Best Restaurant Views in San Diego, California

Planning a trip to San Diego? Book a window table at
The Marine Room for a truly memorable dining experience.

When you select a restaurant, is a good view almost as important to you as good food? If so, you'll want to check out the results of Open Table's Diners’ Choice Awards for the 50 restaurants in the U.S with the Most Scenic Views.

I wasn't surprised to see several in the San Diego area - including two on the beach in La Jolla - on the list.

And the winners are:  

Bali Hai Restaurant – San Diego, California

Bertrand at Mister A’s – San Diego, California

Chart House Restaurant – Cardiff, California

Il Fornaio – Coronado, California

Island Prime – San Diego, California

***The Marine Room – La Jolla, California

Peohe’s – Coronado, California

The Shores Restaurant – La Jolla, California

According to Open Table, "In keeping with its reputation for culinary excellence and expansive, natural beauty, California claimed half the spots on the list, with eight winners alone in ”America’s Finest City,” a.k.a. San Diego."

Click here to see the complete list of 50 restaurants with outstanding views.

Bon appetit!

***Insider tip: The Marine Room's last two high-tide breakfasts of the season are January 7 and 8 from 7-10am. Make reservations now to enjoy award-winning cuisine and the unforgetable sight of waves crashing on floor-to-ceiling windows.  

Seals at La Jolla's Children's Pool

A colony of harbor seals live at The Children's Pool Beach in La Jolla, California

What to do in La Jolla, California? The most popular free activity in the village - especially if you're traveling with kids - is visiting the seals at The Children's Pool. The rope barrier that went up here recently indicates the beginning of the pupping season for the colony of harbor seals who call the cove home.

While the pups aren't usually born until March and April, the rope keeps onlookers at a safe distance from the rookery while the seals are most vulnerable. All onlookers, that is, except for the beach-use advocates who insist on swimming in this area despite the fact that the water is contaminated. The pro-seal advocates believe that this action constitutes illegal harassment of a federally protected species.

City officials are seeking a permit from the California Coastal Commission to leave the rope up permanently instead of just during pupping season, but for the time being it goes up in December and comes down in May. The seals cope by just sliding into the water and going for a swim when the humans become too bothersome.

The seals have been in the area for decades, but no one paid much attention until their numbers became significant. The anti-seal people are primarily long-time La Jollans who learned to swim at The Children's Pool and would like to see their children and grandchildren have the same opportunity. In 1931 philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps gifted the sea wall that encloses the cove so that La Jolla kids would have a safe place to learn to swim.

But that was then and this is now. The Children's Pool Beach is 130 feet long and San Diego offers 70 miles of coastline. The rookery is the only mainline harbor seal colony in Southern California south of Carpinteria.

This area of San Diego's coast is naturally rich in sea life and has been declared a marine sanctuary. At this time of the year, gray whales can be spotted off shore as they swim south to give birth in the warmer waters of Baja California, Mexico.

In addition, sea lions have taken up residence at the nearby La Jolla Cove where long-distance swimmers work out year round. They are joined by huge flocks of pelicans, the ubiquitous sea gulls, and significant numbers of cormorants.

If you visit with your family, the kids may notice that the various animal species get along just fine.

La Jolla is 12 miles from downtown San Diego. Click here to find out how to get to La Jolla from San Diego.

Click here if you would like help planning your trip to La Jolla.

San Diego Hotel Deals and News



Dramatic winter storm surf draws visitors to La Jolla, California.


If you’re planning a trip to Southern California in the near future, you’ll find some of the best hotel bargains in La Jolla – San Diego’s favorite coastal community.

Located only 12 miles from the San Diego Zoo and downtown, La Jolla offers beautiful beaches, great shopping and restaurant options, and panoramic ocean views.

How to get to La Jolla from San Diego.

I’ve already written about the new Pantai Inn on Coast Boulevard, close to the La Jolla Cove and the Children’s Pool seal colony. The Pantai is offering a great deal: $299 per room including free parking and breakfast. When the hotel is completed, there will be 44 suites with full kitchens, but right now they have seven suites ready and four more will be finished by the end of the month.

More hotel deals? Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa has extended their “late summer special” of $134 a night, which includes a $25 a day per room credit that can be used in the restaurant, bar, spa or for room service. This rate is subject to availability and they are already sold out for January 17-19. Estancia is located on Torrey Pines Road across from UCSD (University of California San Diego) and is a good choice for visitors with a car.

