Cheat Sheet: San Diego

Top Hotels, Golf Resorts, Restaurants, Shops & more in San Diego, California

I consider myself part "California Girl," and there's no better place to live the beach lifestyle than in sunny Southern California. I love visiting San Diego, and I've noticed that the city just keeps getting better and better, with an impressive number of new hip hotels, sleek restaurants and stylish boutiques. Here are some of those choice picks, as well as tips on top cultural highlights and sporty diversions, including a surfing school for women and an amazing new children's museum.

WHERE TO STAY IN SAN DIEGO

The IVY, a Hip Hotel and Nightlife Spot in Downtown San Diego

Gaslamp Quarter

A guestroom at the IVY Hotel, a trendy and hip boutique hotel in San Diego, California, that is also a hub for nighlife, with its restaurant, rooftop bar and two nightclubs.

One of a crop of new hotels in downtown San Diego, the IVY is designed for people who don't like to sleep much—or at least those that prefer to stay up late. Decidedly trendy, the 159-room hotel was designed with young urbanites who like to party in mind. Every night, and especially on weekends, the hotel's nightclub and its rooftop bar both heave with pretty young things grooving ... read more about the IVY Hotel

www.ivyhotel.com | Phone: +1 619 814 1000

600 F Street | San Diego, CA 92101 United States

Tower 23 Hotel

Pacific Beach

A guestroom at Tower 23, a hip boutique hotel in downtown San Diego, California.

Located right on the Pacific Ocean, Tower 23 is playful, contemporary, and super-stylish. Don't be put off by the name—this is no high-rise, it's named after a lifeguard tower on Pacific Beach ... read more about the Tower 23 Hotel

www.t23hotel.com | Phone: +1 858 270 2323

4551 Ocean Boulevard | San Diego, CA 92109 United States

The Lodge at Torrey Pines

La Jolla

This welcoming inn is nestled between pine trees, sagebrush and sandstone, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It's a golfers' paradise, with the 18th green of the Torrey Pines Golf Course just next door ... read more about The Lodge at Torrey Pines

www.lodgetorreypines.com | Phone: +1 858 453 4420

11480 North Torrey Pines Road | La Jolla, CA 92037 United States

Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa

Coronado

This hotel is an a truly breathtaking location: a private 15-acre peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Coronado Bay. Park your boat in the private marina, learn tennis by the ocean, and choose from a variety of sports on land and sea with bike, rollerblade and boat rentals ... read more about Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa

www.loewshotels.com | Phone: +1 619 424 4000

4000 Coronado Bay Road | Coronado, CA 92118 United States

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

Rancho Santa Fe

San Diego's Rancho Valencia Resort has and award-winning fine dining French restaurant, spa, four nearby golf courses and 18 tennis courts offering world-renowned clinics. The resort is just five miles from the ocean and the beaches of Del Mar, California.

This Southern California resort—five miles from Del Mar's beaches—is a great choice if you're looking for a chilled out weekend break. Facilities include an award-winning restaurant, spa and an impressive range of activities. Guests have access to four nearby golf courses and 18 tennis courts offering world-renowned clinics. Soothe aching muscles in the spa—try a ... read more about Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

www.ranchovalencia.com | Phone: +1 858 756 1123

5921 Valencia Circle | Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067 United States

W Hotel San Diego

Gaslamp Quarter

This is a hotel that has as much fun as its guests. The W San Diego is sure to make you smile with its urban chic-meets-beach towel approach—a cool and funky style splashed with color and vibrancy. It's just a stroll from the Bay on West B Street in the lively Gaslamp Quarter, close to Petco Park and Little Italy, and a short drive to the famous San Diego Zoo and surfing beaches ... read more about W Hotel San Diego

www.whotels.com | Phone: +1 619 398 3100

421 West B. Street | San Diego, CA 92101 United States

Golden Door Spa Resort

Escondido (40 miles northeast of San Diego)

A guestroom at Golden Door, a luxury destination spa and wellness resort in Escondido, near San Diego, California.

