Mission Sands

San Diego Pardes

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Cheer on the San Diego Padres in the state-of-the-art PETCO Park, located in downtown San Diego. A baseball game is always a great way to spend the day with friends and family. Choose from stadium seats or hang out and have a picnic in the grass seats. There is a little baseball diamond where kids can emulate their favorite players while the game is going on. Not to mention a wide range of food choices. Visit here for the schedule and tickets

La Jolla Cove

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Spend the day walking along La Jolla’s cliffs enjoying the spectacular views. You can see the sea lions sprawled out on the beach or check out the caves and tide pools. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get up close and personal snorkeling with the fish or kayaking around the cove. All of this and more is just minutes from your next vacation rental with Mission Sands.

Cinco de Mayo in Old Town San Diego

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Come take part in San Diego’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration. Old town is holding its 28th annual three day event. Enjoy live music, food and entertainment May 4-6th.

There is something for the whole family. Whether it is at the kid’s area and stage, riding a station wagon, exploring the museums, the two stages of live music or shopping in the specialty stores.

For the older crowd there will be beer gardens and tequila tastings, not to mention there are over 20 restaurants where you can enjoy an authentic meal!

Looking for a place to stay? Search San Diego Rentals

Click here for the: Old Town Cinco de Mayo Celebration Website

La Jolla Birch Aquarium

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The Birch Aquarium located in La Jolla is the world-renowned public exploration center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The center alone sees over 40,000+ students through its doors annually. The center is perched on a hill that overlooks the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The aquarium is truly a sight to see with more than 60 habitats of fishes and invertebrates from mainly the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest and even some from tropical waters of Mexico.

The museum showcases the research discoveries by Scripps scientists and their achievements. It is truly a must see if you have the opportunity to visit the La Jolla area. The exhibits alone are worth the entry. You can view tons of stunning colorful pacific marine life and even interact with hands on exhibits. Where you can learn more about the Earths systems and see how these discoveries are relevant to our day to day lives.

On the back of the building you will find two touch pools as well a back patio section with views of la Jolla and the ocean. Check ahead of time because the aquarium actually sponsors outdoor concerts here (extra fee usually required).

So pack you camera and move in close for some amazing aquatic photography. Below we have also included the address and link to Birch Aquarium.

Getting to the Birch Aquarium
Birch Aquarium
2300 Expedition Way
La Jolla, CA
(858) 534-3474
Birch Aquarium Website

Not quite sure where to stay? Contact Mission Sands Vacation Rentals today!

Top 5 Pacific Beach Restaurants

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Top 5 Pacific Beach Restaurants

Pacific Beach (PB) offers a lot to its fellow travelers. Beautiful weather, rhythmic waves, a young beach lifestyle, and a overwhelming array of restaurant options. I believe there is just under 200 restaurants to choose from in the PB area alone. As much as we would like to give you a thorough description and opinion on all of them we don't have that much time. (and neither do you). So thanks to local advice, eating out a lot, we have narrowed down to the best of our ability our Top 5 restaurants in Pacific Beach. For additional restaurants in the area visit yelp or urbanspoon.

1. Konos Cafe- A breakfast hotspot this restaurant on the beach will fill that morning hunger you desire. Offering a traditional American breakfast cuisine the line grows quick so be sure to get there early! Hours are 7am – 3pm daily
Location and Contact information:
Konos Cafe - 704 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109 - (858) 483-1669

2. Rockies Crown Pub- Looking for a good burger? This a must stop for lunch or dinner. Bring your appetite! Pricing is very reasonable as well with most meals at or under $10.
Location and Contact information:
3786 Ingraham St - San Diego,CA92109 - (858) 273-9140 - rockyburgers.com

3. Sushi Ota- You may know or soon will that there is not shortage of Sushi Restaurants located in PB and San Diego in general. And honestly we have many favorites. Sushi Ota is a great starting point then you can make up your own mind.
Location and Contact information:
4529 Mission Bay Dr - San Diego,CA 92109 - (858) 270-5670 - sushiota.menutoeat.com

4. Costa Brava- Spanish style restaurant offering great authentic Spanish food. Offering delicious tapas and sangria. A great option for anyone looking to get real authentic Spanish meal.
Location and Contact information:
1653 Garnet Ave - San Diego, CA 92109 - (858) 273-1218 - costabravasd.com

5. Taco Surf Taco Shop- Mexican food has a huge influence here in San Diego. Like sushi you will also find many taco stand, shops, venders all over the city. This is by far one of our favorite taco stops. Also Taco Tuesday in PB is very popular with many local restaurants off Garnet St offering great taco and drink specials.
Location and Contact information:
4657 Mission Blvd - San Diego, CA 92109 - (858) 272-3877

10 Free Activities to do In San Diego

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10 Free Activities to do In San Diego, CA

San Diego was ranked by Mensfitness.com as the number 8th fittest city in America this year. From running, hiking, surfing, or just laying on the beach the city has a lot to offer! With a majority of those being free activities. Our advice is to skip the hotel search, grab some friends and save money by renting a San Diego Vacation Rental (preferably close to the beach) and then try any of these free activities on for size.

1. Visit La Jolla Cove and see the magnificent sunset on the ocean. La Jolla Cove is one of the most spectacular natural settings in the world.

2. Take a Stroll through the 16½-block historic Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego and view the renovated turn-of-the-century Victorian architecture, home to boutiques, art galleries, specialty shops and more.

3. Visit Old Town and witness the living legacy of San Diego history. Guests are also invited to wander free through Old Town’s historic buildings, including the blacksmith shop, Seeley Stables, Stewart House, Estudillo House and the oldest schoolhouse in San Diego.

4. Take a scenic, one-hour drive to Mt. Laguna. Once there, hop out for an invigorating hike and enjoy the fresh mountain air whispering through the pines.

5. Rollerblade, skateboard or bicycle along the Mission Beach Boardwalk, a scenic 3-mile boardwalk along picturesque Mission and Pacific Beaches.

6. Gather family, friends and firewood for a cozy Beach Front fire at one of the beaches in San Diego County, including Coronado Beach, Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. There are also many vacation rental properties offered by Mission Sands Vacation Rentals with beach front access as well.

7. Explore the Tide Pools in Point Loma at low tide and get up close and personal with flowery anemones, scampering shore crabs, elusive octopus, spongy deadman's fingers and many other magnificent sea creatures.

8. Stroll through Balboa Park and marvel at its beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. While there, take advantage of the park’s variety of offerings, including 15 museums (select museums free on Tuesdays for San Diego residents), free daily park tours, public organ concerts (Sundays), and spectacular gardens (seven are free daily).

9. Go Bird Watching at the Torrey Pines State Reserve. Located high above Torrey Pines State Beach, the area is home of the rare and ancient Torrey Pine as well as a beautiful protected habitat for swifts, thrashers, woodpeckers and wrentits.

10. Visit the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista for a free tour of the 150-acre facility, including training fields and tracks, athlete dorms and the Otay Lake Reservoir. Tours are offered from the Copley Visitor Center at 11:00 am on Saturday. Self-guided tours are available daily between 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Mission Sands Announces New Website

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Mission Sands has switched to a new website platform that will be able to offer a lot more features to our vacationers and owners. Our vacationers will now be able to search for rentals by the name of the property, the the location, and by many other categories. We will also be having an updated blog of new news and events. Stay Posted!