FIRST CLASS
Grand Luxury
Southern California’s Grand Del Mar offers modern amenities with Old World class.
By Robert Ragaini
A gleaming white fountain splashes in front of an arched porte-cochere and a dramatic, terra-cotta villa that spreads its arms around an Old World–style courtyard. Inside the lobby, dark wood beams frame stenciled recesses in lofty ceilings, and black marble arches lead to a lounge with rich, heavy furniture and hand-carved limestone fireplaces. A balcony overlooks a decorative pool and a swath of fairway of a 380-acre Tom Fazio-designed golf course. Are we in Boca Raton, or a hotel in Palm Beach?
These Spanish, Venetian, Portuguese and Moroccan design elements might lead one to think so, as the inspiration for The Grand Del Mar is the architecture of Addison Mizner, whose design philosophy defined the Mediterranean ambience that has prevailed in South Florida’s resort areas since the 1920s.
The deep cleft and sheer cliffs of the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve leave no doubt, though, that we are in Southern California, near San Diego. The Grand Del Mar offers a host of reasons to visit. Hollywood types come for golf and pampering by the congenial and efficient staff; families are charmed by the guided outdoor programs, indoor high-tech facilities for kids, and the separate family pool.
Then there are the luxurious accommodations. For the ultimate stay, the hotel’s two presidential suites provide dual master bedrooms, spacious terraces with fireplaces, deep soaking tubs and Pratesi linens. Butlers’ pantries accommodate private chefs from the Del Mar’s gourmet restaurants, and long tables seat several dinner guests.
