Things to do in San Diego, California: One day three ways

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This was published 8 years ago

Things to do in San Diego, California: One day three ways

By Shaney Hudson
 Chat with one of the dozens of retired military volunteers on the aircraft carrier at San Diego's  USS Midway Museum.

Chat with one of the dozens of retired military volunteers on the aircraft carrier at San Diego's USS Midway Museum.Credit: Alamy

PENNY PINCH

Tuck into your free breakfast at Hi Hostel Downtown (sandiegohostels.org) (private rooms $113.50) before picking up an all-day public transport pass (sdmts.com, $8.75). Take the trolley to Old Town in time for the free 11am tour of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California (parks.ca.gov), stopping by the taffy store for a free sample.

Watch your tortilla lunch ($16) being made fresh at The Old Town Mexican Cafe (oldtownmexcafe.com) before heading downtown to take the ferry ($5.30) across the harbour to Coronado Island. Hire a bike ($20, two hours) from Bikes &Beyond (bikes-and-beyond.com) and explore Coronado's classic architecture and beaches, stopping at Coronado Brewing Company Brew Pub (coronadobrewingcompany.com) for five taster shots of their craft beer ($12.50).

Take the bus back downtown and freshen up at your hotel, before walking a few blocks to local's favourite, Pokez (pokezrestaurant.com), on 10th for Mahi-Mahi tacos and sangria at budget-friendly prices ($18.75). Check out the nightlife in the Gaslamp Quarter, before settling in for one of San Diego's lauded craft beers at The Tipsy Crow on 5th Street ($7.50, thetipsycrow.com).

Total: $202.30

EASY DOES IT

Start your day with oven-baked apple pancakes ($22.50) at Richard Walker's Pancake House (richardwalkers.com) before walking over to the USS Midway Museum ($25), where you can chat with one of the dozens of retired military volunteers on the aircraft carrier (midway.org), or indulge your Top Gun fantasies in the flight simulator ($20).

For lunch, head to homegrown San Diego burger chain, Burger Lounge (burgerlounge.com), for a classic grass-fed burger and lavender lemonade ($17.50). In the afternoon, head out on a four-hour whale-watching cruise ($47.50) with Birth Aquarium naturalists, who'll help you spot some of the 20,000 gray whales that migrate past the city. The tour also allows a sneaky look at the military bases on Coronado (flagshipsd.com).

Find your land legs with a walk along the waterfront to the Headquarters at Seaport District, tucking into ceviche, lamb and lobster tacos washed down with strawberry margaritas at Puesto ($70, eatpuesto.com). After, catch a cab ($25) back to the retro-style boutique The Pearl Hotel (thepearlsd.com, $190), hanging out by the pool for their Dive-In Theatre movie nights.

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Total: $417.50

SPLASH OUT

Start your day with breakfast on the terrace overlooking La Jolla Cove at Brockton Villa (brocktonvilla.com), sampling their famous french toast and Mexican hot chocolate ($45). Stroll past the sea lions at The Children's Pool and check out the latest exhibition ($12.50) at the seaside Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (mcasd.org).

Afterwards, head up to view the work on offer at La Jolla Village's art galleries, picking up an exclusive piece of sculptured taxidermy art ($3363) by La Jolla local and famed children's author Dr Seuss at Legends Gallery (legendsgallerylajolla.com).

Sample the daily menu at farm-to-table favourite Whisknladle ($56.50, wnlhosp.com) before catching a cab ($15) to La Jolla Shores for a kayak and snorkel tour of La Jolla's famous sea caves with Hike Bike Kayak ($96, hikebikekayak.com), keeping an eye out for the bright-orange garibaldi fish.

Have a sundowner on the balcony of your Ocean Vista Suite ($618) at the highly recommended Scripps Inn at La Jolla (scrippsinn.com), then head to Georges at the Cove (georgesatthecove.com) for a chef's tasting menu paired with beverages ($262).

Total: $4468

The writer was a guest of the San Diego Tourism Authority; sandiego.org.

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