So, this summer we decided to do a little family staycation. San Diego is one of the top travel destinations in the country and we’re lucky enough to call it home.  The boys’ only request was to be near the beach.  Well, we did one better and booked a room right ON the beach. We stayed at the beautiful, beachfront,  La Jolla Shores Hotel.

La Jolla Shores Hotel

The hotel’s exterior boasts elegant Spanish vibes and the rooms are coastal chic. Complete with my favorite ship lap and high beamed ceilings! They offer suites and rooms with kitchenettes & adjoining rooms. This is HUGE for young vacationing families. We loved having a balcony. After we’d put the boys to bed, Graig and I would sit out there watching the ocean and chat.  It was a such lovely way to end the day.

Our room was located on the first floor right by the pool (and beach). It was so perfect.  The pool area is complete with a kiddie pool.  Such a great feature for families with young children. Here they also host delicious events such as ice cream sundae socials and sunset s’mores!

In the courtyard they have a game area complete with lawn games and ping pong tables. The hotel also offers full beach set up of umbrellas and lounge chairs.  Yes, please!  I’m telling you this is such a great family hotel!

Dining

On the property there are a couple options for dining, aside from room service, one is the Shores Restaurant and the other is a Beach BBQ Cookout!  That’s right you can have a BBQ right on the beach!  Wait it gets better, the hotel takes care of setting up the tables, chairs and brings the food! You have the option of grilling it yourself or ordering it cooked.  Which is what we did because mom life, right?

It was such a neat experience! We inhaled the delicious food, watched the sunset and then went to play in the water.  The water was so warm that the boys couldn’t resist taking a dip. I had to stop and take it all in, it was such a special experience.

Location

The hotel is located in beautiful La Jolla adjacent to the La Jolla Shores Park, that has a big grassy area complete with a playground. The beach in our opinion is one of the best beaches, in San Diego, for kids.  It’s nice and flat with no real shore break.   There is also a cute little village, with restaurants and shops,  within walking distance. We took a nice walk to get coffee and breakfast. The location is central located just 6 minutes to the Birch Aquarium | 17 minutes to Seaworld|  20 minutes to the San Diego Zoo  & 30 minutes to Legoland.

Final thoughts

Going into our stay I really didn’t think it would feel like a “real” vacation, after all we frequent the shores quite often but boy was I wrong.  It was such a great stay! I completely fell in love with San Diego all over again.  Something about being on the beach after sunset, the warm water and a beautiful twinkling hotel in the background made it so magical. My hope is we can make  it a family tradition, like the many families, that come back to the shores year after year.

I filmed some stories for my Instagram, you can watch them here!

** PLEASE NOTE: La Jolla Shores Hotel hosted us for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.   I only recommend places that I truly enjoy and love. Thank you so much for the support! **