A San Diego Honeymoon from The World's Greatest Honeymoons

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It's All About the Water

If ever a city was all about the water, it's San Diego. With 70 miles of beaches and two beautiful bays—not to mention the west coast's largest naval base—residents and visitors alike are often found in, on, or beside the water, engaged in aquatic activities that run the gamut from aerobic swimming to yachting.

San Diego has been a wildly popular getaway since the late 1800s, when millionaires traveled cross-country in their private rail cars to spend entire summers at ocean-front Hotel Del Coronado (still one of the dandiest hotels around, and perfect for a honeymoon).

San Diego is actually where California got its historic start. Back in 1769, an expedition of soldiers and a few priests traveled from New Spain (Mexico) to explore the unknown northern land. Arriving at the Bay of San Diego, they established a presidio (fort) and a Franciscan mission—the first structures in the state erected by Europeans. Before long presidios and missions were established in other locations to the north in an attempt to legitimize Spain's claim to California. You can experience San Diego's colorful past when you visit Old Town, the Mission, and other historic sites described below.

San Diego Honeymoon Ideas

Mission Bay: This city-owned aquatic park is huge (4,235 acres) and jam-packed with a wonderful assortment of things to do, truly offering something for everybody. Into waterskiing or fast motorboats? You’ll love the 1-½ mile ski course and the 2-½ mile thunderboat course. Six large water areas are completely off-limits to boats, making them safe and relaxing for swimming and other water sports. You can walk, run, or ride a bike on the 27 miles of paths, sit on a bench and bliss out in sunshine, go fishing, whomp a volleyball, try your hand at windsurfing or windsailing, update your birdwatching skills, sprawl on the grass with a picnic, rent a boat and explore the waterways, play golf, and so much more… Mission Bay is also the site of San Diego's Sea World.

Balboa Park: The largest urban "culture park" in the country, Balboa Park is home to more than 85 culture-packed institutions from the traditional (Museum of San Diego History, showcasing the region's past) to the cutting-edge (the WorldBeat Center, dedicated to preserving the world's indigenous cultures through art, music, and dance). You'll find major museums centering on art, automobiles, railroads, sports, natural history, anthropology, folk art, and more; the San Diego Zoo (see below); the Tony-award winning Old Globe theater; Spreckels Organ Pavilion and the Starlight Bowl; a hand-carved Carousel; numerous gardens and botanical collections; lawn bowling, tennis courts, hiking/biking trails, a golf course; a tea pavilion and many restaurants. You could spend a solid week of your honeymoon trying to see everything Balboa Park has to offer, and you still wouldn't succeed. Do try to spend at least one day here. Balboa Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

The Gaslamp Quarter: This bustling historic downtown area—named for the gas lamps that once lined its streets—got its start way back in 1867. At that time it was known as "New Town" to differentiate it from the Spanish adobe-styled older part of town (see below). By the 1880s the area was a thriving red-light district, filled with bordellos, gambling parlors, saloons, and drug dens. A cleanup ensued in the early 20th century, but it was followed by a gradual downhill slide. Finally, in the 1970s, the city began a major preservation and redevelopment effort in the quarter, which has been quite successful. Today the high-energy 16.5-block area—listed on the National Register of Historic Places—is filled with beautiful Victorian-era buildings, many of which hold shops, restaurants, jazz clubs, art galleries, hotels, and theaters. Take a guided walking tour, boutique till you drop, enjoy the passing scene from a sidewalk café, sample the wares at the local micro-breweries, dance way into the night: you are not going to run out of things to do here. BTW, the Gaslamp Quarter is home to a few annual events, including shamROCK, the annual St. Pat's celebration; and Monster Bash, a Halloween weekend outdoor music festival & costume contest.

Beachin' It: The 1.5-mile strip of white sand known as Coronado Beach runs northward from the Hotel del Coronado; an aquatic wonderland for swimmers, surfers, and sunbathers, it's been called one of America's best family beaches by the Travel Channel. You'll agree when you see families toting gear for an all-day stay. Recreational activities abound here, including impromptu football games, paddleball, sandcastle building, kite flying, and volleyball. ~ For something more romantic, head to intimate La Jolla Shores, with its quiet cove and stately Scripps Pier. It's the perfect place for watching the sun set (and then you can stroll to tiny, jewel-like downtown La Jolla for a knockout dinner). ~ Seeking nature? One of San Diego's greatest treasures, Torrey Pines State Reserve, is a mere 15 minutes away. Untamed, rugged and serene, the Reserve is a wilderness oasis where you'll feel far removed from downtown. ~ The favorite hangouts of active young sun-worshipers, Pacific Beach and Mission Beach are connected by a three-mile boardwalk crowded with inline skaters, skateboarders, runners and bikers and beachgoers just wanting "to be seen." The surrounding streets, boutiques, restaurants and bars of these oceanfront communities bustle with activity day and night.

Read about San Diego's other beaches

Old Town State Historic Park: At the base of Presidio Hill, perched beside the San Diego River, this area was originally a Spanish fort and trading post. Five original adobes are the triumphant centerpiece here, such as that built in 1829 by José Estudillo—one of California's still-existing examples of an adobe town house. Other structures have been built in the ancient style more recently, recreating, in Old Town SHP, the lively pueblo (town) that once thrived here. "Old California" festivals occur throughout the year, attracting crowds with their color and fun. In some ways, though, it's better to be here when it's not busy, taking your time while strolling about. Watch a working blacksmith, visit a museum filled with artifacts from those early days, dine on Mexican food in a flower-filled patio, shop in an adobe-housed boutique, or just sit quietly in a courtyard garden.

