The vintage elegance of peninsula Coronado, long a vacation spot for the well-heeled, endures thanks to buzzy openings attracting visitors across the bridge for a stroll on palm-lined Orange Avenue.

Up the coast in North County, Encinitas is the quintessential Southern California beach town, a quirky little mecca for yoga, wellness, and, of course, surfing at beaches like Swami’s and Moonlight.

Next door, find everything in Carlsbad from outlet shopping and golf to fine dining—don’t miss chef Eric Bost’s Michelin-starred bistro, Jeune et Jolie. He runs two other restaurants in the area: Lilo, with a coastal tasting menu, and lively Campfire, designed to look like a glamping site.

Sleeper hits

San Diego’s biggest hotel news is coming out of Coronado. Few stays channel classic Americana quite like the Hotel del Coronado, which, over its 138-year history, has hosted everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Franklin D. Roosevelt. It underwent a massive revamp in 2025, but that’s not the only change afoot here: Across the street the sleek Bower Coronado also began welcoming guests in summer 2025; it was joined by the maximalist, seashell-inspired Baby Grand this spring. Last May, Hilton’s new Outset Collection unveiled The Margot Hotel, with 135 sprawling suites, in the Gaslamp Quarter, right by Petco Park, home of the Padres. January will see the debut of the nearby 231-room Le Méridien San Diego Pinnacle, a gleaming tower close to the trendy restaurants and nightlife of Little Italy. Up in Carlsbad, an erstwhile Sheraton resort was reborn in March as the botanical-themed Hotel Solea, Autograph Collection, a stone’s throw from Legoland.