Marine Room

La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club’s fine dining restaurant, Marine Room, is the talk of the town. For decades guests have driven the distance to enjoy the views and ambiance of the special restaurant. While staying at the La Jolla beach hotel, you might not take the time to experience the fine cuisine served at the Marine Room. There are many dining options in the nearby downtown that tempt you to get out and explore. Shores Restaurant & Bar at the hotel serves breakfast, lunch dinner and Sunday brunch.  Award-winning Chef Bernard Guillas, and Chef de Cuisine, Augie Saucedo, have created the menu, which includes Certified Angus Beef entrees, coastal cuisine and the beautiful La Jolla Shores Beach oceanfront setting with nightly sunsets.

The Marine Room, on the other hand, is a dinner restaurant with a cocktail lounge, which opens every evening and serves dinner for several hours. While the Beach House in up the road may compare with its closeness to the water, Marine Room focuses on elegance. The ocean tide just inches from the window and soothing music compliment Executive Chef Bernard Guillas’ stunning presentations. Special holiday dining is offered and some other special breakfast events such as Winter Breakfast High Tide days with an approx. $35 buffet.  Here is a description of some of the menu items from that buffet to give you a flavor of what you might savor should you plan a visit:
Citron Poppy Seed Muf f ins , Almond Croissants, Apricot Danish, Pain Chocolat, Cranberry Nut Bread Raisin Cinnamon Roll,  and Temecula Honey Butter. Those are some breads and buns.

Next, try something from the sea at the Ocean’s Harvest station:  Aromatic Scented Shrimp, Stone Crab Claws, Bay Scallops Ceviche and Tangerine Star Anise Hickory Smoked Paci f ic Salmon. For other meats, guests can sample Pistachio Duck Terrine, Pork Rillettes,  and Prosciutto di Parma.  Shaved Fennel Salad, Figs, Tapenade, Artisanal  Cheese Board,  Maple Walnuts,  Organic Mediterranean Yogurt , Rosebud Jam, Sage Roasted Jidori Chicken Salad and
Lemoncello Saffron Tabouleh and Julian Apple and Tart, Meyers Rum Sugar cane Sauce, Iowa Apple Smoked Bacon,
Aged Gruyère, Pancetta and  Organic Virginia Ham Quiche should be making you pretty hungry by now. We actually omitted over half the food options for a single day buffet! Cost is under $40 for this event, which is quite reasonable for all you get, along with the ocean view.  You’ll find some current offers on MarineRoom.com. There are many chain restaurants in the San Diego area, as well.

A great family hotel in San Diego often overlooked for the better known beach properties to the south is the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. With many perks and amenities for families with kids, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the beach activities, plus on site resort activities that will keep you having fun all day and night.  There are suites with kitchenettes, but with so much dining on site and nearby in La Jolla village, you probably won’t do that much cooking, except maybe the beach BBQ at sunset on the hotel’s beach.

Some call the hotel “old school” because of the club atmosphere with the active tennis club. If you’re priming your kids for tennis careers or just want them to have the experience of playing this is a great spot. The tennis courts are one of the most immaculate portions of the property, in fact.

What’s neat about La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club is the way the suites easily access the beach. With lawn chairs lined up facing the ocean, it’s all about the beach in La Jolla. For the kids, we like the fact that burgers can cost around $10 instead of the gourmet bleu cheese burgers at expensive San Diego beach resorts where you pay a mininum of $15 and usually more for just a hamburger for the kids.

There’s golf, a small gym, and the famed Marine Room restaurant with spectacular ocean views and dynamo chefs preparing fine cuisine.

The cheapest rooms at the hotel are the garden view one bedroom options. But you can step your way up to a luxury accommodation with ocean front setting, full living room, kitchen, and bedrooms.

La Jolla is a region of San Diego that is located on the northern end of the city and its beaches. It has long been considered the luxury part of town, kind of like Carmel on the the Central Coast. La Jolla has other luxury beach resorts and casual beach accommodations. It features a great, beach-close downtown with arts, shopping and dining.  The attractions of San Diego such as Sea World and the Zoo are no more than 15 minutes or so away. If you are looking for an unpretentious family vacation where you’ll have a comfortable, secure feeling, La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club is one of the best bets.

For an extensive list of San Diego Family hotels, the website, California Beaches, has put together a pretty good one.

Shown in the photo above is a sampling of affordable meals at Applebees in Mission Valley San Diego.

The restaurants near hotels such as La Quinta in Mission Valley include many popular chain restaurants that visitors like for their prices and menus. Asian theme Benihana, and the popular P.F. Chang’s are both located in this popular neighbhorhood of shopping centers and hotels. Family style affordable meals such as breakfast are ideal at Denny’s. For Mexican faire, San Diego excels since many of the cooks come from Mexico itself.  El Torito and Old Town Mexican Cafe are two great options.

The kids love simple food. You can put a fine steak from local steakhouses–Outback, Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse, or Mortons of Chicage in front of child, and have the little angel stick their little nose up or take the bits of meat and throw them in disgust. But give them some fries and Wendy’s burgers or nuggets and they turn back into the quietest little sweethearts once again.

One Mission Valley chain our family never tires of is Applebee’s, where someone always gets the riblets and a salad. For beverage, try Gordon Biersch, or Hooters for a stiffer drink.  Prego, Seau’s, The Fish Market, and McGregor’s, are some other options you may enjoy for a sit down meal in a fine dining atmosphere, though you still don’t have to dress up, thanks to San Diego comfort.

La Quinta Mission Valley

La Quinta Mission Valley is well known for its great prices, ideal for families and those on a budget. With Free Parking, Complimentary High-Speed Wireless Internet, and Continental Breakfast, it is no wonder that the place is so popular. Centrally located to major attractions, shopping and ball parks, La Quinta Inn Mission Valley is less than one mile from two world-class shopping centers, Petco Park, Mission Bay, SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Old Town, the San Diego Harbor, Gaslamp Quarter,  the airport and more.

La Quinta Prices & Package Deals with Theme Park Tickets

While the parking is free, one of the biggest complaints for those driving large vehicles and big SUVs is the size of the parking spaces in the garage. The parking is tight. Two room suites are available, and the rooms are clean.

An inviting outdoor swimming pool appeals to the many families who frequent the hotel. Summers are winters offer equal opportunities to swim as the San Diego weather is some of the mildest in the United States during December through February. Many folks from the midwest gravitate to San Diego and this budget hotel, staying three days to a week at a time. My family and I stayed here for 3 nights and recommend getting two queen beds rather than counting on the sofa bed, which is less comfortable.  It’s a really nice motel with friendly, helpful staff.

The breakfast room can be quite busy as the hotel does a whopping business and there isn’t space for all families to eat there at once. You can either sneak your food back to your room, which we prefer to do, or just move on in and get what you want, tight quarters or not. It’s really no big deal as far as I’m concerned, as I don’t eat breakfast anyway.

As a matter of fact, I hopped in the car and went looking for a Starbucks cafe, finding one not far away. Overall, my family said the breakfast choices and quality were good for being free. Would I stay there again for $89/night? Why not? The prices are decent, plus you get a free breakfast meal. That’s a heck of a deal.

Where to eat? There are many great Mission Valley restaurants for families and adults. Denny’s for the full American breakfast is one of our favorites. Steakhouses abound in the Mission Valley, and family favorites include Applebees.