insideKENT Magazine Issue 82 - January 2019 | Page 107

Old Town San Diego & Cafe Coyote LEGOLAND ® California Resort USS Midway Museum
No visit to San Diego would be complete without a visit
to Old Town. We stepped back in time wandering through
the restored historic buildings and learned how San Diego
was transformed from a Mexican pueblo to an American
settlement. We finished our evening with traditional
Mexican fayre eaten to the sounds of the resident strolling
Mariachi band at Café Coyote. With queues of hungry
diners stretching around the block, keen to sample the
hand-tossed tortillas, bursting burritos, spicy quesadillas
and over 100 tequilas, it was easy to see why this little
gem has been voted Best Mexican Restaurant for the past
decade. We highly recommend the carne asada burrito
with chopped steak, beans, guacamole and salsa fresca,
and the Baja-style fish tacos with cabbage and jalapenos,
washed down with an original Coyote margarita!
www.cafecoyoteoldtown.com Top pick for our four-year-old was Legoland. Just 28
miles from Mission Bay, Legoland California offered it
all: Duplo Playtown and Heartlake stables for build-your-
own fun, child-friendly thrill rides, Ninjago battle zones,
perfectly created miniature lego US cities, Star Wars
special features and the brilliant Chima waterpark with
Duplo Splash Safari for under 6s. Interspersed with shows,
character meet-and-greets, and as we visited in October,
‘Brick or Treat’ spooky Halloween treats; it was non stop
fun (in the sun!) from the moment we arrived ‘til we
followed the sunset home. Our experience was made even
better by the amazing Reserve-n-Ride scheme which can
be controlled either via the app or a tamagotchi-
esque egg that allows you to make ride reservations
from anywhere in the park, beat the queues and maximise
your time!
www.legoland.com/california/ With more museums than hours in our
trip, we opted to visit the biggest and most
awe inspiring: the USS Midway Museum.
The decommissioned aircraft carrier now
docked in San Diego is an explorer’s
wonderland of helicopters, fighter jets and
naval history. The kids (and big kids) loved
earning their pilot’s wings, navigating the
below-deck quarters, climbing aboard
aircraft and flying in special simulators
on board whilst we hummed songs from
Top Gun and tried to look cool mastering
the salute under instruction from the
volunteer veterans onboard.
www.midway.org
SAN DIEGO ZOO
OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO
To plan your
ultimate San Diego
Family Vacation visit
www.sandiego.org
14 days’ car hire from LA with
www.hertz.co.uk/p/car-hire/usa/california costs from £309.66,
based on travel in a Group B Ford Focus or similar. For further
road trip inspiration, head to the Hertz Road Trip Planner and
discover iconic and off-the-beaten track routes, downloadable maps and insider guides
www.hertz.co.uk/p/american-road-trip-planner
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