Fairmont Grand Del Mar
I have been wanting to visit Fairmont Grand Del Mar for a while, so when we recently got the chance, we hopped on it. It was our first trip as a family of four, and since the hotel is in San Diego, only a two-hour drive from LA, we thought it was the perfect place to dip our toes back into travel. I’ve only been to San Diego once before, and the drive from LA is gorgeous.
THE PROPERTY
The moment you drive into the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, you are greeted with a regal entrance. It really has a grandness to it that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. I felt like I needed a chauffeur, a fur coat, and a silky ball gown while I told the butler to go fetch my things. But alas, it was just me, Danny, and the girls unloading our millions of bags out of the car. Thankfully, they promptly greeted us at the valet and helped us with our bags, so we only had to take care of the girls.
When we arrived, our room wasn't ready, so we spent some time walking around and exploring the property. The grounds are impeccably manicured, I mean, to perfection, absolutely stunning. You can tell they really take care of the property. It’s a bit spread out as it’s on a large lot, so you will definitely get your steps in walking around. The only issue we ran into is that it’s not very stroller friendly. We found ourselves taking longer routes just to find ramps, since the hotel is multilevel and there are a lot of stairs to navigate. So if you can, it may be easier to just skip the stroller altogether. But as you can see, it was a beautiful walk. There is also a paved walking loop around the property that makes for a great afternoon stroll.
THE ROOM
They sent us a courtesy text when our room was ready, and our bags were already on the way. The bellman set them up nicely for us, which was so helpful, having the kids. I will say, the valet and bellman service was top-notch. They are very friendly, efficient, and prompt. The room continued the hotel's regal theme with grandiose furnishings and gilded accents. We got a room with a fountain view, which was so beautiful and calming, as we could hear it running when we opened the terrace door. I loved the white noise of the fountain and our 3-month-old did too, as we kept the door open while she napped. They sent up a crib for us for our eldest, who is two years old, which tucked nicely in the corner. I wish there was more room for her to run around the room, but honestly, it was so nice outside, there was no need to stay in the room long.
THE POOL
The hotel had beautiful circular pools with plenty of seating around them. We didn’t get a chance to dip in like we wanted, so I guess we will just have to plan that for next time! We noticed it never seemed super packed or loud, so it seemed like a pleasant place to enjoy with the kids. It seemed a bit easier to manage with kids a little older, at least able to sit up on their own, since there wasn't much room to lay things out.
Make A Wish
The main reason we visited the hotel was to attend an event celebrating the launch of Fairmont’s global partnership with Make-A-Wish. The hotel will grant over 500 wishes to children and donate 1 million to the organization. They kicked off the partnership with the unveiling of a life-size playhouse designed by kids for the kids at the resort. London was in awe of it, even though all she wanted to do was use the kid-size duster and pretend to be clean. My little girl loves everything tidy, even when the playhouse was already tidy to begin with! The playhouse is two floors with an extensive kitchen setup downstairs and play area upstairs with video game consoles. It was really cute and well designed, the kids did good! It’s such a lovely addition to the resort adding to its kid friendliness.
THE FOOD
On our first night, we were so tired from the travels and activities that we decided to stay in and order room service for dinner. We got London the kid’s chicken tenders and fries, and Danny and I shared the burger and Caesar salad. The menu for room service is the same as the on-site restaurant, Amaya, which is not extensive but has just enough options for what you need. Everything was really good, we especially loved the burger. The next day, we had breakfast at Amaya because the front desk recommended the French toast when we checked in, and I had been thinking about it ever since. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. If I weren’t trying to lose this postpartum weight, I would have eaten every last bit of it and licked the plate. Top 3 French toast I’ve ever had in my life. Definitely a must-order. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, but we chose to sit inside because I actually loved the ambiance inside, and it was easier to manage the kids there. It’s actually really big inside and spaced out nicely, so if you have children, you can find a table away from people…cause, you know how it goes!
Overall, we had a nice stay. For our first time managing two kids on a trip, it went pretty smoothly. Our plan is to do some more staycations, then plan our first plane trip with the girls. If you live in SoCal, Fairmont Grand Del Mar is a great staycation spot, or even if you’re visiting the SoCal area from further away. There are a lot of attractions in San Diego for the whole family, even more so than in Los Angeles, so it’s a great area to hang out.
See pricing and availability for Fairmont Grand Del Mar HERE and use code MISSENOCHA for $$ off your stay.