The Horton Grand Hotel
A nice trip back into 1800's. The entire hotel was scheduled to be demolished in the 1970's and was sold for $1 by the City of San Diego to investors who took it apart brick by brick, labeled each piece and then reconstructed it on a different site (were it is now). It is a nice hybrid of the past and the present.
Room: November 11, 2011. We stayed in a room on the 4th floor overlooking the quaint courtyard + it had a nice view of the city rooftops. We sat on the balcony which was big enough for 2 people just above the top of the trees in the courtyard, and could hear the hustle and bustle of the gaslamp quarters in San Diego. There are two widows walks one on the right and one on the left, so it really is a trip back in time. Beware on a Friday night there are lots of sirens anywhere in the gas lamp area till the bars close. The room had a bay window, an old fashion TV, which we didn't watch anyway, since we sat on the balcony. The King size bed was nice and I slept good. The water pressure was good, and my only complaint was the shower head was installed by a 5 foot tall plumber and hit me in my belly. If the Horton people are reading this, please note you can purchase a nice shiny chrome curved show head extension that will raise the shower head by 18 inches for $25. Also, one other thing to fix, the handles on the sink don't have stops, so you have to fiddle with the handles to get the water to shut off. Maybe this is the way the faucets used to work way back in the 1800's and that is why they have those still?
Restaurants: There are 75 restaurants within easy walking distance and many storefronts are open till 9. Kiddy corner to the Horton is a nice but pricey store with beautiful handmade glass art pieces. We strolled blocks and blocks from the Horton around the gas lamp area and felt safe the entire time. After inspecting many restaurant menu's we decided to eat dinner at the Blue Point restaurant and sat outside under a very nice heater. The Blue Point is a little expensive, but I think most of the restaurants in the area are about the same price. If you go to the Blue Point at 565 Fifth Avenue ask if Abby is working and sit in her area outside under the heater.
Haunting: While we were our room on the 4th floor, I learned that room 309 is supposedly haunted, as well as the hallway outside of room 309. I found the room, which was just around the corner and down some nice antique stairs. I stood outside room 309 for a bit, but to my disappointment nothing happened. Although if something had happened I would have fallen down the next staircase.
Self guided tour: If you do stay at the Horton Grand, make sure you ride up the elevator to the left, it has a nice surprise on the 3rd and 4th floor. Also, note the fine craftsmanship inside the elevator. It must weigh a ton as it is 100% wood. Walk all around the hotel and find the grand staircase which was shipped to Europe and reconstructed for a cost of $200,000 when the hotel was reconstructed. I loved that the hotel had two exterior walkways to another old building on the 2nd and 4th floor. The Hotel is actually 2 buildings combined into one via the walkways. Also, visit the courtyard, and see the fountain, and the lighted trees. There is no pool and no hot tub, so don't bring your swimming suit. There are lots and lots of historical photos hanging on the walls near the lobby, take a look at them.
Parking: We paid $25 for parking for 1 day, then to park a few more hours past noon was another $14. They have valet parking.
Amtrak: We almost took Amtrak from L.A. area to San Diego. It would have been $23 one way from Fullerton, CA about 100 miles, and would have only taken 30 minutes more than driving. Amtrak is just over a half mile from the Horton, and if we had taken a taxi from Amtrak it would have cost less than the parking. You could also walk from Amtrak to the Horton in about 10 minutes. Next time we are going to take the train. Actually on the way back we hit a huge traffic jam that took over 1 hour to go 10 miles, so the train would have been faster on the way back, and less stressful.
Summary: I want to stay here again someday. The new modern Hilton is 3 blocks away next to the convention center, and the cost is about the same, but why would you want something so futuristic when you can have something so nicely old and quaint.
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