L'Auberge Del Mar

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Neighborhood: Del Mar

Style: Contemporary Classic

Atmosphere: Lively

120 Rooms

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Just past La Jolla, north of San Diego, is the upscale seaside village of Del Mar — and fresh off a brief closure and a massive renovation is the town’s top lodging, L’Auberge Del Mar. If Southern California makes you think beaches and bare feet, you’re certainly not wrong, but the Auberge belongs to a more elegant vision of the Pacific Coast.

It’s the Auberge, after all, not the Surf Shack, and the design, by near-local Barclay Butera, is stylish but never gimmicky — sexier than most luxury hotels and more refined than most boutiques. In terms of comfort it’s as plush as anything around, with the obligatory marble bathrooms and 42-inch plasma screens, and the rooms feel lived-in in a way that’s tough for most hotels to match.

The spa occupies a separate villa on the grounds, there’s a fitness center and a pair of lighted tennis courts, and the restaurant serves impeccable Californian fare on the terrace with a view of the Pacific. The chef is a James Beard award winner, and this isn’t just hotel convenience cooking — L’Auberge Del Mar is one of the town’s favorite dining venues, and one that was much missed in its absence.