This blog post was made in collaboration with HMG TRAVELS THE WORLD.

About the author:

Heidi is a Seattle based travel blogger. All of her adventures are done while still working a 9-5. When she isn’t traveling, you can find her hanging with her husband and friends, reading, drinking craft beer and making sure her manicure is on point!

You can follow her adventures by checking out her social links:

WHERE IS HOTEL Z LOCATED?

Address: 521 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Hotel Z is located in probably the best location. It is right in the heart of the Gaslamp district. If you like good food and drinks, then there are so many options right outside of the hotel. If you also plan to catch a San Diego Padres game, Petco Park is just a few blocks away!

HOW TO GET TO HOTEL Z

From the airport: If you are flying into San Diego International Airport, you can either rent a car or catch a ride share and get to Hotel Z in just about 12 minutes, no freeway required!

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY STAY AT HOTEL Z

THE HOTEL

The hotel is a cute yellow and blue painted hotel and you can see the “Z” from a distance! I loved when I was walking around San Diego, I would always see the Z at the end of the street. The inside lobby has some fun features: since the Staypineapple brand is dog friendly, they had a table right by the elevator that had all the dogs names that were currently staying at the hotel written on a dog chalkboard! There are also bikes you can rent for free and quickly get around San Diego. If you want to leave your bike and grab a bite to eat, bikes also come with bike locks! The doors into each hotel room are painted with a different scene, which gave it a nice touch!

Our room ended up being very spacious, I was able to wake up every morning and enjoy a cup of coffee complete with a cute pineapple coffee mug. There is also a mini fridge for all of your food leftovers or to keep your drinks cold and a small microwave.

THE BEDS! No joke, this is probably the best 2 night sleep at a hotel that I have ever had. Staypineapple prides themselves on their bedding and here is why:

The Naked Experience:

Fresh: EVERYTHING that touches you is freshly-laundered. Sleep naked, it’s that clean.
Cloud-like: Cloud-like European-style individual duvets, so you don’t fight over the covers.
Enhance: Designed to enhance your “something” quotient. Whatever that “something” is for you.
Restful: Restful bliss so you wake up on the Pineapple side of the bed.
Cozy: Signature lightweight, cozy robes so you don’t answer the door naked.
Thirsty: Wrap yourself with big thirsty towels. All the way around.

Don’t forget about the daily food & beverage credit. You get a $10 food and beverage credit that you can use toward food and drink in the fridge at Staypineapple. Item is more than your $10 credit? The difference will simply be applied to the credit card you have on file with the hotel.

THE STAFF

I can’t tell you how much I appreciated the staff. Everyone was super friendly and we even got to check in a bit early. It was my friend’s birthday and they gifted her a bottle of wine and chocolates. Shout out to Alan for making our stay extra special.

THE STAYPINEAPPLE BRAND

Why Staypineapple?

Hospitality Redefined

Coveted Locations

Surprise and Delight

HOW TO GET AROUND

Do You Need to Rent a Car: If you plan to get out of the general San Diego area, then yes. However, Hotel Z is so well located that you can either use ride share to get around, walk or rent some electric scooters.

Rent some electric scooters: Renting an electric scooter is a great and fun way to get around. You just need the app and you are good to go. Just be aware of the local traffic laws and stay off to the side.

Click to jump to a San Diego neighborhood:

Downtown
Gaslamp
East Village
Marina
Little Italy
Coronado
Balboa
Old Town

Look for these symbols below: 🏠🔝 for locations that have a rooftop!

WHAT ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO NEAR THE HOTEL?

Downtown

Brigatine Seafood at Portside Pier

Address: 1360 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
🏠🔝 They have a rooftop!
What to order: We ordered 1/2 dozen oysters on the half shell and shared a crab and shrimp cobb salad! Both were delicious.

This Brigatine location has probably the best views in my opinion. If you make a reservation ahead of time, you can indicate that you would like to sit outside. We lucked out and were seated right along the water!

Gaslamp

The Nolen

Address: 453 Sixth Ave #7007, San Diego, CA 92101
🏠🔝 They have a rooftop!
I highly recommend booking a reservation or heading up to The Nolen at sunset. The views are amazing!
What to order: The Nolen Smash: Reposado l Ginger Liqueur l Agave l Fresh Lemon l Basi

Noble Experiment

Address: 777 G St, San Diego, CA 92101
This is a speakeasy bar located in The Neighborhood bar. I highly recommend reservations as it is a pretty small space. The concept is cool at this bar. It is bartenders choice so you simply provide your liquor of choice and they will make something for you. We both chose vodka and they brought out two completely different drinks. One fruity and one more savory. The decor is also killer. My favorite part was the skull wall!

El Chingon

Address: 560 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
If you like Mexican food, you have to come here! The burritos are the size of a small baby so I recommend sharing.
What to order: fish burrito and a margarita. El Chingon is known for their margaritas that you can upgrade and add a popsicle!

