The Coconut's Guide to a Weekend in San Diego 📍 (Where to eat, sleep and play)
Who knew Old Hollywood meets Palm Springs glamour would be hiding away in a hotel resort in North Park, San Diego?
Welcome to the coconut’s first travel guide! We are going to San Diego, CA 📍🥥
As some of you coconuts may know, I spent four years of my formative life in San Diego, CA attending SDSU (San Diego State University). That is where I got my marketing degree but most importantly, where I spent some of the happiest years of my life with some of my best friends for 10 years now.
That was 6 years ago and things have changed. But I always joke that I was a travel agent in a past life because if I am traveling somewhere, I will study everything under the sun to learn about the best things to do. Whether it is a huge city like NYC or a small town in the Arizona mountains - I will find myself in the heart of the action, one way or another.
Going back, I did my research and had such a magical weekend. I was surprised how Old Hollywood and glamorous it ended up being. Which if you guys have watched my show, “The Middle Row”, where I interview music artists in a big theater with old school, red seats -- then you already know my love for the cinematic, glitz and glamour.
So here is my ultimate guide to three days in San Diego, CA 📍 This is where I slept, ate and played.
Where I slept: Best Western Old Town 🏨
Pictured above is the Best Western resort in Old Town, CA 📍
This hotel was free with my points from SouthWest but it does seem to cost just under $200 a night, for the weekend we were there.
While the actual resort was beautiful on the outside for pictures and views, the room we stayed in was on the lower end.
The bathroom did not have a working fan so the smell of (what seemed to be) mold was palpable when you walked in. There was no couch in the room but two chairs propped next to each other so if you are traveling with 2+ people, make sure you request a double bed room.
And the resort itself was pretty confusing layout with lots of stairs. I was confused why the woman next to us at check-in was so adamant about having a room “on the plaza level” until it was time to walk to our room and I realized how many stairs we had to walk up to get there, especially because the elevators are hard to find or (in our case) the employees were blocking the main elevator so they could load their carts.
But I will give it to the hotel, it is beautiful on the outside. The views we had while walking to and from our room made up for the lackluster interior.
Not my best photo but I had to include it to show you all how beautiful the tiles on the stairs are. The attention to detail on the outside of the hotel was breathtaking.
It truly looked like a storybook, fairytale village and was right above Old Town with tons of delicious restaurants and historical monuments.
Pictured above is the “Plaza Level” of the hotel which was the easiest to find and had way less stairs to access compared to our room on the 600 level
If you are like us and you barely spend any time in your room because you are running around town when on vacation, then the room won’t make much of a difference. They did have a beautiful pool which I was sad I didn’t get to use due to time constraints.
Pictured above is the entrance to the pool area at the Best Western Old Town
One other bonus of the hotel was that we got a free street parking spot by our room. Without it, the parking would have been $25 per day. So pro-tip, look for street parking if you stay at this hotel before you settle on the parking garage.
Best Western Old Town: Rating 🌟 6/10
Pros: Free street parking, VIEWS, Exterior, Pool, Location!!!
Cons: Interior, Resort layout, Stairs, Moldy smell, Older model bathroom
Where I played (Part 1): Old Town Historical Landmark
When planning the trip, I knew I wanted to stay in Old Town because it was central to everything in San Diego. The popular beach street’s of PB are a 10-15 minute drive, the downtown district of Gaslamp is a 10-15 minute drive and it’s right next to the San Diego Zoo + Sea World.
What I also loved about Old Town was the history. I am a history nerd, through and through. You can walk through an old saloon, old homes, the old jail, the old stables, an old estate and more on the famous streets of Old Town.
Pictured above is one of the jails in the Old Town square. This is where you stayed as you awaited trial in the 1800’s if you were in San Diego.
Fun fact: There was a growing Mormon population in Old Town during the early days after California became a part of the United States. So much so that they had a Mormon Battalion Historical Museum right by my hotel.
You can even visit a candle-making store in the Old Town quarters where you can make your very own candle. They have a variation of figurines that you get to dip dye in the shop. I remember doing this in college and I am happy to see the shop is still standing and popular. The place is called “Toby’s Candle Shop” and has been around since 1981.
