The Lion's Share

The Andaz was originally built as part of the 1913 World’s Fair, and today, it’s one of the swankiest places to stay in downtown San Diego. All 159 rooms are sleek and modern, but if you can swing it, the Cabana Suite, with its private outdoor pool, is the way to go. The hotel has a great restaurant, STK (if you’re smart, you’ll get the Parmesan truffle fries), and an even greater rooftop bar, which has flatbread pizzas, burgers, fries, a killer drinks menu, and an astounding view of the city.

Cal-a-Vie was designed to look like a rural French village—and it does a pretty convincing job. This wellness resort on the northern side of San Diego is made up of a collection of villas with terra-cotta tiled roofs, citrus groves, lavender fields, and hundreds of acres of quiet. The focus here is on wellness—and visits are organized into three-, four-, and seven-day packages. In addition to hiking, tennis, yoga, and an incredibly comprehensive, seasonal food and nutrition program, the spa has over 150 treatments—some of which you’d expect (detox wraps, rejuvenating facials) and some of which you couldn’t possibly (Hydrorider, say, or Piloxing). However long you stay, you’re basically guaranteed to leave feeling better than you did when you arrived.

If staying at the Fairmont Grand feels like staying at the home of an eccentric millionaire friend who lives on the Mediterranean, that’s precisely the point. The hotel is in Del Mar, which is about half an hour from downtown San Diego, but between the hotel’s Center for Wellbeing (a world-class spa), eighteen-hole golf course, and in-house restaurant, Addison (the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the city), any commuting you have to do is worth it. The 249 rooms and suites have marble bathrooms, enormously inviting bathtubs, balconies, patios, stellar views, and

The first thing to know is that everyone calls this 130-year-old resort on Coronado, across the bay from downtown San Diego, Hotel Del. Dropping the last word will make you sound like a local. The rest of what you need to know about Hotel Del centers around the fact that this is the historic, destination, grande dame hotel. Three discrete stark white buildings with striking red roofs, twenty-eight acres, half a dozen restaurants (ranging from fine dining to a taco stand), cabanas, golf, a salon, a spa, ballrooms, events, and lawns so vast and manicured as to be called grounds—Hotel Del is the rare enormous resort that maintains a sense of history, dignity, and elegance. And all of that on one of the most pristine stretches of Southern California beachfront. The kids will love it as much as their parents.

Palisociety’s first San Diego property is housed in the Gaslamp Quarter’s century-old Hotel St. James. You’ll likely hear the buzz of the city from your room, but you’ll also be within walking distance of the waterfront and dozens of restaurants, bars, and shops. (Ask the incredibly warm and helpful staff if you need recs.) We suggest stopping by the in-house restaurant, Saint James French Diner, at some point during your stay to enjoy homey French classics—we’re still thinking about their perfectly airy chocolate soufflé.

Tucked into the hills overlooking some the lushness of the California coast, The Park Hyatt Aviara is the kind of staycation destination that feels entire worlds away. And while the nearby town of Carlsbad and surf-friendly ocean are worthy draws, the resort has made it its business to offer guests every creature comfort imaginable, so there's no need to venture far. The immaculately manicured Spanish-style property is home to an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, multiple tennis and pickleball courts, two pools (the kid's pool plays host to themed activities, movie screenings, and more), and a fully decked out fitness center. If you’re looking for a more intensive approach to incorporating wellness rituals into your life, the Miraval Life in Balance Spa employs a knowledgeable team of fitness and wellness instructors who run a daily roster of private and group classes, from aerial yoga to sound bowl meditations and guided hikes.

Originally opened in 1963, the hotel has gone through many updates, expansions, and iterations since. Today, the Rancho Bernardo Inn includes 287 rooms, an eighteen-hole golf course designed by William Belle, and a handful of open-air bars and cafés. But it has a wonderfully intimate side, too. Avant, the star restaurant here, focuses on a local, artisanal food. Guest rooms have private balconies and patios, custom artwork, and beds to rival the softest in the world. And then there’s the spa with its poolside cabanas, private outdoor casitas, a saltwater waterfall, a tranquil garden (perfect for a light lunch from the spa menu), and all the natural and organic treatments you can imagine.

Forty-five pristine, highly manicured acres of gardens, olive groves, and luxury: That’s Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in a nutshell. The forty-nine suites are more like private casitas. And the amenities are plentiful: private gardens and patios, fireplaces, beds with astronomically high thread counts, espresso machines, marble bathrooms, plunge pools, the paper delivered to your door, and gorgeous views of the surrounding canyons (if you can call Mother Nature an amenity). The food is spectacular, the spa is one of the best we’ve ever tried, the private cabanas are dreamy, and everything about the resort—which is the only Relais & Châteaux hotel in Southern California—is truly sublime.

