Hilton HHonors - Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines

I will be here for two nights later this week.. can anyone tell me whether there is a tower or concierge floor? Any history of successful upgrades? I'm Honors Gold..

It's not a tower. If I was you I would stay at the hilton on Mission Bay, much better place. The Torrey Pines one would be better if you are on business.

Well, I am on business, but am staying Fri aft and night to avoid redeye back to east coast... what makes Mission Bay better?

Svpii: The Hilton Torrey Pines is a gorgeous property. Hilton purchased it from Sheraton a year or two ago. I've not stayed there (since we live here), but did attend a wedding reception there and was very impressed. Hilton guide says "394 rooms and 17 suites", but no Towers or Concierge floors. Hotel is located about 15 minutes north of the airport, Mission Valley, and downtown. Some people consider this location a disadvantage, but depending where in San Diego your business meetings are, this may or may not be true for you. It is a few minutes away from the hustle, bustle, and action of the city itself, as well as tourist attractions like the zoo, Sea World, etc. The hotel itself is first class, and if you could get upgraded to a suite, so much the better!

Yes it is a few miles north of downtown San Diego,but it is in the HEART of the beautiful Medittarean climate part of Southern Calif! The is so fantastic like in Paradise, that it would be worth staying there just to see what comfortable days with cool nites in the middle of summer is like. As well as, the large variety of flowers, trees, bushes, ground cover, and other exotic plants, that grow around there. Then to top it off, you can go to the Birch Aquarium right in Torry Pines. Of course, you will get to see some of the most expensive real estate in the country also. Please don't tell anyone, we have too many people moving here already.
In case of emergency, Scripps Hospital and Clinic are right there also. It has to be the best location for Medical services anywhere in the country. Ocean views!
Many Many excellent restaurants of all flavors in LaJolla village and good walking and shopping.
Unfortuantely, I live 10 miles east, but get to enjoy the cool breezes off the ocean in the evenings, anyway. The garden loves it also.

[This message has been edited by ROADRUNNER (edited 07-14-2000).]

Am here now and it's great! Of course, as is my almost universal experience - no upgrade, but the room is delightful anyway..Thanks for the input!

And the end of the story, availability is scarce. Rates high.

Spvii: Glad you're enjoying it. Please post details about your experience when you return home, either in this forum or in "Trip Reports". We'd love to hear about this property, especially if it's better than other Hiltons.

This week it was:

Hilton airport SNA - awful checked out..
Doubletree Costa Mesa - terrific!
Hilton DelMar = only OK
Hilton Torrey Pines - SUPER!! Terrific room (Not an upgrade, alas).. incredibly accomodating and gracious staff.. best hilton experience in a long time... gorgeous grounds.. (and a gorgeous golf course!), outside tables outside bar beside pool overlooking fairway and the water.. I could have stayed a week in that one place! Go if you can..
Next week it's back to Dallas - stayed at Doubletree Lincoln Ctr last time - very nice, but pricey.. anyone know about the Hilton across LBJ freeway?

I'm staying at the Hilton torrey Pines in La Jolla, and wanted to know if anyone had any experiences there, suggestions, local sites, restaurants...

I visited the grounds a few years ago when it was still a Sheraton. To me the arcitecture was corporate office park with above average landscaping. I did not see any rooms, but I left without any desire to return.

Stayed there just a few months ago - the grounds are great and the room was OK - I was only Gold then - which in my opinion is worth zip in terms of room quality as a rule - and I'm sure we got the standard king room. But we had a great time 'cause we played the golf course - and that more than made up for any room mediocrity http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

A couple of questions about the La Jolla Torrey Pines:

- Assuming it has an Executive Lounge, what is the lounge like, and what are the general hours it is open?

- Has breakfast been included for HHonors Gold and Diamond members?

- What experience have you had with room upgrades as a Gold or Diamond member?

Thanks much!

It has no executive lounge. Breakfast vouchers were given for two of us. They have very few suites so don't expect much of an upgrade. The dinner restaurant was quite nice. It is a great, quiet location with fabulous walking in the Torry Pine Reserve for we non-golfers. There is a shuttle bus into the village of La Jolla, about 4 miles away.

