The Best Hotels in La Jolla, by the Record
The best hotels in La Jolla, by the professional record: Forbes Travel Guide and Michelin Guide have both weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa comes out on top.
The Lodge at Torrey Pines and Orli La Jolla hold the next two places. Michelin Guide shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Forbes Travel Guide next.
-
Ten acres of Spanish colonial buildings, red-tile roofs, and sun-baked courtyards that started life as a horse ranch and never really lost the feeling of one. This La Jolla resort spreads itself unhurriedly across lush native gardens with fire pits, a heated saltwater pool, a Moroccan-inspired spa, and guest rooms that are considerably more comfortable than any stable. Three dining venues on-site means you don't have to leave if you'd rather not.
-
A Craftsman-style resort perched above the Pacific, where the stained glass and Stickley-influenced furniture make it feel more like a very grand lodge than a hotel. Guests sleep in rooms with ocean or golf course views, many with fireplaces, and those who play can tee off on the adjacent championship course at Torrey Pines. The kind of place that makes you feel obscurely guilty if you spend the whole day inside.
-
A handful of rooms inside a carefully restored Irving Gill house a short walk from La Jolla's water, this boutique hotel runs on the contactless end of the hospitality spectrum. The rooms are elegantly done and the courtyard, shaded by olive trees, is the communal living room nobody has to share with strangers. Borrow something from the curated book collection and pour your own coffee. The Michelin Guide awarded it one Key.
-
The white-columned facade on Prospect Street has been watching La Jolla grow from a quiet beach town into something considerably more self-important, and the Grande Colonial has aged into its surroundings with more grace than most. This old-school hotel leans into European elegance without apology: high ceilings, unhurried service, and rooms that feel genuinely considered rather than recently refreshed. Torrey Pines is minutes away, and the ocean isn't far behind.