East Village

Stone Brewing Tap Room:

Address: 795 J St, San Diego, CA 92101
There is a few Stone Brewing tap rooms, but this one is within walking distance to Hotel Z and is also located right next to Petco Park. I definitely recommend ordering their pretzel and if you want to try a few of their beers, get a tasting flight!

Knotty Brewing:

Address: 842 Market St, San Diego, CA 92101
It is a small brewery. We got 3 seats at the bar and had a great chat with the bartender who ended up giving us some more brewery suggestions. They have some German style beers!

Half Door Brewing:

Address: 903 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
🏠🔝 They have a rooftop!
This was a suggestion from the Knotty Brewing bartender. It is a cute old house with a bunch of indoor / outdoor seating. Their beer is good, and I would definitely go here in the summer to enjoy the outdoor seating.

Little Miss Brewing:

Address: 545 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101
This was our last stop on our brewery hopping afternoon. There were a bunch of locals in this brewery that were suggesting beers to us and there were also bar games. A great atmosphere here and great beer!

Lolitas

Address: 202 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101
Omg I love Lolitas. I’ve been visiting them for almost ten years! It’s a great quick place for some good Mexican food and is a family owned business.
What to order: carne asada fries and a Carne asada burrito

Fairweather Rooftop Bar

Address: 793 J St, San Diego, CA 92101
🏠🔝 They have a rooftop!
This is a cool rooftop bar. The best part? It looks into Petco Park. If the Padres are playing you should definitely visit.

Marina

Seaport Village

Seaport Village is the cutest seaside shopping plaza with a bunch of restaurants, retail and even a winery on site.

Places to Check out:

Mr. Moto Pizza House (get the 2 slices and a beer for $14 deal!)
Influencer Boutique (pricey, but cute items!)
San Diego Surf Co.
San Pasqual Wine Tasting Room
Urban Girl Accessories

USS Midway Museum:

The USS Midway is now a floating museum. You can wander through all of the spots on the ship! It is pretty cool to check out. Right outside of the USS Midway is the famous statue of a sailor kissing a woman.

Little Italy

King and Queen Cantina

Address: 1490 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101
🏠🔝 They have a rooftop!
Kings and Queens does not take reservations, so expect a bit of a wait on the weekend. We tried to get dinner on a Saturday night and we were told the wait was 1 hour and 45 minutes. However, we came for brunch on Sunday morning before 9 and only waited about 5 minutes.
What to order: avocado toast and a chorizo wet burrito. I definitely recommend sharing.

Rustic Root

Address: 535 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
🏠🔝 They have a rooftop!
We came to Rustic Root for some drinks! They have a great rooftop and I definitely recommend making reservations.
Their cocktail menu is pretty unique! They list some commonly known Cocktails and then list a cocktail that is a twist on the original drink.
What to order:
- Thespians Request (their take on a margarita) casa noble silver l Curaçao l cilantro coconut milk l lime
- The Bold and Beautiful Los vecinos mezcal l martini and rossi fiero l vanilla l passionfruit l lime

Morning Glory

Address: 550 W Date St, San Diego, CA 92101
🏠🔝 They have a rooftop!
This is the cutest place for brunch. The interior is super pink and lots of copper accents! Expect a wait here as this seems to be the most popular spot in the area. We arrived at about 9am on a Monday and ended up waiting 45 minutes.
What to order: breakfast fried rice, Latte and souffle pancakes

Cloak & Petal

Address: 1953 India St, San Diego, CA 92101
If you love Japanese food, you have to check out Cloak & Petal. The space is also amazing. The whole bar area is decked out with cherry blossoms.
What to order: We enjoyed the chicken gyoza, a California roll (because I always order one) and the saucy boi.

Nolita Hall

Address: 2305 India St, San Diego, CA 92101
Nolita Hall was my favorite spot for the setting and ambiance. They were able to build a beautiful outdoor seating area that they said they get to keep until next summer. The outdoor seating has beautiful wicker furniture, egg chairs and fake grass. The best part of Nolita Hall is that you can watch airplanes fly overhead as they land. I ended up getting an amazing photo of an Alaska Airlines plane landing. Do not forget to also check out the board behind the bar. It updates with witty quotes and sayings every few minutes.
What to order: Not so P.C. Black Tea Infused Pimms | Fino Sherry | Blackberry | Thyme | Lemon and they also have a great line up of beers.

Craft & Commerce

Address: 675 W Beech St, San Diego, CA 92101
We had a delicious dinner at Craft & Commerce. The restaurant is decorated with an African safari vibe. I recommend making a reservation here as there can be a wait.
What to order: We shared some of the starters including: mushrooms, grilled oysters and the star of the show: old fashioned French fries (but add the raclette cheese). They will come over with a cheese wedge and do a nice cheese pull over the fries!

