Holidays

[tyrone girl]

San Diego is a gorgeous city. Highly recommend it. Cant advise on the driving aspect though as we only ever drove to LA from there. Flew from vegas etc.

[JoG2]

Try the Heart Attack Grill. But do your homework. You have to wear hospital gowns, the waitresses all dress as nurses and the burgers are called single bypass, double bypass etc up to octuple bypass (10,000 calories!). If you don't finish the burger the nurses spank you!

Apparently their spokesman died of a heart attack: http://lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/11/heart-attack-grill-spokesman-dies-heart-attack/

And throw the footage up online for all to see ! I only lasted 1 spank, was feeling fragile from the night before  . The receipt you get at the end, for tax, it says 'Obama's Cut' and the urinals have pictures of George W for you lash out your extra strength lager on :-)

I'd agree with the boyos above, we stayed 5 nights and would loved to have stayed longer

[bigfrank]

Anyone book a sun holiday yet for the summer or have any advice on where to go/stay?? im thinking portugal or spain for 7 nights,trip advisor is a mixed bag,never going to get a page full of good reviews.

[oakleafer]

anyone know anything about Mallorca? Specifically the best part of the island to stay in for a family with 2 kids under 5. Just want something quiet with pool and beach, and not too rowdy

[extra time]

Try Cala Dor on the East side of the island. Lovely resort with some great little beachs and fairly quiet. Would suit families with young children.

[Milltown Row2]

Try Cala Dor on the East side of the island. Lovely resort with some great little beachs and fairly quiet. Would suit families with young children.

Yeah would back that up also.. Lovely spot

[AZOffaly]

On the topic, have any of you ever drove down to San Diego from there? Was looking at maybe doing this in the middle of my stay, its about 4 hours which isn't too bad, have seen San Francisco & L.A.

Hear San Diego is beautiful, beach etc..

San Diego is the business. Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Downtown. A little older than most cities on the west coast (in terms of the way it feels) but brilliant. I did that drive too, from Vegas. Went out and played a match as well when we arrived. Won the game, and had a migraine in the car on the way home

[omaghjoe]

On the topic, have any of you ever drove down to San Diego from there? Was looking at maybe doing this in the middle of my stay, its about 4 hours which isn't too bad, have seen San Francisco & L.A.

Hear San Diego is beautiful, beach etc..

San Diego is the business. Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Downtown. A little older than most cities on the west coast (in terms of the way it feels) but brilliant. I did that drive too, from Vegas. Went out and played a match as well when we arrived. Won the game, and had a migraine in the car on the way home

Hmm would say you'd struggle to do it in 4 hours. You'll be goin down the 15 which passes thru the Eastern part of the LA sprawl and could be nasty if you hit it at the wrong time. Also the drive isn't like much, desert followed by the afroementioned sprawl.. not pretty but if its different u might find it interesting. I would advise flights if your time constrained but u gotta factor in that the time for those as well

Defo Wouldn't go outright and call San Diego beautiful, its basically suburbia built on a desert scrub land with beaches at the coast same as LA. San Diego has a definite different feel to LA although it quite similar. There's less people spread over a bigger area so its not as congested. The beaches are typical for SoCal large, wide, exposed, can be windy, can be cloudy.

Not sure where AZ is getting the older feel frm San Diego, its all quite new, maybe the gaslight area in downtown? Although thats sort of made to look old. Maybe the Balboa Park buildings? Anyway both worth a look around. The Field in the gaslamp is owned by people from Coalisland I believe, I refuse to step foot in the place because of this tho!

We have friends in Coronado island which is worth a walk around and lunch, defo one of my favourite places in Socal. There is also Seaworld which I found a bit disturbing, the missions San Diego & San Luis Rey in North County which is where the first European settlements in California, I find these very interesting.

La Holla is worth a dander around and you are guaranteed clouds if the sun is getting too much!

The craft beer scene is big in San Diego at the mo and you can do various brewery tours and pub crawl worth looking into

You could also head on up to Orange County further North there is the a cool little beach town called Laguna Beach, prob about just under an hour from downtown San Diego

You could also head south to Tijuana, which is good fun or head on down the baja peninsula for isolated beaches and great food.

