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Del Mar , California
92130
Tel: 855 314 2030
Tel: 858 314 2001
Concierge.com's insider take:
The Grand Del Mar is an opulent gem located in the serene hills of the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. A sprawling estate complete with four swimming pools, two outdoor tennis courts, a 21,000-square-foot spa, and an equestrian center, the North County hotel feels more like a luxe villa ripped right out of the Tuscan countryside. Past the burbling horse-head fountains, the lush gardens, and spiffy doormen is a marble-and-crystal lobby with ornate columns and archways overlooking the Tom Fazio–designed golf course. Some of the 249 rooms and suites feature dining rooms, outdoor fireplaces, and extended verandas with stunning views of the fairway; all include nice touches such as hand-stenciled ceilings, steam showers, and Pratesi linens. Among the dining options is Addison, SoCal's only five-star/five-diamond restaurant. The hotel offers numerous complimentary perks, too—daily shoe-shines, gym classes, guided hikes through the nature preserve, and limo jaunts into the storybook-sweet village of Del Mar.—Audrey Davidow
From the editors of Condé Nast Traveler:
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.
—2008 Hot ListAmenities: Golf, Pool, Spa, Tennis
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