The rooms at this downtown boutique hotel are on the small side, but the design is so chic and the level of luxury so high, you won’t care. The building dates back to the 1920s and has all the romantic details of the era. Inside, the space is modern and inviting but in a way that respects its past. The Guild Bar and Luca, the hotel’s fantastic restaurant, are the kinds of places you want to dress up for (craft cocktails, red velvet lounge chairs, gilded details). But the star of the hotel may be the Grace Garden and courtyard—a charming place to forget you’re in the middle of downtown.

There's a special synergy between bustling urban energy and laid-back California cool found in downtown San Diego, and this hotel—a completely fresh boutique concept emerging from the Montage’s luxury umbrella—occupies a corner spot that's right in the middle of it all. Moderately sized with a totally non-corporate feel, the bedrooms are done in a spectrum of beachy patterned blues and textured whites: azure plaid sofas against light-blue drapes and crisp bedding, for example. This retreat-like aesthetic is brought home by luxe touches like silky Lunya bathrobes and particularly beautiful subway-tiled bathrooms. The Pendry is within walking distance to some of the city's best restaurants and bars. If you don't want to leave the grounds over the weekend, the picture-perfect rooftop pool offers some of the best views in the city, while the adjacent restaurants, Lionfish and Provisional, serve up excellent seafood and steak, and fresh California dishes, respectively.

The US Grant was built in 1910 and still has the imposing manner and enormous, stately grandeur of an earlier era. The rooms and common areas are comfortable and spacious, if a touch impersonal (don’t expect a lot of original artwork or photography books piled on coffee tables here). Located smack in downtown San Diego, the US Grant is the perfect launchpad for an evening strolling the Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego’s vibrant and buzzy downtown district. The hotel’s Art Deco Grant Grill is a solid choice for dinner, but in this neighborhood, the whole point is to venture out.

The Born and Raised website is a single picture of a raw T-bone. That’s it. In other words, if you’re a vegetarian, skip ahead to the next listing. On the other hand, if you enjoy caviar, a New York strip, a side of crispy smashed potatoes, and a cold martini, this is a meal for the ages. Born and Raised is an event—the place seats 250 people. But it’s somehow intimate at the same time: leather banquettes, marble tabletops, brass details, all with a cool Art Deco vibe. Then there are the tableside carts where servers prepare things like beef tartare or another round of martinis in front of you. It’s as decadent as it gets. After a night here, we always feel like watching L.A. Confidential again.

A night in Little Italy can easily start (and occasionally end) at Craft & Commerce—and that’s a very good thing. The gastro pub has a hipster Brooklyn vibe down to the exposed-brick wall, wood-beam ceiling, well-stacked bookshelves, and ambitious displays of taxidermy. Chef Ted Smith has created a menu that’s heavy on meat and vegetables (this is not a seafood place), and the charred eggplant dip, wood-fired carrots, and burrata and goat cheese tart are all fantastic. The drinks and desserts are all stellar, but save room for an after-dinner drink at the hidden tiki bar False Idol. Just open the steel door to the walk-in cooler. You’re getting warmer.

Chef Brad Wise has made this Mission Hills restaurant a destination among people who really care about eating well. The menu is one part raw bar (oysters, clams, Alaskan King crab) and one part things that can be cooked in the wood-fired oven (branzino, grilled prawns). There are more-conventional plates as well, but watching an order of carrots blister and blacken in the open oven is a big part of the magic here. Come on a winter’s night, sit at the bar, and let the fire warm you inside and out.

Herb & Wood is as much the name of this Little Italy restaurant as its design ethos, with its wooden plank ceiling (inside and out), generous greenery, and plant-forward menu. To be fair, the menu is pretty fish- and meat-forward, too, which means this place suits everyone. Chef Brian Malarkey’s menu changes frequently, but expect things like crispy potatoes with lemon vinaigrette and Parmesan as well as mushroom truffle pizza with goat cheese and a festive drink menu with feisty cocktails like a Bourbon & Honey with chili oil. Then expect to stay a while—Herb & Wood makes for a delightful evening.

If you are the Michelin-starred chef behind the best restaurant in Calabria, the only logical next step would be to open in San Diego, right? Well, sì—at least if you are Luca Abbruzzino. Abbruzzino brought the first Michelin star to the toe of Italy with his skill in taking classic Calabrian ingredients and turning them into modern works of art. And now he and his father, Antonio, are taking that same approach to Il Dandy—as in spaghetti with sea urchin, cherry tomatoes, and Calabrian chili and sea bass with escarole, capers, and lemon. Il Dandy, with its high ceilings, airy feeling, and ocean-blue accents, is elegant but not stuffy, and a meal here is next-level—the quality of the food and presentation aren’t things you see every day (or really, every year). Although San Diego and Calabria may be unintuitive sister cities, they actually have a lot in common, specifically: a beautiful coastline, a lot of seafood, and now, an award-winning Italian chef.

