The Bahia Resort in San Diego has all the advantages of its mid-century vintage -– a pick-of-the-litter location on Mission Bay, its own private beach, and lush, mature tropical landscaping that gives it a secluded, Hawaiian island atmosphere. Since it’s been continually renovated and upgraded since it was built in the 1950s, its accommodations and amenities are fresh and modern. Families will find it an excellent place to headquarter to visit this sunny, attraction-packed town.
The Lay of the Land
Commanding a 13-acre peninsula on Mission Bay, the Bahia’s guest rooms flank both sides of the long narrow spit of land. In the middle are gardens, lawns, a gazebo, tennis courts, a swimming pool complex, shuffle board courts and a sweet little meandering pool that has resident ducks paddling about.
The Bahia shares the peninsula with a small state park on one side that offers good fishing and fire rings that can be great fun for a beachfront BBQ. On the other side of the peninsula, the beach is for Bahia guests only, with shady cabanas and a watersports desk that can set up all kinds of activities, such as stand-up paddle boarding, sailboat and motor boat rentals, kayaking and more. Bikes and skates can be rented on the property as well.
The swimming pool has a Moorish palace feel with its wide white stucco arches, tall, shady palm trees, tropical flowers and an amply sized wading area for toddlers. The whirlpool spa can accommodate up to 30 people and there is a café/grill open in season and a video game room with all vintages of games – from old fashioned and traditional to modern.
The Bahia Belle Paddle Steamer
Special family-oriented rides on an old fashioned turn-of-the-century Mississippi-style sternwheeler are scheduled every night of the summer and on weekends in the spring and fall. The resort shares the boat with its sister resort, The Catamaran, and the boat connects the two via a 30-minute ride across the bay. The Bahia’s dock is just steps from the restaurant and gift shop. Special family hours from 6:30-9:30pm are free for guests. In the summer, nearby Seaworld has a fireworks show that you can watch from the boat.
The Bahia’s Permanent Residents
Gracie and Billy, the resort’s two blind harbor seals, were rescued by SeaWorld, and the Bahia now permanently houses them in space and comfort in their own private pools. A marine veterinarian takes expert care of them, and guests can watch them eat twice a day — at 9:00am and 2:00pm — but you can wander along the boardwalks surrounding their pools to watch them swim (and nap!) anytime you want.
Value Added Features at Bahia Resort
The tennis courts and tennis equipment are free of charge, as is the shuffle board and fitness room. Children’s activities, such as crafts and games, take place in-season in a big tent next to the pool compound and are free to guests. An excellent restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and kids under 5 eat free from the buffet with a paying adult. There’s also an attractive cocktail lounge.
Most importantly, the resort fee covers parking, the shady cabanas on the private beach -– it’s first-come first-served and much more. Wi-fi is complimentary.
Bahia Resort Guest Rooms
All rooms have a patio or balcony and mini fridge, but some studios and suites have full kitchenettes offering a bit more space and the ability to cook. Many other rooms have a wet bar with a sink, microwave and mini frig. Rollaway beds can be added depending on availability, and suites have fold-out couches in the living room and either a king or two queen beds in the bedroom.
A Short Walk Away
Mission Beach on the Pacific Ocean is a five-minute walk away and is flanked by a 3-mile-long boardwalk that is great for a stroll or a bike ride. Belmont Park is also a five-minute walk away, and it features old-fashioned amusement park fun with an historic wooden roller coaster, wave machines, all kinds of other rides, carnival games and cotton candy snacks. You’ll also find plenty of low-cost family friendly eateries, like pizza parlors, taquerias, casual cafes, Chinese restaurants, bakeries, and ice cream parlors in the nearby neighborhood.
Trip Planning Details for a Bahia Resort Family Beach Vacation near San Diego
The Bahia Resort Hotel (858/488-0551) is located at 998 West Mission Bay Drive, San Diego, CA 92109. Summer is the high season here, with discounts available in spring and late August (after local school start). Family packages that include local attractions are available. Room rates vary considerably throughout the rest of the year; standard hotel rooms range from $149-$279; studios (rooms with kitchens) are $199-$400; one-bedroom suites without kitchens are $299-$500; one-bedroom suites with kitchens are $315-$650.
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Have you ever actually traveled with kids? It doesn’t seem like it by the tone of this article.
Hello Dr Ramesh,
If both legal guardians or birth parents of the child are traveling with the child, you will not need any other documentation, except everyone’s visas and passports. Check with your employer about medical insurance. If they will not provide medical coverage overseas, you can inquire with your U.S. based insurance company about what they provide. Some travel insurance companies sell one-year policies to cover students studying overseas and that might be another option. Safe Travels!
Sir, we both are going Europe with work visa on base of permit. Taking our 3year old child with us. Any letter or medical form/ paper we need to carry with us?
A Great Family Activity and one that will bring the family back together in the future when they all grow up!!
Take a look at our adventures. https://www.youtube.com/user/00Shaddow00 . We just started doing this to bring the family together and stop wasting our time setting in front of the television. We are filming our trips to document our adventures to remember and to share with family and friends. Maybe to motivate others to get out there with there family.
good article..
thanks for sharing the wonderful and informative details. Love this blog post. Next month coming to san francisco and looking for best hotel.
