San Diego is the quintessential Californian beach city with its natural harbour, rocky inlets and miles of sandy beaches. Not to mention its restaurants, fashionable shops and colourful sights. From first-class watersports and fabulous museums to SeaWorld and the trendy Gaslamp Quarter- the city offers anything you would want from a world class vacation destination.

Well known for being 'the place California began', San Diego, which borders Mexico to the South, has a varied and interesting history. In 1542 Juan Rodréguez Cabrillo landed in San Diego Bay and discovered the territory now known as California. San Diego got its name 60 years later, when Sebastian Vizcaíno named the bay after the Spanish Saint San Diego de Alcalá. The city of San Diego, founded in 1769, only came under American rule in 1846, after being part of Mexico for many years. This unique heritage is apparent in the culture, history and population of the modern city, which blends Mexican as it is American.

A trip to San Diego can be as varied and involved as you choose. There is so much to do you will struggle to fit it all in no matter how long you stay. Choosing a hotel is easy - the Hilton San Diego Resort boasts a dream location offering 357 impeccably appointed guest rooms and suites on 18 acres of lushly landscaped waterfront. Enjoy Villa di Lusso, meaning House of Luxury, a state-of-the-art full service spa and fitness center or the private dock complete with catamarans, wind-surfers, wave runners, sailboats and more. The Resort is conveniently located just 10 minutes from SeaWorld aquatic theme park, the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Old Town Historical Park and Downtown San Diego.

The cultural and historical heart of San Diego is Balboa Park - in fact it is one of the largest urban cultural parks in America with an abundance of museums, theatres, gardens, biking trails and restaurants. Live performers show off their skills on every corner, and the world-renowned San Diego Zoo occupies over a quarter of the area. Aquatic life is also big business in San Diego. At Sea World come face to face with dolphins, whales and sea otters, as well as polar bears and penguins.

If animals don't float your boat, try the historic Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown, which originally housed San Diego's most profitable saloons, gambling joints and bordellos. It is made up of 16 blocks of Victorian buildings dating from between 1880 and 1910, and is designated a National Historic District. A favorite haunt of diners, partygoers and tourists, the area is bustling with trendy restaurants, fabulous shops, antique stores and cool bars. Old-fashioned wrought iron lamps give the area a traditional flavor, lighting up the sidewalk cafés and brick walkways at night.

Take in a baseball game at Downtown's spectacular PetCo Park, home of the San Diego Padres. Or shop at Horton Plaza, a modern shopping and entertainment center with a variety of shops and restaurants. And around the corner is the Embarcadero, San Diego's original with the Maritime & Midway Museum.

San Diego doesn't end Downtown. Old Town - the first civilian Spanish settlement in California - is also well worth a visit. Located on Presidio Hill overlooking San Diego River, Old Town will take you back to the early days of the city with its restored Mexican and American houses and traditional workshops. Don't miss the Old Town Trolley Tours showing you San Diego and the fabulous garden city of Coronado. The infamous wooden Hotel Del Coronado, with its long and fascinating history, was famously used as the setting of the classic movie 'Some Like it Hot', and is the perfect spot for an indulgent lunch.

If you feel like visiting a different part of town, La Jolla is the ideal suburb to find some unique boutiques, restaurants and art galleries, the rugged coastline with coves and fabulous beaches with outstanding surfing.

Located in the heart of San Diego are Fashion and Mission Valley Malls, a shopper's paradise with world-class boutiques and department stores. San Diego has enough to keep you entertained for weeks, but if you do want to venture further out, the Mexican frontier town of Tijuana is only 25 minutes away by car, and is a great day trip. And then of course there is Los Angeles, San Francisco and Highway One in one direction and the deserts of Nevada and Las Vegas in the other - you definitely won't have trouble finding something to keep you entertained.