We hope you take advantage of your additional time in San Diego to have some fun! We’ve created a list of activity suggestions for adults and/or kids. Keep scrolling for restaurant recommendations.
Activities
Golf (family)
Host of the 2021 U.S. Open, the Torrey Pines Golf course sits atop cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is a 36-hole municipal golf facility and is minutes away from the Estancia.
Price: $101 – $215 for non-residents depending on course and tee times | Coordination: self-guided, text the Estancia Guest Services team at (855) 228-1582 for reservations (sooner than later, it’s booking out quickly!)
Surfing (family – older kids)
Surfs up! There are a number of surf beaches in close proximity to the Estancia – Mission Beach, Ocean Beach or Pacific Beach or La Jolla Shores. Lessons run at 9am, 10:45am, 1pm, and 3pm daily. We recommend going earlier as it starts getting dark around 5pm this time of year. All equipment included with class: surfboard, wetsuit, rashguard, and leash.
Price: Lessons start at $98 for group, or $130 for private | Duration: 1.5 hours | Coordination: Book online at Pacificsurf.com
Standup Paddle Boarding or Snorkeling (6+)
Explore La Jolla Shores and Ecological Reserve on a paddle board or snorkeling. You could even see leopard sharks, sea turtles, and Garibaldi, or if snorkeling, some underwater rock formations, lush plant life, sea cucumbers, anemones, and sea stars!
Price: Single board rentals starting at $30, snorkels starting at $35 | Duration: 2 hours | Coordination: Book online at La Jolla Kayak | Category: Great for Kids (6+)
Mexican Wine Country – Valle de Guadalupe Tour (adults only)
Drink in Baja California’s hottest wine region, Valle de Guadalupe. A personalized, all-inclusive, expertly guided Valle de Guadalupe wine tour. Baja Society Tours handles everything – border crossing, reliable transportation, the finest Valle de Guadalupe wineries and food. Britany did this tour in 2018 and it was fantastic.
Price: 1-10 ppl – $239 each, 11-19 ppl – $219 each
Duration: 10-12 hours | Public Tour | Coordination: Schedule online with Baja Society Tours
Mixology at Young Blood (adults only)
Entered through a faux refrigerator door and laying just beyond a tiled vestibule, Young Blood is a warmly-lit, high-ceilinged rosy fantasy of about 30 velveted seats that can each be had for the price of an all-inclusive $65 ticket. Young Blood’s nightly playbill spans a welcome glass of bubbly plus three cocktails over a one-hour and 30-minute session but unlike other prix fixe bars, the menu here isn’t fixed at all; tended to by a team of two bartenders, guests will be guided through progressive courses based on their personal preferences. Besides their pre-paid courses, patrons will also be able to add on bonus drinks, from some prized Pappy Van Winkle bourbon to vintage amaro.
Price: $65 each | Duration: 2 hours | Coordination: Schedule online on OpenTable, email info@neighborhoodsd.com for groups of 5+
Old Town, San Diego (family)
Old Town is the location of the first European settlement in California. Run by the historical society, it is the oldest neighborhood in San Diego and has been restored to its 1800s glory. It features an open-air market, sidewalk cafes and restaurants, and a multitude of shops featuring traditional Mexican and early American crafts and merchandise, to fashion, home decor, art, jewelry, and more.
Duration: several hours | Coordination: self-guided
San Diego Zoo and Safari Park (family)
The San Diego Zoo is in Balboa Park, San Diego, housing 4000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on 100 acres. It is considered one of the best zoos in the world.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is a 1,800-acre zoo in the San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, near Escondido. It’s famous for large field enclosures where herds roam free. You’ll like it if you enjoy close-up contact with wildlife, few crowds, long walks and have 4 to 6 hours to spend. Paid Safari tours are recommended but not necessary.
Note, the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Zoo are in two different locations, about 30 miles apart. Multi-park ticketsavailable that include the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, AND SeaWorld San Diego.
Price: 1-Day Passes $55 for kids, $65 for adults, Multi-park 3-for-1 tickets: $163 for kids, $173 for adults | Duration: 4-6 hours each | Coordination: self-guided, buy tickets online for Safari Park here or to the San Diego Zoo here, Multi-park 3-for-1 that also includes SeaWorld also on either ticket page
SeaWorld San Diego (family)
SeaWorld San Diego is an animal theme park, oceanarium, outside aquarium and marine mammal park. They offer the Spooktacular (trick-or-treating, and additional fun activities throughout the park) on the weekends in October.
Price: 1-Day tickets start at $60 for date specific, or $100 for Adult + 1 Free Kid; Multi-park 3-for-1 tickets: $163 for kids, $173 for adults | Duration: 4-6 hours | Coordination: self-guided, buy tickets online here
Scripps Aquarium (family)
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is one of San Diego’s best attractions and not your average aquarium. The hands-on exhibits and over 60 fish and invertebrate habitats showcase the research and findings of the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the largest centers for ocean and Earth science research.
