La Jolla: Seal this La Valencia getaway for $329

If you want a dose of La Jolla with historic charm, then I’m sending you to La Valencia Hotel. Whisk your loved one, or few, to the lovely North San Diego County coast, just a couple hours south of Los Angeles, to take advantage of this great overnight deal:

Deal: The Seal of a Deal package, for a total of $329 (including taxes), features the following: a room for one night; admission for up to four people to Birch Aquarium; and a picnic lunch for up to four people.

At the aquarium, an interpretive center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography, you can check out fish, tide pools, coral and even a shark reef exhibited in a 13,000 gallon tank. As for your picnic, you won’t be short on places to take it. The Children’s Pool, near the hotel, is a good beach for spotting harbor seals. (And while you’re at it, while in La Jolla, look out for the cows.)

When: The package is available for stays now through Dec. 31.

Caveat: The overnight valet parking fee of $22 is not included in the package price.

Note: I visited La Valencia a few years ago and really loved its historic feel, prime location and overall elegance. And the La Valencia reviews on TripAdvisor are largely very positive.

But you’ll see that common themes among past complaints are small rooms that need updating and noisiness. Yes, La Valencia is an old building (it opened as an apartment hotel in 1926). According to the hotel’s public relations representative, it has not undergone any major renovations in recent years, except the kitchen and dining room, which will be completed by this summer. And recently, the “soft items” in the ocean-view rooms were updated.

Contact: La Valencia, (858) 454-0771

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Children's Pool Beach; Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 7:45 am by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Deals, Family & Kids, Hotels, Islands & Beaches, San Diego, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.