Pictured above are some of the figurine candles you can hand dye in the candle shop
Where I ate (Part 1): Cafe Coyote $1 Tortillas
Pictured above are the fresh tortillas outside the Cafe Coyote restaurant in Old Town
After spending a few hours walking through the Old Town quarters, we got hungry so we walked to the famous Cafe Coyote. We didn’t want to have a sit down meal so instead we got the $1 fresh tortillas you can buy from the women hand-making them at the entrance of the restaurant. The tortillas are fresh, warm, HUGE and come with butter. It was all I needed. I even walked down there at 9 am one morning to get another tortilla before leaving San Diego on Sunday.
Cafe Coyote is modeled like a literal Old Town in Mexico. You can walk into the restaurant and find a candy and shoe store along with beautiful, multi-level story architecture. I love visiting somewhere that makes me feel like I am living like the communities from hundreds of years before I ever stepped foot there.
Where I Ate (Part 2): Miguel’s
If you have spent any time in San Diego or Orange County, you are probably familiar with Miguel’s. But one of the best Miguel’s is located in Old Town, San Diego. Coincidentally, the restaurant shared a parking lot with our hotel.
We met some friends here and spent the night eating and laughing. Where we went after was even more fun, but more on that in the next segment.
Miguel’s is famous for their queso, which comes free with your chips and salsa. It was soooo good.
I ordered the skirt steak fajitas and keep thinking about a few days later. I made it a point to not order fajitas the rest of the weekend because my steak fajitas at Miguel’s were so good I knew nothing else would compare.
Pictured above are my skirt steak fajitas from Miguel’s
After dinner on Friday night with friends, we all called an Uber and headed to the newly renovated Lafayette Hotel. This was my favorite part of the whole weekend ❤️
Where I played (Part 2): The Lafayette Hotel
Oh. My. God. This place was insane for a night out. I wish they had something like it closer to me in LA. A girl can pray.
This would be the type of place you would see Marilyn Monroe and JFK on a secret outing together. I was transported in time.
The outside of the hotel looks like something you would see on the east coast with the brick and columns. The circular driveway set the tone for an old money kind of night. But the attention to detail inside was not something I was ready for. You guys…
First of all, the door handles had different creatures on them. I immediately noticed the door handles to the entrance were snakes. How f*cking cool is that. The set the tone for a night with good music, great people and even better decor.
Some places to hang/eat/drink at the Lafayette Hotel are:
The Pool Side Bar
The Hotel Lobby Bar
The Gutter (a speak easy on the other side of a courtyard with arcade games and a bowling alley!!!)
Lou Lou’s (old time jazz bar)
The Beginner’s Diner
The Quixote (a Mexican restaurant that looks like a cathedral)
Pictured above is my view of the resort from the pool bar
The Lobby + Pool Bar
The most happening part of the whole hotel might have been the lobby restaurant and bar. You usually think the lobby is where people warm up for the night but this was the epicenter of the action. Right in the middle of the entrances to the multiple sources of nightlife around the hotel, people gravitated towards it.
The center of the hotel bar had a beautiful statue of a man holding up a world with all the zodiac signs engraved around it. As you know, I was hooked!
As you walked outside toward the pool (pictured above) you could see the pool bar. This was another spot to eat, drink and meet others.
What really captured me about San Diego was how young it was. In LA, everything feels so spread out which can be isolating. Unless you are intentionally going out with friends or in a few locations, you don’t run into groups of people your age as often. There was a feeling of excitement in San Diego I haven’t felt in a long time. There was a constant stream of new, beautiful people around. Not in a sexual way at all but San Diegans are just…beautiful. Maybe it’s the constant sunshine.
They also had lots of animal print but not in a distressful way. Everything was intentional and maximalism. Even the bartenders wore animal print.
Pictured above is the outdoor seating area between the lobby bar and pool bar
The Gutter (The Speakeasy with an arcade and bowling alley)
On the other side of a courtyard in the hotel was The Gutter. This bar was definitely the youngest crowd, probably because it had an arcade and bowling alley. It was so cool. Even the arcade games were old school which helped to not break the illusion of existing in a glamorous hotel that might have you brushing shoulders with Frank Sinatra at any moment.
Then we made our way to the jazz bar downstairs with a live band…
Lou Lou’s (The swanky jazz bar with live music)
My god, this was my favorite part of the whole night. We walk in and there was a live band playing in a big giant seashell at the back of the room.
This bar felt like old money. We were able to sit down here with friends for about an hour and drink wine while listening to music. It wasn’t as loud as most other nightlife but the energy was still high.
Pictured above was my view of the seashell stage at Lou Lou’s
The Beginner’s Diner (The 24-hour diner in between all the bars with boozie milkshakes)
There was also a 24/7 diner with boozie milkshakes if that is your speed. One of the best parts of the night is the debrief at the very end.