Dubai is such a nice place to stay and famous for its wonderful sightseeing’s attractions. The best trip is Dubai sightseeing’s tour and desert safari in Dubai. We had great time couple of years ago.
Everything is very open with a precise clarification of the challenges. It was really informative. Your site is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing
Let me add http://www.babyquip.com to the list.
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YAY THAT’S MY TWIN! So proud of you Tali!
Your blog helped me to plan my family trip to Bangkok and Pattaya. Just made a video blog out if it, https://youtu.be/tok17yOR1W8 please watch ang give feedback.
Ranch Vacation with family is a real fun. Here we spent quality time with each other. Truly said, we eat a lot and on-time as well. Riding is also a fun in ranch vacation, Created a perfect picture.
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We have actually done the ATV tour in Cozumel Mexico, and had an amazing time. We booked with Cozumel Cruise Excursions. Net which is a family business and we had an amazing time. Theres nothing better than going to another country and getting great customer service and amazing people as guides. I would highly recommend checking them out next time your in Cozumel http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.net
This sounds like so much fun! From the haunted houses to the different drinks offered. I didn’t know HHN was such a major part for Universal Orlando. Good to know! Thanks for the article!
Hello Annetta,
Yes, one Permission to Travel or Consent Letter can list more than one child on it, if the contact information for the legal guardians/birth parents is the same.
Safe travels!
Can I use one concept form to apply for two sibling from the same father
Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table,but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all of these suggestions.
Chicago is a wonderful place to visit.
Excellent very nice! No doubt Dubai is very famous for more activities but desert safari is very unique activity.i love this one…
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Thanks, recommendation cheap hotels is very useful for the preparation of our vacation that will not be soon. Really nice!
Nice article
Nice Travel Tips…
It’s amazing. I hope i can visit it soon T.T
Beautiful article
Our family of 3 adults booked a tour with Kalka Travels in April 2018. Our tour included transportation and accommodation in Delhi, Pushkar, Udaipur, Bundi, Jaipur and Agra. We then caught an overnight train to Varanasi where we met up with a third party contracted by Kalka Travel. Overall we were very happy with the tour company as they delivered on what we had pre-arranged with them. We upgraded our vehicle to a SUV rather than just a sedan, and added an elephant ride to Agra Fort, tickets to traditional dance show in Udaipur, a movie at the Raj Mandir theatre in Jaipur as well as water was supplied each day to us. All breakfasts were included. Our driver Ravinder was exceptional in that he was always on time and patient with us sometimes being late; the vehicle was always cleaned that morning and comfortable. He was highly attentive to our needs, very reliable, polite, and humorous, and told us what to expect at each stop. We always felt very safe with him as he was an excellent driver. His English was good in that we were able to ask many questions of him. Kalka Travels was flexible with our itinerary and our driver stopped at a few places that were not on our list of stops, unlike the other company we had considered booking who told us the drivers could not be flexible.Our wonderful driver, Ravinder, made our trip very special. Kalka Travels also only asked for a $100 deposit in advance and the remainder when we arrived in India, which put us at ease. Bobby Thakur was very quick to respond to any concerns we had. All in all, a wonderful vacation and experience with Kalka Travels.
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Great article & very practical. Thanks for all the tips – I’ll be thinking about them for a while as we work on our website redesign.
Great vacation ideas and post too..!!!
There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well.
We are completely in accord with these ‘not to miss 5 experiences in Dubai.’ We experienced them on a family trip last year. The one thing we missed out was the charter yacht. Now we have taken it as a priority for our next trip after reading your post.
Look like you had a great adventure trip. The ship looks awesome.
Dubai is amazing. I really enjoyed reading your article! 🙂
I just found a website that lists apple festivals all over the country! So you can find something in your area. They all seem a little bit different, which is fun. http://pickyourown.org/applefestivals.php
St john is more quite than other Caribbean islands. St John accessible only by ferry from the other U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John is a true gem in the Caribbean with crystal clear waters, lush green mountains and gorgeous white sand beaches. Though it is the smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John’s unspoiled beauty is perhaps the greatest found anywhere in the Caribbean.
Rajasthan is one of the most vibrant and colorful states in India with its rich culture and traditions since ancient times. It is known as the land of warriors and beautiful princess who even chose to die for saving their chastity and had a great affinity with their motherland. Whether it is the cuisine or the dress sense everything is unique about Rajasthan’s culture. There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. The famous sites are described in this blog which is good for the history lovers and for those people who want to explore more about the diversity of Rajasthan.
Being in the city of Royal Tents in Jaisalmer of moving sand ridges, you can’t get away from the seat travel. A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon. Absolutely, the additional time you give on your safari, the more remote spots you are probably going to see and the more you may acclimate to and appreciate the abandon serenity.
I am going to Dubai next month thanks for sharing this information will come in handy
Nice post…
Thank you so much for sharing a great information. I appreciate your time and effort in your work. Keep posting.
Thanks, for posting such and Informatic blog. I had been to Amer Fort in Jaipur and it was an amazing experience.
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A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon.
I think that is a wonderful experience at Dubai. I’ve been to Dubai and it’s pretty