Welcome to my first segment of Travel Tuesday. Since I travel so much for work, I thought it would be fun to start blogging about some of the wonderful cities that I get to visit. Last week, I wrapped up our company’s National Sales Meeting and it was in sunny San Diego. I say sunny because the average temperature in this amazing city is around 70 degrees.
If you have never been to San Diego, you should add it to your list of US cities to visit. Here are 5 fun facts:
- San Diego airport is currently the single busiest runway in the United States and is 2nd in the world.
- The Hotel Del is the country’s largest wooden structure and is 128 years old.
- Fallbrook in SD is the Avocado capital of the world and home of the Avocado Festival.
- The first person to drive across the Coronado Bridge was Ronald Reagan in 1969 after it was completed. He was the governor of California at the time.
- Lastly, stylish Cameron Diaz was born there in 1972.
First off, I have stayed at a few different hotels and feel like you cannot go wrong with any of them. You need to decide on location. Some hotels I have stayed in the past are: Andaz, The Grant, and Marriott by the marina. This time around my company held our sales meeting at the Pendry, so I decided to tack on a couple of extra days to my business trip and enjoy a few days off. From the minute I arrived to San Diego and pulled up to the hotel, I knew I was in for a treat. The hotel boasts a gorgeous balance of modern and traditional with all the amenities. I mean, how could you not fall in love with a hotel that has a champagne vending machine in the hallway?! #champendry
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The huge, gigantic, wrought iron doors opened into a lobby with a black and white mosaic tile that was to die for. The lobby resembled a very elegant and cozy living area. It was anchored with a gorgeous fireplace that was from floor to ceiling and flanked on both sides with two white couches that had a drape-like leather slipcover over them. The couches themselves screamed elegance as the covering were pleated and draped, oh so perfectly. Giving it a masculine touch even though they were leather. The wrought iron doors and window panes that divided the lobby (aka lounge area) from the bar were the perfect architectural detail to make the entry so inviting and opulent.
Pic above taken at Fifth & Rose. Celebrating a win with my colleague for winning Specialty of the Year!
Pic above taken in the Oxford Social Club. We were lucky enough to have this booked out privately for our cocktail reception before the awards ceremony.
At check-in you are welcomed with a drink and given a secret password in which that drink can be taken to the bar for it to be spiked. My password for the day was, “hey honey”. I happily walked myself over for a spike and said my magic password…I think the bartender thought I was practicing on my pick-up lines. LOL. See below the beautiful pictures of my suite. Not bad for my home away from home. After all, I was staying there for a week…
Although the hotel is beautifully situated in the Gaslamp District, they have a few dining options as part of the hotel. It is very well thought out and the restaurants and bars are all designed to feel like they are separate from the hotel itself. You can choose from their 5 star restaurant, Lionfish (amazing dining experience with delicious food). There is Provisions which is their everyday casual dining (easily grab some coffee, espresso, or with a pastry on-the-go or grab a nice breakfast and/or lunch). There is a sportsbar attached called Nason’s Beer Hall if bar grub, beer, and large screen tvs are your thing. The pool is on the 3rd floor and it is a rooftop one with a cool ambiance and has cabanas so you can be served. It is a happening place on the weekends for sure. The food at The Pool House is great small bites that is sure to satisfy your hunger needs. Then, you have the Fifth & Rose bar that becomes a nice evening spot for a cocktail or two at your fingertips. Lastly, they also have an amazing nightclub called Oxford Social Club. We had the pleasure of having a private pre-cocktail event down there before our awards ceremony. With the ideal location of being nestled in Gaslamp, there is literally amazing restaurants everywhere you turn.
Pictured is a fabulous paella from Sevilla, a tapas place around the corner. It was so good!
My light lunch at The Pool House pictured below.
Day 1 of fun: Now, on to the fun things that we did while in San Diego. My husband and six year old arrived the evening of my Awards Ceremony, so that we could jumpstart our fun personal days the following morning. We kicked off our first day went to the San Diego Zoo. We are bad parents in the sense that our sweet baby has never been to a zoo ever. So, how fun is it that we took him to the famous San Diego Zoo, the “zoo” of all zoos. After a couple of hours, we then took a ferry over to Coronado Island. The island is home to fun fact number 2 above, the Hotel Del Coronado is the oldest wooden structure in the United States. Grab a drink, have a seat, enjoy the beach and take in a fabulous sunset.
Day 2 of fun: Next morning, we set off for Legoland. My six year old was in absolute lego heaven. Everything lego you can imagine. Sculptures, Figurines, Characters and even a mini-replica of famous US cities topped with some fun rides. It was so much fun to watch the joy in his eyes as he took it all in. Next up, I nicely asked my husband if we could stop by the Flower Fields which was literally less than 5 minutes away from Legoland. If you are a fan of flowers then this is the place for you. I was in complete awe of all the fields of flowers. It was so beautiful and there was so much vibrancy in the color. After taking many pictures in the fields, we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for dinner. I had my heart set on dining at Juniper and Ivy, but OpenTable showed it was completely booked except for a 9:00 reservation. Knowing we had to fly out the next day mid-morning, 9 pm was just too late for us and a 6-year old. I took a shot at asking our Concierge to get a reservation there and low and behold she pulled through for us. It is my all-time favorite place to dine while in San Diego. They have an amazing roasted duck that is out of this world. Even if you are not a duck fan, this one will change your mind. Sooooo, good!!!
Fabulous and fun day at Lego Land. The kid is beaming with excitement.
My little in the Flower Fields.
Our amazing meal at Juniper & Ivy. Roasted duck below…
So, as you can see we jammed in a lot of activities into two days. Other fun things to do is to visit La Jolla and see the seals. The California coastline from La Jolla is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Also, there is Torrey Pines – a national park that is great for hiking with some amazing views. For kids, there is the naval ship The Midway that you can tour, there is Sea World and so many, sea excursions such as boat tours, sailing, jet-skiing, etc…
There is just so much to do in San Diego that you need more days or better yet, you just have to go back.
Hope you enjoyed this segment. Leave me a note and let me know what you think of Travel Tuesday.
Peace out San Diego…until next time. Follow me on LIKEtoKNOWit and shop all my looks, here.
