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Five things we love most about The Grand Del Mar are:

1. The location. The Grand Del Mar Resort is surrounded by nature preserves. It’s secluded but also close enough to San Diego and its dining and entertainment options that you’ll never run out of things to do. You’re also right near the coastal towns of La Jolla and Del Mar, and the beach is just a few miles from the hotel (the staff will shuttle you back and forth and set you up with chairs and towels).

2. The dining. The Grand Del Mar is home to Addison & the only Five-Star restaurant in San Diego. The contemporary French eatery offers three wonderful tasting menus filled with local ingredients and serves up excellent wines.

3. The architecture. The Mediterranean-style property was inspired by Addison Mizner, who is most well known for building up Palm Beach and Boca Raton in the 1920s. His Mediterranean-revival style is seen throughout the pristine grounds, especially in the indoor spaces that seamlessly flow into the outdoors.

4. The spa. It is one of only 20 Five-Star spas in the country & and it does not disappoint. The Spa at The Grand Del Mar offers stellar treatments and luxurious amenities like an indoor hot tub and European-style wet rooms.

5. The activities. You name it, this San Diego hotel has it. Riding, tennis, world-glass golf, swimming, hiking … you’ll never run out of things to do, and then San Diego is just a short drive away.

The Grand Del Mar’s turndown service involves tidying up your room and setting a relaxing mood for your evening. This involves closing the drapes, turning on soothing music, dimming the lights, placing the remote control and TV channel guide on your nightstand and turning down the bed linens. The housekeeping staff places slippers next to your bed and sprinkles rose petal accents throughout your room for a sweet, romantic touch.

The Grand Del Mar staff will also prepare you for your next day’s adventures by leaving you a daily events letter, a breakfast menu, laundry bags and any tickets that you’ve requested. The team prides itself on adding personalized touches to each guest’s turndown experience. So if you’re a regular, rest assured you’ll find something special in your room.

There are five types of suites at The Grand Del Mar. The Five-Star California hotel’s Prado Suite offers separate sleeping and living quarters and dual master bathrooms, complete with his and hers spaces. Next up is the 1,100-square-foot Veranda Suite, which has a dining room table big enough for six, a kitchenette and an expanded patio. The family-friendly Palazzo Suite can be made up with one, two or three bedrooms, and the presidential Mizner Suite includes a study and a spacious terrace. Lastly, on the top floor of the luxury hotel sits the Manchester Suite, a presidential suite with a handsome study, a generous patio with outdoor fireplace, a butler’s pantry, powder room and two master bedrooms. No matter which suite you choose, you’ll find extensive wood molding, jacquard couches, plush velvet and leather seating, cozy fireplaces in the living space, and gilded mirrors and light fixtures in the marble bathrooms, all showing that no detail was left unattended.

The Grand Del Mar is a dreamy setting for a wedding. At the Five-Star San Diego hotel, you can have a small, intimate garden wedding or a large gala.

If you’re looking for an outdoor wedding venue, there are two options: The Aria Lawn, with its majestic Moroccan pavilion; and the Reflection Lawn, with the Los Peñasquitos Canyon in the background. For a medium-sized wedding, the fairytale Capella Chapel is a charming spot, while the Manchester Salon and Terrace offers wedding guests spectacular views of the resort’s plush landscape in an opulent setting. For a larger affair, book the Elizabeth Ballroom. Its 10,000 square feet of fit-for-royalty expanse and glittering chandeliers will surely make for a once-in-a-lifetime affair.

Can’t bear to leave Fluffy home while you head to The Grand Del Mar? Not a problem. The San Diego hotel welcomes small pets (25 pounds or less) with a plush comfy pet beds, porcelain food and water bowls and their very own mat. The front desk does its best to place guests with pets on the first floor, so that they can have easy access to the grounds directly from their terrace. Just be careful: Your pet may love the Five-Star hotel so much that he won’t want to leave.

