San Diego is known for its not-so-urban attractions—its famous zoo, theme parks and the beach—but staying downtown can give you good access to all of them (especially the Zoo and Balboa Park’s musuems). The bonus? San Diego's downtown hotels tend to offer very competitive rates compared to many of the city’s outlying areas.

A great example is the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the city's tallest hotel at 40 stories high, which offers great bay views. The hotel has a pool, firepits, tennis and a spa, and is walking distance from the city’s lively Gaslamp Quarter,  the New Children's Museum, Petco Park (home of the Padres) and city trolleys that can take you to Old Town. For the rest of this year, the hotel is offering  a Stay More Save More promotion: Stay three nights and save 30% off your rate. Added perks: Kids 12 and under eat breakfast free at the hotel’s Lael’s restaurant, and dogs stay free. 

When we checked some August dates, we found a very reasonable rate of $139 a night for a room with two doubles, down from the regular rate of $199 a night, which translates to a tidy 30% savings. More good news: You can upgrade to a view room for just $25 more a night. On summer evenings, that view may include the nightly fireworks over SeaWorld.

The promo will run through December 31 with, as always, some blackout dates. Three nights is both the minimum and maximum stay for the promo, and you must pre-pay this non-refundable rate. When booking online, use promo code SUN, or ask for it when calling 800/492-8804.