The new Bristol has a contemporary ambiance that places it in the top tier of the San Diego's hotels. Conveniently located in the heart of the Gaslamp District the Bristol shares sidewalks with fine dining, world-class shopping, Horton Plaza, and the San Diego Convention Center. Sunny beaches, San Deigo Zoo, and Sea World are all a short drive for the centrally downtown location.The Bristol Experience promises comfort and friendly, efficient service. From our colorful, jazz inspired lobby, through our all-new guest rooms, up to our top-floor ballroom with a retractable roof, our stylish and relaxed atmosphere is the perfect choice for business, pleasure, in-house groups and meetings, weddings and social events.Enjoy our bright and spacious guest rooms with thought given to every comfort. Plush robes, complimentary high-speed Internet access, comfortable beds, in-rooms coffee - and plenty of space to work, relax and rest.
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During your El Cajon vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego La Jolla
Focusing on work produced since 1950, this museum is known internationally for its permanent collection and thought-provoking exhibitions. The MCASD's collection of contemporary art comprises more than 3,000 works of painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, photography, video, and multimedia works. The holdings include every major art movement of the past half-century, with a strong representation by California artists. You'll see particularly noteworthy examples of minimalism, light and space work, conceptualism, installation, and site-specific art -- the outside sculptures were designed specifically for this site.The museum is perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and the views from the galleries are gorgeous. The original building on the site was the residence of the legendary Ellen Browning Scripps, designed by Irving Gill in 1916. It became an art museum in 1941, and the original Gill building facade was uncovered and restored in 1996. More than a dozen exhibitions are presented each year; in summer 2005 watch for "Strange New World/Extraño Nuevo Mundo," an exploration of the flourishing arts scene of Tijuana, the border town that is little appreciated by outsiders (the show will run concurrently at the downtown branch of MCASD). Guided docent tours available daily at 2pm, with a second tour Thursdays at 5:30pm. The bookstore is a great place for cutting-edge gifts, and the cafe is a pleasant stop before or after your visit.
Old Town State Historic Park
Dedicated to re-creating the early life of the city from 1821 to 1872, this is where San Diego's Mexican heritage shines brightest. The community was briefly Mexico's informal capital of the California territory; the Stars and Stripes were finally raised over Old Town in 1846. Seven of the park's 20 structures are original, including homes made of adobe; the rest are reconstructed. The park's headquarters is at the Robinson-Rose House, 4002 Wallace St., where you can pick up a map and peruse a model of Old Town as it looked in 1872. Among the park's attractions are La Casa de Estudillo, which depicts the living conditions of a wealthy family in 1872; and Seeley Stables, named after A. L. Seeley, who ran the stagecoach and mail service in these parts from 1867 to 1871. The stables have two floors of wagons, carriages, stagecoaches, and other memorabilia, including washboards, slot machines, and hand-worked saddles. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, costumed park volunteers reenact life in the 1800s with cooking and crafts demonstrations, a working blacksmith, and parlor singing. Free 1-hour walking tours leave weekdays at 11am, and Saturday-Sunday at 2pm, from the Robinson-Rose House. Note that on weekdays throughout the school year, Old Town buzzes with fourth-graders.