Most of the amenities for families with children staying at The Grand Del Mar are found in its Explorer’s Club. This interactive kids’ center offers supervised children’s programs, including a host of marine- and canyon-related outings. An onsite naturalist leads programs for adults, children and teens alike, offering excursions into the adjacent Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. There, your kids can explore nature through bird-watching, hiking, nature walks and mountain biking. The kiddies will also love the Five-Star hotel’s Equestrian Center, which offers horseback lessons and rides on various trails around the property. And what good is a SoCal vacation without a pool? The Grand Del Mar’s children’s pool comes complete with underwater speakers that provide endless fun for kids. On the logistical end of things, if you bring a baby and need a crib, bedding or any other infant supplies, the house staff can provide those as well.

Parents will be happy to find a bunch of great amenities for children at The Grand Del Mar. The Five-Star resort is perfect for a family trip. Here are the five best amenities we’ve come across:

1. The Explorer’s Club. This interactive just-for-kids center offers activities and games for the tykes all day long. Head over for open use and let your children explore the latest games, a floor-to-ceiling plasma under-the-sea mural and a fully stocked arts and crafts area. The club also offers supervised programs, including a host of marine- and canyon-related activities.

2. The great outdoors. The luxury hotel has an onsite naturalist who leads programs for adults, children and teens alike, offering excursions into the adjacent Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. There, your kids can go bird-watching, hiking, mountain biking and nature walking.

3. The horses. Budding equestrians should saddle up at The Grand Del Mar’s Equestrian Center for horseback lessons and guided riding on various trails around the property.

4. The games. If your kid can’t live without his video games, he’ll feel right at home at The Grand Del Mar. The Explorer’s Club here provides Xbox, Nintendo Wii, Kinect 360 and PlayStation 3 for hours of video-gaming fun. Of course, we hope he can leave the games long enough to enjoy No. 5…

5. The pool. The luxury hotel has four of them, including one that’s just for kids. Little ones will love the underwater speakers, and there’s a toddler pool for babies.

Being so close to San Diego, The Grand Del Mar is near many popular tourist attractions, including the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The zoo resides in Balboa Park, a massive cultural epicenter that is home to 15 museums, numerous restaurants, lovely gardens, a carousel and much more. Other family-friendly attractions include theme parks like SeaWorld and Legoland. Just a few miles from the resort, you’ll also find beautiful beaches, hiking trails and the famous Del Mar Racetrack, if you want to see the races. The coastal communities of La Jolla and Del Mar are also scenic places to walk around and offer plenty of good shopping and dining, as well as great spots like the Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse.

Nature lovers will love all the parks located near The Grand Del Mar. The Five-Star hotel is situated amid the 4,100-acre Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, where you’ll see a waterfall, majestic sycamore trees and various wildlife. It’s perfect for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. For more great hiking, go about 3.3 miles from the hotel to Torrey Pines State Reserve, a 2,000-acre park that offers hiking, beautiful beaches and a look at the lovely Torrey pine trees. You can also check out nearby neighborhood parks, including Sage Canyon Park (less than a mile away) and Carmel Creek Park (1.6 miles away). Finally, you won’t want to leave without visiting one of San Diego’s most popular attractions: Balboa Park. Inside the nation’s largest cultural park, which is about 20 miles from the hotel, you’ll find beautiful gardens, 15 museums, a number of restaurants and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

Short of moving your entire office to The Grand Del Mar, you won’t find better business amenities than the ones you’ll get at the San Diego hotel. Its 24-hour business center comes complete with computers, printers, fax machines and onsite technicians to help you with all your business needs. It rents out laptops, and two computer terminals are available 24 hours a day for $4.95 for every 10 minutes. You’ll also have worldwide faxing at your fingertips and complimentary boarding pass printing. However, you don’t really need to leave your guestroom to get work done at Five-Star hotel. Just grab your laptop, sign into the hotel’s free Wi-Fi and spend the morning working at the comfortable desk in your elegant room.

There’s a myriad of choices for conference rooms at The Grand Del Mar — and not just the typical plain, square rooms you might find elsewhere. You can hold a meeting in one of the hotel’s three intimate wine rooms, which feature wood beam ceilings and rich leather chairs. Combine all three rooms to create one large 1,925-square-foot space that can hold up to 130 people. There’s also the Elizabeth Ballroom, which can either be used for one giant meeting venue or divided into six individual spaces. Holding any kind of meeting at the luxury hotel is easy. Let the professional staff take care of all the details for you, including menu tastings, offsite events and group activities.

