Tower23 Hotel

Pacific Beach, a coastal San Diego neighborhood, is an unlikely place for a hideaway crafted from translucent glass with lines that are contemporary and clean. But that is what you will find at Tower23 Hotel, a chic retreat surrounded by serious surfers and sun-worshippers. Sporting a cool and unconventional façade, its name is derived from lifeguard tower 23, which is positioned near the hotel and serves as a beacon for beach goers. Select from an assortment of room and suite types - Spirit Pad, Sky Pad, Surf Pad, Sanctuary Suite and Sweet Suite - that bask in modernistic features with sleek furnishings and minimalist appointments, coupled with private balconies or patios. The amenities are also a bit out-of-the-box, with chromatherapy baths, step-in rain showers, mini-bars personalized to your liking, and Xbox entertainment centers.

The hotel's restaurant, JRDN, is equally cutting-edge in its approach with an ultra-sleek oceanfront dining room and locally grown and organic produce that find their way into the culinary creations. TOWER Bar has the feel of a private party rather than an ordinary bar - the indoor/outdoor venue is warm, inviting and hip with a menu of signature cocktails, edibles and succulent selections at Ei8ht sushi bar. If the party gets started at TOWER Bar, it continues up on the TOWER Deck. This second-floor open-air space is where guests come to relax during the day and mingle with martini in hand at night. Lounge on one of the teak chaises or stake claim to one of the plush beds strategically placed throughout. When the party is over, explore the nearby village of La Jolla, the amusements at Mission Beach, and the trendy Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego.