What’s better than a San Diego Beach Vacation!

Spread over 70 miles of colossal coastline, decorated with year-around sunshine and favored by optimum temperature, there could be nothing as tempting as a San Diego beach vacation.

The sun-kissed beaches, reefs, tide pools and rocky cliffs, everything calls for an extended stay San Diego. Nothing can be more fascinating for you and your whole family to explore beaches, play volleyball, watch world’s top surfers playing with the tides, spot sea creatures, or just relax and enjoy the picturesque view of sunset.

Here are some of the most exotic beaches of San Diego you can discover during your San Diego Vacation:

La Jolla Cove is among the most
beautiful beaches in San Diego

La Jolla Cove

La Jolla Cove is among the most beautiful beaches in San Diego and is an ideal spot for scuba diving, kayaking, and snorkeling. Fortified by 300 feet sea cliffs, it is widely appreciated for its striking beauty. La Jolla Cove is accessible to public transport and is located in proximity to budget hotels San Diego.

Pacific Beach

Pacific Beach is the favorite hang-out place of college students and young adults. With a lively atmosphere, three miles of boardwalk, a pleasant sun and fun after the sunset, Pacific Beach has all to make your San Diego beach vacation a memorable experience.

Mission beach offers different lively
activities to perform in sun, sand and surf.

Mission Beach

Located near the classic East Coast beaches – Atlantic City and Coney Island, Mission Beach offers different lively activities to perform in sun, sand and surf. Mission Beach provides visitors an access to hot night clubs, street performers, sandy shores hot dog stands, and fine dining eateries.

Coronado State Beach

Spread along Ocean Boulevard, Coronado Beach is a perfect holiday destination for not just the couples looking for a romantic trip but also for the families planning a San Diego beach vacation. North beach, Glorietta Bay, Silver Strand State Beach, and Ferry Landing Marketplace are some of the wonderful location worth-seeing in and around Coronado State Beach.  

Belmont Park (part of Mission Beach)

Belmont Park is the only amusement park in San Diego. Located on the surf and sand in Mission Beach, Belmont Park offers free park admission and free parking. It features amusement park rides, wave machines at Wave house, arcades, midway style games, a wide range delicacies in beachfront restaurants and food court style dining.

Mark your dates for an extended stay San Diego without bothering about San Diego lodging. An array of San Diego budget hotels fits well in your holiday budget.

Go Crazy at the San Diego Night Time Zoo

Let the wonders of China enchant and amaze you at the San Diego Zoo’s Nighttime Zoo.
This year, the San Diego Zoo’s Nighttime Zoo’ theme is a China celebration.
The festivities will begin from 23rd June and continue till 3rd September, 2012.
You can check out various shows at the Nighttime Zoo, such as:

Dr. Zoolittle Explores Asia
Dr. Zoolittle brings his own special take on science when he “transports” audiences to Asia to study the giant panda. Come get the scoop on these black-and-white wonders, such as the fact that pandas poop an average of 48 times a day!

The Legend of Dragon Mountain-Heibei Chinese Acrobats
Let the Heibei Chinese acrobats dazzle you with “The Legend of Dragon Mountain”, featuring gravity-defying acrobatic feats, enchanting traditional dances, and stunning martial art performances.

Golden Lion Acrobats & Dragon Dance
Join the Golden Lions as they entertain and delight the crowd at Canyon Cafe with their astounding talents and acrobatic skills. Five times a day they will invade the food court with their performances along with the Dragon from Dragon Mountain, a colorful, 20-foot-long serpent brought to life by puppeteers. Marvel as it sinuously winds through the Zoo’s Panda Canyon, mesmerizing visitors along the way in honor of the Year of the Dragon.

Power and Air – Strength and Aerial Acrobats
Five times a day, this dedicated team of professionals will be displaying amazing athletic prowess as precision balancing will be matched with the beauty and skill of the aerial lyre. These cool cats will be on display in front of the Skyeast Pool.
Surfin’ Safari Bush Band
Many regular guests have come to know and enjoy this zany, interactive minstrel-style band. Their antics will be inspired as they bring limbo sticks, hula hoops, and fun interactives to get kids and adults alike involved in the organized mayhem.

