alawes

HELP-
HAVE BOOKED 4 NIGHTS AT HOTEL DEL CORONADO FOR FAMILY OF 6 ( 2 ADULTS, 20, 18, 15, 15)IN JULY. HAVE HEARD NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT HOTEL DEL. NEED SUGGESTIONS

rjw_lgb_ca

La Jolla: Hotel Parisi (20 minutes north of San Diego)

Santa Monica: Fairmont Miramar or Hotel Oceana (2 hours north of San Diego)

May I also recommend the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach (about 90 minutes north of San Diego)?

I have no recommendations for Santa Barbara, some 4 hours north of San Diego.

gplimpton

Sounds like you're asking for waterfront resorts.
I'll concur with the above recommendations for the Parisi (not actually waterfront) in La Jolla (avoid La Valencia)...Oceana and F Miramar are nice enough in SM (avoid Shutters on the Beach) but none of the above are too close to being 5 star resorts.
If you want waterfront and 5 star you're limited to the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, the St. Regis next door, and then places like Bacara in Santa Barbara, which has gotten off to a shaky start since it opened but could be a 4-5 star resort if it were run optimally. Technically the Four Seasons SB qualifies, but the rooms are a cut below those at Bacara and the RC and SR. The Ritz Carlton Marina Del Ray is not worth considering IMO.
Otherwise, the great resorts in the area are not waterfront.

rjw_lgb_ca

gplimpton is absolutely right in that the real 4- and 5-star resorts tend not to be on that super-expensive beachfront property. The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel (actually in Dana Point) is on a bluff. The Surf and Sand IS on beachfront, and it's extremely nice, but it's flying under the radar for most tourist-- inexplicably, in my opinion.

I second the nay on the R-C MDR. My company has been doing client seminars there, but in recent years their service has gone downhill.

The Miramar in SM is not a 5-star "resort", but it IS a lovely, comfortable historic hotel, and that counts for something, doesn't it?

rjw_lgb_ca

And one last thing-- please lost the all-caps on the questions. I feel like I'm communicating with someone imprisoned at a Western Union office....

rjw_lgb_ca

Duuhhh.... "Please LOSE the all-caps..."!

Barbara

Also look at the Sea Lodge in La Jolla, right on the beach at La Jolla Shores and L'Auberge Del Mar in Del Mar. Not right on the beach, but across the road. It'a a great beach for your kids. Could be difficult to get bookings in July if the Del Mar racing season has begun.

daph

What's wrong with La Valencia? Have you heard heard about the new Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach? Haven't been there but I hear that it's super expensive and that you get a tiny bit on your plate for a large bill.

userdude

In addition to Hotel Parisi, check out The Lodge at Torrey Pines. It was recently selected as one of the best new hotels by Travel & Leisure. If money is no object, look into staying in one of the casitas at the La Valencia Hotel. Although the original hotel is quite old, the casitas near the pool are recent additions to the property and costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars a night.

jd

We stayed at the Hotel Del in April with our 16 yr. old and 21 yr.old. They didn't enjoy it there as there were not many people their age. The pool was very nice.There was no swimming due to pollution and undertow. We had a jr. suite in the old building-it was a great room except for the strong musty smell.One of the hotels we all enjoyed a lot was called the Beach House at Hermosa Beach-it is directly on the ocean, and all rooms are suites. It is located 7 miles south of LAX. The beach here is awesome and the strand runs right in front of the hotel, where you can walk, rollerblade, or bike. You can walk to the pier area where there are good restaurants and shops. Check out their website at Beach-house.com. This hotel is much nicer than Loews Santa Monica, which I did not like very much.Rooms very small,balconies were standing room only. In Santa barbara we stayed at the harbor View hotel. It was very nice, especially the rooms with the cathedral ceilings. It has a pool and is directly across the street from the pier.

rjw_lgb_ca

daph: I had never heard of the Montage until you mentioned it, so I went and looked at its website. It looks spectacular and ritzy and glam, but it's also BARELY in Laguna Beach-- it's well south of there in the hinterlands between LB and Dana Point. All the fun that you can have in LB-- Main Beach Park, the galleries, the restaurants and bars, the Festival of the Arts/Pageant of the Masters, the Laguna Playhouse-- is in downtown.

jd mentions a hidden little gem in Hermosa. It's not a "resort" per se, but the Beach House at Hermosa Beach is just a nice place in a fun beach town (more "surfer dudes and chicks" than industry types with straggly ponytails and cell phones and hydraulically-enhanced girlfriends-- they still exist!!). The Loews in Santa Monica is not worth the money you spend, too true. For the money, the Miramar is a much nicer property.