The Quixote (The Mezcal bar and restaurant that looks like a cathederal)
Then the Mexican restaurant that looked like the inside of a cathedral. I am still awestruck by the whole thing.
I am definitely going back to book a whole weekend here vs a quick visit.
The Lafeyette Hotel was the most happening spot in all of San Diego, from what I experienced this weekend. I wish it existed while I was at SDSU! It was even more lively than Gaslamp (the downtown district of SD).
Where I Played (Part 3): Partime Lovers
After a few hours at The Lafeyette Hotel, my friends suggested we go to the speakeasy bar in the same North Park neighborhood. It looks like a record store from the outside. They even have a vinyl shop in the back of the bar.
The speakeasy is called “Part Time Lover”
One cool aspect of this bar was they had a live DJ playing vinyls! While it did take a while to get a drink, the ambiance was still fun. But I will say, there were less spots to sit than the bars we went to at The Lafeyette.
This was a good bar to end the night at.
Where I Ate (Part 3): Hideaway
The next morning, we woke up on a Saturday and I knew I had to take my boyfriend down to Pacific Beach. This is the beach, party spot from my college days. But since I don’t drink as much anymore, I was looking for some good food.
After traversing Yelp, I found a new spot called “Hideaway” that didn’t exist when I was living in San Diego but it was in the heart of the action.
They were known for their pizza and cinnamon beignets.
It felt like walking into a cool, beach house. The attention to detail was insane. San diego lovessss a themed bar.
We ordered the pepperoni pizza and I added jalapeños. They brought out hot honey to put on my pizza, which I had never done before. Oh my god, it was so good. I wish I could go back in time to take that first bite again.
When we were there, they were busy because of college football. It made it fun and lively but it did take a bit of time to get our check and churro beignets at the end. But so so worth it!
I joked that I need to drive back down to San Diego just to get another pizza.
It was fun to walk around afterwards and see all the happening places around time. We walked along the beach which is something you can’t really do in Los Angeles. The beaches are so spread out and touristy. This one was busy but felt truly like an accessible beach town.
Where I Played (Part 4): Altitude Sky Lounge (Rooftop bar in Downtonw SD)
Pictured above is the view from Altitude Sky Lounge over Petco Park
After spending the day in Pacfic Beach, we went back to our hotel and rested before the night activities. We started out by going to Altitude Lounge in the Gaslamp Downtown District of San Diego.
I love a rooftop bar. It can be an empty lot with a singular trashcan. If it is a rooftop, I’m there!
This specific bar overlooks the Petco Park where the San Diego Padres play. Because there was an away game this night, the bar was pretty relaxed. It felt good to find a spot by the bonfire and sip on some wine before beginning our night. They have 360 degree views of San Diego so make sure to check out both sides of the bar so you can see both sides of the city.
Where I Played (Part 5): Arcade Monsters
There was a two-story arcade bar only 350 feet away from Altitude Sky Lounge. We walked over there after we finsihed a drink.
It costs $25 to get an all you can play wristband. While this is great, I do encourage you to arrive before 9 pm if you want to have any chance of playing some of the games.
We had to leave around 10 pm because of how crowded it got.
I do love a pinball machine and they had plenty. One of my dreams in life is to create a world that involves so much Old Hollywood and cinema memorabilia that I can create a pinball machine one day. You know you have good branding if you can create a pinball machine.
It is all ages, too, so there are little kids running around so make sure you aren’t getting too messy while here.
Where I Played (Part 6): Trailer Park After Dark
Pictued above is the trailer park themed bar in San Diego
We finished our Saturday night at Trailer Park After Dark. It is on the main road of bars in Gaslamp. Probably a 0.5 mile walk from the arcade.
We were suggested this bar by a friend and thank goodness for that! It was so unsuspecting from the outside. We almost thought it was closed. But once we got inside, it was so fun!
The whole theme is that you are in a trailer park. They even had “Trailer Park Boys” playing on the TV’s inside.
The chairs at the bar were converted shopping carts. Like I said before, San Diego bars love a theme!
They even had trash can chandeliers over the booths. The attention to detail at the themed bars in San Diego are bar none.
And when you order a drink, they give it to you in a paper bag. Just like the trailer park.
In conclusion, here are the places I slept, ate and played while in San Diego:
Sleep:
Eat:
Play:
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