The mother of all spas, this 50-year-old retreat is more cutting-edge than many of its younger imitators. A lush, 377-acre sanctuary, 40 miles northeast of San Diego, Golden Door manages to remain personal and intimate with only 40 rooms and suites—the staff-to-guest ratio is usually four to one. Health and well-being packages are based around week-long stays ... read more about the Golden Door spa resort

www.goldendoor.com | Phone: +1 760 744 5777

Escondido, CA 92046 United States

La Valencia Hotel & Spa

La Jolla

Set in tropical gardens with ocean views, La Valencia has been the place to stay in La Jolla since it opened in 1926. Just 12 miles north of San Diego Airport, this gorgeous pink-washed palace will have you in instant wind-down mode with 115 guest rooms and suites, each decorated with a breezy southern Californian flair and looking out to the village, gardens or ocean. The new Ocean Villas ... read more about La Valencia hotel

www.lavalencia.com | Phone: +1 858 454 0771

1132 Prospect Street | La Jolla, CA 92037 United States

WHERE TO EAT IN SAN DIEGO

Restaurant File: San Diego's Top Alfresco Dining and Hip Lounges

Whisknladle, a new restaurant in La Jolla, San Diego which serves delicious organic and seasonal gourmet cuisine in a sleek, hip environment, including a cool trendy bar and an alfresco dining patio. Go to this new La Jolla hotspot for its chic atmosphere and great al fresco dining patio, as well as for its dedication to simple—and simply delicious—fresh and seasonal cuisine. Family-style dining is encouraged, all part of the owner and chef's philosophy that food is best enjoyed when shared.

Whisknladle
La Jolla
Go to this new La Jolla hotspot for its chic atmosphere and great al fresco dining patio, as well as for its dedication to simple—and simply delicious—fresh and seasonal cuisine. Family-style dining is encouraged, all part of the owner and chef's philosophy that food is best enjoyed when shared. Impressively, the kitchen staff produces many ingredients ... read more about Whisknladle and other top restaurants in San Diego

WHERE TO SHOP IN SAN DIEGO

San Diego Shopping: Beach Fashions, Designer Consignment, Home Decor & more

A Leather biker jacket embellished with a rose motif, from Kippys, a leather clothing and accessory shop in Coronado, San Diego, California.

Embellished Leather & Denim: Kippys
Coronado
An only-in-San Diego original, favored by rockers, bikers, and anyone looking for an edgy, leather statement piece trimmed in studs or Swarovski crystals. In business for decades and owned by the Kipperman family, this quirky store and workshop in Coronado specializes in all things leather, from cool wrist cuffs, eye-catching leather jackets, original handbags ... read more about Kippy's and other chic shops in San Diego

Florist File: San Diego

A floral arrangement from Embellishmint, a custom florist for parties, weddings and corporate events in San Diego, California.

Embellishmint Floral and Event Design Studio
"Owner Dawn Stone's roots are based in a successful interior design and faux finishing career, which translates to an understanding of color and design that is unmatched by anyone," says Rebecca Gaffney of Red Letter Day Events, who often ... read more about Embellishmint and other top florists in San Diego

WHAT TO SEE & DO IN SAN DIEGO

Sporty Adventures in San Diego: Surfing, Golf, Deep-Sea Fishing, Sailing & more

A femaler surfer with Surf Diva, a surf school in La Jolla, San Diego, California that specializes in classes for women, but also offers classes to men and children.

Surf Diva
La Jolla
Move aside, surf gods ... it's time for surf divas to strut their stuff. When sisters Izzy and Coco Tihany founded their La Jolla-based surfing school for women more than a decade ago, they were ahead of their time in thinking that custom-made programs were the future—and they haven't looked back. Now known by female surfers around the world, the ... read more about Surf Diva and other sporty outfitters in San Diego

San Diego's Best Arts & Cultural Attractions: Cutting-Edge Galleries to World-Class Opera

A performance by Malashock Dance, a contemporary modern dance troupe in San Diego, California.

Malashock Dance, a Contemporary Troupe
Point Lomo
"San Diego is so fortunate to be the home of Malashock Dance," says Sonya Quintanilla, a curator at the San Diego Museum of Art. "Emmy-award winning artistic director John Malashock sensitively incorporates a deep appreciation for a variety of world cultures in collaborative projects that result in spectacular dance performances." In addition to ... read more about Malashock and other cultural highlights of San Diego

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Topics: Sports & Active , Shops, Gifts, Finds , Epicurean , Arts & Culture , Travel
Geography: San Diego, California
Tags: sport, beach, sailing, fishing, golf, tennis, hiking, yacht, surfing, shark diving