San Diego gains favor as destination for leisure and business: from urban resorts to desert oases, San Diego has a resort for all seasons.

The city of San Diego is California's most southern metropolis, but the county covers more than 4,200 square miles and attracts visitors to a diverse ecosystem that includes San Diego Bay and beaches, islands, deserts, mountains, coastal valleys and Mediterranean climate--all within about an hour's drive of downtown.

In April, San Diego was named by the Partners for Livable Communities as one America's Most Livable Communities based on the city's climate, economy, amenities and location. The American Podiatric Medical Association, called it one of the 12 best walking cities in the U.S., citing walkable places like the 12,000-acre Balboa Park and its almost 80 museums and theaters, 70 miles of coastline and 4,600-acre Mission Bay a few miles from the city's center and airport.

By car, downtown San Diego is just an hour from South Orange County, making it an attractive weekend getaway for many Southern Californians. About 40% of San Diego's visitors come from other parts of the state.

"The region is ranked No. 3 in the nation (in popularity) behind New York and Oahu," said Robert Rauch, director of the Center for Hospitality and Tourism Research at San Diego State University.

Those heading for coastal areas will stay on I-5 from Orange County south to downtown San Diego or the Mexican border, while others may approach San Diego from the inland route on I-15--a more direct approach for visitors coming from Nevada.

A generation ago, San Diego was simply a Navy and Marine enclave. The military still has a strong presence in the county, as drivers will note as they pass through the heart of the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton on their way south. But today San Diego has become a rising star among destinations in the Southland.

"It's reaching destination status," Rauch said.

San Diego keeps to its military roots at places like the Aerospace Museum and at the Navy Pier along the city's Embarcadero, where retired aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway has been turned into the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum. Though the museum only debuted in June, Visitor Bureau employees say they've been fielding calls from meeting planners about hosting events aboard the carrier for months.

"The Midway will be a hot venue," said Doug Wheeler, a La Jolla-based conference planner. "It's downtown on the water, easily accessible and is something new and different," he said.

In recent years, San Diego has become one of the most popular meetings destinations in the country, largely on the strength of a 20-year downtown redevelopment plan that is coming to fruition. The bayside San Diego Convention Center completed an expansion that doubled its size in 2001, and numerous new hotels have sprouted or expanded since then. Downtown condos have brought more people to the heart of the city, while the San Diego Trolley system carries people to the new Petco baseball park, Qualcomm Stadium, the business center of Mission Valley and east to El Cajon. It connects to an Amtrak station that takes long-distance commuters or tourists to Carlsbad in North County. If that isn't enough of a draw, the Coronado Bay Bridge, linking to that island's resorts is just a five-minute drive from the Convention Center.

In all, San Diego County has about 52,000 hotel rooms and 20 top-rated resorts, eight of them in the downtown vicinity and another five in La Jolla. It also boasts two top-rated spas and seven top-rated restaurants. Three San Diego properties--Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad; Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe and Hotel Parisi in La Jolla--are among the Top 100 Hotels in the World, according to the readers of Conde Nast Traveler

And there's more to come.

The recently opened 512-room Omni San Diego, linked to baseball's Petco Park by pedestrian bridge, sits across from the Convention Center as an anchor to the new East Village redevelopment and just a block from the popular Gaslamp Quarter for entertainment and dining. Its graceful curved facade looks out toward Coronado across the bay.

The Omni is the only hotel in the country linked directly to a major league baseball park. It also has a condo component on its top floors and a Padres Suite (in honor of the San Diego Padres) decked out in baseball memorabilia overlooking the park.

Petco itself is part Wrigley Field, part Coors Field and part just plain urban cool. It's got a grassy area just outside the centerfield fence called "Park at the Park" where game tickets are just $5. Game nights have sparked new interest in area dining and entertainment establishments and Hornblower Cruises offers a Tailgate Party Cruise on game nights from downtown's Embarcadero.

Joining the next parade of lodging development will be Conrad Spinnaker Hotel, designed in the shape of a sail and slated to open in 2006. A Hard Rock Hotel is set for the Gaslamp Quarter next year, as is Kimpton Hotels' first Southern California venture.

There are about 9,000 hotel rooms within a mile of the convention center. Average lodging rates in the county through April ranged from a low of $59 to a high of $198.

"San Diego has an advantage in its wide range of price points (at hotels) that are convenient and affordable," said Bruce Baltin, senior vice president of PKF Consulting in Los Angeles.

Just across the street from the convention center is the Victorian-style Gaslamp Quarter, the historic heart of the city that now houses about 100 restaurants, nightclubs and retail shops. One of the newest is Mister Trial's Mai Tai Lounge from Cohn Restaurant Group, featuring a Polynesian theme along with Tiki gods and masks carved by San Diego artists. The Cohn group also operates Dakota's Grill and the Gaslamp Strip Club Steak House as well as the Prado at Balboa Park.

Those venturing to the other side of the commercial district will find a growing Little Italy section with restaurants and cafes for every taste--even those with pets at the Dancing Dog, where they can get a pooch pop for the canines.

There are plans to link this new vibrant downtown with a parkway redevelopment leading to the city's Balboa Park. Home to museums, lush gardens, the San Diego Zoo and the Spreckles Organ Pavilion, it's the largest urban cultural park in the country and is a welcome oasis for locals and visitors alike. It's also favorite for off-site events staged for convention groups.

A free hour-long Balboa Park walking tour is offered every Saturday at 10 a.m.

"Balboa Park is No. 1 in San Diego for museum events," Wheeler said.

