Ultimate relaxing weekend in San Diego

As a child, I lived in San Diego with my mother; there are dozens of photos of us at the San Diego Zoo. Other than one visit in my early twenties when I was living in Southern California, I haven’t been back, so I was thrilled to return for a long weekend – though this time, the zoo wasn’t nearly as high on my list. San Diego is often skipped in favor of Los Angeles, but as a lover of cool weather, a slower pace and a good coast, I have to admit the former is my preferred spot in Southern California.

When to arrive: If you’re traveling west like I was, you’ll get a few hours back. Either way, do your best to land pretty early in the day so you can get some extra time on the ground – and more of that impossibly perfect San Diego weather.
How to get from the airport: San Diego International Airport is easily accessible. It’s only 15 minutes to North Park, where I stayed, and you can take a taxi or rideshare.
Getting around town: While neighborhoods like North Park are walkable, in general, you’re going to have to take a car from neighborhood to neighborhood. I regularly hopped in an Uber and spent about $10 per trip. (Budget about $100 for Uber over a long weekend.) Rideshares are about as easy to access as they are in Los Angeles or New York City; expect to wait no longer than five to 10 minutes for a ride from most neighborhoods. If you plan to venture to nearby spots like La Jolla, Coronado or Torrey Pines, rent a car.
Where to stay: Stay at The Lafayette, a maximalist, trendy hotel in North Park, for something chic with a party vibe. For something more relaxed, consider the pink La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. For something more luxe, it’s hard to beat The Westgate Hotel in Downtown.
What to pack: Remember that perfect weather? I said multiple times, “How is it always 75 degrees (Fahrenheit) here?” San Diego is stylish – likely due to its proximity to Los Angeles – but it’s coastal, so you get to be a little flowier. Pack linen pants and fun tops, nice sandals and cool sneakers, and you’ll be just fine. Don’t forget a handful of funky sunglasses and a sweater for time spent near or on the water.

Empty coffee cup on a marble table. — **Clockwise from top left:** Coffee at the Lafayette Hotel. Poolside at the hotel. A room at the Lafayette. Overlooking the hotel's pool. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (4)

A selfie of two women smiling poolside on a sunny day. — **Clockwise from top left:** Coffee at the Lafayette Hotel. Poolside at the hotel. A room at the Lafayette. Overlooking the hotel's pool. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (4)

Day 1

Morning

Land in San Diego, and take an Uber to The Lafayette. It’s quiet in the morning, but that’ll change quickly when the evening crew rolls in. Order a coffee at the little stand by the front desk. Take advantage of the calm by dropping your bags in your room – or leaving them with the desk if your room isn’t ready yet – and go right to the pool. Grab a towel from the cheetah print tent to the left of the staircase and plop down poolside. Read, rest or people-watch; it won’t take long for the delightful mix of fellow travelers and San Diego locals to arrive. (The Lafayette offers a pool pass, and it’s a hot spot come summer.) The music is likely already bumping, and the pool is a cool 76°F.

Once you’ve gotten in some pool time, walk over to Beginner’s Diner, which is just a few feet away. Order the breakfast tacos with soy chorizo (this vegetarian was pleased), and consider a milkshake (available with or without booze). If you don’t procure the latter now, don’t worry; the diner is open 24 hours a day, and there’s nothing like a chocolate milkshake at midnight.

Take a nice hot shower to wash the plane off of you, and text the front desk to request some ice (it’s not available otherwise) and fresh water for the carafe (hydrate!). Put on your sandals and get ready to walk.

How to spend the day

Spend your afternoon exploring North Park. From The Lafayette, walk left down El Cajon Blvd and down Park, which is full of adorable shops and cafés. Grab a bottle of organic, biodynamic wine (you are in SoCal, after all) from Clos Wine Shop. Swing by Lestat’s On Park for a pastry or a matcha. Continue onward to the Lambda Archives of San Diego, which shares the history of LGBTQ+ people in the area. Head back down Park and have a little treat at Stella Jean’s Ice Cream (yuzu and poppyseed, anyone?) or go big with pie from Pop Pie Co. (ube coconut is calling) – the sister companies are right next to each other, so maybe go even bigger and have both.

A woman standing outside the lighted entryway to a restaurant at night. — **Clockwise from top left:** Outside Leila in North Park. Inside Leila's dining room. Plates for sharing. The bar at Leila. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (4)

Diners inside a dark room with dramatic lighting placed throughout. — **Clockwise from top left:** Outside Leila in North Park. Inside Leila's dining room. Plates for sharing. The bar at Leila. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (4)

Dinner

Dress up for dinner and Uber to Leila, a Middle Eastern restaurant in North Park. It’s a very cool spot, and it’s very Instagrammable, so make reservations in advance and expect to see groups taking photos. Once you’re there, you won’t blame them. As soon as you walk in, you’ll be wowed by the starry sky and water features – and you haven’t even gotten to the food yet. Start with the tea service of cardamom black tea. Order falafel, naan and the gem lettuce fattoush for the table. Dine on grilled vegetable skewers and joojeh chicken with a side of basmati. And, yes, take many, many photos.

