A Night to Remember at the San Diego Marriott

There's plenty of well documented ways of spending an unforgettable vacations in San Diego, especially in the bowels of the lets-all-go-wild hotels in the Gaslamp Quarter. Only problem is that you wake up in bed teh next morning with someone you 'think' you've seen somewhere before, and you remember the wild evening, but not the wild night that follows after all the margaritas kick in.

Not trashing San Diego, just making the point that there's a difference between evening and night, at least when you're inside one of the hotels in San Diego. And one hotel which is focused more on offering wine and romance, as opposed to hard liquor, wild parties and mindless passion, is the San Diego Marriott. And to that end, they're offering a package special which they call "San Diego Is a Magical Place to Spend A Night to Remember!"

Ok, so their marketing people need a little training on how to come up with catchy tag lines, but the package is the real deal. So take a look at it. Includes 1 night's stay, split of champagne with chocolate-covered strawberries - (must be 21 years old - ID must be shown at check-in), complimentary valet parking ($30 value), $50 food & beverage credit ($50 value) to be used at Soleil @ k, Altitude SkyBar, or room service, front-of-the-line access to Altitude Sky Bar, and a movie of your choice (up to $16 value).

Rates from $299. Use promo code LPR. More details and online booking here, or call or call 1-800-228-9290.

As for the hotel itself, well, it's located in the Gaslamp Quarter, adjacent to PETCO Park and 2 blocks to the San Diego Convention Center. They don't have a pool or jacuzzi, but there is a fitness center and a full service business center. Additional hotel facilities and amenities include coffee in the lobby, concierge desk, valet dry-cleaning, a gift shop, ATM machine and so on.

On-site dining facilities include the Soleil @k Restaurant, and the Latitude Lounge, in addition to afore mentioned Altitude Sky Lounge, which is a kind of a hot place to hang out at. Of course, considering the location of the place, finding good restaurants for any and all types of cuisine is not really an issue.

To sum it up, I wouldn't put the San Diego Marriott on my top 10 list of romantic getaways, but if you want to combine an urban holiday in San Diego with a candlelight dinner in the evening and some romancing to go, and that too on a budget, then no better place than the Marriott.

Info: 660 K Street San Diego CA 92101; (619) 696-0234; Website