If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD389.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Revamped with relics from its bygone days as a ranch, Estancia La Jolla sits on a coveted stretch of San Diego’s coast. Stables once stood where rooms now rest, and there’s plenty to remind you of their former use (halters hanging on walls and barn-style sliding doors); but these days hay nets and hook racks are replaced with luxurious California-king beds and deep-blue banquettes. Acres of botanical gardens are adorned with gently swaying palm trees, climbing cacti and locally crafted sculptures; margaritas are served poolside; and the spa is set for meditative soothing. And, come evening, chef Augie Saucedo’s flavorful Bajan fare pairs well with sunset panoramas and fireside songs.
11am; check-in is at 4pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability and a charge.
Prices
Double rooms from £351.89 ($439), including tax at 12.965 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional resort fee of $44.00 per room per night on check-out.
More details
Rates don’t usually include breakfast, but it’s available in the Greenfinch Restaurant and the Trading Post for between $10 and $50.
Also
ADA-approved rooms have been adapted for those with limited mobility and hearing, each is fitted with grab bars, visual alarms and phones, raised power outlets within four inches of the phone, light alerts, and lowered shelves; and the bathrooms have either roll-in showers or bath tubs with hand-held shower heads. Interconnecting rooms are also available for all ADA rooms, ramps are used throughout the property and the pool has a lift.
At the hotel
Public beaches nearby, 10-acre grounds, e-bikes to rent, fitness center, library, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: 55-inch TV, tea- and coffee-making kit, minifridge, free reusable water bottles, and Lather bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Each room has cool hacienda-inspired interiors, but if it’s extra space you’re after, the Estate Suites have separate living areas and generous balconies that overlook the gardens or pool.
Poolside
Fringed by swaying palm trees and pin-striped cabanas, the heated outdoor pool is open from 5am until 11pm, and eats from Haven Bar & Grill can be delivered straight to your sunlounger between 8am and 4pm.
Spa
You’ll find the 7,000-square-foot spa, open from 9am till 5pm (7pm on weekends), tucked away in the Estancia’s botanical gardens. The nine treatment rooms – including a couples’ cabin – are primed for rejuvenating rub-downs, and there’s a eucalyptus-scented steam room, relaxation spaces, restful yoga and meditation rooms, and a spacious fitness center that’s decked out with Life Fitness equipment. Guided yoga sessions are also available, just ask reception to book you in.
Packing tips
A snorkeling mask, fins and an underwater camera for exploring the aquatic world of California’s coast.
Also
In the middle of the gardens, there’s a sweet Wishing Tree; ask for a tag at reception and add to the inspiring words tied to its branches.
Pet‐friendly
Fido is welcome here for $150 a stay, and staff are full of pet-friendly restaurant recommendations (there’s even a dog beach nearby). See more pet-friendly hotels in San Diego.
Children
Welcome; there’s no kids’ club or crèche, but babysitting can be arranged for an extra charge. Extra beds can be added to all king rooms for $45 a night.
Sustainability efforts
The hotel has been awarded a ‘gold level’ from Green Key Global for their commitment to eco-friendly practices and social responsibility.
Grab a table by the roaring fire in Mustangs & Burros; during the summer, ask for a table on the terrace.
Dress Code
Your finest Western wear.
Hotel restaurant
There are three restaurants at Estancia. Mustangs & Burros has won plenty of awards for its Baja-inspired fare, where head chef Augie Saucedo cooks up handmade tacos and freshly-marinated meats come evening. Sitting above the hotel’s central courtyard, Greenfinch Restaurant serves a lengthy brunch menu (with build-your-own omelets, freshly flipped pancakes, stuffed French toast, fried chicken sandwiches…) till 2pm. The Trading Post is the lobby’s laidback café, where smoothies, pastries and sandwiches are available to grab and go.
Hotel bar
Both Mustangs & Burros and Greenfinch have their own bars, but the latter is best for digestifs. The speakeasy-style bar, bedecked with botanics from the hotel’s gardens, serves classic cocktails and a long list of wondrous wines.
Last orders
Greenfinch serves from 7am till 2pm; the Trading Post from 6.30am to 6pm, and Mustangs & Burros dishes dinner up between 4pm and 10pm. Greenfinch Bar pours till 11pm.
Estancia La Jolla is in San Diego’s coastal neighborhood of the same name, near the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
Planes
San Diego International Airport is a 25-minute drive from the hotel; private transfers can be arranged by staff, or there are plenty of taxis waiting on arrival (prices usually range from $35 to $60 each way).
Trains
The Pacific Surferliner and Amtrak trains service California, and trains run all over the state, including stops in San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot. From there, it’s a 25-minute drive to the hotel.
Automobiles
A car is always a good idea in the US, especially if you’re planning on exploring further afield. There are plenty of rental booths at the airport, and once you get to the hotel, parking is available on-site for $40 a night (or $48 for valet parking).
Worth getting out of bed for
Estancia La Jolla and its lush locale offer plenty to fill your days. But before you venture off-site, visit the resident bees at the apiary, flutter past butterflies at the sanctuary just opposite, and catch the chef picking herbs for dinner in the dedicated gardens. If you’ve come to La Jolla for the beaches (and it’s a good reason to rock up), Black’s Beach is within walking distance and La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove are both a 10-minute drive but well worth a visit. Thrill-seekers should head to the Torrey Pines Gliderport and take to the air; if you’d rather explore the park on-foot, grab a picnic from the Trading Post and hike its lofty trails. The Birch Aquarium, San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park are delightful for day trips with little Smiths; but if you’re on an adults-only adventure, visit the famed scientific Salk Institute for a guided tour, the Stuart Collection for a saunter around the sculptures, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the La Jolla Playhouse. If you’re looking for something a little more restful, there are guided sound-bath sessions every Sunday and yoga is hosted daily in the hotel’s gardens.
Local restaurants
La Jolla is renowned for its Mexican fare, and Javier’s is certainly setting the standard, where tables are set under dimmed lights and sharing plates of quesadillas, taquitos and empanadas are paired with aged tequilas and expertly shaken margaritas. And if you're craving tacos, Red O serves all the classics.
Local bars
If it’s creatively concocted cocktails you’re after, Raised by Wolves has you covered. Set in La Jolla village, you’ll need to find the secret entrance for access to the speakeasy-style bar, but it’s worth the effort – once inside, its vintage-ocean-liner-esque decor is set for buoyant nights.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this hidden hacienda in San Diego and unpacked their cowboy hats and fringed fabrics, a full account of their ranch-style stay will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Estancia La Jolla…
Beloved for its dreamy coastal coves, locally-run boutiques and a humbler attitude than its starry northwestern neighbor, La Jolla is California’s one to watch – and boutique hideaway Estancia La Jolla is boosting its starting-to-glow reputation. Terracotta tiles, taupe tones and a horse (sculpture, to clarify) may set the scene as you walk in – the hotel originated as a working ranch, after all – but things have taken a more luxe turn these days. It now boasts an expansive spa, striped poolside cabanas, three restaurants and 10 acres of cacti-coated grounds – plenty to divert you, but the hangliding haven of Torrey Pines Natural Reserve is just up the road and those famed Californian shores, a short wander away, should lure you off-site too.
