A while ago, Russ and I tossed around the idea of heading out of town for Easter weekend since we knew the kids wouldn’t be around. And then, when we thought about it again, it was a week away…so we booked the vacay and 3 days later we were on a plane. Vacationing in San Diego at the Grand Del Mar here we come! Woot!
How was the trip? I’ll share three numbers with you: 5 star hotel, 5 star restaurant, 5 star spa.
The Grand Del Mar is a Fairmont Hotel and it is definitely grand. The first time Russ and I stayed there we knew we’d come back and often. A quick 2 and a half hour flight from Vancouver and voila.
Before we departed, I spoke with the concierge, who set up tee times, spa times and dinner at the Addison all on the Fairmont Del Mar property. I do like to have someone put together an itinerary for us. Knowing that things are taken care of and I don’t have to fret about anything on a long weekend retreat is amazing. The itinerary was in our room when we arrived.
While vacationing in San Diego, golfing, relaxing and eating were our top 3 musts. We were craving warmer weather and some fun.
Driving past the regal gates of the Grand Del Mar felt amazingly relaxing. I adored the fresh flower display in the entrance of the hotel. The Grand Del Mar’s designer is Kathy Wright, and holy, is it a sight to see!
It made me happy that they have premium glasses of champagne available in the lobby bar. It allowed me to try new bubbles. And in the words of Buddy the Elf, I like bubbles, bubbles are my favourite. Russ, remember, is a trusty rum and coke drinker. We both got what we wanted.
Our room was on ground level, far away from the lobby. It was quiet and we had Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit just outside our door. We didn’t take advantage of it but we were told that if we wanted it on we just needed to call the front desk and they’d light it for us – cool hey? Complete with s’mores!
During one of our nights, we had dinner at Addison, the only 5 star restaurant in southern California, right on the property of the Grand Del Mar. Hello, beautifully pressed white tablecloth, oh, how I love you! Dining at the Addison Restaurant on the Fairmont Del Mar property was a fantastic culinary experience. Russ and I indulged in the chef’s tasting menu and had some delectable morsels. The best thing about this type of dining experience is that you can get a taste of so many things at one time. And the display is so elegant too!
Golfing at the Grand Del Mar was beautiful. Each breath was fragrant. It’s mandatory for each foursome to have a caddie assigned to them. Tyler was our caddie and he was fantastic. He knew his job well. We enjoyed real conversations, and that’s important to me. He caddied for Russ on 3 of the 4 rounds he played.
I took a time out from golfing and spent some much-needed downtime in the spa. Have you ever had a herbal body scrub? Oh, I highly recommend it! This treatment was such a treat. The stimulating aroma of the rosemary infused scrub followed by a special Vichy-designed shower experience. And I followed this with a relaxation massage. I was a puddle walking back to the ladies’ lounge. I spent a long time there sitting with my feet up, drinking herbal tea and staring out the window. I was doing my best to keep my mind blank and that’s hard to do. Of course, I toodled through the spa store on my way out and picked myself up a new jumpsuit. (I’ve totally lost count of how many jumpsuits I have now.)
We did not feel the need to leave the Grand Del Mar at all. We had everything we needed right there and if not, hello, room service!
I remember my Mom always saying “a change of scenery is as good as a rest”. Well, I loved the serene scenery of the Grand Del Mar. Vacationing in San Diego never disappoints.
BIG LOVE!!
