The Grand Pacific Palisades is not a luxury hotel by any stretch of the imagination. Their Vacation Villas are, however, the perfect place to stay with kids when visiting the San Diego area. It's within walking distance to Legoland and an easy drive to the Wild Animal Park, the Zoo, the beach, and Seaworld. The villas have 1, 2, or 3 bedrooms, a kitchen and a sitting area. We stayed there with 3 kids and my mother-in-law, and it was plenty of space. The location gave us the option of returning midday from Legoland for a healthy lunch and naps. After our rest, we headed back to Legoland for more fun. The accommodations are clean and fairly updated. They are not posh. If you're used to the Four Seasons, you're likely to consider the rooms slightly tacky and sparse. There isn't much in the way of "service" either. However, if you are focused on convenience and cost effectiveness, the Grand Pacific Palisades is the way to go.

The San Diego Zoo is a wonderful zoo. The pandas are particularly exciting because it's such a unique experience to see them. Having said that, the zoo is quite similar to many other zoos across the country. If you live in an urban area and have visited your local zoo, you might find (as we did), that it's not much different from what you've already seen. There's so much to do in San Diego. If you have time pressure, it might make sense to (gasp!) skip the zoo ...