I can safely say that San Diego was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to in the U.S. The beach, the food, the West Coast pace…I ended up extending my trip. Boy, do I miss those beautiful sunsets!
I was in San Diego for 6 days, and we stayed in a few different neighborhoods in town while we visited. We kicked off our trip with a stay at the Grande Colonial Hotel in La Jolla, and it did not disappoint. I couldn’t believe how charming our hotel was, and how picture-perfect the La Jolla Cove is.
Location, Location, Location: Why La Jolla?
Out of all of the neighborhoods and towns to stay in and around San Diego, why did we pick La Jolla? For starters, it’s absolutely stunning — as you can see from the photos above. It’s an adorable, walkable seaside town that’s only 20 minutes away from the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. It has incredible restaurants, high-end shopping, and there are the most adorable seals and sea lions that roam around the beach (note: they’re protected, so you won’t be able to take selfies with them or be able to touch them!) The Grande Colonial Hotel is only steps away from the La Jolla Cove and all of the shopping at the Village, and we had a blast exploring the neighborhood.
Grande Colonial Hotel: The Rooms
One of the coolest thing about this hotel? How spacious the guest rooms are! We stayed at a few other hotels while we were in the San Diego area, but it was hard to find another guest room with that much room. My boyfriend and I were on an 11-day trip, so between the two of us, we had a lot of luggage to work with. Each room at the Grande Colonial Hotel is a little different, but our oceanfront room had a pretty large closet where we could tuck away all of our luggage and camera gear.
We didn’t spend too much time inside of the hotel room since there was so much to explore in La Jolla, but we loved that it had a pool, free Internet, evening turn-down service, and delicious room service options. The service we received at the hotel was also incredible — everyone at the staff was incredibly friendly and eager to help us out with anything we needed. No wonder why this hotel is a consistent AAA Four Diamond Award recipient!
Grande Colonial Hotel: The Charm
One of the most unique aspects of this hotel is its history: it was built in 1913 and is La Jolla’s oldest original hotel. Despite a few renovations, there are still a few original details of the hotel intact — like the fire doors, colonial fireplaces, and the gorgeous mahogany trim. Allegedly, the hotel is haunted, but you didn’t hear this from me!
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