Perfect Getaway: Estancia La Jolla

It’s a garden oasis— tucked away in the shadow of UC San Diego—with an organic apiary, butterfly hotels dotting the property, a chef’s garden, and lush landscaping that insulates Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa’s 9.5 acres from the surrounding sprawl. Rooted in the region’s horse culture, the property dates back to the 1880s, when it was used as a breeding and training facility. More about its evolution in a bit. Let’s get back to the bees and butterflies.

ENCHANTING

That’s a fitting adjective for this place. A few reasons why: The bee colonies produce honey that’s jarred and sold in the resort’s Trading Post Café & Bar; the butterfly hotels encourage breeding among the winged insects, which help pollinate the property’s flora; the vegetables, berries, and herbs grown in the chef’s garden are used in the food and drink recipes served in the resort’s restaurants and bars; and the botanical gardens dotting the grounds include a variety of plants from around the world, including Cape Honeysuckle from Southern Africa, Purple Cabbage Trees from New Zealand, and Dragon Trees from the Canary Islands. Guests can take selfguided tours through the gardens to learn about each plant species and uses through the ages. Adding to the charm of the hacienda-style resort are six poetic quotes and sentiments hand-painted by local artists on outdoor walls and stairwells. There’s also the Wishing Tree—guests and staff can scribble their aspirations on a paper tag and hang them on a branch. The wishes remain on the tree all season—or until there’s simply no more space.

INDULGENT

A recent $26 million renovation resulted in refreshed guest rooms and suites, a new lobby and meeting rooms, and a redesigned pool area adjacent to the spa that features The Palma Bar & Grill, plenty of sun loungers, and—best of all, in my opinion—luxury cabanas, each outfitted with a big-screen TV, a fridge for soft drinks and chilled bottles of water, a fan to keep cool and heater to fight a chill, two loungers, a sofa, and handily placed outlets to keep laptops and personal devices fully charged. Available for an additional cost, these cabanas have everything you need to relax by the pool from sun-up to sundown, and into the evening, in sublime comfort. You can even have food from the poolside grill delivered to you. And here’s what’s really great: In SoCal, summer-like weather lasts well into the fall, after the vacation crowds have gone. So this is the perfect time to enjoy a cabana-cation. The guest accommodations—210 rooms and suites boasting views of the gardens, some with verandas—are spacious and stylish, with subtle winks to the resort’s history through wall art and leather accents on furnishings, like strapping on upholstered corner banquette seating. (The banquettes were added in lieu of desks in guest rooms.) Sliding barn doors separate the bathroom areas, which blend modern aesthetics with early California style. (Think early Catalina-inspired tiling on the floors set against modern cabinetry and fixtures.)

HISTORIC

As noted earlier, the property originally functioned as a horsebreeding and training center some 140 years ago. Then, during the 1950s and ’60s, it was owned by La Jolla Farms founder William F. Black, whose eponymous Black’s Beach is located less than a mile away. The Black family ultimately donated the land to the university, and in 2004, it opened as a resort. But the designers were careful to preserve its hacienda style. The lobby, for example, located in the same building as The Trading Post resort shop and a lounge, was once an area for horse stables. During resort construction, the building was disassembled, but crews painstakingly reused many of the original bricks. Even after a recently completed $26 million renovation to mark the resort’s 20th anniversary, the aesthetic remains. The main restaurant, Mustangs & Burros, conjures the vibe of an old fashioned saloon, with its rustic bar and indoor dining room. Step out to the patio, however, and you feel as if you’re dining alfresco at a modern hacienda, with its outdoor fireplace, decorative brick, and flowering landscaping. The menu is packed with elevated Mexican-inspired offerings like Mary’s half chicken in mole and chipotle honey-lacquered salmon. Breakfast and lunch are served at Greenfinch Restaurant & Bar, where you’ll find dishes like Baja crab Benedict and strawberry-stuffed French toast.

A SENSE OF PLACE

If you’ve driven into La Jolla from the 5 Freeway, you may have noticed UC San Diego’s omnipresent profile. You see university buildings everywhere— the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and Geisel Library (named after Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel, the children’s author known as Dr. Seuss)—are among the most notable of the many, many, imposing structures occupying the more than 1,200 acres owned by the institution. But the moment you turn off North Torrey Pines Road onto the Estancia La Jolla grounds, all of that disappears, and you’re ready to exhale, de-stress, and take in your immediate and delightful surroundings. estancialajolla.com, rates starting at $441 per night.