January 17-22: La Jolla Restaurant Bargains

Welcome to San Diego Restaurant Week. From January 17-22, many local restaurants will be offering 3-course meals for $20, $30, or $40 per person.

LA JOLLA RESTAURANTS

Some of La Jolla's best places to eat are participating in this special promotion. These include George's, Nine-Ten, The Marine Room, Tapenade, Roppongi, The Steakhouse at Azul, Whisknladle, and Trattoria Acqua.

This is a just a sampling. To see all the participants, go to the San Diego Restaurant Week website. (www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com). It's set up so you can search by location, cuisine, or price.

I can't imagine an easier way to get a good deal on a great meal.

Photo courtesy George's at The Cove.

La Jolla Lodging By Location

Where you stay in La Jolla will influence your vacation more than any other factor, so I want to make sure you find just the right hotel, motel, B&B, or resort.

LA JOLLA HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Before you make a decision, check out the deals offered via the “reservation box” in the top right corner of this blog. You may be surprised to find that La Jolla has cheap places to stay, as well as luxury hotels, suites, and spas. San Diego Hotel Week (http://www.sandiegohotelweek.com/) is another good source of bargain beds.

What follows below is a listing of local accommodation, grouped by neighborhood. I’ll follow up with details on the various places as time permits. In the meantime, check out the map at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=102753819517919873889.00044c7eebf5647208f7d&ll=32.847866,-117.232361&spn=0.138446,0.219727&z=12&source=embed

North Torrey Pines Road

This is a great area if you want to play golf or watch a tournament at the beautiful Torrey Pines Golf Course. However, both of these luxury resorts sit atop sandstone cliffs, making them a poor choice for beach-goers. A car is a must here because a taxi into the village for shopping and dining costs about $20 each way.

• Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines
• The Lodge at Torrey Pines

Near the University of California San Diego

Easy access to UCSD is the big draw for these three hotels. Estancia is on North Torrey Pines Road, but the Sheraton and the Residence Inn are within walking distance of places to eat and a couple of shopping centers that include a movie theatre, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, etc.

• Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
• Sheraton La Jolla Hotel
• Residence Inn

East of I-5, On La Jolla Village Drive

By definition, these places are not in La Jolla, but they are close enough to be of interest. The Embassy Suites and the Marriott are across the street from University Towne Center. Having said that, travelers don’t come to La Jolla to spend time in a mall, so you’ll need a car if you stay in this area.

• Embassy Suites – San Diego
• Marriott – San Diego La Jolla
• Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine

La Jolla Shores

Now we’re getting to the fun stuff. I walk on La Jolla Shores Beach several times a week and never tire of watching surfers, kayakers and kids digging holes in the sand. In addition to the beach, the Shores has its own little restaurant row and a handful of kayak rental places and beachy stores. I wrote about the difference between The Shores and The Village on July 31, 2009, so flip over to that post for a more complete description.

• Hotel La Jolla at The Shores
• La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
• La Jolla Riviera Apartments
• La Jolla Shores Hotel (formerly The Sea Lodge)

The Village

La Jolla’s heart has it all: charm and personality, myriad dining options, great shopping, the postcard-perfect La Jolla Cove, a world-class art museum, a seal colony, fantastic ocean views…and almost enough parking for the folks who want to enjoy our little seaside community. In fact, in this neighborhood, being car-less has its advantages.

• B & B on the Sea
• Best Western Inn By the Sea
• Empress Hotel
• Hotel Parisi
• La Jolla Cove Suites
• La Jolla Inn
• La Jolla Village Lodge
• La Valencia
• The Bed & Breakfast Inn at La Jolla (pictured above)
• The Grand Colonial
• Redwood Hollow Cottages
• Scripps Inn
• Shell Beach Motel

La Jolla Boulevard

South of the Village, a few motels provide budget lodgings within walking distance of the beach. This area (south of Nautilus Street) also includes places to eat, and the number 30 bus that runs on La Jolla Boulevard is useful for getting into the village or further a field to San Diego attractions (http://www.sdcommute.com/).

• Holiday Inn Express
• La Jolla Beach Travelodge

Why am I doing this?

I live in La Jolla and I'm a travel writer.

What that means is that, in addition to enjoying my home town's great weather, beautiful surroundings, and range of cultural and recreational options, I also see La Jolla - and the rest of San Diego - as a travel destination.

And what I see sometimes drives me batty. People flock to La Jolla, but don't take advantage of everything our community offers, so I decided to start this blog and provide a heads up for would-be visitors. The "inside scoop for out-of-towners," if you will.

Hey. I figure if I can write The Insider's Hong Kong (http://www.ranchandcoast.com/archives/february2006/travel.html) and The Insider's India (http://www.ranchandcoast.com/archives/october2007/travel.html), I ought to be able to lead readers off the beaten path that starts just outside my front door.

And in the process, I'm having fun revisiting my favorite places and discovering some new ones.

Travel writers are naturally snoopy, and this blog is my excuse to have a good ol' sticky beak around my home town. Stay tuned...

La Jolla Festival of the Arts - June 20-21

I just realized that in my last post I included the La Jolla Festival of the Arts in the Calendar of Events, but I didn't point out that it's this weekend - June 20-21 from 9am to 5pm. More than 200 artists will be exhibiting their work. Live music and a food court will add to the fun.

If you're planning to visit La Jolla this weekend, you might want to go to the Festival on Saturday when the forecast is for clouds and save sunnier Sunday for the beach or a bike ride.

The Festival will take place at the east campus of UCSD at Genesee Avenue and Regents Road. Admission is $10, but active military and children under 10 are free of charge.

For more information call 858-456-1268 or go to http://www.lajollaartfestival.org/.

Have fun!

Roppongi Restaurant & Sushi Bar

“The best deal in town.” That’s how a friend described the happy hour menu at La Jolla's Roppongi Restaurant & Sushi Bar – so of course I had to go and check it out. And sure enough, my beloved Chinese pot stickers filled with shrimp and scallops and served with Tobiko caviar sauce, normally $14.25, are now half price between 3- 6 daily. Ditto the delicious pan seared sea scallops on potato pancakes.

In fact, all the tapas and sushi rolls are half price during those hours. Sadly, drinks are not discounted.

Roppongi, long a favorite with locals, is located on the corner of Prospect Street and Fay Avenue. You can view the entire menu at http://www.roppongi.com/ (858-551-5252).

The Zagat Survey praised the restaurant for its “unique new Asian cuisine,” but I am also very impressed with the design, which includes a large fire pit on the patio and sophisticated lighting indoors that shows off a beautiful collection of Asian artifacts.

In addition to tapas, the restaurant serves lunch and dinner. They are for sure offering a prix fixe Father’s Day dinner on June 21, but the end date for the half price happy hour munchies has not been announced. I just hope it’s still in effect when you’re in La Jolla. Bargains are few and far between around here – and I’d hate for you to miss this one.