Duration: 2-4 hours | Coordination: self-guided, text the Estancia Guest Services team at (855) 228-1582 for reservations
For more ideas, see this City Guide.
Or, refer to this quick reference guide to the immediate La Jolla area:
Restaurants
George’s At the Cove – A La Jolla institution, this restaurant by renowned chef Trey Foshee, boasts a beautiful rooftop terrace overlooking the water, with great food. A must-see!
Location: Downtown La Jolla | Food: Californian | Click for reservations
La Valencia – Inspired Californian-Mediterranean dishes & revered Sunday brunch buffet in the La Valencia Hotel, a 1926 Spanish-style building just a 4-minute walk from La Jolla Cove Beach. Check out the sunset on their patio looking over the water!
Location: Downtown La Jolla | Food: Californian-Mediterranean | Click for reservations
Piatti – Traditional Italian trattoria with an open kitchen & pizzas from a stone-hearth oven. Situated on a closed street, there is plenty of open-air patio seating.
Location: La Jolla Shores | Food: Italian | Click for reservations
Tony Jacal – Traditional Mexican eatery with mole, margaritas, mariachi bands & more in a homey space with a back patio.
Location: Solana Beach | Food: Mexican | Doesn’t take reservations
Adelaide – Upmarket restaurant & bar offering breakfast classics & sustainable seafood dishes, plus a terrace with views of the water.
Location: Del Mar at L’Auberge Hotel | Food: | Call 858-793-6467 for reservations
Craft House At Sky Deck – American Mexican fusion restaurant with handcrafted burgers, seafood, shareable bites, and signature cocktails.
Location: Del Mar | Type: Casual | Click for reservations
Kettner Exchange – Eatery for handcrafted cocktails & a creative menu of American dishes with some global flare, named for San Diego’s founding father, William Kettner. Two levels of indoor/outdoor drinking and dining, filled with subtle nods to the City’s great bay and nautical history, and boasts Little Italy’s only rooftop patio with harbor views.
Location: Little Italy San Diego | Food: American | Click for reservations
Born and Raised – Spacious, modern destination for high-end steak & cocktails with glitzy decor & a rooftop patio.
Location: Little Italy San Diego | Type: Steakhouse | Click for reservations
Bars
Raised by Wolves – Old-world decor & oak-clad walls give this hidden cocktail bar a sense of mystery & opulence.
Location: Westfield UTC | Type: Speakeasy | Click for reservations
Wolfie’s Carousel Bar – Beers, cocktails & an extensive liquor list, plus classic pub grub presented in fanciful surrounds, including a bar built into an 1881 carousel by German carousel master carver and builder, Charles I.D. Looff — nicknamed “Wolfie” by friends.
Location: Little Italy San Diego | Type: Speakeasy | Click for reservations
False Idol – Hidden in plain sight, a step through an unassuming secret entrance within Craft & Commerce transports guests to False Idol’s faux tropical paradise complete with traditional Polynesian elements of fire & ice (including an indoor waterfall and flaming volcano).
Location: Little Italy San Diego, inside Craft & Commerce restaurant (fun and good food) | Type: Tiki | Click for reservations
False Idol – Hidden in plain sight, a step through an unassuming secret entrance within Craft & Commerce transports guests to False Idol’s faux tropical paradise complete with traditional Polynesian elements of fire & ice (including an indoor waterfall and flaming volcano).
Location: Little Italy San Diego, inside Craft & Commerce restaurant (fun and good food) | Type: Tiki | Click for reservations
Youngblood – An immersive cocktail experience, meant to transport you to a different time and place, more Hemingway-era Paris than San Diego Gaslamp.
Location: Gaslamp San Diego | Type: Speakeasy | Click for reservations
You & Yours Distillery – this woman-owned joint is an Urban distillery & tasting room offering gin & vodka in an airy, mod space with a comfy lounge area.
Location: East Village near Gaslamp | Type: Distillery | Reserve a tour and tasting
52 Remedies – Upscale, Chinese medicine-themed speakeasy bar featuring creative mixed drinks in a swanky interior.
Location: Kearny Mesa (northeast San Diego) | Type: Speakeasy | Click for reservations
Birdseye – Situated on the rooftop of the Cormorant Boutique Hotel, Birdseye features a bird’s-eye view of La Jolla’s shore, modern coastal cuisine and delicious cocktails! Hot in the afternoons, be sure to snag a shaded table. Food is decent, but the cocktails and view are even better.
Location: Downtown La Jolla | Type: Rooftop bar | Walk-up only, no reservations