In 2010 La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, made new friends with Kia Motors America when it was announced that it would become the new sponsor of a decades-long golfing event. The tournament will be known as the Kia Classic Presented by J Golf. It will be from March 22 to 28 at La Costa Resort and Spa, with prize money of $1.7 million. The north San Diego County beach destination is also known and recognized as a premier golfer’s paradise.

La Costa Resort and Spa Golf Course will be the first LPGA Tour stop in the U.S., and will feature the top-20 ranked players and a full field of 144 LPGA professionals. A $1.7 million purse brings anticipation to the event.  Tickets are available at -lpgalacosta.com, or by calling 1-888-SEE-LPGA.

For those looking for a hotel room, your prospects of staying at La Costa are best if you book right away.

With an outdoor concert stage right on the property, Humphreys on Shelter Island one of the most amazing hotels in California to see live music. Top acts from Ringo to CSN (Crosby Stills Nash) are featured in a summer season that begins to take shape around March till the fall each year.

They call this San Diego’s own version of a Hawaiian getaway. The Shelter Island resort features themes that you would see on a tropical island, some touches of tiki, lots of water and bay views, and the resort’s very own macaw birds. With suites up to 1,000 square feet providing kitchens, comfy living rooms, and sleeping up to 6 people, this is one amazing vacation experienced the old fashioned way at the beach. People wonder why San Diego is the top beach vacation in San Diego. Plain and simple, it’s the hotels on beach and bays that make this city so great. We’re not talking little rooms, either. The fact that some were built decades ago and remodeled many times over makes for space that is hard to come by today.

Weddings are quite populart at Humphreys Half Moon Suites because of the lovely grounds overlooking the water, and indoor banquet rooms also with bay views. It’s just a great place to get married, go to a wedding, go to a concert, or take a vacation.

How are the rates? Great! Just a day or two before Christmas I found a room for under $90. I instead opted for one over $150 that had a separate living room, balcony patio, full kitchen, and all the goodies to make the family happy. There’s something about San Diego that you can’t put into words, and its an essence that causes people to stay and never leave. Humphreys is part of that experience. As you arrive, you get tropical, with a splash of ocean, and an incredible feeling of comfort that you are now in a place that was meant to be.

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.

Grand Del Mar

The Grand Del Mar is one of the most luxurious spa and golf resorts in all of San Diego County. If you’re seeking elegance that reminds many of Del Mar’s esteemed pass aa home to visiting celebrities, then you are certainly on the right track as to the elegant look and feel you will be greeted with on your visit.

Pacific Beach boardwalk

There’s a lot of argument over what’s the best San Diego beaches. Locals have definite opinions and you aren’t going to be able to convince them otherwise about their choices. But as tourists, we look for a few things special to our cause: 1. Hotels at beaches in San Diego. 2. Restaurants at beaches in San Diego. 3. Clean beaches and fun activities. 4. A lively beach vibe.  5. Location, location, San Diego beach location.

Here’s my Best San Diego Beach List based on nothing but the criteria above. My number one favorite beach is Pacific Beach, mainly because it has hotels on the beach.  Overlooking the beach and bay, it has a nice stretch of sand and friendly Crystal Pier. There are great beach view restaurants, bars,  a Banana hostel, shopping, Starbucks grocery stores… you name it.

When I go to San Diego and stay on the beach I pick three spots. My first choice is The Catamaran Hotel at Pacific Beach. There are a handful of great hotels, including Best Western and Surfer’s Hotel.

I also love Mission Bay and the Hilton Resort on the bay. It used to be my first choice, but now it’s dropped in position because of the price points for a stay. It usually is a little more than Catamaran.

Third and never last is Coronado Island’s Loews Coronado Bay Resort. While the beach is a walk through a tunnel under the coast highway, there’s kind of a resort feel to the beaches there, and the hotel itself is an oasis of resort living with tennis courts, pools, spas, etc.

The next time your picking your San Diego beach vacation, you might also want to check my Californiabeaches.com features on San Diego.

Pechanga

There are a handful of casinos in San Diego…five to be precise. None of the casinos are on the beach, so as resort living goes, there are no beach casinos that we know of in San Diego or anywhere in the entire state. The types of resort casinos you will find are golf resort casinos and wine country casinos a mere 30 minutes from San Diego in Temecula.

Here is the list of casino resorts in San Diego with a brief description of their attractions.

Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino, Golf Course & Day Spa

Barona Valley Ranch Casino features  games, the way Las Vegas used to play with an expansive  310,000 square feet of gaming excitement. Barona’s AmBience Day Spa,  Fitness Center with weight training and cardiovascular equipment, cross-trainers, recumbent, upright bikes, and ellipticals allows you to focus on yourself, and your health! Barona Creek Golf Club, Top Five public-access course in California and Top Five best resort golf courses in California features a challenging course with rugged terrain.

Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort
Valley Center
A 21-story tower hotel includes 662 spacious rooms, including 101 suites, each with a 32-inch television and a large luxury bath with separate tub and glass-enclosed shower. Room amenities include in-room guest safe and high-speed internet access.

Pala Casino Resort and Spa
Pala
650,000 square feet,  2,000 state-of-the-art slot and video machines, 77 gaming tables, and new restaurants featuring refreshing new menus that delight guests.

Pechanga Resort & Casino, Spa and Golf
Temecula, CA
Pechanga Resort & Casino is an award-winning four diamond resort with a theater showcasing top entertainment acts ranging from music to comedy. The new golf course, Journey, has already been listed as one of the top five golf courses in the US. Add to that the luxury spa, gaming (largest on the West Coast), and set amidst the wine country with wine tours and hot air ballooning, and you have the recipe for success.

Sycuan Resort & Casino, Spa, Golf and Tennis
El Cajon, CA
San Diego’s  Sycuan Resort features three beautiful golf course options with two very challenging courses, tennis courts, restaurants and a cocktail lounge, and the Sycuan Casino just five minutes away. This is a great golf escape as well as casino resort. The grounds are pristine, the settin in El Cajon is lovely and you’re only a short drive away from the beaches of San Diego.

Sycuan Resort San Diego

San Diego County city, El Cajon, is home to one of Southern California’s best golf resorts, Sycuan Resort,  ideal for weekend getaways, long-term stays, golf or tennis vacations, and casino resort vacations.

Sycuan Resort

One of the best getaways and best values south of L.A. in Southern California is Sycuan Resort. It features Willow Glen Golf Course (par 72 – 6687 yards); Oak Glen Golf Course (par 72 – 6682 yards); and Pine Glen. The Ted Robbins designed courses offer tight fairways, tricky undulating greens and difficult hazards, all set amongst mature landscaping, some hilly terrain and San Diego’s world famous weather. With 54 holes of golf, 11 lighted tennis courts, Primrose Spa, and Sycuan Casino five minutes away, this is vacationing the grown-up way.

Decadent? Perhaps. But honestly, the resort attracts mostly weekend vacationers, serious golfers, international travelers on longer stays at the affordable accommodations,  and some casino fans seeking an escape.  El Cajon is the dryer, warmer portion of the county of San Diego a mere 20 minutes (15 miles) from San Diego beaches and downtown.

Gorgeous landscaping, a luxurious setting that feels every bit a country club, and a place just far enough away from the bustling crowds to attract celebrities who often hide out barely noticed at the resort, makes for a vacation that’s a true escape. The resort is kid-friendly and offers golf lessons for youth as well as adults. Don’t be afraid to learn the ropes of a sport that becomes a lifetime passion for many.

Amenities include The Cafe & Grill restaurant and Echo’s Lounge for cocktails and beverage.

San Diego’s beautiful Mission Bay Hyatt Spa Resort at the Marina offers pure escape for business travelers bringing their families on their trips. The hotel features lots of meeting space with water views, lush landscaping, and water views from many of the hotel rooms and suites.

Hyatt hotels are known for their quality bedding which is what we love especially, making us loyal customers to this brand, but beyond that and the Hyatt luxury offerings in San Diego, here are some extras this particular bayfront hotel and resort with a complete spa offers.

Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina near Sea World San Diego spent $65 million on its decor and upgrades to the hotel. Ocean views,  redesigned guest rooms, and waterfront dining, a contemporary poolside lounge, an eco-friendly spa, and a water playground with three new pools and multiple water slides next to a full-service marina with jet skis, sailboats, kayaks, sports fishing and whale excursions provide everything you could want in a water setting. See Hotel Packages!

SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Legoland, Tijuana, and beaches all beckon on this quality biz trip or vacation. It’s just another reason to love San Diego for your vacation.

Hotel del Coronado offers the best beach vacations in San Diego, thanks to the historic hotels location. Kings, queens, actors, actresses, and regular people all have loved vacations at this oceanfront resort. Ideal for familes, singles and even weddings and honeymoons, the Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island features sand beaches ideal for exploring, tennis courts overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and many amenites in what we conside San Diego’s best beach vacation, no doubt.

Having attended weddings at this luxurious hotel, I have fallen in love, myself, with its grandeur, glory and ambiance that exudes the lobbies, green lawns, and beautiful beach that lines the hotel.

Activities on site include bonfires on the beach, special brunches, holiday festivals, tennis courts overlooking the beach, a public golf course nearby, the local playhouse with musicals and plays, and winter time activities which have included an ice rink at the beach in recent years.