If You Like

If You Like

Beaches

Locals stake out their favorite sunning, surfing, body boarding, and walking territories at the easily accessible North Coast beaches. Skilled surfers seeking a challenge head for Swami's Point in Encinitas. While dogs are welcome at several San Diego County beaches, many like to climb down to the water at Del Mar's James Scripps Bluff Preserve, where owners and canines can ride the San Dieguito River out to sea.

Desert Adventures

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park encompasses more than 600,000 acres, most of it wilderness. Springtime, when the wildflowers are in full bloom, is glorious. In the sandstone canyons you can walk in the footsteps of prehistoric camels, zebras, and giant ground sloths.

Dining

Fine dining, once limited to downtown San Diego, now goes beyond the city limits. At the top of foodies' must-do list is Addison, Grand Del Mar Hotel's signature restaurant. Right behind it is the BlueFire Grill at La Costa Resort. Sure, some of the beach dives serving burgers and smoothies remain, as do some of the area's popular Mexican eateries where the fare is homemade. If you're looking for celebrity chefs, check out Pamplemousse, Addison, or Market Restaurant + Bar. Heading north, Temecula offers a variety of dining options ranging from the simple but satisfying Bank of Mexican Food to the artful Vineyard Rose.

Flowers

The North County is a prolific flower-growing region. Nurseries, some open to the public, line the hillsides on both sides of I-5 in Encinitas, Leucadia, and Carlsbad. Most of the poinsettias sold in the United States get their start here. Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas displays native and exotic plants year-round. The gardens at the San Diego Wild Animal Park attract nearly as many people as the animals do.

Lodging

The North County is home to a growing number of luxury hotels, making it possible to enjoy the great outdoors in many places while pampering yourself indoors. Leading the list is the Four Seasons Aviara Resort, which occupies a storied vantage point overlooking the Pacific. The Casa del Zorro in the Anza-Borrego desert is a storied oasis of class and culture surrounded by desert scenery. For those who want the ultimate pampered vacation, the North County holds two world-class spas: Cal-A-Vie and the Golden Door. Bed-and-breakfast lodging rules in Julian, where you can relax in a country cabin or an historic house.