La Jolla Beaches

From the family beaches that are most often preferred
by tourists to the more secluded coves most desired
by surfers, divers, and swimmers, La Jolla beaches
offer something for everyone.  From Blacks Beach to
the north and Windansea Beach to the south, the
La Jolla shoreline consists of steep sandstone
cliffs that are seperated by coves and sandy beaches.

They sunny yet beautiful breezes and picture perfect
views are a vacation paradise for tourists and a
water recreation highlight for locals.  There are
seven unique beaches that dot the seven mile
coastline against a backdrop of real estate, resorts,
cliffs, tall palm trees, and lush scenary.

Downtown La Jolla is conveniently located near
most of the beaches which not only provide parking
for beach visitors but plenty of fine restaurants,
intimate cafes, culture, art galleries, and other
types of commercial convenience.

Between mid day and 4 PM, the crowds at any of
the La Jolla beaches can be very big.  The best
advice when visiting any of the beaches in La Jolla
is to come to the beach early and stay late - so
that you can enjoy the magic of the sunsets and
dusk views from across the ocean horizons.

Each beach at La Jolla will offer you something
unique with different ways to enjoy the bliss of
your vacation.  La Jolla Shores is the most
popular beach for families with the largest
expansion of flat, sandy beaches.  If you enjoy
people watching, sunbathing, and lazy days on the
beach - La Jolla Shores is where you want to be.

La Jolla Cove is another excellent beach, with
steep sandstone cliffs offering amazing views and
the paradise of sparkling blue water the cove is
known for.  The La Jolla Cove is a swimmer's dream
come true because of it's gentle water.  Along
with the Children's Pool, the Cove is rich with
reefs that attract scuba divers and snorkelers to
the abundance of marine life.

There are several La Jolla Caves that were carved
by nature into the sandstone cliffs between La
Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores that help attract
ocean kayakers from around the world.  There is
one cave in particular, known as "Sunny Jim Cave"
that can be entered through a man made tunnel
that leads to a steep descent through a narrow
underground tube to a wooden deck.

With plenty of beaches all along the coastline,
La Jolla is the place to be during the summer
months.  La Jolla is a well known tourist attraction,
with well over 7,000 people visiting on a daily
basis.  If you enjoy the beach, La Jolla is
going to feel like heaven on earth.

Introduction To La Jolla

La Jolla California, is a seaside resort community of
around 25,000.  Spanish for "the jewel", it's often
times referred to as "jewel by the sea".  La Jolla
borders the Pacific Ocean to the south and extends
north to Torrey Pines State Reserve and Del Mar,
California.

Along the way, La Jolla encompasses neighborhoods
like Bird Rock, Windansea, La Jolla Shores, La Jolla
Farms, Torrey Pines, Mount Soledad, and even La Jolla
Village.

Residents of La Jolla and business owners refer to
the "village" or "town" of La Jolla.  The official
postal address for the zip code 92037 is actually La
Jolla, and not San Diego as it is for most
communities within the City of San Diego.  Sometimes,
tourists get confused and believe that La Jolla is
actually a seperate city, which it isn't.

La Jolla is a community of the City of San Diego.
La Jolla has several community groups that work to
unify the voice of the area, including several non
profit organizations.

With it's palm lined streets, large homes, and
tropical climate and atmosphere, La Jolla is like
a southern European village with it's own touch of
Beverly Hills along the retail shops on Prospect
Street.  A lot of the natural charm from La Jolla
stems from the presence of the ocean and Mount
Soledad.

Several narrow curvy roads follow the contours of
Soledad with hundreds of nice homes overlooking the
ocean, nestled gently on the slopes.  There are
several sandy beaches here as well, including the
Windansea Beach, La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Beach,
and La Jolla Shores.

La Jolla also has the Torrey Pines Golf Course,
which was made famous by the PGA Tour Buick
Invitational held there each February.  Down the
steep cliffs frm the golf course is the famous
Black's Beach.

The downtown area of La Jolla is well known for
it's jewelry stores, upmarket restaurants, and
even hotels.  Prospect Street and Girad Avenue
also offer several famous boutiques.  Well known
for its architectural and historical presence  is
the La Valencia Hotel, which used to welcome movie
stars on retreat from Hollywood.

Recently, harbor seals have taken over the Children's
Beach, which is a quiet man made cove near the
downtown area.  The seals are protected under
federal law, so removing them is nearly impossible.
Now, the beach is open, as the rope is down.
Swimming here is allowed, although it's not
recommended.

Grande Colonial La Jolla

Your trip to La Jolla's historic Grande Colonial
begins with your choice of breathtaking ocean views
or views of the village in La Jolla.  You have 55
rooms to choose from or 20 elegant suites.  All
rooms in the Grande Colonial are non smoking.

