Ah, San Diego. The glorious Southern California city is an excellent travel destination any time of year, but it shines during the warmer months. The beaches are pristine. The Pacific Ocean is warm enough for swimming. The rooftop restaurants have an electric vibe every night of the week. And since there’s a patriotic spirit thanks to San Diego’s strong naval presence, firework shows are a regular occurrence — long after Independence Day has ended. So, if you’re planning a fun weekend in San Diego, here’s where to stay and play to make the most of your time.
Where to Stay
Although it’s not in San Diego proper, Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa is an excellent place to book a room. The expansive 327-room property is family- and dog-friendly. Guest rooms are spacious and minimally chic with a gray color palette and large bathrooms with his-and-her sinks, tubs and showers.
The grounds are gorgeous, with access to nearby trails that attract a variety of flora and fauna. There are two pools for adults and another for children (the latter has a splash pad and two-story waterslide), Topgolf Swing Suites, five tennis and four pickleball courts, and a 24-hour fitness center. There are also daily classes, from aerial yoga to craft cocktail making, and the Aviara has the country’s only Miraval-branded spa outside of the company’s own hotels.
Day One
With more than 70 courses, San Diego is a golf lover’s paradise, so make a tee time. The Torrey Pines Golf Course at Four-Star The Lodge at Torrey Pines, which hosted the US Open in 2021, is a superb place to play with ocean views. There’s also an excellent Arnold Palmer-designed course at Aviara Golf Club. A shuttle will bring you from the hotel to the club, which is a short drive down the hill. The flower-lined fairways are immaculate, with a bubbling brook on the third hole and a picturesque lake on the eighth. But watch out: the bunkers are sometimes hard to avoid, and the greens require some reading with slight slopes in unexpected places.
If golf isn’t your thing, head to nearby Del Mar, home to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, an 87-year-old race track that Bing Crosby founded. The season runs through September 8, with races every Thursday through Sunday. There’s also One Paseo in Del Mar, an outdoor shopping oasis with surf-centric boutiques, coffee shops and a brewery.
When you get back to the hotel, you will have earned some downtime. You can find plenty of it on a lounger at the adult pool or with a rejuvenating service at the spa. The 15,000-square-foot sanctuary offers everything from body renewal rituals and custom mediation sessions to deep-tissue foot massages and nutrition courses.
Speaking of food, if you take it light for lunch, lobby bar Pacific Point’s Ponto Roll is a delicious blend of albacore, spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, blood orange, yuzu aioli and soy citrus that hits the spot — you’ll be ready for something a bit heartier come dinnertime. And that’s where Ember & Rye, celebrity chef Richard Blais’ steakhouse at the Aviara Golf Club, comes into action. Here, the buttery garlic croissants are divine, the steaks get cooked on the grill outside, and the sherry-glazed mushrooms with black truffle butter are the best steakhouse side we’ve had in a while.
If you feel like leaving the property, head to San Diego proper for dinner at Mexican hot spot Quixote. The dark and moody space sits in a 110-year-old decommissioned church, so it makes sense that all of the serving ware and many of the design elements would be sourced from Oaxaca. Chef Jose Cepeda’s menu is thoughtful and creative, with dishes inspired by his mother’s home cooking. Standouts from the kitchen include the crab corn doughnut — it might sound like it shouldn’t work, but it proves a sensational bite of flaky crab, corn filling and burnt chili emulsion — grilled fish and flan with mezcal caramel.
End your evening with a cocktail at tiki sensation False Idol. This hidden bar inside the Craft & Commerce restaurant offers an immersive experience with an indoor waterfall, decorative buoys and plenty of skulls and totem poles. Martin Cate of San Francisco’s famed tiki bar Smuggler’s Cove is behind the mixology magic, which includes superb versions of mai tais, Singapore Slings and other classics that are perfect for toasting to a first night in the city.
Day Two
After starting off your day with huevos rancheros, concha French toast and other regionally inspired dishes at Park Hyatt Aviara’s Four-Star Ponto Lago, it’ll be time to head to the beach. From La Jolla Shores to Mission Beach, there are 70 miles of sun-soaking coastline to enjoy. However, Coronado Island is home to our favorite waterfront. This beach is hardly ever crowded, and its white sandy shores seemingly stretch forever to the Pacific Ocean.
A few blocks from the beach is Garage Buona Forchetta, an all-day Italian eatery with excellent pizza and pasta. It also provides a selection of vegan dishes, including a Caprese salad with vegan mozzarella and rigatoni bolognese made with seitan. After you’ve had a bite, venture over to Coronado Cays for a Venetian-style gondola ride or go boutique shopping along Orange Avenue.
Another way to spend the afternoon is by getting lost in the San Diego Botanic Garden’s lushness. Established in 1970, the Encinitas attraction offers 37 verdant acres with more than 5,000 plant species. It’s home to the most extensive public bamboo collection in North America, 15 gardens representing different international regions and 12 demonstration gardens. Depending on when you come in the week, the calendar flutters with bird walks and open-air yoga classes, too.
Come dinner, head 30 minutes south of the garden to the recently opened Cellar Hand. Coming from the team behind Pali Wine Co., Cellar Hand delivers a hearty menu of seasonal California and Mediterranean cuisine that can be enjoyed in an airy, inviting space. The whipped tahini is an elegant, rich variation of hummus served with house-made pita bread. The succulent pork chop comes with brown butter, cherry, rosemary and smoked almond. The pillowy artichoke ravioli with corn and tomatoes is a must as well.
For late-night revelry, you can’t beat Part-Time Lover, a spot sitting about a mile from Cellar Hand. Inspired by popular listening bars in Japan, the buzzy room that’s open nightly until 2 a.m. is decorated like a mid-century modern mansion with unique architectural features, a record shop and a listening lounge in the back.
