IAF
ABOUT SAN DIEGO

The Summer Institute will take place in beautiful, sunny San Diego, California. Founded in 1769, San Diego is one of California’s oldest and most established cities and is located 100 miles south of Los Angeles and 20 miles north of Tijuana, Mexico, offering a culturally diverse and vibrant community for inhabitants and visitors alike. Nicknamed America’s Finest City, San Diego offers gorgeous weather, beautiful beaches, and a variety of daily and nightly activities sure to keep any visitor busy. From hiking at Mission Trails and enjoying the State Beaches to fine dining and dancing in the historic Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego has something for everyone.










LODGING

Resort Kona Kai

Lodging for mentees will be at the Kona Kai Resort and Spa. Beautifully located at the very tip of Shelter Island, CA, and offering magnificent garden, marina and bay views, Kona Kai Resort and Spa is a year round waterfront resort designed with a tropical island ambiance. Relax and enjoy the serenity of peaceful waterfront views at the friendly full-service San Diego harbor view hotel, surrounded by eleven acres of lush tropical gardens. For decades an exclusive resort for dignitaries and film celebrities, Kona Kai Resort and Spa is an elegant and relaxing beachfront hotel retreat in San Diego, CA. The San Diego waterfront hotel offers 129 island style accommodations each offering a relaxing island décor and luxurious amenities to make you feel right at home. Each Kona Kai guestroom offers a magnificent view of the gardens, marina, sailboats or waterways. Breakfast for mentees will be provided at the Kona Kai. The Kona Kai Restaurant serves California fresh cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll experience fine dining in San Diego with a tropical flair and spectacular waterfront views. The hotel features complimentary shuttle service from the San Diego airport. The hotel is within minutes of Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. Golfing, shopping, fishing and other waterfront sports are conveniently close to our beachfront San Diego resort. In the summer (July 2011) experience the weekend "Movies on the Lawn" or Authentic Hawaiian Luaus. Click here to see what was written about the Luaus in the San Diego Union Tribune. Modern and convenient amenities at the Kona Kai Resort and Spa include complimentary WIFI throughout our waterfront hotel in San Diego, CA, an expansive pool area with whirlpool, a full service Fitness Club, a sunning beach with volleyball courts on the sand, bicycle rentals and jogging paths. After a day of visiting San Diego attractions, soothe and renew your senses with one of Kona Kai’s exceptional spa services. Kona Kai Resort and Spa is the perfect relaxing oasis after taking advantage of all that San Diego and Southern California has to offer. Shelter Island, CA, is scenic and peaceful, allowing easy central access to the many nearby attractions and events.
SAN DIEGO HIGHLIGHTS:

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is the nation's largest urban cultural park. Home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens, and the San Diego Zoo, the Park has an ever-changing calendar of museum exhibitions, plays, musicals, concerts, and classes—all in the beautiful and timeless setting of this must-see San Diego attraction.

Beaches

Pristine, warm, and sandy beaches await you! Swimming, sand sports, and relaxation are just a hop, skip, and jump away from almost any place within San Diego. Choose from over 15 beaches, each offering a unique array of activities.

Coronado, California

Home to the famous Hotel Del Coronado (used to film the 1959 hit, Some Like it Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemon), Coronado is a quaint, all-American village, complete with mom-and-pop shops, parades, and picnics in the park just across the bay from downtown San Diego. Coronado's flat, white sand beach has family-friendly surf and postcard sunsets framed by the picturesque silhouette of the Point Loma headland. Coronado Beach is consistently rated one of the best beaches in the world. In addition to the beaches, there is the bayside district with breathtaking views of the San Diego skyline and bustling water sport activity.

Historic Gaslamp Quarter

The Gaslamp Quarter has successfully transformed from a port city in the 19th and early 20th century into a premier, modern shopping, dining, and entertainment district. With 200+ restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and lounges, and countless boutiques, art galleries, and shops to peruse, the Gaslamp has established itself both as the playground of hip, eclectic San Diegans and as an elite urban destination.

LEGOLAND - California

LEGOLAND California is a 128-acre park located in Carlsbad, CA. With over 50 family rides, "hands-on" attractions and shows, LEGOLAND California provides education, adventure, and fun in this first park of its kind in the United States. And for those adult LEGO-lovers, LEGOLAND has more than 15,000 LEGO® models in the Park created from more than 35 million LEGO® bricks. These models range from a Brontosaurus made of 2 million+ LEGOs to a tiny rabbit made of just four bricks.

San Diego Zoo

The 100-acre Zoo is home to over 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies, and a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. It is located just north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park.

Safari Park

The Safari Park is an expansive wildlife sanctuary that is home to more than 3,500 animals representing more than 400 species. Its renowned botanical collection represents 3,500 species and 1.5 million specimens. Over half of the Park’s 1,800 acres have been set aside as protected native specie habitat. It is located 30 miles north of downtown San Diego in the San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, CA.

Seaport Village

Seaport Village of San Diego is a 14 acre waterfront shopping, dining, and entertainment complex recreating a harbor side setting of a century ago that includes 54 one of a kind shops, 13 casual dining eateries, and 4 fine dining waterfront restaurants.

Seaport Village is conveniently located in the heart of downtown San Diego adjacent to Embarcadero Park North. Its boardwalk connects with the Convention Center, Marriott Hotel & Marina, Manchester Grand Hyatt, and Midway Museum.

SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld San Diego is an animal theme park, oceanarium, and marine mammal park playing host to various animal exhibits, up close animal interactions, shows, and amusement rides. Their newest show, Cirque de la Mer, is something you’ve never seen before with electrifying performances on water combining mysterious creatures, acrobatics, music, and special effects.