A healthy getaway
By Marguerite Cleveland
For a relaxing and rejuvenating experience, San Diego, California, is a perfect wellness destination due to its mild climate, beautiful views and plenty of outdoor experiences. Full-service resorts with on-site spas abound in the area and can enhance your wellness stay without even leaving the resort.
Where To Stay
The Fairmont Grand Del Mar is a luxurious resort nestled amidst Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, offering a tranquil and upscale setting. Guests will feel as if they’ve stepped into a Tuscan resort in Italy with Mediterranean-style architecture. Fairmont resorts are famed for their hospitality and service, which just adds to the ambiance. This resort is expansive and includes four heated pools, pickleball and tennis courts, indoor and outdoor fitness centers, hiking trails, an equestrian center, a five-star spa and an award-winning golf course. There is so much to see and do, guests won’t need to leave the resort. There are a variety of dining options including the three Michelin-starred Addison for a vacation splurge.
Insider Tip: Book a Signature Poolside Room. These posh rooms are adults only and have a private terrace with access to the adults-only Relaxation Pool.
The Kona Kai San Diego, located on Shelter Island, has a lovely waterfront location with its own private beach. This lovely resort has a more casual vibe and is a haven from the traffic and crowds in San Diego. Enjoy exploring the waterfront parks of Shelter Island or lounge by the adult-only pool. Gentle ocean breezes, the smell of sea salt in the air and the sounds of seagulls will have guests relaxed in no time. Complimentary Zybra bikes allow guests to explore Shelter Island and bike-friendly parts of San Diego. Each evening, watch the sun go down with a crackling fire on the beach and breathtaking views of Point Loma.
Insider Tip: Book a suite in Buildings 7 or 8, which are a newer addition to the resort and overlook the adults-only pool.
Where To Eat
When in California, a must try is avocado toast for breakfast. The Vessel Restaurant at the Kona Kai San Diego offers Hass Avocado Toast with poached-easy egg, grana padano, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, Rokenwagner Bakery multigrain bread and roasted garlic breakfast potatoes. Sipping coffee and enjoying an al fresco dining experience is the perfect way to start the day.
Amaya at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar’s tagline is “Feels like Tuscany, Tastes like California,” and it is so true. The gorgeous Old-World setting of the Grand Del Mar is the perfect location for this seasonal menu. The freshest of locally sourced ingredients creates a California cuisine that is clean and healthy—a great fit for a wellness getaway. The terrace with the sounds of a gurgling fountain and the scent of fresh flowers enhances the ambiance.
What To Do
No wellness retreat is complete without a luxurious spa treatment. The Fairmont Spa and Wellbeing at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar is an extravagant haven. It is a Forbes Five-Star spa—one of only 60 in the world. Before or after your treatment, plan to spend time relaxing and enjoying all the spa amenities. The trendy JetPeel Facial is worth every penny. Splurge and book the 90-minute treatment for 30 extra minutes of bliss. This unique facial uses pressurized oxygen at subsonic speed to deliver nutritive serum into the dermal layers below the skin’s surface layers. The treatment is packed full with a lymphatic drainage massage and gentle exfoliation. The 90-minute treatment adds a Knesko Gold face mask and a hand and arm massage.
Insider Tip: Even if you aren’t staying at the resort, you can still enjoy the spa, which is open to the public.
Just a short drive from Shelter Island is the Cabrillo National Monument, located on Point Loma. The drive climbs to the top of the hill and follows the peninsula through the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, which is starkly beautiful with the rows and rows of uniform white tombstones. Plan to spend a few hours at the monument to enjoy the museum and watch the film. Enjoy views of San Diego and Coronado before taking the short hike to the lighthouse. The monument is also famed for its tide pools along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Even if it is not low tide, it is still worth a visit to hike along the rocky shoreline.
Insider Tip: Travel to the overflow parking lot (Lot 2) for another view. The monument is one of the premier bird watching spots in San Diego, and many birds congregate in the area below Lot 2.
The Specifics
Where to Stay
Fairmont Grand Del Mar - GranddelMar.com
Kona Kai San Diego and Spa - ResortKonaKai.com
Where to Eat
The Vessel - ResortKonaKai.com/shelter-island-restaurant
Amaya Restaurant - GranddelMar.com/dine/amaya
What To Do Fairmont Spa and Wellbeing - Granddelmar.com/wellness Cabrillo National Monument - NPS.gov/cabr