A Perfect Day in Pacific Beach: All the Best Things to do in Pacific Beach San Diego

If you’re looking for the perfect beach day in San Diego, the Pacific Terrace Hotel is where the fun begins! Once you get settled into your luxury suite at our Pacific Beach hotel, it’s time to relax and enjoy everything our waterfront setting has to offer. Lounge poolside for happy hour at our Pacific Beach waterfront bar and indulge in fruity poolside sips or delicious, coastal bites while you take in the amazing scenery of our beautiful Pacific coastline.

The Pacific Terrace Hotel is the best place to be near all the exciting Pacific Beach activities, and we just cannot imagine a more perfect place to spend a day and evening by the water in San Diego. Are you ready for the perfect beach day in SoCal? We’re ready to help you make it happen!

Good Morning!

After a relaxing evening of dinner and drinks at the onsite Terrace Café, you will enjoy waking up to the sound of waves crashing just outside your window. Mosey over to the balcony where you can enjoy the views while you wait for your room service delivery order of breakfast, including the best mimosas in San Diego!

Get the Day Started with Exciting Pacific Beach Activities

After breakfast, head out to the beach for a morning walk! Our resort-style hotel in San Diego is located in the Pacific Beach neighborhood and is always buzzing with excitement! Enjoy a leisurely stroll or bike ride along the boardwalk and explore our amazing beachfront community and all that it has to offer, including nearby attractions like Belmont Park and SeaWorld! Our hotel guests are welcome to stop by the Front Desk during their stay to take advantage of complimentary two-hour bike rides to explore the neighborhood.

The PB Boardwalk and nearby Garnet Avenue are home to some of the best spots to shop, dine, and sip your way through the day. One must-visit is Pangea Outpost — a sprawling gift shop filled with treasures from around the world. It’s the kind of place you can happily get lost in, and the perfect stop for finding one-of-a-kind souvenirs for your friends and fam. From stylish boutiques to lively restaurants and bars, Pacific Beach offers endless things to do, just steps from your suite at Pacific Terrace Hotel.

In fact, this seems like a great time to learn to surf! Who’s ready to catch a wave?

Hang 10 at Pacific Beach in San Diego

Tourmaline Surfing Park and Crystal Pier, located right in front of our hotel, are two of the best spots to catch a wave in Pacific Beach. Now is the perfect time to get out on the water and learn to surf in San Diego, so sign up for a morning lesson at one of the best surf schools in San Diego. Whether you know your way around a surfboard or this is your first attempt, you are sure to have an amazing adventure with the San Diego Surfing School instructors and team. Everything is included from the surfboard to the wetsuit, so you will have fun and learn a new skill with a private surf lesson or group surf lessons during your vacation at the Pacific Terrace Hotel in San Diego.

Eat Local Tacos! (YUM!)

After working up an appetite learning to surf in the Pacific Ocean, it is time to treat yourself to a well-deserved taco (or 6) with a Taco Crawl at our favorite Mexican restaurants in San Diego. And…lucky you…they are all within walking distance from Pacific Beach and your hotel! Start at Oscar’s Mexican Seafood for the Grilled Shrimp or Surf-n-Turf Tacos. Then head over to City Tacos where you must get the Caribbean Salmon or Pescado Tacos, and finish your San Diego Taco Crawl at Taco Surf PB, where you will love the Fried Fish or Grilled Snapper Tacos!

Sunset Happy Hour at a Rooftop Bar Pacific Beach Style

After a great day of exploring Pacific Beach, learning to surf, and devouring a traditional taco lunch, it’s time for some downtime at an amazing rooftop bar Pacific Beach locals and visitors love to visit. Unwind and enjoy a West coast sunset at one of these popular happy hour Pacific Beach establishments, including the best rooftop bar Pacific Beach has to offer! Cannonball at Belmont Park is always a fun place to watch the sunset and sip on craft cocktails at San Diego’s largest oceanfront rooftop bar.

Another local fave, Waterbar is located along the ocean-front boardwalk in Pacific Beach and offers innovative libations, panoramic views, and live entertainment. George’s at the Cove, an iconic San Diego restaurant known for the best ocean view dining and sunset views, is always at the top of the list. Fun with friends or a great romantic spot, George’s rooftop bar Pacific Beach is the place to be for sunset views and happy hour Pacific Beach style.

Enjoy Resort-Style Amenities at Your Oceanfront Hotel

After the perfect day of exciting activities at Pacific Beach, it’s time to relax and enjoy the onsite resort-style amenities back at your oceanfront hotel! Grab a cocktail and a delicious dinner at the Terrace Café and spend the evening being entertained! Guests of the Pacific Terrace Hotel can enjoy the amazing Lee Ann at our Fire Dance Fridays. You will not want to miss this captivating sunset performance and the amazing art of fire dancing with an enchanting display of grace, strength, and elemental beauty as it lights up our pool deck against the stunning backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. The weekly show starts at sunset each Friday and will feature two performances each evening.

