GreatBritishBAECOff

Hi all,

Thanks in advice for any advice.

We're off on our Honeymoon next year, and the last 3 days are now going to be in San Diego (managed to snag a couple of BA F seats home!)

Our itinerary is San Francisco - Vegas - Maui - Big Island - LA - San Diego.

I've been struggling to get a definite answer on the 'best' hotel to go for in San Diego... All our hotels in the other destinations are booked already.
We'll have plenty of beach time in Hawaii and 'city' experiences elsewhere, so I was thinking perhaps a location out in the countryside for something a bit different would be ideal to round off the trip. We would of course want to take a trip into the city to visit the zoo, so nothing too far away!

I've found the Grand Del Mar, but not much else. Does this fit the bill? We play a bit of golf, so looked at the Lodge at Torrey Pines too, but I don't want a stay completely based around Golf.

Thanks for any advice.

Five Star Traveller

My favorite in San Diego is the Grand Del Mar by a good margin. Stunning resort, beautiful location, fantastic food and service. All of its awards are well-deserved. I stayed before Fairmont took over management, but hopefully the same high standards are still being maintained.

jerry a. laska

See:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...san-diego.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24840245-post21.html

mike_la_jolla

I wonder if Rancho Valencia fits the bill.

surftb15

While not luxury, go up to Alpine if you really want country . if you want to play golf, go to la Costa.

MSPeconomist

Grand del Mar would be a unique experience.

Alternatives could be something right in La Jolla village or the U S Grant (historic hotel in downtown San Diego) in a large suite.

offerendum

I stayed at PH Aviara and US Grant. While US Grant is a very nice hotel (had a Signature Suite) you can´t compare it to Del Mar or Aviara. It´s a City hotel.

wripro

Grand Del Mar is the best choice. Not only is it the nicest hotel but the location will give you a different experience from the other properties on your itinerary.

busy

Grand Del Mar has the best service... It's VERY rococo. Grounds are nice, spa is excellent and Addison is technically perfect food by William Bradley. Racho Valencia is a bit more private with there casitas. I like it more and more these days and they have a great spa and fitness program.

RichardInSF

I have only stayed one night at PH Aviara, apparently in what was their presidential suite, but while it's a very nice place, the service was far from luxury level. However, I don't have experience at the other hotels mentioned in this thread to compare it against.

GreatBritishBAECOff

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the advice, I have gone ahead and booked the Grand Del Mar for our stay, hopefully it will be good!

In case anyone is mildly interested, this means that the hotels for our whole honeymoon are as follows, I've tried to get a good mix of styles, locations and experiences:

San Francisco - Ritz Carlton
Vegas - Aria Sky Suites
Maui - Hotel Wailea
Big Island - Four Seasons Hualalai
LA - Peninsula Beverly Hills
San Diego - Grand Del Mar


We're actually only able to get 4 days on each Hawaiian island, and I would love to have longer! Hopefully that will be enough time to relax though, and not feel like we're constantly about to set off for the next stage of the trip. We've got 3 days each in SFO, Vegas, LA and San Diego, and then 4 days on each Hawaiian island. My wife-to-be has never been to the US before so we wanted to combine a good mix of destinations and some relaxation.

offerendum

Should be nice! Have fun

FlightNurse

What are you looking for in the hotel? Hotel Del Coronado is a great place to stay, lots of history, wonderful location on the island of Coronado, close to Downtown San Diego.

bhrubin

My husband and I just returned from a business trip stay at the US Grant (which we very much enjoyed). While there, we took several friends/colleagues to dinner at Juniper and Ivy, and I must say we were blown away. The ambience is energetic yet fine and relaxed at the same time, and the food and service were incredible. Michelin level dining, to be sure. The dining room is a bit loud, but that comes with the energy and didn't distract from our fabulous meal. Highly recommended.

floridagal23

I'm reviving this thread for some ideas. We have a reservation at Rancho Valencia for three nights coming up. I think the nightly rate was around $500 or more /night and I think we have a free night via FHR. However, we can stay via FHR at US Grant for $176/night, and the fairmont with a free third night for 445. Coronado isn't a FHR but rate is 333. We are DINKs in our early 30s spending a few days before a family event in LA so we want something nice and relaxing, but my husband wants to explore San Diego so not sure Rancho is the best option as he doesn't love to just stay on the hotel grounds. Any thoughts?