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The Grand Del Mar: A new-world realization of old-world grace and beauty

The first thing you notice as you drive up the gated road to the Grand Del Mar are the pristine greens of the golf course sweeping around the Mediterranean design of the main resort. Arching above the resort are California scrub hillsides that change with the seasons from emerald green in the winter and spring to golden brown in the summer and fall.

 

Opened in the fall of 2007, the Grand Del Mar is a realization of beauty inspired by the Renaissance palaces and cathedrals of Europe, as well as a tribute to architect Addison Mizner who pioneered the look of the resort communities of Boca Raton and Palm Beach in the 1920. Marble mosaic floors glisten throughout the public areas, stunning florals permeate the air with fragrance as they adorn the period furniture. Ceilings are vaulted and stenciled, walls are hand painted with Renaissance motifs, while window casings, handrails and other elements are gilded with golden accents. No design features were overlooked, making the Grand Del Mar truly grand. 

 

Beds pillowed with enough  cush that the fussiest of princesses would not feel a pea as they slept under the Pratesi Italian cotton linens.

I stayed at the Grand Del Mar for a business event in December 2007, only a couple of months after it opened. My daughter and I shared a standard room fit for a princess. Beds pillowed with enough cush that the fussiest of princesses would not feel a pea as they slept under the Pratesi Italian cotton linens. We spread our cosmetics across the large marble vanity with its dual sinks, flipped on the 13-inch plasma TV, and opened the mirrored panels separating the deep soaking tub from the main sleeping area. One of the things I crave when staying in a hotel is a long, luxurious bubble bath, but I didn’t need to use my personal stash of bathing gel at the Grand. Along with an array of Acca Kappa soaps, hair care, and lotion amenities, the Grand includes both bath salts and bathing milk.

 

We wrapped ourselves in the plush cotton robes, lolled about in the 600-sq. ft. room that was bigger than my first solo apartment. Windows opened to a small veranda overlooking the golf course and the green hillsides in the distance. An honor bar included full size bottles of select liquors, along with a wet bar. Indulged in such splendor, I promised myself to return one day with my husband.

 

For my birthday this year I made good on that promise. If my standard guest room was fit for a princess, the suite in which my husband and I stayed was fit for a queen (and consort). We entered through double doors and across inlaid marble floors in the entryway. To the right of the entry was a butler’s pantry with marble counters over dark mahogany cabinets, a microwave, wet bar, refrigerator, crystal bar ware, and a Nespresso machine, the finest in-room coffee maker I’ve ever used. On the other side of the wet bar sat a dining table with captain’s chairs with seating for six and a sitting area with a comfortable queen-sleeper sofa. Dressed in earthy colors of sage, warm amber and cream, the aspect of the room was soothing and inviting.

 

Through an entry way off the sitting room was the expansive bedroom, with king bed pillowed to a perfect plush and another sitting area and a desk. The bathroom, much like the one in the standard guest room, was a marble fantasy with dual vanity sinks, plasma TV, walk-in closet, glass-walled shower and the much longed-for deep soaking bathtub.

 

 

We could have stayed in our room, just enjoying the amenities for our three days at the Grand, but there were so many other things to do. A mishap in Acapulco a few weeks before our trip to San Diego left me with a fractured fibula, so the nature hike through the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve that we’d originally booked with a guide from the hotel was regretfully cancelled. I had a removable splint on my leg, so I went swimming in the adult’s only pool while my husband used the fitness center.

 

I dove into the pool and thought I’d gone to heaven. Music, yes, beautiful latin jazz filled my mind as I swam under water to the other side.

I dove into the pool and thought I’d gone to heaven. Music, yes, beautiful latin jazz filled my mind as I swam under water to the other side. I came up for air, expecting to hear the soundtrack playing over the pool deck, but it was silent. I dove back under and there it was again. Piping music underwater is just one of the tiniest details you’ll find at the Grand that tickles your fancy.

 

We dined that night at Amaya, an indoor and outdoor dining room in the main resort. The Italian-influenced menu isn’t extensive, but what it lacks in choice, it makes up with creative panache. In addition to the a la carte offerings of appetizers, pasta and risotto, and entrees, Amaya includes a three-course chef’s tasting menu with two options in each category. We chose the chef’s tasting menu with wine pairings. I selected the roasted forelle pear salad with a main course of crispy striped bass and chocolate souffle for dessert. My husband selected the seared foie gras, roasted duck breast entrée and caramel cheesecake for dessert. Individually, both of us enjoyed our choices, but looking back, we realize the rich foie gras prior to the sumptuous duck breast was too heavy in one sitting.

 

Wine pairings on my side—a pinot grigo and a chabils—were rather ordinary compared to the cuisine. On my husband’s side, however, the pairings were spectacular—a sweet and semi-dry sauterne with the foie gras and a sangiovese with the roasted duck.