Built in 1913, this historic hotel is seconds
away from the beach or the always happening village
with its shops, restaurants, and art galleries.
The Grande Colonial guestrooms are unique, with
many offering breezy ocean views from the windows.

The Grande Colonial in La Jolla is located in
the Village of La Jolla on 910 Prospect Street,
within walking distance from the ocean beaches.
The hotel is 15 minutes from Sea World, 20 minutes
from downtown San Diego, the convention center,
and even the airport.

Located on the Grande Colonial property is an
outdoor heated swimming pool, with a health club
located nearby.  All rooms are decorated with
renaissance type furniture with village and ocean
views.  The restaurant in the hotel is called the
Nine-Ten.  The hotel is in a great location,
being within walking distance to fine dining,
boutique shopping, and unique art galleries.

For families on vacation, the Grande Colonial
offers baby sitting for younger children.  There
is exquisite in house dining, and plenty of
hospitality.  In each room, there is air conditioning,
heating, a hair dryer, view rooms, and even in
room movies.

No matter what brings you to La Jolla, the Grande
Colonial is worth a stay.  The rates vary, depending
on what time of year you visit.  This hotel is
one of the most well known in San Diego, pleasing
visitors since 1913.  Once you stay a night in
the Grande Colonial, you'll have a new meaning to
blissful paradise.

Getting To La Jolla

La Jolla, located in California, is a 20 minute
drive from downtown San Diego by going Interstate
5 north.  Take the exit at Ardath Road, eventually
Ardath Road will become Torrey Pines Road.  Continue
west on this road, and you'll reach the village
when you see Prospect Place.  Turn right on Prospect
Place and you'll enter the heart of La Jolla.

On average, around 7,000 people will visit La Jolla
every day.  With so many people coming to such a
small place, you can almost bet that finding a
parking place is a chore.  There isn't any parking
meters, although many of the streets closest to the
water do have one hour time limits.  You can go
a little farther out for two hour parking, although
you'll have to observe the time limits.  Even in
off season, parking enforcement is really enforced
here.

Even during the off season, finding a parking place
is very hard to do.  The streets are almost always
crowded, although for good reason.  La Jolla is an
excellent tourist attraction, with plenty of water
and fun for the entire family.

If you pay close attention when you visit, you can
find a few paid lots that are scattered around the
town.  If you get closer to the downtown area, the
lots will be a little bit cheaper.

Your best bet when visiting La Jolla might be a
parking lot that's well hidden - so few people will
notice it.  If you turn downhill on Coast Blvd
from Prospect, you'll find it on the left, right
across from the Cave Store.  Keep in mind though,
vehicles over 6'5" won't fit through.

Empress Hotel

Located in the heart of the charming La Jolla village,
the Empress Hotel is an enchanted palace located
just four miles north of Mission Bay.  Adding a
little bit more beauty to the already amazing San
Diego, this hotel is very popular for tourists.

Known for its warm hospitality, the Empress Hotel
has superior accommodations and very attentive
service.  This superior hotel is a great place to
relax and enjoy everything that San Diego has to
offer you and your family.

La Jolla is an upscale coastal resort that sets
amist beautiful cliffs and coves.  La Jolla offers
plenty of shops, fine dining, distinctive galleries,
and amazing beaches.  By staying at the Empress
Hotel you'll be captivated with the area and
amazed time and time again.

Luxury
If your looking for luxurious accommodations, the
Empress Hotel has them.  Accommodations here
include either one king or two queen beds, available
in several room types, including traditional,
deluxe, empress, and even the empress spa suite.

All rooms at the Empress Hotel feature:
-  Cable television
-  A refrigerator
-  Coffee maker and bottled water
-  Free local calls and faxing
-  Voicemail and data ports
-  Private bath with hairdryer and bathrobes
-  Iron and ironing board

Services and amenities
The Empress Hotel offers superior service, such as
valet parking, courteous room service, and other
amentities.

The complimentary deluxe continental breakfast here
includes fresh Starbucks coffee, served on the sun
deck every morning.  The Manhattan restaurant is
right around the corner as well, offering some
excellent fine dining.

The hotel also offers an exercise center, spa, and
sauna so that guests can pamper themselves.  They
can also refer you to local spas and other things
nearby that you may be interested in.

For those on a working vacation, the Empress Hotel
offers complimentary Internet access on two
floors.  Private meetings and conferences can be
held in one of the two meeting rooms, available
for groups of up to 50 people.  Both meeting
rooms are equipped with high speed internet
access.

If your going to be staying in the La Jolla area,
the Empress Hotel is one the best hotels in the
area.  The hotel is in a great location, minutes
away from some of the biggest attractions that
San Diego has to offer.

You can visit Sea World, the Birch Aquarium, and
many other popular tourist attractions.  Best of
all, you can come back to your relaxing hotel
after a day of checking out La Jolla and San
Diego and just relax - the way things were always
meant to be on vacation.