Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa

We (2 adults) had a very relaxing long weekend visit at La Estancia (4 days/3 nights) and were able to take advantage of their ‘3rd night free’ discount by arriving on Thursday. The grounds are very soothing and well-landscaped, and the staff was efficient and pleasant. The pool area was a popular, bustling location that attracted all ages. We patronized 3 of their restaurants: Mustangs & Burros (dinner), Blend (coffee bar), and Adobe El Restaurante (brunch/breakfast). Expect to see weddings and business conferences taking place on the premises. We didn’t use the fitness room or spa. Also, our ramblings were confined to North County, but access to all parts of San Diego are easy from La Jolla. The room rate worked out to $227/ night after the discount. Full price would be around $330/night for a weekend stay, including the mandatory $34/night ‘hospitality’ fee and room taxes. There were other ‘hidden’ costs, though. If you have a car, self-parking is $28/night – there’s no way to avoid this. And there’s no free continental breakfast. Compared to the increasingly robust ‘price included’ breakfast offerings at many hotels (waffles!), you could budget an additional $30+ for an equivalent full breakfast for 2 at a nearby restaurant. So this works out to $60 night that you might not have to pay at some other competing lodging in the area. Their restaurants are pricey, as to be expected ($18 turkey burger, $32 brunch), and there are no obvious restaurant alternatives within easy walking distance (numerous places to eat on the UC San Diego campus across the street, if you can figure out where to find them). Otherwise you’ll be driving into La Jolla Village to eat. Even though I have a good sense of direction, I had trouble getting to/from our room, the parking lot, and other hotel locations. The ground floor on the outside seems to be the 2nd floor within the complex. And the interior hallways have multiple turns between the rooms to visually break up the monotony of one long hallway. I really had to concentrate and develop mnemonics to make sure I could find the room, the elevator, the restaurants, the way out, etc. without getting lost or doubling back - or resorting to going outside and walking around the building. Guests really should have at least 2 escape routes planned, just in case. The rooms were nice but nothing special. We had a small private balcony, which we made good use of, but their balconies only have one chair (and a small table). We had to drag one of the room chairs out onto the balcony, which I’m sure they would frown on. And all the balconies we could see had peeling paint, indicating an indifferent exterior maintenance schedule. We had a view of their interior courtyard, so I wouldn’t expect ocean views. And don’t plan to saunter down to the beach – the trail is long, steep, and tricky – suitable only for youths with high levels of fitness, stamina, and surefootedness. Overall, we’d definitely return to La Estancia La Jolla.

Love the feel of this resort ! Intimate, great outdoor spaces and in an incredibly lovely setting. Top notch staff also. When there are great properties like this available to stay in the San Diego area can't imagine anyone wanting to stay in one of the big brand people boxes.

This is a beautiful property and you can tell that the staff cares deeply about providing excellent service. There were some issues with the late checkout we requested, but the staff handled it with aplomb. My husband and I were here for a conference, but managed to carve out time to have an anniversary dinner at Mustangs & Burros- our server, Yvonne, helped make it a wonderful experience. The food, atmosphere, and service were bar none!!! When we were ready to leave the resort Sean helped us secure premium transportation to the airport and even had bottled water on hand to keep us cool in the beautiful California sunshine. I would recommend this property.

My wife and I had a great time here. Beautiful resort with a friendly staff. We especially liked our servers Lisa and Edson. Lots to do in the area and you can’t beat Southern California beach weather.

This hotel was picked by bride and groom. Fabulous location. Hotel is a maze of buildings but my room was close to self park, gym and pool. It was far from lobby but I didn't need to go there. The location was close to shopping, great walking trails, beach, restaurants. We had a car and used it daily.