Animal Activities
San Diego Zoo is home to more than 4,500 rare and endangered animals at the Zoo. Here you can indulge in various interesting animal activities.

Check out Panda Trek where you get to enter into the world of giant pandas, red pandas, takins, and the Mangshan pit viper at the San Diego Zoo’s Panda Trek! Or you can go for Giraffe Feedings and help feed the giraffes at the Urban Jungle.

After you are done with watching wonderful shows, you can enjoy dining at the Albert’s Restaurant. Here you can dine and unwind at your leisure.

If you are planning a San Diego beach vacation between June and September, do visit San Diego Nighttime Zoo. It is totally crazy and lots of fun. Plenty of San Diego budget hotels offer great discounts on room rates during this time. Do your research and choose the San Diego lodging which is closer to various San Diego attractions.

California Suites Hotel is one of the best amongst budget hotels in San Diego and is in close vicinity to the San Diego Zoo and other top tourist hot-spots of the city.

Approved by the AAA and a proud member of the San Diego’s Chamber of Commerce, the California Suites Hotel provides high quality facilities at budget prices. Services include continental breakfast, large heated swimming pool, cable with HBO, high speed Internet access, free parking, laundry facilities and more.

Sources include: sandiegozoo.org
Photo Courtesy: 101thingstodosw.com

Time for Shakespearean Plays at the Old Globe in San Diego

Are you fond of watching plays? How about watching Shakespearean plays? The Old Globe’s 2012 Shakespeare Festival is set to take place from 3rd June to 30th September, 2012. The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park.

The Old Globe’s 2012 Shakespeare Festival will be performed in repertory at the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theater. Adrian Noble returns as the artistic director of the festival and will direct plays – “As You Like It” and “Inherit the Wind”.

British director Lindsay Posner will make his debut at the Old Globe with his production of Richard III, which will kick off the festival on 3rd June. Jay Whittaker will star in the title role.

Here is a look at the 2012 Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival:

Richard III
June 3-Sept 29
Directed by Lindsay Posner

“Richard III is one of the most diabolical and outrageous villains in all of literature. A ruthless Machiavellian, the brilliant and power-hungry lord embarks on a bloody campaign to seize and keep the English crown. Shakespeare paints an unforgettable portrait of obsession, seduction, betrayal and a man who would be king.”

As You Like It
June 10-Sept. 30 (Opening night is June 29)
Directed by Noble

“Flirtation, friendship and mistaken identity make for one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies. Rosalind escapes into the forest and adopts the persona of a man to get close to her beloved Orlando. But when he falls for another woman, she must untangle the web of deceptions she has woven to win her true love. As You Like It explores the giddy excitement and dizzying foibles of love and is a perfect summer night under the stars.”

Inherit the Wind
By Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
June 17-Sept. 25 (Opening night is July 3)
Directed by Noble

“Two powerhouse lawyers face off in a small town with the eyes of an entire nation upon them when a schoolteacher is arrested for teaching Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution. When the issue goes to trial, the two attorneys must passionately confront questions of faith and science in a heated courtroom. This fictional re-creation of the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial tackles issues that are every bit as relevant today as they were in 1925.”

Apart from the plays, you can catch various other special events too at the Old Globe such as “Shakespeare in the Garden” seminars, post-show forums and more.

Want to watch something other than Shakespearean? Some other plays will also be showcased at the Old Globe such as Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage, Divine Rivalry by Michael Kramer and more.
If you are coming on a San Diego beach vacation during June and September, do spare some time to watch one of these historic Shakespearean plays at the Old Globe.

As far as San Diego lodging is concerned, we are a favorite accommodation in San Diego for tourists wanting to visit the beautiful city. California Suites Hotel is located close to Balboa Park, so it will be easy for you to commute to the Old Globe in the urban park to watch the plays. Besides California Suites Hotel is also in close proximity to several beaches, Old Town, La Jolla, Little Italy, Gaslamp Quarter and various other tourists hotspots.

Approved by the AAA and a proud member of the San Diego’s Chamber of Commerce, the California Suites Hotel provides high quality facilities at budget prices. Our services include continental breakfast, large heated swimming pool, cable with HBO, high speed Internet access, free parking, laundry facilities and more.

Make your reservations with us now and enjoy these various attractions of San Diego and good services to their fullest.