French food through the lens of Southern California: That’s the gist of Jeune et Jolie. The food is like the space: beautiful, thoughtful, and special. Make a reservation and come early. That way you can grab a seat at the raw bar, order some oysters and mussels, and peruse the drink menu. They call their cocktails “exploratory,” but don’t be scared—they just want you to know the drinks are inspired by the Belle Epoque. If you’re feeling it, order from the absinthe menu and brace for impact. Equally exciting is something called a Madagascar (a concoction built on peanut butter brandy and vanilla honey), or play it safe with the wine list. When it’s time to eat, we highly recommend the pain et beurre (yes, the bread and butter—but not just any bread and butter: rich, pillowy milk bread and perfectly executed baguette with a side of Normandy butter). Then try the scallops with sunchokes. And don’t leave until you get the mille feuille au chocolat or the citron vacherin. Oh hell, get them both—and the vin santo. This place is that special.

A hidden tiki bar sounds like something you’d find at an amusement park, but designer Ignacio Gonzalez took every step to make sure that the False Idol tiki bar was cool, thoughtful, and anything but cheesy. But first you have to get there. The entrance to the bar is hidden within Craft & Commerce. (Look for the steel door to the walk-in cooler—the human skulls inside really set a mood—then open the second door, which is the actual entrance.) The inside will leave you speechless—and make you feel as if you’re underwater thanks to the colorful glass buoys suspended from the ceiling in a fishing net. Then there’s the waterfall, the authentic Polynesian art and memorabilia, the elaborate wood carvings, the skulls on spikes, and the occasional fireballs: It’s an inspired sensory overload. And we haven’t even mentioned the cocktails. If you’re overwhelmed, order a Panther’s Fang (rum, honey, lime, club soda) and take it all in.

Tucked into Mission Hills, Heartwork is a neighborhood coffee bar. It does its own roasting and leans heavily into small-batch, locally made pastries and snacks. The vibe is quiet and chill, perfect for a stop if you’re passing through the area. Before you leave town, grab a bag of the beans—the Costa Rica blend is a favorite.

A hipster, industrial space with a garage door, free Wi-Fi, and a highly curated, artisanal approach to coffee—that’s the essence of this coffee shop, which would be just as at home in Brooklyn as it is in Encinitas. The space is small, but it has its own roastery, and the baristas are highly knowledgeable about all things coffee. Stroll in on the later side if you can: It may be in a sleepy little beach town, but this place gets packed in the morning. Image courtesy of Kai Diaz.

Having a drink at Raised by Wolves feels a little like you might be having a drink at the Gare du Nord a hundred years ago. The marble floors, antique cash register, domed glass ceiling, gilded barstools, velvet armchairs in the library, moody lighting: It all conspires to make you feel as if you’re in an Agatha Christie novel and there’s a steam engine train nearby. The drink menu is extensive—over a dozen pages before you even get to the wine—so if you’re overwhelmed, ask one of the skilled bartenders for a suggestion. Or keep it simple and order a glass of champagne.

The view from the Nolen is so vast, it’s hard to be believe you’re only fourteen stories above downtown San Diego. On a clear day (which is most days here), you can see the Gaslamp district, Petco Park, and all the way to the Coronado Bridge. But the Nolen is worth it even in the rain: The drinks game is solid (we love the Damnit Janet—a mix of vodka, rose water, watermelon, and lychee), and the warm, salty, delicious snacks will inspire you to make a night of it. Or a day, in fact. The Sunday brunch is one of the best in San Diego.

If you’re gluten-free, cover your ears. There are bakeries, and then there is Wayfarer. Wayfarer is the creation of Crystal White, who worked at Tartine in San Francisco before opening what is arguably the best bakery in San Diego. Small-batch loaves (olive, sourdough, baguette, the usuals) and pastries (apple jam and hazelnut croissants are as good as they sound) are the raison d’être here. But there’s also a selection of sandwiches and salads, and every Wednesday is pizza night. Plan accordingly, people.

You’re only about seventeen miles from the border, a fact that is apparent everywhere from the food to the language. And one of the most authentic places to dive into Mexican culture is Artelexia, a boutique and event space that specializes in beautiful, highly curated wares from all over Mexico. Cookbooks, dishes, chocolates, textiles, toys, cutlery, ornaments, candles—it’s far more a lifestyle shop than a souvenir one. It hosts dinners and events all year (and can even help you plan a trip south of the border), but Artelexia really comes to life in the late fall during the Día de los Muertos festival.

You know those surf shops that make you consider being a surfer for a minute? Hansen is one of them. If you’re serious about the sport, you’re covered—from boards and leashes to wet suits and wax. If you’re more into surf culture than actually standing on a board, you’ve covered, too. Hansen also stocks shoes, hats, bikinis, and all the trappings of someone who spends a lot of time at the beach.

