Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Four High-Ranking Arguments for Staycationing

As we've all trudged our way through the economic downturn, the word "staycation" has become extremely popular. As a native San Diegan, I've always thought our community to be one of the few that could really qualify as a place worth spending hard-earned vacation time in. Of late, that opinion's been confirmed by several hospitality industry groups.

Last week, U.S. News & World Report put out their list of the nation's best hotels and three San Diego County properties made the cut. The top vote-getter was Rancho Valencia, a luxe 49-suite hideaway nestled in Rancho Santa Fe, that made it all the way to number seven. What's most impressive about that they scored so high despite being a bit dated. Rancho Valencia is currently in the midst of a $20 million renovation that will update their villas and bring forth a completely revamped restaurant concept. It will be interesting to see how they do next year with all of their updates in place. Coming in not far behind at number 13 was The Grand Del Mar, followed distantly, but admirably by The Lodge at Torrey Pines at 141.

For staycationers who are more about hotel amenities (i.e. - hotel bars), industry publication Nightclub & Bar just named The Grant Grill the Best Hotel Bar in America. Located inside the historic U.S. Grant Hotel, this contemporary lounge has flourished under the direction of Jeff Josenhans, a mixologist whose come up with such innovations as a flower-based cocktail list and bottle-conditioned drinks (cocktails stored under pressure in champagne bottles with yeast and sugar) since coming to Grant Grill in 2008.

Saving money on airfare and using it on lush local lodgings and top shelf booze sounds sound to me. Rancho Valencia is located at 5921 Valencia Circle and The Grant Grill is located at 326 Broadway.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room

As we've all trudged our way through the economic downturn, the word "staycation" has become extremely popular. As a native San Diegan, I've always thought our community to be one of the few that could really qualify as a place worth spending hard-earned vacation time in. Of late, that opinion's been confirmed by several hospitality industry groups.

Last week, U.S. News & World Report put out their list of the nation's best hotels and three San Diego County properties made the cut. The top vote-getter was Rancho Valencia, a luxe 49-suite hideaway nestled in Rancho Santa Fe, that made it all the way to number seven. What's most impressive about that they scored so high despite being a bit dated. Rancho Valencia is currently in the midst of a $20 million renovation that will update their villas and bring forth a completely revamped restaurant concept. It will be interesting to see how they do next year with all of their updates in place. Coming in not far behind at number 13 was The Grand Del Mar, followed distantly, but admirably by The Lodge at Torrey Pines at 141.

For staycationers who are more about hotel amenities (i.e. - hotel bars), industry publication Nightclub & Bar just named The Grant Grill the Best Hotel Bar in America. Located inside the historic U.S. Grant Hotel, this contemporary lounge has flourished under the direction of Jeff Josenhans, a mixologist whose come up with such innovations as a flower-based cocktail list and bottle-conditioned drinks (cocktails stored under pressure in champagne bottles with yeast and sugar) since coming to Grant Grill in 2008.

Saving money on airfare and using it on lush local lodgings and top shelf booze sounds sound to me. Rancho Valencia is located at 5921 Valencia Circle and The Grant Grill is located at 326 Broadway.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.