After dark

Remember that milkshake? Grab one. It’s the perfect opportunity to do some people watching. Sit outside in a striped lounge chair and watch partygoers flit about in bold, neon fits that nearly compete with the hotel’s own maximalist aesthetic.

A hand holding a glass cup of iced coffee with a straw with out-of-focus patrons at tables in the background. — **Left:** Breakfast at Morning Glory in Little Italy. **Right:** Shops in Little Italy. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (2)

Streetscape with a café to the right and people walking in the distance on an overcast day. — **Left:** Breakfast at Morning Glory in Little Italy. **Right:** Shops in Little Italy. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (2)

Day 2

Morning

Leave North Park and Uber to Little Italy. Have breakfast at Morning Glory, which is sure to have a line out the door, but it’ll move swiftly. Once you reach the top of the staircase, follow a server in striped overalls – the official uniform of this colorful, 80s-inspired spot – and take in the breeze through the huge open windows. Go sweet with the baked French toast or savory with the fried chicken and waffles. Absolutely do not skip the crispy hashed potatoes, which arrive as a block of fried magic. Sip an iced oat chai or choose from the menu's “cloud-based technology,” which is basically a gin fizz with an egg white.

How to spend the day

Little Italy can go either way. You can stroll to museums like the Maritime Museum of San Diego and the USS Midway Museum or you can do some shopping. Walk down India Street to The Market By Buon Appetito for Italian treats and window shop at Rosamariposa and Architectural Salvage.

Dinner

Still in Little Italy? Good. You’re off to a very fancy dinner at Juniper and Ivy, one of the finest restaurants in the city. Start with the house sourdough and its life-changing honey butter. Skip an entree in favor of a bunch of small plates: smoked vegetables, cauliflower steak, agnolotti and sugar snap peas with burrata. Grab a cute little cocktail, like a Pom Dot Com (non alcoholic) or a Talk About The Passion.

The animal print awning and tiger print doors of Lou Lou's Jungle Room in San Diego, California. — Lou Lou's Jungle Room at the Lafayette Hotel. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet

After dark

It’s showtime. Back at The Lafayette, change into something funkier and bowl at The Gutter, which is open until 2am. Grab a cocktail or two at the pool bar. Then it’s showtime at Lou Lou’s Jungle Room, where you’ll listen to jazz and pretend you’re in Old Hollywood.

Day 3

Morning

Sleep in after your jazzy night out. When you wake, you’ve got options: walk to the cutesy Communal Coffee and have an acai bowl, avocado toast and a latte, or walk to Kaffa Coffee, an Ethiopian-owned coffee shop, for mint tea and pastries.

A botanical building with a rectangular pool in front on a sunny day. — **Clockwise from top left:** The Botanical Building in Balboa Park. In the cactus garden. Inside the greenhouse. The rose garden. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (4)

Close-up of cactus plants on a sunny day. — **Clockwise from top left:** The Botanical Building in Balboa Park. In the cactus garden. Inside the greenhouse. The rose garden. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (4)

How to spend the day

We’re hitting the ground running with a morning adventure to Balboa Park, essentially San Diego’s museum and garden complex. Stroll the Botanical Building and Timken Museum of Art, which are both free. Cross the street to the rose and desert gardens, home to stunning roses and massive cacti, respectively. Keep walking toward the cacti and you’ll stumble upon a gorgeous overlook, where you might just pause and say, “Wow.”

Back at The Lafayette, lunch at Quixote, a gothic spot built in a deconstructed Mexican church. You want a mix of it all, so order squash blossoms, lentil spread, beet salad and the huitlacoche tamal. End with flan.

A selfie of two women smiling while sitting on a ferry on a sunny day. One woman is wearing sunglasses and a hat. — **Left:** The writer and her wife whale watching in San Diego. **Right:** A whale tail peeking out of the water. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (2)

A whale tail peeking out of the ocean on a sunny day. — **Left:** The writer and her wife whale watching in San Diego. **Right:** A whale tail peeking out of the water. Rachel Lewis/Lonely Planet (2)

Hit the coast

Grab your camera, baseball cap and a sweater for a dolphin and whale-watching cruise with San Diego Whale Watch (pro tip: get dropped off at Sportsmen's Seafoods for easy access to the booth). Spend close to three hours looking for what our guide called “the three S’s: spouts, splashes and seabirds” until you finally see them: bottlenose dolphins. Luck out and see a blue whale. Squeal a little.