Come here for the trendy decor, fruity drinks, and upscale rooms. The W chain's urban finesse adapts to San Diego with nautical blue-and-white rooms with beach-ball pillows and goose-down comforters. The Beach Bar has a heated sand floor, cabanas, and two fire pits, but the pool is tiny by San Diego standards. The lobby doubles as the surf-and- sand-chic Living Room lounge redone by Tom Filicia from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy; it's a local hipster nightspot where nonhotel guests have to wait behind a velvet rope. Be sure to get a room on an upper floor—the scantily clad crowd parties into the night. The hotel restaurant, Rice, serves stylish Asian and Latin cuisine, and the Away Spa caters to both body and spirit. Pros: Large lobby, modern rooms, spa. Cons: Expensive parking, not centrally located.
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