San Diego City Guide

I’m the kind of girl who always wants to try new things. For example, I like to order a different meal each time I visit a restaurant and I’m always switching up my skincare and makeup products. The same goes for traveling. We visit California every winter to spend time with family, but I make a point to explore new areas, excursions, and cities each time. 

We’ve visited the LA area and Disneyland for the past couple of years and while I am a believer that there is no such thing as too much of a good thing, my husband didn’t want to do Disney again this year. So I began researching other fun things to do with small children in Southern California and found no shortage of options in San Diego. 

Back when we were dating, Garrett and I had visited SD when I was taking a year off between undergrad and grad school. We had done Sea World, The Zoo, and checked out the harbour among other things. We made fond memories in the city and we wanted to make more with our kids. So we decided to go for it! 

We stay with my husband’s family in the Palm Springs area when we visit, which ends up kind of being our ‘home base.’ I believe we’ve visited the desert for 12 or 13 years now. We spent 10 days there before driving to San Diego, which is about a two-hour drive. 

The first thing to decide on was where we were going to stay. When researching accommodations, I consider location, reviews, and price. We’ve stayed in all kinds of places from 1 star to 5. I feel that your accommodations can really make or break how your trip goes. When we’ve stayed in hotels that were noisy, far out of the way, and felt sketchy or dirty, I felt like that set the tone for our day. We didn’t sleep as well, felt uncomfortable, and were generally unimpressed. I wanted our time in San Diego to be relaxing, enjoyable, and us to feel safe, at ease, and have fun! 

I started by googling best family-friendly hotels in San Diego and then reading the reviews on various websites, blogs, and Trip Advisor. I read about a few different options, but right away The Fairmont Gran Del Mar stood out.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the stunning photos- first of all, the hotel is the prettiest shade of pink. Before now, that wasn’t a requirement on my hotel checklist, but moving forward, I think it will be ;) Besides the fact that the resort is very on-brand, it also is set on 400 acres of costal canyon, which is complete with golf course and walking trails, pools, world-class restaurants, five-star spa, and a top notch fitness facility. It was even rated one of Forbes Top Properties in the world. As if that wasn’t enough, the location was perfect. Tucked away enough that it was quiet, but also central enough that it was convenient for us to get to our daily excursions. 

I decided The Fairmont had everything and more that we needed and wanted for our San Diego adventure and booked us in for a 3-night stay! Once our reservation was confirmed, I contacted the resort to let them know our special requests, including making them aware of Luca’s food allergies. They were so accommodating and kind and I appreciated how seriously they took his allergies. The staff also offered a crib for Luca, as well as a special camp-out teepee experience for Bella! 

When we pulled up to The Fairmont, I instantly knew that it was going to not only live up to my (high) expectations, but exceed them. Every single staff member we came in contact with, went out of their way to greet us, make us feel welcome and offer their assistance. The grounds were so well maintained, everything was lush and blossoming. When we entered the lobby, there was the largest and most beautiful fresh floral arrangement I had ever seen, and it smelled just as good as it looked. I immediately realized how family-friendly this resort was, as they greeted our children by name, and rolled out a treasure chest for each of them to choose a toy. We were offered a eucalyptus hand towel and bottle of water as we checked in as well. Talk about 5-star service! I was super impressed with their policy for guests with allergies, as they were already aware of and confirmed Luca’s allergies at check-in, as well as at each restaurant reservation we had. This helped us all feel confident and safe feeding Luca at The Fairmont. 

We were given a tour of the property which was every bit as gorgeous in person, as it appears online, and taken to our room. Our suite was immaculate and spacious, and included a balcony showcasing the gorgeous view. Of course the first thing both the kids ran to, was the too-cute-for-words teepee they had set up for Bella, complete with chalkboard name sign, twinkle lights, a working lantern, and cozy pillows. I knew it wouldn’t be hard to convince Bella to go to bed when those were her digs! Safe to say she felt like she was finally being treated like the princess she thinks she is ;) I usually find hotel beds not nearly as comfortable as our own mattress at home; however, the king bed in our room was certainly an exception! It felt like a cloud! There was also a massive bathtub and shower, which were also appreciated! 

I knew that we would want to spend some time taking in the amenities The Fairmont had to offer. When I was a younger, less experienced traveller, I may not have thought to allow time for this, but after reviewing the property and all it’s offerings, I knew we would want to enjoy the Fairmont, rather than rush away to other places. So the first day of our itinerary only involved traveling, checking into The Fairmont, and then checking it out, including a dinner reservation at the Amaya restaurant.  

