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Welcome to the Beachfront Only Vacation Rental Blog, where you will find information regarding our San Diego Beach Rentals, San Diego attractions and restaurant guides, helpful articles, guest photos, virtual tours, reviews and upcoming events!
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Whale Watching Season in San Diego is Here!

January 7th, 2010

Just a couple weeks ago I was staying at a Beachfront Only Rental and was amazed at all of the whales migrating by as I always thought of them to be hard to spot.  It was quite a miraculous site.  I was out on the balcony watching the dozens of surfers that were out on Christmas morning, and every few minutes, I would see a group of fins glide through the water, now and then breaking the surface entirely.  Whale watching season must be here…and it is!  The season lasts from December through April, as California gray whales migrate from Alaska to Baja California.

There are several ways to experience the whales this season! If you prefer to be on land, visit Birch Aquarium at Scripps , where you can celebrate the gray whale season with educational activities and whale exhibits.  The aquarium has an outdoor tide pool which overlooks La Jolla’s shoreline and the Pacific Ocean, making for a great view point.

There is also Big Bay Whale Days, on January 23-24, San Diego’s second annual, located at the Embarcadero downtown.  Participating merchants include Hornblower Cruises, San Diego Harbor Excursion, The Fish Market and Anthony’s Fish Grotto, the USS Midway Museum and San Diego Maritime Museum.

If you prefer to get out on the water, there are plenty of excursions and expeditions to choose from.  Some companies offering day excursions: Birch Aquarium and San Diego Harbor Excursion, Hornblower Cruises, H&M Landing, La Jolla Kayak, and Sunset Sails does whale watching right in Oceanside, close to all of our Vacation Rentals.

For Special Expeditions, Birch Aquarium and H&M Landing offer 5-11 day whale watching adventures in Baja California.

Or, for some Whale Watching from your very own balcony, come stay with us at one of our Beachfront Only Vacation Rentals.  Be sure to take plenty of photos for our next photo contest!

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San Diego Restaurant Week

January 7th, 2010

Don’t miss this opportunity to try some of San Diego’s finest dining at unbeatable prices.  For just $20 to $40 per person, enjoy a 3 course meal from your choice of over 180 of San Diego’s best restaurants!

Restaurants all over San Diego are participating.  Here are a couple out of dozens located in the North County Coastal area of San Diego.

333 Pacific located in Oceanside, CA – Steaks, Seafood, Ocean view, Romantic

BlueFire Grill located in Carlsbad, CA – California, American, Outdoor Seating

Delicias in Rancho Santa Fe, CA – California, Vegetarian, Contemporary, Fine Dining

Hunter Steakhouse in Oceanside, CA – Steaks, American, Casual Dining

MARKET Restaurant + Bar in Del Mar, CA – Contemporary, American, Fine Dining

Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach, CA – French, California, Fine Dining

Twenty/20 Grill & Wine Bar in Carlsbad, CA – Mediterranean, California, Tapas

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Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl 2009 in San Diego!

December 16th, 2009

San Diego has the honor this year of hosting two Bowl games, the Holiday Bowl and the Poinsettia Bowl, both at Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers.  Why not make a vacation out of it and stay at a beachfront vacation rental?  All of our rentals are located very close to Coaster access.  Drive a mile, park your car, and take the Coaster down to the games!  Use the Trip Planner to plan your trip down to Qualcomm Stadium. Mention you are going to the Bowl game and receive a discount.

Poinsettia Bowl

Poinsettia Bowl: Utah Utes vs the California Golden Bears

Kickoff: Wednesday, December 23, 5pm on ESPN

Preceding Events:

Gaslamp March: December 21, 2009, 5th Avenue, Downtown San Diego.  School marching bands and spirit squads will be parading down 5th Avenue, all leading up to a Battle of the Bands!

Team Luncheon: December 22, 2009, USS Midway Museum.  Dine with the players and coaches on board the historic USS Midway on San Diego Bay!

Oggi’s Night: December 22, 2009, Participating Oggi’s locations.  20% of your purchase will be donated to the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl’s beneficiary – the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego.  Be sure to Bring this flyer!

VIP Tailgate: December 23, 2009, Qualcomm Stadium, Section F-1.  Unlimited food, beer, wine, open to public, all-ages welcome!

Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs Nebraska

Kickoff: Wednesday, December 30th, 5pm on ESPN

Preceding Events:

Luncheon: December 29, 2009, San Diego Convention Center. Players, coaches, and fans will gather to enjoy an afternoon of marching bands, sports highlights, and dining.