SeaWorld San Diego
One of California's most heavily marketed attractions, SeaWorld is a big draw for a number of visitors coming to San Diego. The aquatic theme park celebrated its 40th year of operation in 2004. With each passing year the educational pretext increasingly takes a back seat to slick shows and rides, but the park -- owned by the Anheuser-Busch Corporation -- is perhaps still the country's premiere showplace for marine life, made politically correct with a nominally informative atmosphere. At its heart, SeaWorld is a shoreside family entertainment center where the performers are dolphins, otters, sea lions, orcas, and seals. The 20-minute shows run several times each throughout the day, with visitors rotating through the various open-air amphitheaters and aquarium features.Several successive 4-ton black-and-white killer whales have functioned as the park's mascot, and the Shamu Adventure is SeaWorld's most popular show. Performed in a 5,500-seat stadium, the stage is a 7-million-gallon pool lined with plexiglass walls that magnify the huge performers. But think twice before you sit in the seats down front -- a high point of the act is multiple drenchings in the first 12 or so rows of spectators. Most days, the venue fills before the two or three performances even start, so arrive early to get the seat you want. The slapstick Fools with Tools (sea lions and otters), the fast-paced Dolphin Discovery, and Pet's Rule are other performing animal routines, each in arenas seating more than 2,000. There are also shows focusing on humans: a "4-D" movie; R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, starring a roster of multisensory effects; and in summer, Cirque de la Mer, which features acrobatic acts.The collection of rides is led by Journey to Atlantis, a 2004 arrival which combines a roller coaster and log flume with Atlantis mythology and a simulated earthquake. Shipwreck Rapids is a splashy adventure on raftlike inner tubes through caverns, waterfalls, and wild rivers; and Wild Arctic is a motion simulator helicopter trip to the frozen north. The Skytower and Skyride each cost an additional $3 to ride.Guests disembarking Wild Arctic (or those using the ride bypass) find themselves in the midst of one of SeaWorld's real specialties: simulated marine environments. In this case it's an arctic research station, surrounded by beautiful beluga whales, walruses, and polar bears. Other animal environments worth seeing are Manatee Rescue, Shark Encounter, and the Penguin Encounter. Each of these attractions exits into a gift shop selling theme merchandise. The 2-acre hands-on area called Shamu's Happy Harbor is designed for kids, and features everything from a pretend pirate ship, with plenty of netted towers, to tube crawls, slides, and chances to get wet.The Dolphin Interaction Program creates an opportunity for people to meet bottlenose dolphins. Although the program stops short of allowing you to swim with the dolphins, it does offer the opportunity to wade waist-deep, and plenty of time to stroke the mammals and to try giving training commands. This 1-hour program includes some classroom time before you wriggle into a wet suit and climb into the water for 20 minutes with the dolphins. It costs $140 per person (not including park admission); participants must be age 6 or older. One step further is the Trainer for a Day program, which is a 7-hour work shift with an animal trainer. Food preparation, feeding, a training session with a dolphin, and lunch is included; the price is $395 per person. This program is limited to three participants daily, and the minimum age is 13. Advance reservations are required for both programs (tel. 877/436-5746).Although SeaWorld is best known as the home to pirouetting dolphins and fluke-flinging killer whales, the facility also plays a role in rescuing and rehabilitating beached animals found along the West Coast -- including an average of 200 seals, sea lions, marine birds, and dolphins annually, almost 65% of which are rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
Staybridge Suites SAN DIEGO RANCHO BERNARDO AREA
The Staybridge Suites - San Diego Rancho Bernardo Hotel is the favorite extended stay hotel in the Rancho Bernardo Area. We offer free high speed internet access in every guest room and daily complimentary buffet breakfast! Our all suite hotel offers studio, one bedroom and two-bedroom/two bath suites. Each Suite features fully equipped kitchens, including microwave, 2-burner stove top, dishwasher, ice maker and coffeemaker, perfect for any extended stay. The Staybridge Suites - Rancho ...
Holiday Inn SAN DIEGO-RANCHO BERNARDO
The Holiday Inn Rancho Bernardo is located directly off the I-15, 30 minutes from Lindbergh Field Airport. Known as the 52-week vacationland by its residents, Rancho Bernardo is a master-planned San Diego community nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by majestic hills - the perfect community in which to live, work and play. Our newly renovated 178-guest rooms and suites offer many amenities for the business and vacation travelers at affordable prices. Our exclusively designed rooms and ...
Hilton San Diego Resort
Located on Mission Bay off I-5, just fifteen minutes from San Diego International Airport. Next to Sea World, close to Old Town historic area, the historic Gas Lamp Quarter, and the San Diego Zoo. Tijuana, Mexico is just 25 minutes away by ...