[Rois]

Oooh going to San Diego for a couple of nights in September - driving from there to Palm Springs, a place we just fell in love with. Doing 10 days in Texas (including ranch stay) and then 2xSan Diego, 4xPalm Springs, 1xManhattan Beach before flying back.

Gaslamp area ok for San Diego? We've booked a Chargers game, will be my first American Football game.

Not getting to do the Grand Canyon camping trip as I'd wanted to - don't have the time.

[omaghjoe]

Oooh going to San Diego for a couple of nights in September - driving from there to Palm Springs, a place we just fell in love with. Doing 10 days in Texas (including ranch stay) and then 2xSan Diego, 4xPalm Springs, 1xManhattan Beach before flying back.

Gaslamp area ok for San Diego? We've booked a Chargers game, will be my first American Football game.

Not getting to do the Grand Canyon camping trip as I'd wanted to - don't have the time.

Gaslamp is fine lots of pubs and clubs and restaurants, a wee bit contrived like the temple bar and costs to go with it, but you'll like it I'm sure.

Sorry but the best thing you can see in the South Western United states is the landscapes, (the cities are bland and crappy),  and the Grand Canyon is a must see, it is truly unbelievable easily the most impressive sight in America and one of the most amazing things in the world (that I've seen).

But you obviously have different tastes to me, Palm Springs is sort of my idea of hell...I would cut it out and head to the Grand Canyon instead

[Puckoon]

Oooh going to San Diego for a couple of nights in September - driving from there to Palm Springs, a place we just fell in love with. Doing 10 days in Texas (including ranch stay) and then 2xSan Diego, 4xPalm Springs, 1xManhattan Beach before flying back.

Gaslamp area ok for San Diego? We've booked a Chargers game, will be my first American Football game.

Not getting to do the Grand Canyon camping trip as I'd wanted to - don't have the time.

Some cracking golf courses in Palm Springs Rois - although I find it a little quiet, mostly older folks filling it up over the winter. Must be nice to have the ability to move somewhere for 6 months a year. We found a couple cracking little mexican restaurants, and the girls really loved the shopping district. That said, the drive for me to go there is to get a little golf in in the Reno winter.

[Rois]

Some cracking golf courses in Palm Springs Rois

Golf is the main reason why we're going!  We've been before and I know all about how quiet it is, we found a great little hotel, nice pubs/restaurants at night, himself can play golf during the day (played at Taquitz Creek a couple of years ago and couldn't believe the deal he got), and I can head out to the Premium Outlets for a day.  I may even lift the clubs myself.  We're going to go into Joshua Tree National Park and see a bit more around us, though the aerial tramway was closed the last time we were there so hoping we don't encounter the same thing again. 

Sorry but the best thing you can see in the South Western United states is the landscapes, (the cities are bland and crappy),  and the Grand Canyon is a must see, it is truly unbelievable easily the most impressive sight in America and one of the most amazing things in the world (that I've seen).

But you obviously have different tastes to me, Palm Springs is sort of my idea of hell...I would cut it out and head to the Grand Canyon instead

You misunderstand, we were going to do a camping trip to the Grand Canyon specifically that I asked about on here, I've seen enough landscapes down around there so it would be a revisit to it anyway, it's just the camping part I had aimed to do.  For the trip I wanted to do we were going to have to get to Flagstaff from San Antonio but there are no direct flights, then would be left back to Flagstaff after the camping trip, and it just wasn't going to work with our plans as we would have needed 3 full weeks and we don't have that.  Palm Springs is the "lie by the pool" aspect of the trip and I will not apologise for having that element of "hell" in a holiday!  I hope to do the camping part another time. 
It's strange, my husband has climbed Kilimanjaro, ice climbed in Patagonia, done the Inca Trail, travelled through Costa Rica, been to the Grand Canyon numerous times, we did the Tongariro Crossing (also v impressive) back in December in NZ, all that stuff, but he also likes Palm Springs...must be old age catching up with him. 

