San Diego! Or more correctly--La Jolla!
I just got back from a short trip to California and was able to stay at 2(!) LL hotels (one at the beginning of the trip and one at the end). They were both fabulous and I wanted to recommend them to anyone on here who might be going to the San Diego area.
I actually got one hotel deal from Vacationist and one from another site (competing--so I won't name it here.)
I started out at La Valencia and only stayed one night. It's a gorgeous Grande Dame of a property. Right on the ocean. Very old school luxurious. The bathroom was small but impeccable. Super comfortable bed and the staff were very nice and welcoming. The only inconvenience was that the elevator wasn't working while I was there so there were some stairs involved. This didn't turn out to be a problem because the hotel did a great job of being really open and informative--they made a concerted effort to give me a room as close by as possible. It was a perfect place to start my California trip--it was so old school glamorous, I felt like Frank Sinatra or something would pop out from around a corner or something! Only bad thing was not the hotel at all--La Jolla Village is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find! I literally drove around for a few hours with a non functional cell phone trying to find the right exit off of I-5. If you go to La Jolla and aren't familiar with the area, get detailed directions ahead of time.
At the end of the trip, I stayed at the Estancia La Jolla. I knew exactly where this hotel was because I had passed it NUMEROUS times at the beginning of my trip when I was trying to find La Valencia. It had a totally different atmosphere than La Valencia. First off, the grounds here are absolutely stunning. Probably the best looking gardens of ANY hotel I've ever been at and I've been at a few. This place seemed much more laid back and relaxing. I loved the pool area and the spa/workout room. The rooms are nice, great views of the gardens. I'm a big sucker for the little toiletry amenities--these were Gilchrist and Soames Verde line and they smelled delicious! No guilt here about taking them home. I wasn't a big fan of the resort fee--why do some places charge this and for some it's just the standard things you receive at a hotel? They did enumerate what you received for this, so I made sure I actually got what I paid for. The staff here were nice, there was one guy who was a little indifferent about his job, but not unpleasant. I'd love to stay here again and would actually recommend it over La Valencia, but that's just because I was more comfortable here. (I'm a little younger and more laid back than La Valencia's clientele.)
Both hotels were great, though, and I definitely recommend visiting California in April--it's a beautiful month to be there!