The Grand Colonial is busy sprucing up their lobby and meeting spaces, but their guest rooms are unaffected. The renovations will be complete in January. In the meantime, it's possible to find a room here from $199, depending on the category and availability.

Hotel La Jolla, on the other hand, has closed most of the hotel – only a handful of rooms are available – while they do major renovations to the restaurant, guest rooms, swimming pool, and other public spaces. Having said that, for travelers who just want a place to sleep, the Hotel La Jolla might be perfect. Call 858-459-0261 for availability and rates.

The “new” Hotel La Jolla, located at the gateway to our community, will re-open in May with a revamped ocean-view restaurant on the 11th floor and a cozy enclosed lounge with fire pits on the front lawn. Kimpton Hotels will manage the property,

La Valencia Hotel is in the process of replacing their quaint, old-fashioned elevator. This means that guests in the main building are using the stairs to access their rooms, but rest assured that ample staff is on hand to carry luggage. The west wing of the hotel is fully functional. Rates at La Valencia – and every hotel in the world, for that matter – are subject to availability – but it’s worth noting that AAA members receive a 10% discount, and the hotel is offering some good-value packages. The elevator in the main part of the hotel is expected to be operational by mid-February.

The La Jolla Shores Hotel has extended their "Kids Eat Free" offer for children 8 years and under who are dining with a paying adult. This includes a free children's breakfast and a complimentary brownie sundae with dinner.

Nearby, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club has put together a great New Year's Eve package with the Marine Room, and this renown oceanfront restaurant will offer the last high tide breakfasts of the season on January 7 and 8.

I'd be happy to help you plan your trip to La Jolla. Click here to read about the services I offer and click here to review more La Jolla hotel deals.

Happy holidays everyone!

What’s On at the Theater in La Jolla, California?

Paul Nolan as Jesus in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.

San Diego is best known for beautiful beaches and its world-famous Zoo, but we also enjoy a rich cultural life – including great theatre.

Since mid-November, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR has been wowing audiences at La Jolla Playhouse. I saw the show about a week ago and was positively stunned by the music and the drama.

The show reminded me why I loved all of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s earlier works, but the credit for this production of Superstar goes to Des McAnuff, Director Emeritus of La Jolla Playhouse and now the Artistic Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada.

McAnuff directs Paul Nolan in the role of Jesus, a very appealing Chilina Kennedy as Mary Magdalene, Josh Young as Judas, and Jeremy Kushnier as Pontius Pilate. Tom Hewitt, who was wonderful in THE LION KING on Broadway and as DRACULA at La Jolla Playhouse, stepped in briefly for Kushnier.

The reviews of Superstar have been terrific:

San Diego critic Welton Jones: “Any doubts that JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is a genuine modern musical masterpiece should be banished forever by the splendid production in residence at the La Jolla Playhouse.”

L. A. Times reviewer Charles McNulty: “O ye of little faith. To all those who made snarky comments when it was announced that JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR was being resurrected by Des McAnuff, I say unto you, ‘Go down to La Jolla Playhouse and observe the benevolent gift of this revival, which has had the miraculous effect of turning even an Andrew Lloyd Webber denier like me into a momentary believer.’ ”

The ground-breaking rock opera will open on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre in March. Previous La Jolla Playhouse shows currently running on Broadway include Tony-Award winners MEMPHIS and JERSEY BOYS.

So you can wait and see Superstar in New York (in March at Broadway prices) or you can call the La Jolla Playhouse box office (858-550-1010) or go online right now and buy tickets. The show runs until the end of December.

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Click here if you need help planning your trip to La Jolla.

Photo courtesy of La Jolla Playhouse.

New Hotel in La Jolla, California

Pantai Inn, La Jolla, California.

The Pantai Inn just opened in San Diego’s favorite coastal community and is offering travelers great deals on ocean view suites.

The inn will eventually expand to 44 suites, but at the moment – I was there two days ago – only 7 suites are available, and these are being offered at discounted rates as low as $299 a night including continental breakfast, wi-fi, and free parking.

This has got to be Southern California’s best hotel deal at the moment, and it’s great for traveling families because all suites include a full kitchen, a living room, and at least one separate bedroom - right across the street from the ocean.

Here are some tips, based on my tour of the new boutique hotel:

#106 would be best for 3G (three generation) family travel because it offers 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a balcony (but only a partial ocean view and no fireplace).

#201 is my favorite because is has a full ocean view and a gas fireplace, and the master bedroom has a canopy bed, but I also really like…

#208 which has a spacious oceanfront patio, a gas fireplace, an especially nice kitchen, and a wall bed in the living room, plus a separate bedroom.