Agree with the above, was there last weekend (March 17) Standard rooms, standard hotel, not much to get excited about. Breakfast voucher is for a continental breakfast that they DO allow you to use towards credit for your choice of breakfast. IMHO, food was just okay.

If you'll have time to just sit outside the grounds of Torrey Pines are great - or certainly if you plan to play golf there... but if it's the room experience you're after, I'd look elsewhere. The rooms are certainly not special, and I've stayed there twice as a Diamond w/ nary an upgrade.

I have read all of the reviews in all forums (including archived ones) for the various Hilton family properties in greater San Diego, California. I presently have a reservation for my wife and I for Torrey Pines from 21-27 December 2002, which is being paid for with a TEEN award (not yet issued). My first choice was the Embassy Suites in downtown San Diego, but there was no Hhonors availability.

Since this hotel has gotten some very favorable reviews from many posters and because it ordinarily takes a Premium award to stay there, I am ready to be impressed. However, neither I nor Mrs. Amanuensis golf, nor do we play tennis. We think that hiking at the adjacent state park sounds great (IS IT?) and we plan to make use of the town car service within its five mile radius and not renting a car (we are flying into the San Diego airport and taking a shuttle to the hotel.) We will not have children with us and thus are not planning on doing a lot of sightseeing -- no zoo, Legoland, etc. We just want to relax and have a romantic time.

Has anyone stayed at this hotel RECENTLY. Some prior posts indicate that they thought the property had gone downhill. Any comments? What is there to do at the hotel other than golf and tennis (which we don't do). Can bikes be rented? If so, how much? One website said you get one hour of free time, but this might have been part of a promotional package. What are the costs of doing things at the adjacent Lodge property, such as the spa there? What is the free breakfast like? How are the restaurants otherwise?

Sorry to ask so many questions. Looking forward to your responses. Thanks.

If you are looking for "romantic" I would avoid the Embassy Suites in downtown San Diego. Not romantic at all. It is your generic ES business hotel. Also, there is mucho construction across the street at the Manchester Hyatt where they are adding a new tower.

Have you considered the Doubletree Golf Resort San Diego? I know you said you do not golf, but I had a friend stay here and he said that he and his wife enjoyed it.

close to the world famous Blacks Beach.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by underpressure:
close to the world famous Blacks Beach. </font>

But not so nice in december...brrrrrrrr

I was there last month.

It's a very nice hotel; u-shaped around the pool. No spa that I could find; just a tread mill and a few other machines in a converted guest room.

I got a continental breakfast certificate, but I just cashed it in for coffee and a muffin (pretty good) to go after my run, so I can't comment on the relative value.

There was a nice fruit tray with a Nutrigrain bar, bottled water and a note from the HHonors Guest Loyalty Manager when I got back from dinner.

If this is a special occasion for you, send her a note at kim_soto@hilton.com advising her of your arrival. I've never done this, but several on this board have had success with the strategy.

Christmas week can be very romantic in San Diego, although a car would help. Dec 22 should be the boat parade in SD harbor. Balboa Park, the Zoo and Wild Park are open late and adorned with holiday lights, as are Old Town, Seaport Village and Horton Plaza (tourist traps but fun). Old Globe theatre always has the musical "Grinch" (a feel-good delight for all ages) and the Lyceum theatre has their version of "Christmas Carol." If you are up for it, Disneyland is 75 minutes from the Hilton and aglow in holiday lights plus snow on Main Street. If you want to stay over, the Anaheim Hilton is usually $71/night at holiday time. Email me if I can help with local color.

this where the Bucs/Raidahs are stayin?

Yes, this is where the Bucs are staying. The Raiders are at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla.

In January I switched my hotel affiliation to Starwood, leaving me with 175k HH points. Originally thought we'd use those pts. to go to Hawaii, but neither of the Hilton Hawaii properties was to our liking (we're just not "Towers" kind of people). After much debate, we've decided to cash in on a TEEN award at the Torrey Pines Hilton over the one in Hilton Head. As of now, we're planning on 6 nts there followed by 3 in Monterey or SF. I have done a search and cannot find a recent review of the Torrey Pines property. Anyone out there with recent experience there? Thoughts, opintions, etc? Any help would be appreciated.

Staying at the Hilton La Jolla ( San Diego) six nights over Xmas. How is this location and things to do in the area?

