La Jolla Travel Guide

When I was a little girl, every summer my mom would take my sister and I on a summer road trip to La Jolla, California. I remember visiting the local boutiques, playing at the beach, and even having impromptu photo shoots with my little sister along the shoreline.

Last weekend a friend and I decided to take a little getaway to La Jolla. It is only a two hour drive from Los Angeles so we packed the car and headed south. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla, a grand hotel with all the amenities you could ask for: Hot tub + pool? Check! Great service? Check! A selection of restaurants nearby? Check! Starbucks? Check!  We checked in with ease and could not believe the size of our room! We could have held a dance party in there, no joke.

A very warm welcome from the Hyatt Regency La Jolla.

First thing I like to do in any hotel is unpack and get comfortable. I like to lay out all my accessories, shoes, bags, and hang up  clothes to be able to see everything I brought with me. This also instantly helps me feel right at home.  I had this super cozy bathrobe on within 20 minutes of walking in to the room.

After unpacking we made our way down to the pool for a little rest and relaxation. We enjoyed lunch and the cool shade in our cabana. I had the watermelon and feta cheese arugula salad and it was absolutely delicious.

hat: Salvatore’s | earrings: Bauble Bar | swimsuit: Orchid Boutique

dress: ASOS | bag: YSL | shoes: Jessica Simpson

I could have stayed by the pool all day, but eventually we had to go change for our dinner reservation.  I finally got to wear this Asos dress I ordered a few weeks ago. It was one of those dresses that you see online and instantly buy without thinking twice.

There are a number of restaurants right across from the Hyatt Regency including: The Melting Pot, Fleming’s, and Café Japing and Truluck’s.  We were in the mood for sushi and since we heard Café Japengo was the best sushi and Pacific Rim cuisine in the area it was not a hard sell. Tempura is always my go-to, however Tony convniced me to try a salmon crispy rice dish. I’ll admit, it was pretty good. Luckily I was too full from my own plate to steal any of his. This restaurant had my favorite cocktail called a Pomtini. It is made with pomegranate juice, fresh lemon, and vodka.  Café Japengo is one of those restaurants that is perfect for all occasions whether it is a birthday party, a dinner with fiends, or a romantic date night.  Our server, the food and the ambiance were all fantastic.

After dinner we walked back to the hotel and changed into something cozy.  The Hyatt Regency La Jolla has fire pits located right next to the pool.  We enjoyed s’mores, one of my favorite desserts.  On Saturday nights during the summer they play movies for the kids on a huge screen by the pool. That night the movie was “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.” At first we laughed when they told us, but somehow we got sucked in to watching it while enjoying our s’mores.

We got back to the room around 9 pm and I was ready for bed. My friend convinced me to go out on our one night in La Jolla. So I grabbed a latte from the coffee shop in the lobby and we headed out. It was only a 5 minute Uber ride to the karaoke bar. If you are looking for a dive bar with karaoke than the Carriage House is your place.

We sang “Wanna be” by the Spice Girls and  “A Whole New World” from the movie Aladdin. I must say, the singing talent in the bar that night was quite impressive.  We got back around midnight and I FINALLY got to put the bathrobe back on. We ordered room service and with a build-your-own salad. It was so big I could not even finish the entire thing.

The next morning we woke up and had the option of either ordering room service again or having breakfast at the hotel            restaurant. The bed was so comfortable my friend refused to get up so we opted for room service and I caught up on some emails while snuggled on the couch with a latte.

After breakfast the hotel scheduled a private car to take us to downtown La Jolla. It is only a 15 minute scenic drive from the Hyatt Regency. That is the thing about La Jolla, everywhere you go is this city is beautiful.

We had lunch at the Ocean Terrance which on the rooftop area of the restaurant George’s at the Cove. From here you have an ocean view! We stopped at a few local boutiques in the area including Francesca’s where my mom and I shopped years ago.  They have a lot of great art galleries in the area. My favorite was the National Geographic gallery that just opened.  We could not take photos inside (for obvious reasons). It is definitely worth a visit.

The weather was absolutely perfect with a cool ocean breeze to balance the hot sun.  We explored the beautiful cove and met Roger Higgins. A local artist who sells his paintings right on the walkway to the beach.

I would just like to note that the service and staff at a hotel are what really make an experience memorable. A special thank you to all of the staff at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for making our stay spectacular. We are looking forward to another trip to La Jolla soon! I am thinking the Del Mar Derby and when we go, we are definitely staying at the Hyatt Regency again.

Photos by Tony Oberstar and myself

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