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Most recent user reviews
Good central location
Anonymous, 2006-12-29
Short drive to Sea World, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo and the airport. Also close to trolley that can take you various places such as Tijuana.
This hotel was a good buy, especially for the holiday peak rates that were being charged at other area hotels. It was a good location for getting to local sites and the availability of different eating and shopping in downtown San Diego.
cool and quirky hotel
mary, New York, NY, 2006-11-12
The Bristol was a cool and quirky hotel. It is just blocks from the Gaslamp Distict. This are is jam-packed with restaurants and jazz clubs. It is blocks from the Horton Plaza with lots of stores anchored by Macy'and Nordstrom. It also includes lots of dining options. From the Bristol hotel it is a short walk to the carrier Midway and the ferry's to lots of great places. I would return to this hotel each time I go to San Diego.
Worst hotel I ever stayed at!
Paul, 2006-10-20
Had to pay 18.00 Dollars to park my Vehicle overnight in there Parking Garage. The room was terrible, the walls looked like they were painted by a child. The toilet was terrible. Pretty much the worst experience i had ever had at a hotel.
Comfortable, great design, needs upkeep.
Anonymous, Cincinnati, OH, 2006-10-02
A short walk from the Gaslamp district where renovated buildings are hosts to great Restaurants and nightclubs.
We enjoyed our stay at the Bristol. The windows are well insulated, though. The staff was casual but very helpful and friendly. The environment is fun and modern while still being very comfortable. Although, what seems to be a great design, is lacking in execution and upkeep. Good news though - it looks like they are going to remodel.
Nice hotel for the money
Anonymous, Washington, DC, 2006-08-26
Horton Plaza is a block away it has a lot of your typical mall stores with a number of diverse take out restaurants.
I stayed with my family for a week. It's an older hotel that has been remodeled so the rooms are nice but very small, it was tight quarters for 4 people. The service is excellent! Parking is a little steep and the restaurant was not a hot spot, but otherwise the amenities were good. Also, the free internet was fantastic!I would definitely recommend staying here.
Very cute hotel
Anonymous, Fresno, CA, 2006-08-02
For a good, affordable place for breakfast try a cute little place called St. Tropez on 2nd street. Great french toast!
The Bristol Hotel is a very cute, comfortable place to stay in downtown San Diego. My husband and I were in town to see a Padres game and the Bristol hotel was in walking distance to the stadium. The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel was brightly decorated and although we did not eat there, the restaurant Daisies looked nice and the prices were affordable. For the price this is a great place to stay and we will definitely stay there again next time we are in town.
A Great Stay
Jeffrey, Newark, NJ, 2006-07-31
Try the mussels bisque at Dobson's just a block away-Heavenly
The entire staff at the hotel represents the epitome of excellence. Did everything possible to make my stay delightful. Room very clean and comfortable. Only one complaint, no exhaust fan in the bathroom. Would recommend this hotel to friends.
Not as expected
Anonymous, Palm Springs, CA, 2006-07-02
Thw hotel is quite nice. However i just did not get the feeling of top notch service while there. The staff was nice and helpful during check-in/out, but there was just something missing. I cannot provide anyu specific negatives, but neither can I say any real strong positives either.
San Diego
Anonymous, 2006-06-06
Go to the Gaslamp District on 5th avenue.
The Bristol Hotel has nice accomodations and is a short walk to dining, entertainment, mall and shopping.
Nice hotel for us
Anthony, Charleston, SC, 2006-06-06
Lots of great shopping, eating and attractions within walking distance.
We had a good experience with the hotel. Had no problems with the bus station being right across the street. Had no problems with noise. There was a disgruntled hotel visitor in the lobby when we were checking in though which made things a little awkward. Apparently she had had some items stolen from her room and the hotel stated they were not responsible. However, our stay was very enjoyable - in fact, the staff at the hotel were the friendliest people we encountered in San Diego. A lot of people complain about the cost of parking but we actually paid 10 bucks less per night at the Bristol than our friends did at a hotel just a block away. I'd go back.
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