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San Diego
Call it the South Beach of Southern California or the Pacific Coast's wannabe Vegas. However you characterize it, San Diego is going through an unprecedented growth spurt, with a particular focus on the young, the restless, and the loaded. Even the trauma of the recent brush fires hasn't slowed things down. Leading the charge is one of Miami's main luxury players, the Setai, set to open in April 2008 in the Gaslamp Quarter, the city's former red-light district. Adding a little high octane to the chill surf scene, the property will have a 30-seat screening room, a fully kitted-out recording studio, and a wine cellar, all on call for the VIPs expected to roll into town (whether the private pool cabanas become the town's new power meeting spot or the illicit stomping grounds of naughty singles remains to be seen). The Setai follows close on the heels of a brand-new Hard Rock Hotel that's also aiming to put San Diego on the hipster radar. It has 17 "rock star suites," including one designed by the Black Eyed Peas (for better or worse), an outpost of Nobu (for better or worse), and lounge and rooftop pool bars by ubiquitous nightlife impresario Rande Gerber. They join a slew of other boutique hotels that have rolled into town, such as Tower 23, pictured, and the Solamar, and the more grown-up Grand Del Mar, a $270-million resort that opened in October with a golf course and 21,000-square-foot spa.
Setai San Diego
Tel: 619 515 3000
Hard Rock
Tel: 866 751 7625
Tower23
Tel: 858 270 2323
Hotel Solamar
Tel: 619 531 8740
Grand Del Mar
Tel: 858 350 7600
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