The Hotel del Coronado: A study in Victorian opulence (but equipped with every modern amenity), the Del is an Institution par excellence, entwined in countless ways with San Diego's history. It was the world’s first hotel with electric lights, and Thomas Edison himself threw the switch at the hotel's 1888 inauguration. The structure's fantastic architecture inspired L. Frank Baum's vision of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz, and he penned many of his other children's books while staying at the Del. ~ Over the years the hotel has hosted ten U.S. presidents, scads of European royalty, and way too many movie stars to mention. The Prince of Wales first met Wallace Simpson here in 1920, and the hotel served as backdrop to one of the nation's most beloved comedies, the 1950s Marilyn Monroe/Tony Curtis megahit, Some Like It Hot (that's Monroe in the photo, standing before the Del's famous cupola). ~ A National Historic Landmark, the Del is situated on Coronado island and reached by a long, high-arching, extremely elegant bridge. Locals come regularly to lunch in one of the restaurants overlooking the ocean, or to hang out on the beach. For all its past and present glory, the Hotel Del is the non-snootiest place around.

The San Diego Zoo: Tucked into the bluffs and canyons of Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo is the most famous zoological park in the world. With more than 3500 animals, most living in carefully recreated habitat without bars, the zoo's treasures include the largest collection of giant pandas in the U.S., the only koalas living outside Australia, and two grizzly bear brothers. Some experiences will amaze you: in the Scripps Flight Cage you'll come so close to bright-colored tropical birds that you'll swear you’re flying beside them. Set out on the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk, a 2-mile back-country trail that takes you past lions, tigers, elephants, and fabulous gardens. Visit Nairobi Village, a busy enclave of shops, restaurants, and animal exhibits surrounding Mombosa Lagoon with its simulated Congo fishing village. Undertake a Rolling Safari Tour with an off-road Segway X2. Sleep over on one of the adults-only nights, snuggling to the not-so-distant sound of jungle cats and monkey chatter in a Premium tent with a Queen-sized platform bed. No way is this your everyday zoo.

San Diego Mission: Founded in 1769 by Father Junipero Serra, San Diego's Mission was the first of what would eventually be 21 missions extending 650 miles northward to Sonoma. Officially titled Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala, the simple compound is known informally as "Mother of the Missions." Surrounded by peaceful gardens, this National Historic Landmark contains a small museum filled with an interesting array of Indian and Spanish artwork, tools, weapons, religious artifacts, and other items. Still active, the Mission holds daily mass (schedule).

Cabrillo National Monument: The first European to lay eyes on San Diego Bay was Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo, in 1542. The Cabrillo National Monument high atop Point Loma, at the very tip of a peninsula jutting into the sea, commemorates him. And that's a good thing. But the real reason to come here is the fabulous view (bring your camera!). The Bay and islands and bridges shimmering in the sun, the Pacific stretching to infinity...it's heaven, all right. ~ BTW, the glassed-in observatory is a perfect spot to glimpse the whale migration. In winter the approximately 15,000 gray whales migrating from Alaska to breeding grounds off Baja California pass close to San Diego shores. A variety of whale-watching excursions are available at this time. The San Diego Natural History Museum and world-famous Birch Aquaruim at Scripps both offer a variety of naturalist-led trips, and many private charters are also available.

Torrey Pines Golf Course: Show off your swing at Torrey Pines, the Course that hosts the annual PGA Buick Invitational and other major events. Or try The Grand Golf Club at super-luxurious The Grand Del Mar, with its Tom Fazio-designed course in rugged Penasquitos Canyon Preserve. If neither of those grab you, don't worry: in a climate where golf can be played year round, you definitely have choices. It would be a fun adventure to play as many of the area's 90+ golf courses as possible in an attempt to find the perfect course—or at least the course that's perfect for you.

USS Midway Tour: San Diego is a Navy town at heart. So while you're here it's fitting to explore the nation's longest-serving carrier—47 years spanning the end of WWII right through Desert Storm. Now transformed into the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum, the noble old ship has become one of the city's most popular attractions. Visitors can take Audio-guided tours, eat a pleasant café meal on the fantail (with its superb views of downtown), enjoy fascinating exhibits, try out aircraft simulators, and—thanks to peeking at such things as restored sleeping quarters—get a glimpse of what life was like for the more than 225,000 sailors who once called the Midway home. A visit here can be a compelling and even emotional experience.

Catch a Wave: San Diego has been a favorite location for surfers worldwide since a 1916 surf exhibition was held at the Del Mar Pier. With its many miles of sun-drenched shoreline, San Diego is home to some of the world's greatest surfing legends, board designers and breaks, and also plays host to major surf competitions throughout the year. The California Surf Museum in Oceanside honors the legends of surfing history with rotating exhibits and a wide collection of vintage boards and surf memorabilia. The Surfing in San Diego exhibit in Balboa Park’s San Diego Hall of Champions examines surfing from an historical viewpoint, detailing the surfers and board innovators who shaped the local surf culture. The display features a chronological pictorial history of San Diego surfers and their favorite local surf spots, boards from local surfboard innovators, a detailed look at The Windansea Surf Club and its impact on both local and world surfing, beginning in the early 60's.

Where to surf (or where to learn surfing) in San Diego County

More Info: San Diego Visitors & Convention Bureau

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All written material ©WGH ~ Photos: Hotel Del Coronado; San Diego CVB (Coronado Bridge, Balboa Park, Mission Bay); Robert Holmes/Cal Tour (Old Town); CC ShareAlike license 3.0: Mkeipper (La Jolla Shores/Pier)