Due to San Diego’s wonderful temperate climate, there really is no best time of the year to visit The Grand Del Mar. But before you book your trip, think about what you’d like to do once you get to the Five-Star hotel. If you’re hoping to visit the beach and do some swimming, summertime is your best bet. You’ll also want to visit in the summer if you want to bet on the ponies or show off your elaborate hat at the races at the Del Mar Racetrack. Of course, don’t discount a California Christmas. The hotel gets decked out for the season and offers a delightful Nutcracker tea. But if a crisp spring is your favorite season, head over in March and April to enjoy the fairways of the Grand Golf Club.

There are five types of suites at The Grand Del Mar. The Five-Star California hotel’s Prado Suite offers separate sleeping and living quarters and dual master bathrooms, complete with his and hers spaces. Next up is the 1,100-square-foot Veranda Suite, which has a dining room table big enough for six, a kitchenette and an expanded patio. The family-friendly Palazzo Suite can be made up with one, two or three bedrooms, and the presidential Mizner Suite includes a study and a spacious terrace. Lastly, on the top floor of the luxury hotel sits the Manchester Suite, a presidential suite with a handsome study, a generous patio with outdoor fireplace, a butler’s pantry, powder room and two master bedrooms. No matter which suite you choose, you’ll find extensive wood molding, jacquard couches, plush velvet and leather seating, cozy fireplaces in the living space, and gilded mirrors and light fixtures in the marble bathrooms, all showing that no detail was left unattended.

The rooms at The Grand Del Mar are luxurious and spacious, while still being homey and comfortable. The standard rooms at the San Diego hotel are 550 square feet and have a traditional style. After entering a long hallway, you’ll notice opulent yellow-gold striped wallpaper, crown molding, and a cherry wood poster bed and dresser. Then your eyes will wander to a tufted chocolate leather chair and cream love seat. Depending on whether you’re in a Fairway or Terrace room, your view will be of the Grand Golf Club or the adults-only Relaxation Pool. The European-style touches like the marble in the bathroom, giant soaking tub and striped bench at the end of the bed make us feel like we were in an upscale French hotel in the chicest arrondissement.

Standard rooms also have heavenly pillow-top beds with 100 percent goose-down pillows and Pratesi Italian cotton linens; 40-inch, flat-screen LCD televisions with HDTV; complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet; and mini-bars with wet bar areas. After a long day of exploring the Five-Star hotel’s golf course and horseback trails, relax in front of the cozy fireplace.

While staying at The Grand Del Mar, you can order pretty much anything off the 24-hour room service menu, including a full range of breakfast options like omelets, frittatas, breakfast burritos, fruit and berry plates, yogurt, smoothies and much more. Lunch and dinner dishes include mushroom fettuccine, pan-seared salmon, and a variety of sandwiches, burgers and salads. There’s also a special late-night menu to take care of your cravings from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. It serves up cheese and charcuterie plates, burgers, flatbreads and desserts. You can also order a number of drinks, including wines by the glass and by the bottle.

The cancellation policy at The Grand Del Mar is a bit different from a lot of hotels, which usually only ask for 24 hours’ notice. The resort requires that you cancel your reservations seven days prior to 4 p.m. PT before your scheduled arrival to avoid any charges. That said, the Five-Star hotel advises that the cancellation policy may change at any time, and may vary by rate type and season, so make sure to ask what the current cancellation policy is when you make your reservation.

The Grand Del Mar’s turndown service involves tidying up your room and setting a relaxing mood for your evening. This involves closing the drapes, turning on soothing music, dimming the lights, placing the remote control and TV channel guide on your nightstand and turning down the bed linens. The housekeeping staff places slippers next to your bed and sprinkles rose petal accents throughout your room for a sweet, romantic touch.

The Grand Del Mar staff will also prepare you for your next day’s adventures by leaving you a daily events letter, a breakfast menu, laundry bags and any tickets that you’ve requested. The team prides itself on adding personalized touches to each guest’s turndown experience. So if you’re a regular, rest assured you’ll find something special in your room.