Across the Bay, Coronado Island is is another kind of oasis--one of lush resorts anchored by the historic Hotel Del Coronado, a Hollywood celebrity getaway spot in the mid-20th century. At Loews Coronado Bay, visitors can now enjoy the new Sea Spa and Spray Salon--or take a sunset gondola ride around the bay.

San Diego magazine almost routinely rates Coronado beaches as the best in the county. Places like the restaurant Coronado Boathouse 1887 serve to remind patrons of San Diego's early history.

One of the great attractions of San Diego is the proximity of many venues to the airport and the Bay. San Diego Airport Lindbergh Field is 10 minutes from downtown and about 15 minutes from La Jolla. The airport has about 600 daily flights on 18 commercial carriers. A nonstop Delta flight to New York debuts this month.

The airport adjoins Mission Bay, home to several family-style resorts and conference facilities. At Paradise Point, onsite boat docks make it easy to hunch a team-building regatta event.

Groups also can head to Sea World to experience the new Journey to Atlantis ride or the Dolphin Encounter, swimming with the friendly mammals.

A few miles up the coast is La Jolla, with its legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course. Torrey Pines State Reserve gets high marks for hiking.

La Jolla has a diverse mix of resort-style properties that include the top-rated Lodge at Torrey Pines, the Hyatt Regency La Jolla, boutique-style La Valencia and Hilton La Jolla. The newly opened Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa is set on 10 acres adjacent to Torrey Pines Golf Course and is the city's first IACC-rated conference facility. Billed as a garden oasis, it is managed by Destination Resorts & Hotels of Engelwood, Colo.

Shopping is the No. I activity for vacationers, who make up better than half of the San Diego visitor market. Some of the region's best places to browse and buy include Westfield Shoppingtown Horton Plaza and Seaport Village downtown, Fashion Valley in nearby Mission Valley and Shops at Las Americas, a plaza poised between the U.S. and Mexican borders south of San Diego. To the north, The Carlsbad Company Stores and the inland Viejas Outlet Center provide other shopping opportunities. A more eclectic shopping experience can be found at Old Town, where San Diego history and its Spanish cultural heritage come alive in historical exhibits and a lively marketplace.

In North San Diego, Carlsbad holds the center of attention on the resort scene, with the likes of the Four Seasons Aviara and La Costa, but other nearby towns are catching up fast. Del Mar, home to the Del Mar Racetrack and San Diego County Fair, also boasts a European-style retreat at L'Auberge Del Mar, where guests can enjoy spectacular sunsets from the spa or make use of the resort's jogging track.

LaCosta, meanwhile, has completed the first phase of its $50 million makeover that includes spa and fitness facilities, a new clubhouse and conference center. A new restaurant will be added in phase two.

Legoland in Carlsbad celebrates its fifth anniversary this year with five new attractions for the younger set. But it's also a popular venue for receptions set among the miniature cities and Lego rides of the park.

San Diego's inland hills and valley remain semi-rural and most areas are recovering well from last fall's wildfires.

On the west side of the mountains in Valley Center sits the Bates Nut Farm--a unique relic of the rural past, offering group tours, picnicking and a sizeable pumpkin patch in the fall.

Indian gaming has transformed inland areas of San Diego into tourist hubs. San Diego has the most Indian casinos in Southern California, with the largest at Harrah's Rincon Casino near the Bates Farm in Valley Center. But Barona Valley Ranch southeast of Poway near Lakeside also includes an 18-hole golf course, a Golf Events Center and signature steakhouse to bring it up to full resort standards. Viejas Casino on the outskirts of the southeastern town of Alpine is notable for its entertainment, according to San Diego magazine.

Southern Californians have flocked to these resorts as a closer alternative than Las Vegas for gaming. And meeting planners like them for an off-site gaming night, program or add-ons for incentive groups.

There are several major state highways that will take you to various small towns in the eastern foothills, but one of the most frequently traveled is State Route 79 that runs through Julian, a small, quaint mountain community on the way to the Anza Borrego Desert. The town was surrounded by fire last year, but its historic district remains intact. There are no major meetings properties, but it does have some delectable B&Bs, restaurants and shops and is near several wineries. It's a fine day-trip, or a stopover on your way to or from the desert.

Over the hill in the Anza Borrego desert lies the small town of Borrego Springs, where some groups like the serf-contained resort at La Casa del Zorro. This casitas-style resort is set on a 47-acre complex that includes five pools, tennis courts and a new open-air dining deck with a fireplace at one end.

"It's a long drive out there, but it's well worth it for the right groups," said Brett Jarvis, a Laguna Beach conference planner.

This year, Casa del Zorro added guided 4-wheel drive tours into the sprawling desert for wildflowers in season--or to scout out places where TV shows like the class "X Files" were filmed. There's bocci ball, croquet, outdoor chess and an executive conference center. Golf at Rams Hill is nearby.

Visitors journeying on to Palm Springs from Casa del Zorro can head south toward the Salton Sea and then join I-10 west of Indio. Those heading back to Orange County or Los Angeles might want to stop for a night or two in Temecula, just north of the San Diego County line off I-15.

Temecula was founded as a stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach route in the 19th century. Then it became known for its vineyards, which today host a variety of receptions and social events at wine tasting centers on the outskirts of town.

Today it's becoming a full-scale resort community, thanks in part to the Indian casino Pechanga on its outskirts. It also was one of the first to host an annual hot air balloon festival. Its historic downtown has been given a classic Western look and has a day's worth of antique and collectible shops to browse or search for that unique item you've never been able to find.

Just outside of downtown, Temecula Creek Inn offers conference facilities and an 18-hole golf course for leisure and meetings guests. The resort completed a renovation last year.

The tour of the Southland continues to Palm Springs via I-10.