Ocean-view balcony, Pantai Inn, La Jolla, California.


The Pantai Inn, on Coast Boulevard, was originally the Shell Beach Motel - a random collection of studios, cottages, and bungalows built along the La Jolla Coastline between 1900 and 1930.

Historical significance kept the property from being razed. Instead, the new owners have completely re-done the interiors and added every imaginable high-tech gizmo and first-class furnishings, while preserving the property’s original charm. They are also adding Balinese art, artifacts, and furniture which fit right in with the waterfront location.

The hotel does not have a restaurant, but is within a block or two of dozens of dining and shopping options. It is also within sight of the Children’s Pool and steps from the La Jolla Cove.

Sales & Operation Manager Bernardo Zavala, formerly with La Jolla’s La Valencia and the Four Seasons Aviara, told me they expect to have 11 suites completed by the end of this month. Another 29 will be ready by next summer, with all 44 finished by the end of 2012.

La Jolla’s mild climate lures visitors year round – and the savvy ones will take advantage of the discounted rates at the Pantai Inn -while they last.

The Pantai Inn is steps from The La Jolla Cove.


Click here if you need help planning a trip to La Jolla.

Photo credit: ADAMS / HANSEN STOCK PHOTOS.

Click here to see more photos of La Jolla.

Click here to compare La Jolla hotel rates.

When to go to La Jolla, California

The La Jolla Christmas Parade will take place Sunday, December 4, 2011.

We’ve talked about how to get to San Diego’s favorite coastal community, but if you’re planning a trip, you also need to think about the best time to be here.

Weather -

Weather is certainly a consideration – even though the temperature in San Diego is mild year round, and we get less than 10 inches of rain a year (usually from November to March). Click here for some rainy day suggestions.

Daytime temps range from a low of 64°F (about 17°C) in December to a high of 79°F (about 25°C) in August. Nighttime temps are 15-20 degrees cooler. We get a fair amount of coastal fog in May and June – known locally as “May gray” and “June gloom” – and the best beach weather is July though September. Visit in the spring (especially in April and May) to see our colorful gardens at their very best.

Insider tip: I think of September as San Diego’s secret season, because the crowds are gone and the weather is wonderful.

Annual Events -


Annual events are also a consideration when planning a trip to La Jolla. Here are some to factor into your plans:

January and September - San Diego Restaurant Week includes lots of La Jolla restaurants offering good-value prix-fixe menus. Next: January 15-20, 2012

January – The Farmers Insurance PGA Golf Tournament is played at the Torrey Pines Golf Course. Next: January 23-29, 2012.

February – This is free museum month in San Diego. La Jolla participants include the Museum of Contemprary Art San Diego, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and the La Jolla Historical Society.

March - Meet the Masters. Sponsored by the Village Garden Club of La Jolla, Meet the Masters features well known personalities from the world of flowers. Next: March 8, 2012 – London floral designer Shane Connolly – “the man who put the trees in Westminster Abbey for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.”

April – The La Jolla Concours d’Elegance (formerly La Jolla Motor Car Classic), sponsored by the La Jolla Historical Society, takes place in Scripps Park near the La Jolla Cove and draws droves of classic car enthusiasts. Next: April 1, 2012.

May – The Secret Garden Tour of La Jolla, sponsored by the La Jolla Historical Society, provides an opportunity for local residents and out-of-town visitors to walk through the gates that surround our community’s most beautiful private gardens. Next: May 19, 2012

May – February - La Jolla Playhouse presents a year round program of musicals, comedies, and dramas Next: Jesus Christ Superstar, November 18 - December 31, 2011.

July – On the 4th of July, fireworks explode from the La Jolla Cove.

August – La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest is a nationally-recognized chamber music festival featuring over 70 world-class artists and ensembles performing concerts during the month of August.

September - La Jolla Rough Water Swim. America's premier rough water swim has taken place at the La Jolla Cove since 1916. Next: September 9, 2012.

October - Kids are free at local museums when accompanied by a paid adult.

December – April – This is whale watching season. Visitors can go out on a boat with a Birch Aquarium or BYO binoculars and scan the waves from vantage points along the La Jolla Coast.

December – May - La Jolla Music Society’s Winter-Spring Series includes a variety of music and dance performances. Some of these are held in Sherwood Hall in the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and at the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla.

December – The La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival is a family-friendly community event. Next: December 4, 2012.

Click here if you need help planning your trip to La Jolla.

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Photo credit ADAMS / HANSEN STOCK PHOTOS.