Saddle Up for a Ride Through This Sprawling La Jolla Estate
Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
San Diego, California
Luxury Ranch, $$
Tucked away in a private enclave between La Jolla's sprawling shoreline and Torrey Pines State Park, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa shines light on a slice of little-known San Diego history. The ten-acre property was once a sprawling estate owned by the local elite and world-traveled Black family, who bred show horses on the property in the 1880s. Fast forward to the 1960s, when descendants of the family gifted the property to University of California San Diego under order that the land would be used to build a hotel for the betterment of the La Jolla community. Nearly 50 years later, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa opened in 2004, revealing three meticulously preserved Spanish-Colonial-style buildings, including the former stables, tack room, and caretaker's cottage, along with sprawling gardens with over 600 fruit trees. Meandering pathways of terra cotta and Mexican Talavera tiles lead to 210 suite-style guest rooms designed in a Rancho-California style with adobe fireplaces and exposed beams of California Douglas fir. Rest and relaxation are at the core of the hotel's amenities, including a 60-foot saltwater pool and massive spa with outdoor soaking tubs flanked by succulent gardens. To keep their word on involving the San Diego community, the hotel invites local artists to create murals and installations throughout the various courtyards.
The Vibe: It doesn't get more California than this: Spanish Mission-style architecture, wood-burning fireplaces, secret succulent gardens, and tacos at every meal.
Standout Detail: Towering succulent gardens are spread out across the property's ten acres, making it easy (and lovely) to feel like you're in a Californian oasis.
|