Are you referring to the Torey Pines?

A couple questions that I could not seem to find via Google:

1) Any suggestions for rooms as a Gold VIP?
2) Does anyone have a good email address to contact the hotel regarding upgrades in advance?

Thanks!

A couple questions that I could not seem to find via Google:

1) Any suggestions for rooms as a Gold VIP?
2) Does anyone have a good email address to contact the hotel regarding upgrades in advance?

Thanks!

About all I can tell you is that we were upgraded to a golf course view room as Gold.

One other suggestion someone gave us that was correct. If you are self-parking, after going through the entrance gate to the garage, go straight ahead and turn left, going DOWN the ramp to the north end of the garage (the entrance is at the south end). The elevator to the lobby is right at the northwest corner of the garage from this level.

About all I can tell you is that we were upgraded to a golf course view room as Gold.

One other suggestion someone gave us that was correct. If you are self-parking, after going through the entrance gate to the garage, go straight ahead and turn left, going DOWN the ramp to the north end of the garage (the entrance is at the south end). The elevator to the lobby is right at the northwest corner of the garage from this level.


Thanks.

Planning to go to San Diego Spring Break. Other Hilton Branded properties are sold out but Torrey Pines Hilton in La Jolla has great point stretcher deals.

Are they under major remodel and need the business or something?

It seems like a good deal for a category 6 property but I am reluctant to stay there.

I don't golf and it would be ok to drive to the beach, but if the hotel is not satisfactory I'd reallly like to know.

Thanks for your opinions!

Planning to go to San Diego Spring Break. Other Hilton Branded properties are sold out but Torrey Pines Hilton in La Jolla has great point stretcher deals.

Are they under major remodel and need the business or something?

It seems like a good deal for a category 6 property but I am reluctant to stay there.

I don't golf and it would be ok to drive to the beach, but if the hotel is not satisfactory I'd reallly like to know.

Thanks for your opinions!

I love the hotel, but I'm a golfer who enjoys playing Torrey Pines. La Jolla is beautiful and the hotel is really scenic - great views of the golf course and ocean. I've gotten a great Diamond upgrade here in the past - huge suite with giant terrace overlooking the 18th hole.

If you plan to do things in and around San Diego, the hotel is a little out of the way. Traffic can be heavy back and forth to the city - can easily be 30 minutes. You would definitely need a car.

I love the hotel, but I'm a golfer who enjoys playing Torrey Pines. La Jolla is beautiful and the hotel is really scenic - great views of the golf course and ocean. I've gotten a great Diamond upgrade here in the past - huge suite with giant terrace overlooking the 18th hole.

If you plan to do things in and around San Diego, the hotel is a little out of the way. Traffic can be heavy back and forth to the city - can easily be 30 minutes. You would definitely need a car.
Thanks for the opinions! Still wondering why everyone else is booked and Torrey is wide open.

I would assume Location is why it is not sold out--Torrey Pines is out of the Tourist Trap areas minus La Jolla of course. Most of Spring Break is Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Downtown, Gaslamp etc...

sdcarver

I would assume Location is why it is not sold out--Torrey Pines is out of the Tourist Trap areas minus La Jolla of course. Most of Spring Break is Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Downtown, Gaslamp etc...

sdcarver

I guess they never heard of Blacks Beach. ;)

I had the same dilemma last spring break with the family. Torrey Pines is awesome, just a little out of the way. I am still not sure why it does not get more because it was fairly quiet when we were there last spring break.

Friends,

We took your advice and stayed here. It was wonderful.

They upgraded us to a corner suite.

Very quiet, etc.

I too highly recommend this property.

The staff was great, it is truly a 4 * property.

There was only one major problem.... The stay was too short!

The weather was definitely chilly but that seems to be the case in most of the U.S. these days.

I also found a similar PS deal like this in LAX last week too.

So if you can be flexible, some of these offers are true gems.

Thanks for the tips.

Just left a one night stay there last night.

Loved the property. From the time we drove up to the time we left, everything was first rate. The staff was excellent, a plate of fruit and crackers and juice delivered to the room to welcome us, three people came for turn down (go away, but leave the chocolates please :) ), etc.

The downsides, parking is not cheap ($17 per day yourself, more valet), internet isn't free, but the place is quite nice, the area beautiful, and nothing to complain about at all in the room.

