L'Auberge Del Mar

Just past La Jolla, north of San Diego, is the upscale seaside village of Del Mar — and in L’Auberge Del Mar we have a coastal California hotel that’s as casually elegant as its hometown. If Southern California makes you think beaches and bare feet, you’re certainly not wrong, but L’Auberge Del Mar belongs to a more refined vision of the Pacific Coast.

It’s L’Auberge, after all, not the Surf Shack, and the rooms, renovated by Southern California’s own Barclay Butera, feel stylish but never gimmicky — sexier than most luxury hotels and more sophisticated than most boutiques. In terms of comfort it’s as plush as anything around, with the obligatory marble bathrooms and 42-inch plasma screens, plus an abundance of sea air and bright coastal light. It’s all as fresh as can be, yet the rooms feel lived-in in a way that few hotels can manage.

The Pacific Ocean is rarely out of sight and never out of mind. There’s an expansive beach cottage–style spa that makes full use of its seaside setting, and both the pool and terrace-restaurant overlook the ocean. The latter isn’t just hotel convenience cooking with a view. The chefs have done stints at some of the country’s finest kitchens, and at L’Auberge, they’re cooking some of the best food in town.