Breakfast: December 30, 2009, Hornblower Inspiration.  Breakfast aboard the Hornblower and spectacular views of “America’s Largest Balloon Parade”!

5K: December 30, 2009, Harbor Drive and Ash Street.  15th annual Bumble Bee 5k Run.  Athletes will run past 100,000 spectators.

Parade :D ecember 30, 2009, Harbor Drive, San Diego.  “America’s Largest Balloon Parade” at the Port of San Diego.

Endzoners :D ecember 30, 2009, Qualcomm Stadium, Section J-5.  Tailgate party with pre-game entertainment, food, and fun.

Tailgate :D ecember 30, 2009, Qualcomm Stadium, Section F-1.  Food, beer, wine, open to public, all ages welcome!

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Oceanside Special Events and Local Attractions

December 16th, 2009

Whether you are a local or staying in one of our beachfront vacation rentals in beautiful Oceanside, CA, experience all this town has to offer by checking out a few of these upcoming local events, or seeing one of the many attractions.

Community Christmas Festival: December 19th from 10am to 3pm at the parking lot @ Seagaze and Ditmar.  Perfect for the kids! Tons of activities such as face painting, bounce houses, pony rides, crafts, and giveaways!

Surf Contests

Freedom Surf Series: December 19 from 7am to 4pm, at the South Jetty Harbor Beach.  Anti-drug surf contest

San Diego Surf Series: December 20 from 7am to 5pm at the South Jetty Harbor.  Surf contest for all ages.

NSSA Open Season: January 16-17, 7am to 5pm at the North Pier Beach.

Ongoing

Sunshine Brooks Theater: Historic forum for original plays, music and art.  Located at 217 North Coast Hwy.

California Surf Museum: Exhibits feature boards, photos, memorabilia, and everything surfing! 223 North Coast Hwy.

Heritage Park Village Museum and Tours: Centers around an idyllic main street housing many of Oceanside’s original buildings and period furnishings.  220 Peyri Drive.

Oceanside Historical Museum: Thurs-Sat, 10am to 2pm.  Oceanside’s history preserved and shared.  Tours available.  305 North Nevada Street (Fire Station #1)

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia: North County’s historic landmark, King of the Missions, established in 1798.  4050 Mission Aveneu.

Oceanside Morning Farmers’ Market: Every Thursday, 9am to 1pm. Fresh produce, flowers, seafood, and natural food products.  Pier View Way (between North Coast Hwy and Ditmar St.)

Sunset Market: Every Thursday, 4pm to 8pm Jan-Mar, 5pm to 9pm Apr-Dec.  Fresh produce, flowers, seafood, natural food products, Unique craft vendors, entertainment, and children area.  Pier View Way (between Cleveland St. and North Coast Hwy), AND Tremont St. (between Mission Ave and Civic Center Dr.)

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***PHOTO CONTEST WINNER***

November 6th, 2009

We have picked a winner for our photo contest! Congratulations to Cheryl & Dan Haag for the winning photo.  We choose this photo because it is a candid moment that embodies everything about a beach vacation and what Beachfront Only stands for – letting loose on the beach!  And it doesn’t hurt that our property is nicely displayed in the background of the photo (the furthest one on the right)! We received several submissions of these little girls from different members of the party, and we hope they can all visit for a three day beach getaway on us!

Cheryl-Dan-Haag-4

This was our second trip with our 3 kids, their spouses and grandkids (6 grandkids, the oldest is 4 years old!). We have already booked for next summer. - Cheryl & Dan Haag

Click here to see all of the entries and view our favorites that we choose the winner from!

Stay tuned for our next contest and keep snapping those photographs!

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Annual Photo Contest – Win a Beachfront Getaway!!

October 14th, 2009

3rd Annual Photo Contest! Submit your photos to us and win a three night stay in one of our luxury beachfront vacation rentals! This year we’re letting the winner choose the dates of stay – enter your photos today!

You may submit any photo that was taken at one of our beachfront vacation rentals.  Please do not submit photos you have previously submitted in past Beachfront Only Contests.  For more information, view the Photo Contest page.

Happy photo submitting!

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Free Photo Book from Shutterly – Rate your Trip!!

October 9th, 2009

Trip Advisor has partnered up with Shutterfly – simply rate a trip that you have taken (it can be an accommodation, attraction, restaurant, or a city/town), and you will have the opportunity to enjoy a FREE photo book from Shutterfly (a $29.99 value).  The books are professionally bound with 20 – 8×8 pages.  Just upload your photos to Shutterly and they’ll do the rest.  Hurry, the offer expires on November 8, 2009.

Rate your trip now!

If you are not a Tripadvisor.com member, sign up now!

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