Five things we love most about The Grand Del Mar are:

1. The location. The Grand Del Mar Resort is surrounded by nature preserves. It’s secluded but also close enough to San Diego and its dining and entertainment options that you’ll never run out of things to do. You’re also right near the coastal towns of La Jolla and Del Mar, and the beach is just a few miles from the hotel (the staff will shuttle you back and forth and set you up with chairs and towels).

2. The dining. The Grand Del Mar is home to Addison & the only Five-Star restaurant in San Diego. The contemporary French eatery offers three wonderful tasting menus filled with local ingredients and serves up excellent wines.

3. The architecture. The Mediterranean-style property was inspired by Addison Mizner, who is most well known for building up Palm Beach and Boca Raton in the 1920s. His Mediterranean-revival style is seen throughout the pristine grounds, especially in the indoor spaces that seamlessly flow into the outdoors.

4. The spa. It is one of only 20 Five-Star spas in the country & and it does not disappoint. The Spa at The Grand Del Mar offers stellar treatments and luxurious amenities like an indoor hot tub and European-style wet rooms.

5. The activities. You name it, this San Diego hotel has it. Riding, tennis, world-glass golf, swimming, hiking … you’ll never run out of things to do, and then San Diego is just a short drive away.

Getting to The Grand Del Mar from the airport is easy, even though the hotel is tucked away. From the downtown San Diego International Airport, hop on Interstate 5 North and exit on the 56 East/Local Bypass (Exit 33A). Then exit at Carmel Country Road (Exit 2) and turn right. Proceed a quarter mile on Carmel Country Road and turn left at Grand Del Mar Way. Turn right on Grand Del Mar Court and continue down the hill to the resort entrance. The trip will probably take you about 30 minutes.

The average price of a room at The Grand Del Mar is $425, while the guest suites start at $725. We recommend booking one of the various packages. If a deal with resort credits for dining or spa services sounds intriguing, check out the Grand Life Package, which starts at $399; or if a package that offers tee times at the Tom Fazio-designed golf course appeals to your inner Jack Nicklaus, book the Grand Golf Getaway, which includes two rounds of golf and a room upgrade, starting at $575. If you want to head to the races — the Del Mar Racetrack is less than five miles away — keep an eye out for packages that include tickets to the track.

The Grand Del Mar is different from many other Five-Star hotels in that it truly offers something for everyone. Want to ride? Check out the equestrian center. Feel like relaxing? Try the California hotel’s spa or adults-only pool. Want to take tennis or golf lessons from a pro? No problem. The professional tennis courts and Tom Fazio-designed golf course will improve your swing. Foodies will love the hotel’s Five-Star restaurant Addison, while nightlife aficionados can party all night right on the resort’s grounds at Club M. For a day at the beach, which is five miles away, the resort provides round-trip transportation and will set you up with beach chairs, umbrellas and towels (there’s no fee for this). Other outdoor activities include kayaking and snorkeling in the La Jolla caves, guided hikes, sunset sails, Segway tours or simply lounging around one of the resort’s pools. Kids (and parents) will love the Explorer’s Club, where children can participate in arts and crafts, outdoor adventures and numerous other activities. Plus, San Diego’s popular attractions, including Balboa Park and SeaWorld, are less than 20 minutes away.

The Grand Del Mar resort is located in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, a secluded spot in the tiny community of Del Mar, just north of San Diego. The address, if you need to GPS it, is 5299 Grand Meadows Del Mar, San Diego, Calif. Surrounded by acres of undulating verdant golf fairways, The Grand Del Mar feels like it's continents away from its convenient location, which is just 25 minutes from the San Diego International Airport and minutes from the coastal communities of La Jolla and Del Mar. The coastline is a five-mile drive (the resort provides round-trip transportation and beach setup). The Del Mar Racetrack is less than files miles from the resort if you want to head to the races. Also nearby are San Diego’s many attractions, including SeaWorld, Balboa Park and its museums, Torrey Pines State Park, the world-famous San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park, Legoland, Seaport Village, the Birch Aquarium and the wineries of Temecula. World-class shopping can be found at San Diego’s Fashion Valley Mall and Horton Plaza, and in the upscale boutiques of La Jolla and Del Mar.