Suggest the best beach and resort for our San Diego family trip

[karthikjay]

I am planning a week-long trip to San Diego (during the 3rd week of August) with my family (wife + 3-year-old + 11-month-old) and I plan to cover the following places:
Legoland
Balboa Park
San Diego Zoo
the new children’s museum
La Jolla (maybe)
Belmont Park / Sea World

We plan to spend some time on the beach for a couple of days (my toddler loves beaches) and based on my research Mission bay (or beach ?) seems like a perfect place for us. So,

1. Ideally, I would like to stay near the beach and would you suggest Misson Bay beach ?. How does it compare to La Jolla or Coronado? How cold is the water?
2. Any suggestions for oceanfront kid-friendly resorts?
3. Any must-visit places especially for Kids that I missed?

Thank you for all your inputs and I can't wait to visit San Diego.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Mission Bay is a bay and therefore doesn't have the waves/rip currents that the ocean has. There are several very nice resorts on the bay. Paradise Point has some rooms that are on the bay and it would be easy for your toddler to play on the sand in front of the room. Another very nice family friendly resort is San Diego Mission Bay Resort. I would recommend the nicer Mission Bay resorts over La Jolla for those ages. Coronado is also a great choice, but not as easy of a drive to everything.

If you want ocean front, you may want to look at renting a condo on AirBnb or VRBO. Some of the ones in Carlsbad and Oceanside have a lot less people on the beach in front of them, which is nice.

The Catamaran is on Mission Bay, but a short walk (less than a block) to the ocean. That's in Pacific Beach which has more of a party/college age get drunk vibe.

La Jolla Shores has a hotel on the beach, but it looks to me like a basic motel style building. If you like La Jolla shores (many people do), you can't beat the location. To me, La Jolla shores is too crowded, but it's crowded because so many people like it.

 

[PalmettoPath]

Our favorite resort and beach is the Hotel del Coronado. As a bonus for Disney fans, it was the design inspiration for Disney's Grand Floridian Resort (and a favorite destination of Walt Disney and many other celebs). Beautiful resort steeped in history and great area to stroll around nearby. We usually combine it with a Disneyland vacation.

 

[tinkertoes]

We love, love staying in Carlsbad. We rented a fairly inexpensive AirBnB recently less than a block from the beach and walking distance to the village. Our rental even had parking which is worth gold near the beach. If you are flying in, some rentals will also provide all your beach essentials as well. Lots of restaurants nearby and very family friendly. Not too far of a drive to all the sites you are visiting either. Legoland is in Carlsbad. I saw Coronado was recommended, which also a great option.

 

[oakleycat]

I second Paradise Point for Mission Bay, great location and hotel. Coronado was my favorite when my kids were little, but it is more inconvenient to get everywhere else you want to go.