I am still working on my December trip...it seems to be on going and everyone has been so helpful when I have posted a message.

My lastest question;
I booked the Lodge at Torrey Pines and wondering has anyone stayed there with kids? My kids are 6 & 9, though well behaved they are kids! Not sure if I have done the right thing. Everyone has told me La Jolla is the best place to stay, nice area etc. I am starting to wonder if I should book something that is more kid friendly. If so what and where? Any thought son the Grande Colonial?

I won't comment on the kids thing, not having any. La Jolla is beautiful, and unless your kids are shrieking "WE WANNA GO TO SEA WORLD!!" like banshees 24-7, I think they'll be just fine. I suppose you could try Mission Beach, but you've indicated that you have a preference for top-of-the-line digs on this trip, so....

The Grande Colonial is a historic hotel, right in the thick of everywhere you want to be in La Jolla, and I happen to like it a lot. But it doesn't hold a candle to the Lodge. It's not really a resort, but more like a typical big-city hotel-- charming and pretty, sure, but it doesn't boast those upper-crust resort amenities. Its restaurant, Nine-Ten, gets good reviews (it's also pricey). You're also a hop, skip and jump to the Cove and all the fun there (including George's at the Cove-- here's today's plug for that great eatery!!), so that counts for something in my book. Still, the Lodge is pretty swank....

As one of the people who encouraged the choice of Torrey Pines I'll just offer this: Before checking in with our 10-year-old, we stopped to pick up his 9- and 7-year-old cousins (also boys) and their mom. We pulled up out front to find the staff completely gracious as one child after another climbed out of the car. We went to check in. They went to the pool. Again, clearly welcome even though not everyone in our party was a guest of the hotel. Many other children were in evidence. And although there was not a separate children's menu, both the poolside staff and the restaurant staff were happy to provide plain pancakes and a plain hamburger when the need arose. The Lodge has an indoor boardgame room, and outdoor croquet setup and trails on the property. We try to strike a balance between what our child needs and what we need in a hotel and found this to be very much to our liking.

Thank you so much for that info. I feel better knowing that other people with kids stayed at the hotel.

Not to overdo it, but one more thing. When my husband was making the reservation the person at the desk asked if he would need clubs for the golf course. When he said no, the clerk then asked -- knowing our son was 10 -- whether our child would be needing clubs.

I think it is great if a hotel caters to children. But to bring extra, non-paying guests to hang out by the pool is kind of rude isn't it?

We would have invited them to our house, but we didn't think we could get back from Philadelphia in time for dinner.

How were the rooms in this hotel? I'd read in the LA Times that the reviewer didn't think they were all that luxurious for the price...?

The Lodge is all about Arts&Crafts style, which emphasized craftsmanship. The Ritz was cream and peach and carpeting and marble. The Lodge was deep green and gold and stained glass and wood. It was a small thing, but the tile pattern in the bathroom floor suggested a rug and matched the fabric in the robes. It's just a different aesthetic.