Where to stay in San Diego with kids

Watch out. Two mandatory daily charges plus paid parking stack on top of a five-star rate, rollaways cost extra and are not offered in every room, and the Cabana and Beach Village pools are restricted to guests of those wings.

Watch out. It is on the Silver Strand, not in town: the ocean is a five-minute walk through an underpass to a state beach, and the village and the Del are a shuttle ride; one of the three pools is adults-only.

Watch out. The historic mansion rooms hold two people only, so families book the contemporary building, where most second-floor rooms have stairs and no elevator; a resort fee and paid parking apply.

Watch out. It sits at the bridge end of Orange Avenue, about a mile and a half from the beach, so you will bike or drive to the sand; no pets.

Watch out. No beach on site and no rollaways in two-queen rooms; the resort fee and paid parking sit on top of five-diamond rates, and the loaner e-bikes are 18 and over.

Watch out. Not a beach hotel: the sand is a mile-plus trail down the bluff or a shuttle ride, every room and suite tops out at four guests, and La Jolla village is six miles away.

Watch out. The pools close at 8, the slides have a height rule the hotel does not publish (call ahead for small kids), and the ocean beach is a mile-plus away, not on site.

Watch out. The bay beach is public, quiet hours start at 10, check-in age is 21, and doorstep parking plus the resort fee are both paid nightly.

Watch out. A zero-noise policy at 10 p.m. with eviction for violations, one car per room, and crossing Mission Boulevard to reach the ocean.

Watch out. Zero-noise policy at 10 p.m., one free parking space per room, and the Bahia Belle sternwheeler runs seasonally, so do not book for the boat.

Watch out. No water slide despite what older reviews say, swim diapers are required for anyone three and under, and quiet hours start at 10.

Watch out. The pool closes for renovation from January 4 to mid-February 2027, and breakfast is a paid to-go counter despite the package names.

Watch out. No self-parking at all and a mandatory daily destination charge, so budget both on top of the rate; the pool is indoor, not a resort pool.

Watch out. One of the two pools is closed for renovation, leaving only the Coastline Pool, and a daily destination fee plus paid parking apply.

Watch out. Early entry covers a handful of rides and the start time shifts with park hours, everyone aged two and up still needs a park ticket, and a resort fee plus paid parking apply nightly.

Watch out. The big slides need 48 inches (42 with an approved vest) and close earlier than the pools, and the resort charge plus paid parking are both nightly.

Watch out. Slides run 11 to 4 or 5 only and need a rider over four feet (three and a half with a flotation device); no self-parking, and the resort fee and valet are both nightly.

Watch out. Beachfront in name, a half-mile walk with gear in practice; heating, hot tub and room occupancy are not published, and the resort charge plus paid parking are nightly.

Watch out. Parking is paid, the pool is a plain outdoor pool with no stated heating, and pets are allowed, so ask for a pet-free room if that matters.

Watch out. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay is on the property, so show nights bring crowds and evening noise; no pets and no airport shuttle.

Watch out. The "private beach" is a sand strip on the marina with no water access, and the resort fee and parking are each charged nightly.

Watch out. Cribs and rollaways are limited and paid, a 13-year-old counts as an extra adult, and there is no lifeguard and no airport shuttle.

Watch out. The slide runs Friday to Sunday only, 10 to 5, at 48 inches, and the property is cashless; Mission Valley is a drive or a trolley ride from every beach.

Watch out. A hillside property with stairs between buildings, paid parking, a restaurant that opens at 4 on weekdays, and the fifth sleeper is a twin sofa.