Oceanside

Oceanside, California, is exactly that—a beachfront city in the most northern coastal part of San Diego County. It’s a little removed from main tourist attractions like the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla, and Downtown, so hotels tend to be a little lower priced. But nowadays, you can spend an entire beach vacation in Oceanside without leaving.

Getting to Oceanside

The really good news is that getting to Oceanside is easy. The train station is walkable to several of my favorite Oceanside hotels.

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train from Orange County, Los Angeles, and beyond stops here. You can also take the Coaster Commuter Rail from here to Downtown San Diego and various fun stops along the way.

This means it’s pretty easy to stay in Oceanside without a car once you get there.

Oceanside Hotels to Consider

A few of the hotels that we book the most in San Diego County are located in Oceanside. These are The Seabird Ocean Resort and Mission Pacific Hotel, both Hyatts that we have VIP amenities.

They’re located across Mission Avenue from the beach. What’s neat is that since they are sister properties, when you stay at one, you can use the facilities at the other.

But then there are great boutique hotels like The Fin and The Green Room.

Places to Eat

What tends to surprise our clients is how many great restaurants are located in the beach area. You can have Michelin-star Contemporary Mexican at Valle, a slice of pie served inside the actual Top Gun house, or even fantastic Southeast Asia at Dija Mara. Not to mention the many casual breakfast spots, breweries, and taco joints.

Fun Activities in Oceanside

The most popular thing to do in Oceanside is to go to the beach. The beach north and south of the pier is pretty awesome. There’s a seaside boardwalk that residents and visitors use for running, walking and bike rides (rentals are available near the pier).

Outside of this, there are two fantastic museums: California Surf Museum and Oceanside Museum of Art. You can see one of the California Missions, San Luis Rey, take whale watching tours, go fishing, golf and much more in this San Diego beach community.