Sources include: playbill.com
Photo Courtesy: kpbs.org

19th Annual Sicilian Festival set to rock Little Italy

The Sicilian Festival, famed for its procession featuring costumed musicians and dancers, will bring alive San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 20 as part of the 19^th Annual Sicilian Festival celebration.

The family event is free and features authentic Sicilian music, dance, culture and cuisine, surrounded by the ambiance of the Little Italy  neighborhood, located within walking distance of the beautiful San Diego harbor and within minutes of San Diego’s downtown district. If you are planning a vacation in San Diego during this time, book your rooms in a San Diego hotel that is located near Little Italy. You will love the ambiance.

Along Beech Street from Kettner to State Streets, car lovers will encounter Bellissimo! A Celebration of Italian Automotive Artistry. Offering an intimate look at a broad spectrum of Italian car designs – including Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Fiat, Lancia, and Alpha Romeo – visitors can mingle with proud car owners and cast their votes for a “Peoples Choice Award” for the car that captures their heart. Participating car clubs include the Ferrari, Alpha Romeo and Fiat/Lancia clubs, as well as support from FIAT Kearny Mesa.

Food booths will represent the many restaurants in Little Italy, serving up Sicilian specialties of all varieties.  Tarantino’s Sausages will also be on hand to serve up some of the best Italian sausages in the nation. Peroni, the official beer sponsor of the Sicilian Festival, will feature a Peroni Nastro Azzurro, the #1 Premium brand in Italy imported from Rome, in the beer and wine pavilion.

Guests will dance in the streets throughout the day.

At 11:30 am, a procession of dozens of costumed dancers, musicians, and representatives of the City and County of San Diego and the House of Italy, Sons of Italy, Italian-American Association, and other San Diego Italian organizations, will parade through the streets carrying flags from the different regions of Sicily and Italy. A very special guest in this years costume parade will be newborn Amelia Tripoli, born March 4, 2012 to Tony and Diana Tripoli who were married at the 2010 Sicilian Festival.

Four stages will feature non-stop Italian and Sicilian entertainment. The event is highlighted by the nationally acclaimed Roman Holiday Ensemble which will be on hand with their costumed musicians and dancers to provide a lively show of Sicilian and Italian music. The Screamin’ Primas will also be featured in a salute to Sicilian-American trumpeter and bandleader Louie Prima. Sicilian Swing’s New Orleans Italian jazz ensemble and renowned soprano Cristina Fontanelli will be among notable Italian-themed acts to be enjoyed at the Festival. The Grape Street stage will feature culinary demonstrations from San Diego’s leading chefs, highlighted by a pasta-eating contest.

All children’s activities are free, and include a large inflatable slide, puppet theatre shows, face painting, and many other activities to keep the bambini entertained throughout day.
A Sicilian cultural zone will feature photo and cultural displays by local and national authors and artisans that reflect the Sicilian American heritage in San Diego. The area will feature chalk art and displays of the rich history of San Diego’s tuna fishing industry, which flourished from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1970s. Among the exhibitors will be the San Diego History Center, Maritime Museum, and the Women’s Museum of California.

Free street parking is available throughout the Little Italy neighborhood. Free parking is available in the north lot of the County Administration Building, with a free shuttle to the Festival. The AMTRAK station is less than a mile from the Sicilian Festival area and can be reached either by foot or by using the San Diego Trolley. The Coaster also runs on Sunday. Take the MTS Trolley’s Blue Line to the County Center/Little Italy Station.

And there’s free parking at many of the Trolley’s park-and-ride lots (especially Qualcomm Stadium).  Also, on weekends, two children (12 and under) ride free with a paid adult (18 and over).

Little Italy is the first stop on the blue line north. Approved by the AAA and a proud member of the San Diego’s Chamber of Commerce, the California Suites Hotel is a leading budget hotel in San Diego which is centrally located. All the popular beaches including Harbor Beach, La Jolla Cove, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach are nearby. Even shopping centers, Balboa Park and other major attractions are a few minutes away.

Well-known for its hospitality, California Suites Hotel provides fine services at affordable prices which include continental breakfast, large swimming pool, cable with HBO, high speed Internet access, free parking, laundry facilities and more.

Courtesy: Southwest Riverside News Network