Looking for a romantic escape? San Diego’s 70 miles of pristine silky white beaches, enthralling vistas, breezy summer weather, secluded parks and enticing restaurants make it a perfect getaway.
We started our journey in an Audi Q5S 45 Quattro SUV, full of room for all of our luggage and items we picked up along the way. The luxury car is big on comfort and has sporty styling with a powerful turbocharged engine, massive sunroof and 19” wheel design.
Our first stop was a bit of shopping at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets, at 5620 Paseo del Norte in Carlsbad. Browse the more than 60 shops including Coach, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gap, Theory and dozens of other retail spots offering discount prices.
We shortly arrived at our next destination, the idyllic community of La Jolla filled with drop-dead views of the surf, coves, hills and lagoons.
The historic La Valencia Hotel, 1132 Prospect Street, known as The Pink Palace and La V to locals, is more than 90 years old. The resort’s beautiful Sky Suite on the 10th floor provides stunning 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and La Jolla cove. The suite is bright and airy with a yellow, brown and white design scheme, a mix of hardwood floors and grey carpeting, comfy blue and grey furniture, a bar with pretty Spanish mosaic tiles, an elegant bedroom balcony perfect for star gazing and a bathroom with a gigantic rain and steam shower.
The resort’s signature 7th-floor restaurant, The Mediterranean Room, offers spectacular vistas of the ocean and the pool from an alfresco terrace and inside in the beautiful dining room. Menu highlights include shawarma spiced octopus, beet salad, cheese and charcuterie platters, lamb sugo with pistachio pappardelle, roasted salmon in a Basque pepper stew and a 12-ounce rib eye with smoked potato puree.
Make a reservation ahead of time to the nearby Birch Aquarium at Scripps, 2300 Expedition Way, to get a closer look at seahorses, sharks and other sea life. Check out their new penguin exhibit. After viewing the more than 60 habitats and 5,000 fish and taking in the bluff top views, head back to upscale Prospect Avenue for a morning of art gallery and boutique shopping. Make sure to visit the historic Warwicks, 7812 Girard Avenue, the country’s oldest continuously family-owned and operated bookstore. Browse books and their unusual eclectic selection of gifts, jewelry, stationery and art supplies.
Take an afternoon stroll along the walking path at Ellen Browning Scripps Park for one of the best views along the Southern California coastline and enjoy watching surfers and seals play in the ocean below before heading to Coronado.
Coronado is home to beautiful Victorian houses, stucco bungalows, and Spanish –style haciendas surrounded by pine, eucalyptus and orange trees. Their long white beaches are some of the best beaches in the country with sweeping vistas and miles of soft sand.
We checked into the spacious and inviting Loews Coronado Bay Resort, 400 Coronado Bay Road, a gated property located on the Coronado Peninsula with panoramic views of the San Diego Bay, Pacific Ocean and private marina for guests. The renovated lobby houses a beautiful two-story chandelier of glass over the large grand staircase. The time is projected on a large clock on the lobby’s floor. Outside is a deck with armchairs, banquette and rattan seating perfect for lounging and sharing sunset drinks overlooking views of downtown San Diego.
The 439-room resort has three sparkling pools, surf lessons and gondola rides, and is a five minute pretty walk to the vast Silver Strand beach.
Spacious rooms feature large soaking tubs, marble bathroom counters, contemporary furniture with a blue and green sea-glass design scheme and balconies overlooking the bay, ocean and marina.
There’s also a state-of-the-art fitness center, spa and tennis courts. Their Summerfest series includes Movies by the Bay every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening with fun family-friendly movies, firepits and free popcorn. Loews' signature oceanfront brunch, live DJ’s, children’s Mermaid Academy and a variety of kids games are also part of summer entertainment.
Head to their modern nautical themed Crown Landing restaurant to indulge in California cuisine with marina views and an outdoor terrace. Dishes highlight seasonal local ingredients with standouts including an impressive raw bar with tuna tartar, oysters and shrimp cocktail, clam chowder poutine, shrimp and grits, grilled miso salmon and rib eye with roasted mushrooms. We were impressed by the excellent food, beautiful views and attentive service.
Loews has such a huge variety of activities that you could spend your entire stay at the resort, but a venture into downtown Coronado is worth the short drive. Head to the iconic Hotel Del Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave, to see their chandelier-lit richly decorated hallways, massive spaces filled with pictures of celebrities and days gone by, intricate woodwork, expansive and manicured grounds and old-fashioned birdcage elevator. Coronado’s main downtown area on Orange Avenue has places to rent bicycles for a relaxing afternoon pedaling down streets lined with pretty Victorian houses and beautifully manicured lawns and gardens and shopping in charming local stores.
Stake Chophouse & Bar, 1309 Orange Avenue, is a great place to end the afternoon for a delicious steakhouse dinner. We were able to choose our favorite cut of meat including tenderloin, filet, NY strip, skirt or rib eye; Waygu, Australian or local, as well as a unique knife to use to devour it. We loved the knife presentation and the ability to see which carving utensil we preferred. Owned by Blue Bridge Hospitality Group, the restaurant’s second floor outdoor lounge houses comfy booths and firepit areas for cocktails and the inside dining area is modern with a coastal blue, white and brown palette. In addition to great steaks, they also offer a bounty of seafood options. Standout dishes include their wood fired oysters Rockefeller, Brooklyn bacon steak, shaved kale salad, beef steak and burrata salad, Hokkaido scallops with artichokes and gooseberries, lobster and crab cioppino, Hawaiian tuna with chili garlic glaze and miso, and Sonoma duck breast.
San Diego houses iconic destinations, miles of beautiful pristine beaches, enticing restaurants and a wide variety of museums, galleries, parks and outdoor activities, making it a perfect summer destination.