Will certainly go back next time in the area.

Just got back from a pointstretcher stay at this hotel. As a gold, I was given an upgrade to an ocean view room. I asked if an upgrade to a suite was possible, and the on-duty manager did a search for me, but no suites were available.

A personalized welcome letter and two free breakfast buffet vouchers were waiting for me at the front desk.

Room was nice and clean. Great view.

Service was excellent.

The breakfast buffet included hot breakfast items (bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, oatmeal) as well as the standard continental style breakfast items you would find in an exec lounge so I was rather glad that they did not have an exec lounge and offered vouchers instead!

Overall, a pleasant stay.

I am taking my family and my two in laws to San Diego this July, and wondered if anyone has stayed here in mid July.
My wife an mother in law love to hang by the pool with my two young boys and myself and my father in law are big golfers...obviously the location is good for us!
Question is...how is the pool and is the weather conducive to laying by the pool in July?

I am taking my family and my two in laws to San Diego this July, and wondered if anyone has stayed here in mid July.
My wife an mother in law love to hang by the pool with my two young boys and myself and my father in law are big golfers...obviously the location is good for us!
Question is...how is the pool and is the weather conducive to laying by the pool in July?

July is fine. Sometimes in SoCal we get what is called "June Gloom", an on-shore flow that creates low clouds that last much of the day, but by July it is usually done.

If you like horse racing, Del Mar season begins July 16. You should plan a visit to "where the surf meets the turf". Lots of fun, even for kids.

July is fine. Sometimes in SoCal we get what is called "June Gloom", an on-shore flow that creates low clouds that last much of the day, but by July it is usually done.

If you like horse racing, Del Mar season begins July 16. You should plan a visit to "where the surf meets the turf". Lots of fun, even for kids.

Thanks flyinbob!
We are going July 9-14th.
Any thoughts on this vs. the new Sheraton Carlsbad?

Thanks flyinbob!
We are going July 9-14th.
Any thoughts on this vs. the new Sheraton Carlsbad?

I haven't been to the Sheraton in Carlsbad, but I believe it is near LegoLand, which will give it a Disney-like guest quality. Probably better pool, but full of families and kids in the Summer. Hilton at Torrey Pines is right on the golf course, a nice hotel, a couple of miles from shopping and restaurants in La Jolla, overall more of an adult area, though kids will do OK. San Diego Zoo and Sea World are close by also, and better than LegoLand. Try Balboa Park too, right next to the zoo. Outstanding stuff there to fill a whole day. Unless LegoLand was your destination, I'd stick with Torrey.

If you like horse racing, Del Mar season begins July 16. You should plan a visit to "where the surf meets the turf". Lots of fun, even for kids.

That is a FANTASTIC recommendation. I always kick myself for only visting once a season if that. You get the good weather, and the breeze and the sun. You can't ask for more in So Cal.

Hilton Torrey Pines was great. I was upgraded two months ago to a corner suite. Free valet for Diamonds - nice perk! I hear they sometimes give golds free valet too and I have gotten free valet as gold as some Hilton resorts. Front desk did some faxing to a Beijng China Hilton for me for free. No spa in the resort, but you can walk about 100 feet through the loading dock to the Lodge at Torrey Pines and then bill it back to your room. Pricey as spas go, but worth it. Great breakfast. The normal, but it was nice and free and thats how I like it. I think you will like this property. Enjoy!

Stayed here a couple weeks ago for one night with my wife. Had a business trip up in SNA and had her fly out for the weekend to travel down the coast for a little sightseeing.

I used points to book the room and was upgraded to one of their suites on the top floor overlooking the 18th hole of Torrey Pines (can't ask for anything more than that). Beautiful part of the world and a nice property.

I didn't have time to play a round at Torrey Pines but we were able to take a long walk along the South course in order to get a sense of what the Pros would be expeiencing in just a couple months. Dropped a few hundred $$ at the Pro Shop stocking up on shirts & hats for the buddies back home.

Is there any way to confirm the free valet for diamonds ahead of time? I actually prefer to self-park, but if I can save my company money by doing valet, I'm happy to. I'd just prefer to see a written policy so when I get there I can hand my keys to the valet w/o worrying about confirming things with the front desk.