Pigment is one of those stores that makes us want to throw out everything in our home and start over. Beautiful artisanal candles you’d have a hard time finding anywhere else, elegant prints that would elevate any living space, pillows, throws, stationery, notebooks, cutting boards, cocktail glasses—Pigment speaks to the good life, and a well-curated one at that. But where Pigment really thrives is with its greenery. All manner of pots, plants, succulents, and flora that look more like pieces of art than pieces of nature. You can also design your own terrarium, which—no lie—was the most fun we’ve had in a long time.

A small floral shop in the North Park area of San Diego, Sage Sisters focuses on quality and seasonality over volume. The careful selection of flowers is constantly changing, and no two bouquets are ever the same. But the overall aesthetic doesn’t change: natural, unpretentious designs that lean into the season. The best part of Sage Sisters, though, is that any flowers that aren’t sold by the end of the day are made into arrangements and donated to local nonprofits.

Calling Balboa Park a park is like calling One World Trade Center an office building. These 1,200 acres include over a dozen museums, several performing art spaces, gardens, trails, and perhaps most notably, the famous San Diego Zoo. (The zoo doesn’t get the highest ratings for humane treatment of its animals, so we skip that part.) You can easily spend a morning, an afternoon, or both here. And if you’re with children, you can’t go wrong at the Natural History Museum or the Modern Railroad Museum.

The Gaslamp Quarter is not unlike a miniature New Orleans (and in fact, this is where the city throws its Mardi Gras parade): a historic pocket of downtown full of Victorian-style buildings, bustling sidewalks, late-night revelers, and restaurants that stand cheek by jowl next to bars that spill onto the street. This district is the epicenter of nightlife in this city. Given the fame and popularity of the Gaslamp Quarter, it can get pretty touristy, and one of the best places to take it all in is from a rooftop bar, like the one at the Andaz Hotel. Sit by the firepit, order a wild mushroom flatbread pizza and something called a Smoky Ginger (like a smoky margarita with ginger), and listen to the sounds of the city coming to life after sunset.

La Jolla Playhouse comprises three theaters on the campus of University of California San Diego. It’s basically a miniature Lincoln Center with a reliably good selection of plays and musicals. Many well-known actors—Matthew Broderick, Laura Linney, Neil Patrick Harris, and Billy Crystal to name a few—have gotten their start at the La Jolla Playhouse and the quality of the performances never disappoints. Go early to have dinner at James’ Place beforehand—the preshow menu is full of crowd-pleasing options. Whatever you’re seeing, we’ll wager it’ll be more enjoyable with a lychee elderflower martini and beet and blue cheese salad beforehand.

Picture 25,000 square feet of Maine lobster and craft beer and live music and New York pizza and food trucks and happy hour and art exhibits and handmade ice cream and picnic areas and Bangkok street food and Italian soda and fresh-made popcorn. Now you have scratched the surface of Liberty Public Market. The marketplace, a collection of local food vendors and artists, is in Liberty Station, a grand and imposing building in Point Loma. The space is as impressive as the shops that fill it—plan to spend at least an afternoon here.

One of the most pedestrian-friendly areas in San Diego, Little Italy is a charming jumble of bars, trattorias, shops, and markets—and it’s one of those rare neighborhoods that’s as lively during the day as it is in the evening. Spend the day window-shopping and checking out the local galleries, stop for a virtuous lunch at Café Gratitude, stroll down to Waterfront Park, and should the afternoon bleed into evening, you’re perfectly positioned to treat yourself to a cheese tray and a glass of Verdicchio at Enoteca Style wine bar (which is as much a name as it is a design aesthetic).

Whether or not you’re a San Diego Padres fan and whether or not you’re even a baseball fan, it’s hard to resist the charms of sitting outside at twilight, drinking a cold beer, and watching the sun set over the city. Petco Park, located right in downtown San Diego, is the Padres home stadium, and it’s occasionally used for events and concerts. Whatever you go for, try to make it a late-afternoon event—watching dusk settle on the city from here is lovely.

Torrey Pines is 1,500 acres of pure, pristine, untouched California. This nature reserve is right on the water and delivers some of the prettiest views you’ll find anywhere in the state. First the bad news: This is a reserve, not a park, which means you can’t bring food or drinks inside, so no picnics. (No pets are allowed in the reserve, either.) But the good news is you won’t really care. The reserve is so full of hikes and trails and cliffs and places to explore, it feels like a vacation within a vacation. If you have kids, this place is heaven (actually whether or not you have kids, it’s pretty much heaven): There are deer, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, lizards, snakes, opossums, bobcats, and all kinds of insects—so watch your footing. The reserve is open every day of the year from 7:15 a.m. to sunset.