Top Reasons to Stay at The Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa

• This beachfront four-star hotel has the feel of an island resort, with palm trees, a 22-foot waterfall in the lobby, and tropical plants from all over the world, including brazilian rosewoods.
• Guest rooms feature iPod docking stations, high-definition TVs, a full kitchen and views of Mission Bay.
• The onsite Atoll Restaurant has won the award for Best Sunday Brunch from San Diego Magazine numerous times. Come early to get a table for brunch or stop by for dinner to try dungeness crab cakes and applewood-smoked pork chops.
• Cocktails and light fare are served at Moray’s on Mission Bay.
• The Catamaran Spa has spectacular views of Mission Bay from its fitness center and outdoor whirlpool.
• Throughout the resort, you might see (or at least hear) exotic birds that call the area home, such as parrots Chadwick and Cornell.
• The hotel is just a few minutes from SeaWorld San Diego and the 4,000-acre Mission Bay Park.

San Diego, California: Historical Attractions and Electric Nightlife in Southern California

San Diego’s sunny, comfortably warm weather and 70 miles of coastline have long attracted vacationing out-of-towners, but the city’s inland scene is no slouch, either. The Gaslamp Quarter is arguably the trendiest listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The area forms both the historic center of town and a hub of San Diego nightlife, with nearly 100 Victorian-era buildings occupied by high-end boutiques, jewelers, and gourmet restaurants.

A stroll through iconic Balboa Park takes you past 17 separate museums, as well as the world-famous and much beloved San Diego Zoo. There’s also the vibrant Spanish Village Art Center, a living gallery where local artists produce pottery, handblown glass, and oil paintings for sale.

Farther north, in Old Town—site of the first European settlement in California—shops in Mission-style stucco buildings sell colorful wrestling masks, woven baskets, and maracas. Nearby stands the Whaley House Museum, dubbed one of the Most Terrifying Places in America by the Travel Channel. Ghosts of former residents are said to inhabit the rooms, which are filled with Victorian furniture, eerie dolls, and squeegees for ectoplasm cleanup.

Love to travel? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for travel tips, inspiration, and photos from around the world.