Del Mar Hotels

What To Do and Where to Stay in Del Mar, California

5 Things You MUST Do When visiting Del Mar

Inn At Moonlight Beach is a quiet, romantic Bed and Breakfast Inn perched on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Moonlight Beach and the quaint "lost in time" beach town of Encinitas, just an eight-minute drive up along the Pacific Ocean on historic Coast Highway 101 from Del Mar Hotels and the Del Mar Race Track.

Guests love the fresh, ocean-view suites, free beach gear, free breakfast with warm-from-the-oven, home-made pastries, and free fresh-ground, fresh-brewed Starbucks coffee each morning. French-seaside style rooms suites begin at $119 in the winter, $139 in the summer months.

Horse racing fans stay here each summer rather than at a del mar hotel because it is so close to the ocean and the race track, with a quiet, intimate flavor. One guest wrote, "A walk on the beach in the morning, horse races in the afternoon - paradise!.... Inn At Moonlight Beach offers so much more than any other Del Mar Hotel or Del Mar Bed and Breakfast."

All About Del Mar California

By Terry Hunefeld

Del Mar California is a dreamy beach town - an upscale ocean-side community just north of San Diego. A quaint historical downtown village serves as a backdrop to a small seaside resort first made famous in the 1930's when Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante and other race horse lovers from the rich-and-famous Hollywood set built a horse race track at the fairgrounds. Their Hollywood star-power put horse racing on the map as one of the most ritzy and prominent tracks in the racing world. The track brought a steady steam of well-known Los Angeles and New York celebrities to the Del Mar hotels, del mar beach hotels, Del Mar Bed and Breakfasts and Del Mar bed and breakfasts.

The San Diego Fair is held at the fairgrounds every summer. We locals call it the "Del Mar Fair." This writer has never heard a local call it the "San Diego Fair." No matter what you call it, the location is ideal - only a few blocks from the refreshing breezes off the ocean when the temperatures are blistering a mile or two inland.  Del Mar Hotels and the Del Mar Inn are located along the historic Pacific Coast Highway. Most Del Mar hotels are 8-10 blocks from the beaches.

Del Mar is the only area in the world where the Torrey Pine grows. The Torrey Pine is the one of the rarest pine trees in the United States (the Monterey Cypress is more rare but it's not technically a pine tree). The Torrey Pines along the sea cliffs at Torrey Pines Park just south of Del Mar endure persistent drought and grow in hard sand which can hardly be called "soil". They are blasted by storms, soaked in salt spay and roasted in the relentless sun, but they live stubbornly on, clinging to the scenic sandstone cliffs, bent from years of wind.

Del Mar beach hotels and resorts tend to be quite pricey. One of the most exclusive hotels in Del Mar is the famous L'Auberge Resort. Ranked among the best luxury resorts in the country by Conde Nast, L'Auberge brings together panoramic coastal views and personalized service to create an outstanding romantic weekend getaway - for a price much more than Del Mar bed and breakfasts.

Trip Advisor and B&B.com rate popular Inn At Moonlight Beach in Encinitas as the best value Del Mar B and B in the area.

Five Things You Must Do When Visiting Del Mar California

1. The Place To Be Is The Plaza and Epazote

Del Mar's historic downtown village dates back to the 1880s and offers over sixty unique shops, quaint inns and hotels and twenty five restaurants with enough variety to please even the pickiest of shoppers and eaters. A great place to begin or conclude your shopping and dining tour is at the impressive Del Mar Plaza at the corner of Camino del Mar (old Highway 101) and 15th Street. The plaza is the home to a favorite local's restaurant and bar, Epazote.

Epazote is a popular place for lunch or end of the day cocktails because it has an outdoor patio that swells with sunshine, sea breezes and enchanting panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. It's also a favorite nightlife destinations with a contemporary, upscale vibe. Sleek and sophisticated, its 180-degree views of the Pacific, a hip bar, and a cutting edge ocean view lounge makes it a great day or night experience and you can walk back to your hotel. Oh, and did I mention the food? - all of it is creative, unique, and wonderful.  We recommend that you cab it back to your Del Mar hotel after and evening of fun.

2. Take A Hike Through Time

Torrey Pines State Park is a 1700 acre natural habitat to the rare Torrey Pine tree and is one of few locations in the world where the Torrey Pine tree grows. The park offers seven hiking trails with stunning views of wind bent trees, abstract sandstone formations wildflowers and the sea below, all of which is constantly changing as the sun and cloud formations move to change the lighting. Del Mar residents park just outside the park in the free parking lot along the ocean and Highway 101 and walk up the hill to the Nature Center for a great workout and spectacular scenery. You can spend a whole day hiking up the cliffs and down to the ocean through red sandstone canyons carved thousands of years ago. Be sure to bring your camera because all the trails have incredible views of the Pacific Ocean. In spring and early summer the hillsides are cove red with native plants ad spectacular wildflowers.

3. Up, Up and Away In Your Beautiful Balloon

Soar through the sky in a hot air balloon as it becomes part of the wind and glides effortlessly above the hills and bed and breakfast inns - a calm, peaceful and relaxing way to panoramically take in the enormity of the Pacific Ocean and San Diego countryside. Hot air balloon companies offer daily sunrise and sunset tours from a site near the Del Mar fairgrounds and race track. You'll float eastward towards Rancho Santa Fe and the Cuyamaca Mountains and experience rare views of the San Diego coastline from San Clemente all the way to Mexico.

Many describe flying in a hot air balloon as one of the most serene, enjoyable activities they've ever experienced. Sunny skies and a heavenly sunset allow you to experience what it?s like to float among the clouds. If you're staying at a Del Mar hotel, you can experience the views and flights of a lifetime with Panorama Balloon Tours, Skysurfrer Balloon Tours, Magical Adventures or Sky's The Limit Balloon Adventures, all a short drive from the Del Mar Ca hotels.

4. Make For The Beach, Baby!

With 2.5 miles of sandy beaches and excellent conditions for swimming, body surfing, board surfing, boogie boarding, or just lounging in the sun, these beaches are a vacationer's delight. On some Del Mar beaches, residents are allowed to bring their dogs for great games of dog/human Frisbee. No matter what beach you're on, you'll see hundreds of people spending the whole day under the sun with friends and family. The best and most popular beach is at the end of 15th Street - crowded year-round with families, couples, friends and surfers. Del Mar beaches are so popular because the waves are usually gentle and it's a great place to learn to surf. A good selection of Del Mar Hotels and Del Mar Bed and Breakfasts are nearby.

5. Pedal Around Town

Bike riding is one of the simplest ways to have fun, enjoy the wonderful Del Mar scenery and stay fit and in-shape, especially if you're staying at a Del Mar Beach Hotel or Del Mar B&B or other vacation or resort lodging. With our near-perfect weather all year, enjoying the great outdoors is a way of life for most Del Martians. Ride up and down the quiet residential streets along the ocean. Del Mar is full of paths and trails that give cyclists an opportunity to relax, exercise and explore. Any way you cut it, you're in the best place to have fun, get fit, and relax. 

Del Mar Hotels

Here are some links to hotels in the Del Mar hotels  "value" category:

Best Western Hotel
Hilton
The Clarion Hotel
Homewood Suites
Hampton Inn
Carlsbad B and B
Carlsbad B&Bs
Del Mar California Hotels and Inns

Del Mar Beach Hotels

Read More About Our Lovely Inn

Inn at Moonlight Beach