WHERE TO STAY IN LA JOLLA

On the map, which shows the best place to stay in La Jolla, are located a selection of the best hotels according to the opinions of Tripadvisor users. By passing the cursor over the icons, you can see the exact address of the hotel and the link where you can make a booking. Best Location Hotels offers a selection of the best-rated hotels, located in the best area to stay in La Jolla, San Diego, and also provides the link to the hotels for information and booking.

If you are interested in where to stay in La Jolla, you may also be interested in where to stay in San Diego, where to stay in Santa Barbara and where to stay in Monterey.

La Jolla Village, the best area to stay in La Jolla

The village is well connected to San Diego and beyond with buses and trains heading to the major city and is a particularly safe neighbourhood to stay in. As said before, the village is easy to walk around or even better is to cycle, as it is so compact with lots of little narrow streets.

The best things to do and see in La Jolla include the Cave Store, which was actually built on top of a sea cave and there are tours of it as well as a gift shop. There are a few beaches to pick from that surround the village with the most popular being La Jolla Cove, which is perfect for swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving and many other activities. There are many grassy areas to have picnics if you don’t fancy being on the sand, though do take note that the beach is part of a reserve and therefore fishing, surfing, wind surfing and generally anything that could do damage to the area is not permitted.

Probably the most interesting beach is Children’s Pool Beach as it is where harbor seals come to breed and happens from mid December through to mid May. During this time the beach is closed but you can still see them clearly and otherwise it should be open to sunbathing and swimming.

A museum to note is the Museum of Contemporary Art, which has permanent and temporary exhibitions from local to international status artists. For shopping, the best streets are Prospect Place and Girard Street as there are numerous international and local brands on sale as well as a department store and various art galleries. The same streets also cater for hotels, restaurants and pubs as does Coast Boulevard and Rosetta Street.

Other areas to stay in La Jolla

La Jolla Shores

This popular mile long beach and residential community is just to the north of the village and is a relaxing and sea orientated place, which is an excellent choice to stay in. The beach is ideal for families as the waters are very clean, small waves and lovely sand to sunbathe on. Kellogg Park sits on top of the beach, which offers brilliant views of the ocean and surroundings as well as a picnic area and Scripps Pier is a fantastic place for a walk at sunset. The beach is also well used by boat goers as this can only be done in this area of La Jolla and the same goes for Kayakers too.

Close by is the Birch Aquarium, which is an award winning aquarium and hosts many interesting and fascinating exhibits on oceanic species from the Pacific Ocean from sharks to living coral reef as well as large kelp tank. All along the beachfront, there are various restaurants, shops, bars and hotels to pick from, and the area is well connected to other parts of La Jolla with frequent buses and is a very safe neighbourhood.

Most booked hotel in La Jolla Shores: Hotel La Jolla, Curio Collection by Hilton  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Torrey Pines

Torrey Pines is a fascinating area to visit as it comprises three different elements. The first is the famous two 18-hole public golf courses that sit high on the clifftops. There is also a 1,500 acre State National Reserve and this includes long stretches of unspoiled beaches and a lagoon that is popular with migrating sea birds. The third are the beautiful beaches that are totally unspoilt with rolling Pacific surf. The area is popular with hang-gliders too. The Reserve protects about 3,000 beautiful pine trees that grow in sandstone canyons and also the rich wildlife in the area. The pine trees - Pinus torreyana -are very rare and only grow there and on Santa Rosa Island. For those who want to explore the Reserve, there are a variety of different trails to follow that vary in length and level of difficulty. Guided tours are also available.

There are a couple of luxurious hotels, situated in the hills of Torrey Pines overlooking the golf courses with the beautiful Pacific Ocean as a magnificent backdrop. Alternatively, there are many hotels in La Jolla which lies nine kilometres- 16 minutes drive – away.

Most booked hotel in Torrey Pines: The Lodge at Torrey Pines  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Golden Triangle/ UTC area

University City is nicknamed ‘the golden triangle’ because it is triangular in shape and is the focus of the city’s economic hub with research, high-tech and bio-tech companies of varying sizes. The Golden Triangle has Route 52 as its boundary to the south, Freeway 805 to the east, and Freeway 5 to the west. The area also contains the community of University City. Most people are either visiting the university or one of the companies. For convenience, it is ideal to stay within the triangle, but the good news is that the triangle is bordered by La Jolla for fun leisure moments.

The Rose Canyon Park divides the area in two. The canyon is a fun oasis with a creek and trails. The San Clemente Canyon (also known as the Marion Bear Memorial Park), is similar in style and is located on the triangle’s southern border. The Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an iconic building in the area, as it has two58 metre white spires. Stanley Park is situated in the southern part of the Golden Triangle and the Westfield UTC Mall is popular with both shoppers and diners.

Most booked hotel in UTC area: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Diego  ⭐⭐⭐