[LeoMc]

Try Cala Dor on the East side of the island. Lovely resort with some great little beachs and fairly quiet. Would suit families with young children.

Yeah would back that up also.. Lovely spot

Was in Can Picafort on Alcudia bay, nice quiet spot. There was a Pirate ship in the pool. There is nothing else an under 5 wants.

[take_yer_points]

Try Cala Dor on the East side of the island. Lovely resort with some great little beachs and fairly quiet. Would suit families with young children.

Yeah would back that up also.. Lovely spot

Was in Can Picafort on Alcudia bay, nice quiet spot. There was a Pirate ship in the pool. There is nothing else an under 5 wants.

Was in Can Picafort last month there with 2 young kids. Avoid the 52 seater coach transfers - we ended up on the coach about the same length of time we were on the plane from Belfast. Booked a taxi back to the airport - about 40 minutes and cost €70.

Other than that it's a nice spot - definitely not too rowdy

[AZOffaly]

On the topic, have any of you ever drove down to San Diego from there? Was looking at maybe doing this in the middle of my stay, its about 4 hours which isn't too bad, have seen San Francisco & L.A.

Hear San Diego is beautiful, beach etc..

San Diego is the business. Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Downtown. A little older than most cities on the west coast (in terms of the way it feels) but brilliant. I did that drive too, from Vegas. Went out and played a match as well when we arrived. Won the game, and had a migraine in the car on the way home

Hmm would say you'd struggle to do it in 4 hours. You'll be goin down the 15 which passes thru the Eastern part of the LA sprawl and could be nasty if you hit it at the wrong time. Also the drive isn't like much, desert followed by the afroementioned sprawl.. not pretty but if its different u might find it interesting. I would advise flights if your time constrained but u gotta factor in that the time for those as well

Defo Wouldn't go outright and call San Diego beautiful, its basically suburbia built on a desert scrub land with beaches at the coast same as LA. San Diego has a definite different feel to LA although it quite similar. There's less people spread over a bigger area so its not as congested. The beaches are typical for SoCal large, wide, exposed, can be windy, can be cloudy.

Not sure where AZ is getting the older feel frm San Diego, its all quite new, maybe the gaslight area in downtown? Although thats sort of made to look old. Maybe the Balboa Park buildings? Anyway both worth a look around. The Field in the gaslamp is owned by people from Coalisland I believe, I refuse to step foot in the place because of this tho!

We have friends in Coronado island which is worth a walk around and lunch, defo one of my favourite places in Socal. There is also Seaworld which I found a bit disturbing, the missions San Diego & San Luis Rey in North County which is where the first European settlements in California, I find these very interesting.

La Holla is worth a dander around and you are guaranteed clouds if the sun is getting too much!

The craft beer scene is big in San Diego at the mo and you can do various brewery tours and pub crawl worth looking into

You could also head on up to Orange County further North there is the a cool little beach town called Laguna Beach, prob about just under an hour from downtown San Diego

You could also head south to Tijuana, which is good fun or head on down the baja peninsula for isolated beaches and great food.

hey joe, I knew I didn't explain that very well I suppose I'm coming at it from the point of view where I was flying in every weekend to play football from Phoenix, and basically rotating between residential areas like Kearney Mesa, Adams Avenue, etc as well as going to Pacific Beach. Whenever I went to San Francisco we were in Union Square basically, and then coming from Phoenix, San Diego always seemed very old style, very Spanish. The houses and little streets around PB or La Jolla are way older than anything you'd see in Phoenix for example.

But don't get me wrong, I loved San Diego and our weekends there. We stayed away from Downtown mostly, but visited it occasionally, the Field in the Gaslamp quarter, etc. Usually we were in PB, or occasionally La Jolla. We went racing in Del Mar, down to Tijuana for the craic, etc etc. It's a lovely city, with a lovely climate.

Also, all the above dates from 2003, which was my last time there. It's conceivable that it's changed a lot since then But Jerome's report on PB there last week looked exactly as I remember it.