ever show this year, reserve your rooms now with California Suites Hotel, one of the leading budget hotels in San Diego. The hotel provides impeccable service and good quality facilities at affordable prices. To top it all, it is conveniently located within a short driving distance from San Diego Bay which is gearing up to host its biggest event.

So get out on the water and take advantage of the free boat rides. Attendees will also be able to enjoy food, music, beer and spirits — making a great time for all to enjoy the day on San Diego Bay and have a wonderful San Diego vacation.

Photo Courtesy: www.sdnn.com

Are you fond of racing? The San Diego Bayfair’s World Series of Powerboat Racing is back once again to celebrate the end of summer. This beach festival brings the fastest boats in the world right to the shores of Mission Beach. It is a great event to turn your boring weekend more adventurous by watching the breathtaking racing. Visiting monuments and sightseeing is a normal activity we all do on our San Diego vacation. But why not watch something which can turn the regular boring weekend into something adventurous?

For over 40 years, the World Series of Powerboat Racing is the largest annual family festival and is quite a favorite among race fans. This year more than 160,000 spectators are expected to attend the three day event which will take place from September 17 to 19, 2010. (more…)

Does music make your world go round? Is music your food for the soul? If music is your life, then you must not miss the La Jolla Music Society Summer Fest at any cost. Soon to be held from Aug 6 to Aug 29, 2010, in La Jolla,San Diego, this music festival presents an array of programs to provide music enthusiasts with an enriching musical experience.

A long list of artists are slated to delight the audiences with classical as well as new, contemporary compositions. Orchestra aficionados can look forward to some lively concerts when the most celebrated performers from all over the world descend in La Jolla to enchant you with their performances.

There will also be exciting jazz performances by the best names in the industry. This year, the La Jolla Music Society summer fest is bringing together more than 70 renowned artists from all over the world.

The La Jolla Music Society summer fest began in 1986, and since then millions of music lovers have been enthralled by the over 650 artists who have performed here. On the opening night, attendees can watch “String Spectacular’ to be performed by none other than Cho-Liang Lin; the music director of the summer fest.

Some programs will also be dedicated to the music of Chopin and Schumann. Check out ‘Schumann I – A Poet’s Love’ by Harrell and baritone Kelly Markgraf on August 10.

This three-week-long music festival also features workshops, family concerts, multi-disciplinary lectures, pre-concert talks, round table discussions, and other social events. All concerts and programs are scheduled to take place at Sherwood Auditorium, except August 7 when the’Age of Enlightenment’ program by keyboardist Anthony Newman will be presented at the St. James by-the-Sea.

The festival spans three weeks and it will be convenient for any music tourist to find a hotel in San Diego from where La Jolla is nearby. Known as a value price leader among budget hotels, California Suites Hotel is centrally located from where La Jolla and other major attractions are within easy distance. And even San Diego International Airport is just a 15-minute drive away from the hotel.

California Suites Hotel provides fine services and facilities at competitive prices including a complimentary “extended” breakfast, laundry facilities and most importantly awesome discounts, San Diego packages and California vacation packages to their guests. Not everyday you get a chance to watch performances of widely respected musicians, or a chance to interact and learn from them. Don’t miss this richly varied music festival.

Photo courtesy:http://www.instantencore.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/

An enormous variety of wild species, colorful wildflowers, palm groves, sweeping vistas and miles and miles of hiking trails;  Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a haven for people who love adventure. Spread over 600,000-acre, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest desert park in California and is named after a Spanish explorer called Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish word borrego stands for bighorn sheep.

This vast desert park offers you an amazing opportunity to experience the wilderness and marvels of the desert. Once here, you will be stunned to see an awesome variety of species ranging from mule deer, golden eagles, chuckwallas, roadrunners, kit foxes, red diamond rattlesnakes, bighorn sheep to desert iguanas. It is undoubtedly the richest desert park offering such tremendous variety of species.

The best time to visit Anza-Borengo Desert State Park is in the spring. Imagine how wonderful it looks when the whole desert turns into a riot of colors. Rains transform the rugged landscape and the sun hardened desert into a kaleidoscope of colorful desert wildflowers. You can see a variety of spectacular wildflowers such as desert marigold, barrel cactus, red chuparosa, primrose, yellow brittlebush, ocotillo buds, monkey flowers and more.

After a substantial winter rainfall, the wildflowers begin to bloom in late February and in early March. Therefore if you are on a San Diego vacation during march-April, make sure to visit Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. And the best way to do that is to stay in a hotel in San Diego from where you can commute to the desert park easily.

California Suites Hotel is located right in the heart of San Diego so there won’t be any trouble getting there. The hotel provides good facilities at budget price such as an extended complimentary breakfast, free parking, Internet connection, swimming pool, 24 hour security patrol, safe deposit box and more.

If you are particularly fond of seeing wild desert animals and wildflowers, then you shouldn’t miss this desert park. Now is the time!

