Below are some tips to help visitors save time and money when visiting San Diego. More time and money means more fun on your vacation.
Coupons and Discounts
The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau offers dozens of coupons and discounts for local restaurants and attractions. Most of the coupons can be printed so it’s easy to present them for redemption.
Hotels
When selecting a hotel, it’s important to consider cost, location and amenities. Time spent driving to attractions and dining is time you’re not having fun. The hotels listed below not only offer very reasonable rates, but are located close to San Diego’s most popular attractions. These San Diego hotels offer onsite dining or have restaurants nearby and consistently offer quality accommodations at affordable rates.
Comfort Inn & Suites Zoo/SeaWorld
Howard Johnson SeaWorld/Airport
Best Western Island Palms Hotel & Marina
Also, we suggest you check the latest "Hot Deals" offered by ARES travel. ARES travel is a local company that negotiates great rates with San Diego hotels and often has better rates than national resellers like Orbitz and Travelocity.
San Diego Zoo
The Best Value Package from ARES Travel includes 1 full day admission with unlimited use of guided bus tour and Skyfari. Not only do you save off the gate price, but you save valuable time by not waiting in line. The guided bus tour and Skyfari are great ways to maximize your zoo experience by saving time and energy getting around the very large San Diego Zoo.
If you live within a 90000-92999 zip code, we recommend you consider purchasing a 1-year zoo membership. For not much more than the price of regular Zoo admission, you receive a 1-year membership which includes unlimited admission, unlimited use of the Skyfari Aerial Tram and other benefits like gift shop discounts and subscription to Zoonooz magazine. This is an especially good value if you plan on visiting the zoo for more than one day or if you plan on returning within a year. See the zoo’s website for more details or simply visit the membership kiosk located at the front entrance of the zoo. Oh, by the way, membership also includes admission the San Diego Wild Animal Park. If you plan on visiting both facilities during your vacation, purchasing a membership will save you a ton of money.
Hotel and Attraction Packages
ARES Travel of San Diego offers packages that include your hotel room and tickets to favorite attractions like the Zoo, SeaWorld, Wild Animal Park and Legoland. Bundling rooms and tickets definitely saves money and our motto is “why not” if you’re going to buy a room and ticket anyway. Plus you save time by not waiting in line at the gate.
Ticket Bundles
The Fab Four combo will save nearly $25 of regular admission prices and at least an hour of your time waiting in line. This combo include admission to the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, SeaWorld and Legoland.
If you plan on spending several days in San Diego and want to visit as many attractions as possible then the San Diego Go Card could save a lot of money. We don’t recommend the one-day card because it’s logistically difficult to visit enough attractions to make it worthwhile.
Transportation
The price of gas is skyrocketing. Here are a couple of ways to pay less…..
See San Diego’s latest gas prices at http://www.sandiegogasprices.com/. You may fill up once or twice during your stay. Choosing the right station could save as much as $10-$20 and only takes a few minutes on this easy to use website. Also consider signing up for a Discover Card on this site which will save 5% on all gas purchases.
The San Diego Trolley is a great way to get around San Diego. We highly recommend it especially if you are staying near a trolley station and plan on visiting Old Town, San Diego Harbor, Seaport Village, Gaslamp and Downtown. The Trolley offers a great deal on passes called the “Day Trippers”. The passes come in one, two, three and four day versions and will save tons of money and time if you plan on using the trolley. Plus you save on parking. Take a minute and check out the website with information on routes, stations and scheduling.
Food and Dining
Food can be a significant portion of your travel budget and it pays to save when you can. It’s also good to maintain a healthy diet when traveling. San Diego has some great grocery stores that offer healthy, inexpensive food that is pre-made, packaged and ready to go.
Most areas of San Diego have tons of inexpensive and healthy restaurants if you just ask a local. Also see the coupons on the San Diego Convention and Visitors bureau website for discounts.
