We had a great time here. San Diego is one of the nicest cities in the country. It's a major tourist destination and there are tons of things to do.

Mission Beach is beautiful, casual and close to everything. From our balcony we could watch surfers and dolphin swimming every day. Belmont Park (a short walk away) has a vintage wooden roller coaster (one of two remaining seaside coasters on the west coast) as well as other rides for kids. There is a strand (boardwalk) that runs the entire 3 mile length of the beach. It's a great place to walk, run, bike or skate.

Some must see attractions are the world famous Zoo, Sea World, and Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the country. You can get a park passport which allows you entry to a dozen museums as well as the zoo.

Other attractions in the park are the Air and Space Museum, Ruben H. Fleet Science Center, the Natural History Museum, the Museum of Man, the Automotive Museum, the Old Globe Theatre, the Hall of Champions, the Botanical Gardens, and the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world.

North County San Diego is home to the Zoo's Safari Park about 45 minutes from Mission Beach. There are multi acre enclosures where herds of wild animals roam plus lots of hiking trails. You can ride a zip line, tour the park on a Segway, or take a photo caravan into the enclosures and feed the giraffes. It's a different experience from the zoo. We did both but I would skip the Safari Park if you do the Zoo. Both were too much for one trip.

Just North, La Jolla offers great views, surfing, great food, great theater, and shopping. Check out the surfers at historic Windansea Beach. At low tide you can walk out onto the tide pools. Walk along the Cove and check out the caves. You will see spectacular views of the bluffs over the Pacific Ocean. We biked about 7 miles there from Mission Beach.

If you like Mexican food, you have to walk 5 minutes to The LaPlaya Taco Shop on Mission Blvd. If was fantastic, but it looks like nothing special at all. We went here twice. It is perfect for take out.

Another gem of a find was Moma Mia's Italian Restaurant. Fabulous food right out of Italy.

Two master suites with gorgeous views make this a perfect location to go with another family. Just make sure you realize the residence has three flights of steps from the street level to the top floor and no elevator plus the garage is in the basement with a narrow entrance. But it has two parking spaces for us. And, parking is very important in this area.