Grand Del Mar Resort and Spa

It’s a strange mirage on this California coast of economic woes: The Grand Del Mar just north of San Diego seems like an iconic throw back to the days of California Grandeur – when money was made the easy way and celebrities still wore diamonds around their necks to the Academy Awards.

But this sprawling, but hidden resort is no mirage. It opened two years ago, not 20 or 80, and it bespeaks the good life still active and roaring in this SoCal location. It’s just not flaunting its jewels. The Grand Del Mar is quiet wealth the old way, according to the vision of architect Addison Mizner and the money of a smart San Diego developer.

The 249-room resort draws on classic images of the past for its ambience – you’ll find nods to North Africa, Andalusia and Italy amid the wrought iron railwork, Moorish appointments and keyhole window openings, and warm sienna hues. Sculpted gardens take shape around its pools and lawn area where weddings overlooking the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve simply take your breath away.

Because the resort is located in the midst of protected wilderness, a journey to this spot feels more like a quick escape to the hills of Tuscany with dining experiences to match the location.

Dinner at Addison has proved to be a new standard in dining in San Diego, plucking chef William Bradley from Vu in Scottsdale and bringing his highly-honed yet simple cuisine style (his risotto melted with parmesan, parsley and pancetta and paired with Arnaud Ente Chardonnay 2007 just about brought the house down at this table). Then there was the Poularde, or chicken, glazed in lavender honey with gingerbread followed by a vanilla panna cotta with strawberries over citrus-rhubarb syrup) to be paired by an onsite master sommelier at every dish.

The Grand Del Mar’s spa is also a destination here. Sizable at 21,000 square feet, lounges include fireplaces and private outdoor patio niches. Nuts, cookies and fruit snacks stave off any hunger. Steam rooms are eucalyptus scented and treatments come with the option of using the facility’s float bed – a very rare, but exquisite find for a spa that involves floating in an enveloping warm rubber bed of water as if inside the womb and unaffected by gravity. As to be expected, treatments are pricey, starting with a 30-minute herbal salt scrub for $90. A basic but lovely mani-pedi will put you back at least $140 before gratuity.

The big thing at this resort is golf. It’s San Diego’s only Tom Fazio-designed course and is overseen by a PGA certified member director. It’s an 18-hole, par-72 private course that caters to pros and novices alike with hands-on lessons, computer analyses and a variety of tee locations from 4,824 to 7,160 yards, accommodating all levels of play. The $230-$250 green fees include the carts, the comped repasts, the Laser Link rangefinders and professional club fittings (top tier Titleist clubs and balls are on hand for rent).

Guest rooms keep the luxury motif going with bath amenities and candles and large, deep tubs to soak in, goose down pillows and Praseti cotton linens, plus robes, morning espresso maker, choice of newspapers and complimentary Internet.

Grand Package rates start at $345 ($645 for suites) including $50 resort credit.

HelloSanDiego Tip: Take a dip in the adults-only swimming pool and enjoy music that can be heard only underwater.

- by Lark Ellen Gould, San Diego Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Lark Ellen Gould

Lark Ellen Gould has penned seven books on Las Vegas and Los Angeles as a veteran news and travel writer. Her work appears in the L.A. Times, Elite Traveler, Travel Agent Magazine and other national forums. She lived in Boston for many years, earning her masters degree and then traveling the globe for stories. Today she lives in LA and still travels the world on assignment while filling the pages of her travel site: www.wheredaily.com, along the way.