The Amaya restaurant had a cool and sophisticated vibe, but was also laid back and welcoming to families. Everything on the cocktail and dinner menu sounded mouthwatering, and I can confirm everything we ordered was just that! Plus it was so convenient to eat where we were staying, and not have to worry about commuting to another area for dinner after a day of travel. 

On that note, I have to tell you. One of my most favourite parts of staying at The Gran Del Mar was the breakfast! We ordered in-room dining each morning before heading out on our jam-packed days and it was such an amazing way to start the day. We took time to enjoy a hearty and yummy meal together and it just set such a nice mood for the day. Everything we ordered was superb so you just can’t go wrong! If you happen to stop at the cafe, the croissants and lattes will have you feeling like you’re in Paris, oui!

Once we had booked accommodations we couldn’t be more excited about, it was time to decide how we wanted to spend our 4 days in San Diego.  As I already mentioned, we had visited The San Diego Zoo a few years prior and knew we wanted to return with the kids. Luca, especially, is an animal-lover and we knew both kids would love the experience.

We had a few people recommend the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which offers unique experiences like safari tours and other hands-on opportunities, which sounds amazing, but we opted to save that for a future trip when the kids are a bit older. 

My tips for the zoo are to arrive early; you need most of the hours that the park is open, in order to get through everything! Definitely bring a stroller if you have little ones. There is a lot of walking and the park is very stroller friendly. The bus tour is nice if you want a quick overview of the animals or are looking to rest your legs, but truthfully, you don’t get to see much in an up close and personal manner.

After we watched the documentary Blackfish a few years ago, we decided to pass on Seaworld. No judgment if you decide to go though. 

Since we weren’t going to do Disneyland this year, I still wanted to get my theme park fix in. Bella and I are both thrill seekers and love going on rides. With Legoland California being so close by, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to check it out. We spent one day there, and again recommend arriving early to get the most out of your day. There were enough rides suited for Bella’s height to keep her busy for the whole day, but only a handful for Luca. I was a bit surprised by this, as there are no height restrictions on most of the rides at Disneyland. I figured the limited rides for little ones would be fine and Luca wouldn’t know what he was missing out on, except we quickly realized he too lives for the rush of rides so he was pretty disappointed to wait in line with us, only to watch one of his parents and three-year old sister get on without him.  The saving grace was that there were LEGO block play areas to keep kids entertained while their parents waited in lineups for rides. I was also impressed with how many outdoor playgrounds, play structures, and climbing areas there were at Legoland.  I’ve heard positive things about the Legoland hotels, which might be a fun option for a few nights!

Finally, the last thing on my San Diego to-do list was check out the sites and sounds the city itself had to offer. There were a few stores we wanted to shop at, so we spent a morning at the Fashion Valley Mall, which we had visited on our prior SD trip. This beautiful outdoor shopping center has everything from affordable to high-end stores, plus a plethora of delicious eateries. If you’re in the mood to get your shop on, like I was, add this to your list of places to stop! 

After we shopped til we dropped, I needed a little pick me up, and cute cafes are my jam. I had heard about the most aesthetic matcha cafe, so we headed there with camera in tow. It worked out perfectly because both kids had a little car nap with my sister-in-law, while my husband and I went to enjoy a beverage, donut, and snap some photos. If you appreciate a good photo op and yummy matcha bevvie, stop at Holy Matcha! 

We also headed to the La Jolla area. We wanted to check out the ocean and beach, plus the cute and quaint surrounding neighbourhood, built on the hilly landscape. The big draw here, especially in the winter months, are the seals and sea lions, which call the rocky beach home. Tourists flock to this area to take in the sea creatures and beautiful landscapes. We all enjoyed observing them on the rocks, sunning themselves, their funny walks, and even more hilarious calls. Be warned though, that there is a strong fishy smell and lots of pigeons. We wandered around the picturesque streets, with no shortage of options of places to eat, and settled on Puesto, a modern and trendy Mexican inspired spot. It hit the spot for the whole fam! 

And just like that, our San Diego adventure came to an end and we headed back to Palm Springs. It seems no amount of time is never enough and wish we could have had another day there! The hardest part was checking out of the most fabulous stay at The Fairmont Gran Del Mar. Needless to say it’s been a bit of an adjustment, making my own breakfast each day 😉 I know it’s not goodbye though, only see you later, because we will most definitely be back! 

A huge thank you to The Fairmont for hosting and accommodating us! Please comment below or on my latest Instagram post, on any of your favourite things to do and places to check out in San Diego!

Xo Kelsi