Courtesy: www.anaheimoc.org

A trip to the Wave House in San Diego, transports you right into the hub of the Colorful youth culture of this enchanting city. Wave House is a unique entertainment and bar and restaurant complex where commuters can enjoy walking barefoot on the sand under the azure sky.

At the Wave House Athletic Club, you can enjoy a ride at the famous FlowRider Wave which rumbles as much as 100,000 gallons of water as fast as 30 MPH, creating waves as big as 10 feet for you to enjoy. The best part is that you get to see the awesome power of the ocean in an area which is just about the size of a living room.

The fun doesn’t stop here. There is also this Olympics-sized swimming pool for you to enjoy free swims and games. This is the place for non-stop live music and DJs, food and drinks and the sights and sensations of the happening lifestyle of California. With three restaurants, multiple bars, and a jam-packed event schedule, there can be no better place to get the feel of a rocking beach party, especially for tourists who are on a San Diego vacation.

Plus, the Wave House is also in the same area as the historical Belmont Park. Where you can also enjoy the Giant Dipper roller coaster during your San Diego vacation.

Pic Courtesy: Wavehouse.com

If you have come to San Diego in California on a vacation package planning to spend a relaxing family vacation in this beautiful city, shopping tours must be one of the top items on your itinerary!

And why not? This shopper’s paradise has 300 different and unique shopping destinations that are a favorite haunt for tourists and families coming to here for vacations.

San Diego is an absolute treasure house of haute couture – from fashion garments to latest trends in apparel and to all kinds of dresses you can think of. The most well-known shopping centers in the area are Horton Plaza in Downtown, Seaport Village, Fashion Valley and Westfield Mission Valley in Mission Valley, Bazaar Del Mundo Old Town and Westfield UTC near La Jolla.

If you are a mall shopper, this is the place to be. San Diego is dotted with wonderful shopping malls such as Fashion Valley Center, Otay Ranch Town Center, Grossmont Center, Chula Vista Center, Westfield Plaza Camino Real, Westfield North County and a lots more.

In addition to these, San Diego is also proud of its antique shops offering clothing, art and virtually anything that can be described as old or antique. You can look for something interesting at the Antique Warehouse in Solana Beach, EW Gallery on Thorn Street at Balboa Park, Maidhof Bros Nautical Antique and Junkyard Shop located near Old Town and the top antique stores near the Ocean Beach area.

There are also Outlet Malls for the more value based shopper.

Wow! With so many places to shop San Diego definitely promises an exciting vacation. But you need to stay in a place from where commuting to various shopping destinations is easier. California Suites Hotel with its close proximity to many shopping destinations and beautiful homely ambience is an ideal place to spend your family vacation. What’s more, to make your San Diego tour even more memorable, we offer special vacation packages with attractive discounts to make our budget prices even more pocket-friendly for you.

Book your rooms with us now and enjoy sunny California family vacations which you would remember for a long time to come.

The buzzing nerve center of San Diego is its famous Downtown area, a haven for tourists enjoying a San Diego vacation. This whole area offers so many attractions that at times tourists are left wondering what to see first. If you are on a San Diego vacation, you are sure to fall in love with this place.

Action doesn’t stop at Downtown San Diego. It has something for everyone. Simply strolling down the well maintained paved walking path of the beautiful place called Embarcadero to soak in the picturesque view of the San Diego Bay, North Island Naval Station and the ships sailing around the harbor is an experience in itself.

If you are a history buff, a visit to the USS Midway Museum is a must. You can see a real aircraft carrier up close here. Entry for kids of five years old and below is free at the USS Midway Museum.

San Diego itself is a shopper’s paradise. And Downtown San Diego lets you indulge yourself, no holds barred. You can flag off your shopping spree with a visit to the Horton Plaza, the centerpiece of downtown San Diego. This open air venue is a multi level mall with plenty of small and big boutiques, gift shops, and delicious eateries. In fact, the imposing building of the Horton Plaza is a breathtaking example of architectural excellence.

Another not-to-be-missed place in Downtown San Diego is the Seaport Village. This shopping and dining complex overlooks the bay in San Diego, California. The place is marked by its several freestanding buildings in various architectural styles, from the pristine Victorian to the traditional Mexican. Moreover, the complex also boasts of novelty shopping centers, restaurants offering ethnic foods and live music shows.

The last stop at downtown San Diego is the exciting place called Gas Lamp Quarter. With about 40 nightspots, plenty of open air restaurants, sidewalk cafes, live theaters, dance clubs, old fashioned pubs and world-class shopping centers, Gas lamp Quarter is one of the most happening places in San Diego. The traditional and modern mix here in a perfect blend.

Plan a San Diego vacation and don’t forget to mark a visit to Downtown in your itinerary.California Suites Hotel offers affordable lodging in San Diego with easy access to the loveliest tourist attractions in this city.

With us, you will find high quality premium facilities at budget prices at the most convenient placed location in the city, which very few San Diego lodging can offer. Come and enjoy a memorable vacation. Make your room reservations now!