Hot List Hotels 2008
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5300 Grand Del Mar Court
San Diego,
California
92130
United States
Tel: 858 314 2000
Tel: 888 314 2030
If Hearst could do it all over again, this is how he might render his sprawling California castle. Tucked in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Reserve just north of San Diego, the resort, built with a nod to the Spanish colonial revival style popularized by Addison Mizner, pays homage to both old-world design and New Age lifestyles, blending hand-stenciled ceilings and herbal reflexology, gold-leaf balusters and flat-screen TVs that double as electronic abstract paintings. But the vibe is modern California, especially around the pool area with its white sand beach, on the velveteen golf course, and in the gardens, a Wi-Fi hotspot where guests are glued to laptops. Even the smallest of the 249 rooms are spacious and extravagant, outfitted with gilt mirrors and solid Empire-style furnishings, the showers outfitted with marble seats for watching a mini television mounted on the bathroom wall. The restaurant Addison has gained a reputation as one of San Diego's finer French dining rooms, while Amaya delivers mouthwatering Mediterranean bites. After dinner is when the Grand seems most like Hearst Castle, especially the lobby lounge, where a blazing hearth, live classical music, and a jolly good selection of port transform retro into reality.
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