We were there early Thanksgiving week. Surprisingly, reasonable number of guests (though no-where near sold out).

Diamond benefits?? NONE. They said we were "upgraded" to the 4th floor, but a regular smallish room. No amenities. Had to ask for breakfest coupons, was told "you must be Gold to get these"! Asked them to check their record, saw we were Diamond, then they did give us this "Gold" benefit. Asked for a better room, was told "no." Nothing further done for us.

The location is nice, and easly walk to the State park, nice vistas.
But there are too many other choices in this area, so we won't be returning here again.

I just booked a stay here for this Saturday. I called the hotel and confirmed that they DO NOT comp parking for Diamonds as it is done through a third party. He did say that there was free parking on the street a couple blocks away. Ill give that a try and report back after the stay.

This hotel will always have a place in my heart as I spent my 18th birthday here with my then girlfriend ;)

We stayed there two weeks ago and as diamond were upgraded to a suite--without asking. Pretty rare in my experience, but appreciated. Overall it is a good hotel.

Had a pretty bad experience here about two weeks ago as a Gold. No lounge access, breakfast, or upgrade - and the room I was given was a 15-minute walk from the lobby, not clean (with a large stain of something (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3886783215_677101da4c.jpg) on the back of the door) and a view of some storage containers (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2472/3887579390_48ce31535b.jpg) at the back of the golf course.

Now, I'm not usually one to complain - my TripAdvisor reviews are often three stars or higher, as I tend to upgrade properties for things like hot water and a replenished Coke machine - but it was really a disappointment, since I'd heard such great things about the property.

The worst part was the lack of ventilation - as soon as the sun came up my room went to 80 degrees, which felt worse given some humidity. Had to do a 5:30 AM CVS run for a box fan, never much fun. They did offer to switch out my room, but who wants to pack up a bunch of scuba gear and move at 5:30 in the morning....I guess some people would, but I had been up very late the night before not anticipating the early awakening. Wound up missing a beach hike with friends due to tiredness, darnit.

Also, $15 for Internet + $6 for a bottled water in the room + $20 for self park + $17 for yogurt and cereal at breakfast, $20 if you have an omelet = You should book this place using the Visa 25% off rate if you can. They do have free Internet in the lobby, but I thought the prices for extras were pretty bad. Also, there's not a lot really close by - the nearest CVS was about six miles away. Six really pretty miles, but there isn't be much popping in for a quick minute to get something.

The upside: There's an unimaginably beautiful beach nearby and the pool area is really wonderful. They've got a little snack bar and plenty of chairs for lounging, and a hot tub. I spent most of my trip down there, personally....The room itself, while stuffy, was huge. And the place wasn't noisy, always appreciated.

Wow, your experience was completely different than my stay a month ago. I assume your MyWay VIP benefits for Hilton are set for upgrade/breakfast instead of bonus points or complimentary internet. I think you should have asked for the breakfast certs.

As Gold, we did get breakfast certs, and the desk clerk double-checked with us when we checked in to make sure we didn't want free internet instead. (I don't think this hotel has a lounge or executive floor.) No upgrade, but as Gold I don't expect them. (It also looked like they were doing some renovation work to the suites in our wing of the hotel.) I agree that the prices (breakfast, parking, internet) are pretty outrageous; having the breakfast certs were helpful.

I'm also a little surprised that the morning sun affected your room temperature so much. I thought all the rooms had SW, NW or W facing windows; the only time we saw the sun in our room (facing the pool) was in the afternoon. Also when we were there a month ago, the sun didn't rise until after 6 am; can't imagine two weeks ago it would be rising even earlier! Maybe you were still on MDT or CDT? (In any case, I would have switched rooms to one with a working ventilation system. Probably would have been cheaper to tip the porter to move your stuff than to get a fan at the nearest CVS!)

In retrospect I should have done a lot of things differently - asked to be moved when I saw the condition of the room, much less found out about the early wake-up (for the record, it may have been 6 AM. Not sure it makes much difference.) However, was in a hurry to meet friends, with whom I had planned the vacation.

IMO, it would have been nice to have been told I had the option for free breakfast or Internet, instead of my having to research the matter on the fly. Point well taken - next time I'll make more of a fuss at the checkin. Am hoping to score lounge access at London Paddington soon...