False Idol

Address: 675 W Beech St, San Diego, CA 92101
Probably my favorite bar from the whole trip – and that is tough to say because there are some cool bars in San Diego. False Idol is a secret bar in Craft & Commerce. Reservations are highly recommended as the space is on the smaller side. The décor is amazing and if one of the large sharable drinks are ordered you are in for a surprise (I will not spoil it)
What to order:
- Ube Bae: When coconut and pineapple get curious about taro, ube and toasted rice flavors, decadent madness heads in an early southeast Asian direction. A blend of light column-still rum and rustic Haitian pot still made with wild sugarcane.
- El Diablo: Blanco tequila, creme de cassis, ginger, lime and seltzer. Published in Trader Vic’s 1946 Book of Food and Drink. “I hate like hell to bring up unpleasant things at a time like this, but go easy on this one because it’s tough on your running board”

Ballast Point Little Italy

Address: 2215 India St, San Diego, CA 92101
I love Ballast Point. There are some bars in Washington that carry some of their beers on tap. I also got to meet an Instagram friend in person which is always fun! Check out her page (@livinglifepetite) for fashion tips and life in San Diego!

Coronado

How to get there

There are a few ways to get there that are all unique and fun.

Trolley: The trolley is more of a hop on, hop off experience. If you want to be able to see more sites like Balboa Park and Old Town, then this is a great option. The ferry has several starting points indicated on the website and runs you about $41 per person.

Ferry: From Hotel Z, it is an easy 15-minute walk to get to the ferry terminal. You can buy a round trip ticket for $10 at the kiosk right across from the terminal. A few things to note: the later in the day you take the ferry, the more crowded the return from Coronado will be. You could miss a boat and have to wait for another. The ferry leaves downtown San Diego every hour on the hour and the boat from Coronado leaves every hour on the half hour. It was recommended that we line up for the boat at least 15 minutes prior to departure to ensure a spot on the boat.

Drive: You can always take a car over to Coronado. It is easily accessed via a bridge. A few things to keep in mind if you go this route: parking can be tough, especially in the summer. If you use a ride share, they are currently in short supply so your wait time could be longer. However, you do not have to worry about being on a time schedule like you would with the ferry and trolley options.

Coronado Island: There are a few cool spots to check out on Coronado.

Coronado Island Brewing Company: We each tried a different beer and shared a pretzel. I love trying brewery pretzels whenever they have one on the menu!
Hotel del Coronado: This is the famous hotel on the island. The hotel has been around for over 130 years and has been frequented by many celebrities and royalty over the years. The grounds are great to wander around. We found a beach bar and enjoyed a beer outside. It was a bit cold and windy but it was fun!
San Diego Skyline Viewpoint: We sort of stumbled on this one. I saw it on Google Maps and decided to check it out. You get the whole view of downtown San Diego.
Bay Books: I LOVE bookstores and always try and find one wherever I go. Bay Books has both a café and books. They had a great selection of books to choose from.

Balboa

Balboa Park: There is so much to do in Balboa Park that you could spend several days exploring here. Parking is free, however, during the summer months it could be pretty difficult to find parking. Here are the places I recommend if you just have a few hours:

Botanical Building: This is a gorgeous conservatory filled with a bunch of different flowers and plants. It is free to enter
Museum of Man: We decided on one museum and this one seemed the most interesting. When we went they had an add on exhibit all about cannibalism. I actually really enjoyed that museum and would definitely recommend checking it out!
San Diego Zoo: If you decide to spend an entire day here, the San Diego Zoo is actually a part of Balboa Park. I went here when I was younger and in terms of zoos, this is one of the better ones. While they are a “for profit” organization, they are a conservation organization so they are using the money to help save species around the world.
Spanish Village Arts Center: This is my new favorite place at Balboa. The whole courtyard is painted in bright colors and there are a bunch of cute shops to wander through.
Balboa Park Carousel: This is the cutest carousel, and it was so popular with the kids (and even a few adults when we were there).
California Tower: This is one of the most beautiful buildings in San Diego. I got serious Europe vibes when checking this place out.
Bea Evenson Fountain: This is a beautiful fountain right in the middle of Balboa Park where you can relax for a few minutes and enjoy the view.

Old Town

Old Town San Diego: What is a trip to San Diego without going to Old Town. This is another spot you could spend half a day or more at. Here are some spots to check out:

The Bank
The Jail
Cosmopolitan Hotel
Seeley Stable
Whaley House Museum
Old Town Mexican Cafe

Have you been to San Diego or stayed at a Staypineapple hotel? I would love to hear about it! Special thanks to Hotel Z for partnering with me on my most recent trip to San Diego!

A Weekend in San Diego with Hotel Z