My family vacationed in Coronado and Carlsbad, California last week.  The San Diego area seemed less congested than I expected it to be and with perfect weather, this 5 1/2 hour drive from Tucson was well worth the trip. Coronado home prices are still quite high and I can see why. What a great place to live with bic paths, pristine beaches, restaurants and shopping you can walk or bic to.  We opted to stay at the Marriott and all was fine although we did find the service was not exceptional and I thought the landscaping and exterior rather stark and bland.  We also travelled 45 miles north to Carlsbad and found the Hilton Garden Inn the perfect spot for us–it was right across the street from the locals’ favorite beach. We enjoyed the shopping at night and there is a very good Discount Mall minutes away from our hotel.  Carlsbad is the home to Legoland; we did not visit it since our daughter is almost 12 and seemed too old to enjoy most of it.  We did visit the San Diego Zoo and loved seeing the Mother and Baby Panda Bears, the Polar Bears and the Koala Bears.  We did not take the Zoo tram or the bus and much of the walking was uphill, but it really was not too bad. Another day trip took us to LaJolla; this ideal town reminded me of Cannes, France. We loved our lunch on the top deck of Georges on the Cove overlooking the gorgeous LaJolla Beach.  We are lucky that Tucson has great places to visit less than a one day car trip away.