I have a group of college friends that have been part of my life for over three decades and we live all over the country. In order to maintain our friendships, every other year we plan a getaway that gives us the space to reconnect and treat ourselves to some luxury. We are always on the prowl for a new spot and San Diego California makes the perfect place to plan a luxury girlfriend’s weekend trip.
San Diego Luxury Girl’s Getaway Weekend
The following guide will temp you with some indulgences and six itinerary tips to help you plan your own perfect luxury weekend trip to San Diego with your friends.
Luxury Lodging in San Diego
Treat yourself and your friends to the ultimate luxury by renting a whole home. With the San Diego vacation rentals, you can choose from an ocean front walk-up, a sunset villa or a penthouse. I’ve rented luxury houses many times for my girlfriend getaways and they are perfect for larger groups who want sweet amenities and space for socializing.
We always prioritize a home with a pool and/or hot tub, well appointed kitchen, ample family room for playing games and drinking wine. And we will always spring for more if the place has a killer view.
Spend a Day at the Spa
Yelp lists thousands of day spas for the San Diego area. But if you are going to do the full lux, you want THE day spa. The most luxurious day spas always have a combination of: location, great services, swank food and drink and a spa environment that goes beyond the massage. My group wants those things as well as a communal social area, enough treatment rooms to serve all nine of us and champagne. Don’t forget the hot tub, sauna room, steam room…or all three.
So, with that in mind, check out the Lodge Torrey Pines spa. The clifftop resort overlooks the Pacific Ocean near the Torrey Pines Nature reserve. The reserve is one of the wildest stretches of land in southern California and it offers clifftop views and nature trails.
The Torrey Pines Lodge is a complex that includes a golf course and the spa. They have a relaxation lounge with a fireplace, dry saunas, herbal-infused steam rooms and aromatherapy inhalation rooms. They have 14 treatment rooms and offer services such as couples massage, “cobble stone” massage, sea leaf and mud body wraps, water therapies, exfoliation and yoga.
The Torrey Pines also has two top notch restaurants where you can dine both before and after your treatments.
Private Sailing Tours
San Diego has a whole lotta coastline and you can explore it at your leisure with a private sailing tour from San Diego Sailing tours. For $349, they will organize a private group tour that will take you past downtown, Point Loma and Coronado Island. The tour lasts for two hours and they can take up to six people. They stock the boat with beer/wine, beverages and hors d’oeuvres for you and your friends.
Rent an Exotic Car
Visualize yourself zooming up Highway 1 in a luxury car. You can make that happen by renting a fancy car from the Enterprise car rental exotic car collection. Be lux for a day with sweet rides that you would never be able to afford but can rent for a (sorta) reasonable prices. You and your girlfriends can rent a convertible BMW 650I, Audi R8 Spyder, Lamborghini Huracan, Masarati Quatroporte or a Range Rover if you want to all pack into one vehicle.
Once you’ve rented the car, take one of the following great scenic drives.
- The Palomar Mountain loop starts on Highway 76 at Lake Henshaw and loops through the steep mountain grade.
- Get up at sunrise for the Scenic Byway tour 24 miles through eastern San Diego through the Cleveland National Forest.
- Take Highway 1 north up the coast for as long as you have time.
- Alternatively, take old highway 80 through the small towns of Jacuma, Pine Valley and Descanso.
Indulgent Brunch
Nothing is more luxurious than a long boozy brunch. Check out one of San Diego’s best brunch spots and spend a late morning (early afternoon?) eating yourself silly.
- Tom Ham’s lighthouse is on Harbor island and offers views back into San Diego along with a killer brunch buffet which is perfect for seafood lovers.
- The Pardon My French Kitchen has a brunch menu that ranges from French toast to steak &eggs and (my favorite) chilaquiles.
- Jake & Eggs is stashed away just a few blocks from Ocean Beach. They have an eclectic brunch menu that includes staples like avocado toast but then ramps up to kimchi fried rice and heart stopping plates like corned beef hash and biscuits & gravy.
Shopping in La Jolla
You can stroll the shopping district of Girard and Prospect streets in La Jolla. Girard street functions as a sort of Main street for San Diego and there is a wide variety of boutiques, high end chain stores, art galleries and restaurants. The beach is just a few blocks away from Girard and you can combine shopping with a beach stroll.
If, after all of this luxury, you are feeling like you need some urban edge, then check out my post on street art in Chicano park. The park is underneath the Coronado bridge overpass and the murals tell touching stories of the Latino immigrant experience in America.
Have fun planning your luxury tour of San Diego. Indulge yourself with these sweet digs, delicious brunch, shopping and touring…you deserve it.
Find some other fun in the Western United States with these guides to San Francisco, downtown Las Vegas and skiing in Salt Lake City.
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