The Perfect Day in Pacific Beach Ends with a Stay in the Perfect Suite at the Pacific Terrace Hotel

The team at the Pacific Terrace Hotel in San Diego invites you to spend the perfect beach day with us at our Pacific Beach Hotel. Not only do we offer the best waterfront location, but our onsite resort-style amenities and superior location near all the best things to do in Pacific Beach, makes it the ideal choice for your San Diego escape.

Make your reservation today to spend some time in the California sunshine, enjoying one of our local beaches, restaurants, and onsite entertainment here at the Pacific Terrace Hotel in San Diego.

Dive Into San Diego: Snorkeling & Scuba Hot Spots for Summer 2025

If you enjoy spending time in the water snorkeling and scuba diving, plan an underwater adventure in SoCal, where you can enjoy these popular San Diego activities in all the area’s hot spots.

If you love to explore the city of San Diego, just wait until you discover the vibrant underwater world waiting for you! Whether you are an experienced scuba diver or want to learn during your San Diego vacation, you will be impressed with the San Diego activities and hot spot diving locations available near your suite here at The Pacific Terrace Hotel.

Get ready for the underwater adventure you have been dreaming of with these popular scuba and snorkeling locations in San Diego. Bring your own equipment or let our Pacific Terrace Hotel concierge help you with all the details and arrange for you to rent the snorkeling and scuba equipment you will need for the experience!

Wreck Alley (4 Miles From Hotel)

One of the most interesting things to do in San Diego during your stay at The Pacific Beach Hotel is to visit Wreck Alley, located between La Jolla and Point Loma. The shipwreck site and artificial reef known as Wreck Alley sit a few miles off the coast of Mission Beach and are home to eight ships and other structures for divers to explore. This is a true scuba diving and snorkeling mecca and features the HCMS Yukon, a Canadian destroyer, and the Ruby E, a 165-foot Coast Guard cutter. The shipwrecks offer large entry and exit holes that are easy to maneuver and are great for experienced wreck divers. In addition, they offer lots of great exterior options to explore for those just learning to scuba dive or want to snorkel around the shipwrecks.

La Jolla Cove (4.7 Miles From Hotel)

A colorful underwater paradise waits for divers and snorkelers at La Jolla Cove to explore. One of the most popular activities in San Diego, La Jolla Cove is a true diving paradise. Follow the steps that lead straight out into the ocean to find crystal-clear water perfect for snorkeling and diving. You will also experience the sea lions lounging on the nearby rocks or swimming playfully along the shore. La Jolla Cove is a great place for a coastal adventure in San Diego.

Turtle Town (4.8 Miles From Hotel)

Divers and snorkelers should put Turtle Town at the top of their list of things to do in San Diego, as this is one of the area’s best-kept secrets! You may have to search a bit to find this hidden treasure, but it is definitely worth it! Turtle Town is located in the center of La Jolla’s marine park, which can be accessed via La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Shores, or the Marine Room. Turtle Town is a great spot for watching sea turtles glide through the water, and it is also one of the most popular snorkeling hot spots due to the shallow ocean depth.

Marine Room Beach (4.8 Miles From Hotel)

Marine Room Beach is filled with fun summertime San Diego activities for those who enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving. This lively area is perfect for beginners as well as experienced divers and snorkelers, and is located right by the Marine Room Restaurant, which is how this popular beach got its name! The water here offers a rich ecosystem of sea life with locals such as spotted leopard sharks, spiny lobsters, sea turtles, and friendly calico bass that love to hang out in these shallow waters.

Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve (5.8 Miles From Hotel)

Home to unique kelp forests, several shipwrecks, and a gorgeous underwater canyon, Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve is a diver’s dream with over 6,000-acres of seemingly endless underwater magic. Matlahuayl is home to a variety of species of marine life, including seals, sea lions, clams, and horn sharks and is a unique place to visit and explore during your vacation in San Diego.

Point Loma (9.3 Miles From Hotel)

Due to its colder water temperature and ocean exposure, Point Loma offers a unique underwater landscape and a larger marine life population than nearby beaches. The water is deep, and divers can explore between 45 and 120 feet beneath the surface. In fact, a dive torch might be necessary to help with visibility in the deep, thick kelp waters. Look for kelp forests, bass, treefish, kelpfish, and Garibaldi, as well as lobsters, moray eels, and sea sponges along the ocean floor.

Plan Your Scuba Diving and Snorkeling Trip to San Diego

If you’re looking for an unforgettable underwater adventure, spend the weekend enjoying some of the most popular San Diego activities on and under the water – snorkeling and scuba diving!

With some of the best underwater hot spots just minutes from your suite at The Pacific Terrace Hotel, you won’t find a better San Diego hotel for your scuba and snorkeling adventure!

In addition to the amazing San Diego scaba and snorkeling experience, you’ll enjoy your stay at The Pacific Terrace Hotel, where you’ll be treated to beachfront resort-style amenities including an outdoor pool and hot tub with views of the ocean, onsite café, direct beach access, complimentary bike rentals, massage therapy services, fitness center, and more!

Book your stay at the Pacific Terrace Hotel and let our concierge help you plan the perfect day on the water - snorkeling and scuba diving in San Diego.