 

The next day, my husband took a cart and caddy and headed out for a day on the emerald green links of the Grand Golf Club. Opened in 1999, the links were already a favorite of golfers who come from all over the world to play the only course in San Diego designed by Tom Fazio. The course underwent dramatic renovations in 2006 and reopened as the Grand Golf Club in preparation of the resort that would sit in the midst. An 18-ft. waterfall cascades into a stream providing visual stimulation as well as negative ions to enhance play. Designed for golfers of various levels of ability, the 72-par, 18-hole course covers 380 acres of greens, fairway, roughs, sand traps and water features.

 

The Grand reserves its private golf memberships to 150, ensuring the greens will not be crowded for guests of the resort. Fees are steep, but include a cart stocked with complimentary beverages. The caddy my husband took out offered skilled guidance and suggestions, measured distances, filled divots and made a day of solo golf much more enjoyable with his professional camaraderie.

 

In addition to refreshment stations situated throughout the course, hungry golfers can get excellent food at the Clubhouse Grill located within the clubhouse. Offering sandwiches, salads, and casual fare, the Clubhouse Grill is a perfect spot for breakfast or lunch.

 

While my husband played golf, I nurtured my broken leg in the spa. I’d originally planned to have one of the triad body treatments that includes three elements, which can include combinations of body scrubs, immersion in a floatation spa, reflexology, thermal wraps with healing clays, and massage. To avoid having to get in and out, up and down, I chose a single massage treatment. The Spa line of massages include all of the standard expressions—Swedish, athletic, deep tissue. The Stony Silence massage I selected combined the hot stone ritual with deep tissue methods for an invigorating 90 minutes of bliss.

 

The Spa at the Grand Del Mar is a destination unto itself. Locker rooms are roomy, with private dressing areas, showers and plenty of post-treatment accessories like hair products, dryers and curling irons. Adorned in soothing shades of sand and shimmering teal, with canopies over daybeds and sofas, the women’s relaxation lounge is right out of a royal harem. The men’s relaxation lounge is brings together a plasma TV and a fireplace under warm lighting, with deep brown wall coverings and rich oxblood leather chairs. The women's and men's side each have a wet lounging area with Jacuzzi and saunas. A full-service salon adjoins the spa.

 

Rejuvenated and invigorated after a day of spa and golf, my husband and I went for my birthday dinner at Addison, the award-winning contemporary French restaurant situated within the Grand Del Mar clubhouse. I’d heard this was a serious dining experience, so I came with a big appetite and bigger expectations. Our table was waiting for us, dressed in crisp linen and reserved with a birthday card with my name on it. When making the reservations, the clerk asks if it’s a special occasion and if so, Addison will have something special like this awaiting you.

 

Addision doesn’t offer a standard ala carte menu. Instead, guests select four courses from a menu of choices at a fixed price. The menu selections change as often as Chef William Bradley discovers a fresh local food source or is inspired by a new preparation of a familiar dish. Also available is the Carte Blanche table service, a gastronome’s fantasy that puts you in the hands of the chef to surprise you with whatever he decides to prepare for you.

 

We opted for the Carte Blanche experience and requested wine pairings for each course. The pre-course, or amuse bouche, was an avocado puree served with an Austrian gruner veltliner white. Course one followed with Japanese Hamachi, raw and thinly sliced with a champagne reduction, sprinkled with golden caviar.

 

Savory tiger prawns with a confit of grapefruit ginger and tomato followed, paired with a French chardonnay.

 

Just as we laid our fork down, those plates were swept away and course three was laid simultaneously before us, salmon baked in butter with a risotto of sweet pea and meyer lemon, paired with a Northern California pinot noir.

 

As I was feeling the elation of good food settling well, course four arrived: ris de veau panes, otherwise known as veal sweetbreads. Lightly breaded and sautéed with carmelized onions, morel mushrooms and served with fresh parmesan, the ris de veau panes were succulent puffs of sweet surprise and paired with a Spanish garnacha wine.

 

By the time course  seven arrived, I was giddy with satisfaction, but not willing to push aside the mille-fuielle pastry, paired with Australian muscat.

The artful presentation of course five alone would please the fussiest food stylist. A service of artisan cheeses from California was brought forth, along with a pairing of German Riesling.

 

We continued sipping our Riesling for course six, a green apple granite tasting delightfully like a frozen caramel apple. 

 

Along with the presentation of our check was a beautiful brown folder, tied with a brown satin ribbon. Inside the folder was a list of each Carte Blanche item we were served and the wine selected for each pairing.

 

Dining at Addison is more than a meal, it’s an experience. A stay at the Grand Del Mar is more than a getaway, it’s an escape to an old-world palace with new-world wonders.