An Adrenaline Lover’s Guide to La Jolla

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La Jolla is famous for its lavish homes, spas, and golf courses. But beneath that thin veneer of gentility, you’ll find a boisterous soul. The rugged coastline, clear skies, and year-round glorious weather create a haven for adventure travelers. Here are the best La Jolla hotels and activities for adrenaline junkies.

Choose Your Adventure

Image via Flickr by Juliana Beletsis

Start your search for La Jolla excitement at Vayable, a website that connects you with local insiders who will help you put together customized tours and adventures.

What kind of adventures? Kayaking and snorkelling are top choices, either in open water or in the local network of sea caves. Join a tour, or rent a kayak and strike out on your own. Scuba is another popular activity. If you’re a beginner, you’ll find no shortage of scuba lessons and certification programs to choose from.

The Tourmaline Surfing Park is the perfect place for classic, long board surfing. Lessons and rentals are available.

If you’d rather take to the sky, book a seaplane ride along the coast. But the top activity for flyers in La Jolla is paragliding or hang gliding. La Jolla’s Torrey Pines Gliderport has been the top-ranked gliding school in the US for well over a decade. Who wouldn’t want to glide through the perpetually blue California skies, getting an eagle-eye view of that gorgeous coastline? The ride is at once relaxing and exhilarating.

Where To Stay

Image via Flickr by Brian Auer

For luxe lodging, choose the Pantai Inn. Jacuzzis, sea views, and a balinese-paradise decor will nourish your spirit. This is the perfect place to pamper yourself after a hard day on the adventure trail, and the delicious buffet breakfast will power you up for the day’s activities.

The Empress Hotel is a mid-price choice, with a great location. You’ll enjoy the breakfast on the patio, and valet parking is a nice solution to the never-ending La Jolla parking challenge. You can easily walk to shops and restaurants from the Empress, and to the Cove.

La Jolla Cove Suites is another affordable option, with gorgeous views. Ask for a sea view room and you’ll have a balcony overlooking the ocean, where you can watch the sunset each evening. Breakfast is served on the roof, so you can start your day with an eyeful of the ocean. Rooms are small, but clean and comfortable — it’s the views you pay for here.

If you’re on a tight budget, your best bet is the Travelodge La Jolla Beach, a basic hotel with clean rooms and a superb location. Hostels are a good option for the San Diego area in general, but if your goal is to stay in La Jolla, you won’t find many there. The Point Loma and Ocean Beach International are the closest options, but they are in the Point Loma area to the south of La Jolla.

Have you tried any of La Jolla’s adventure sports? Tell us about your favorite.

About Post Author

Abigail Clark

Abigail Clark is an upcoming freelance writer. She graduated from The University of South Florida with a bachelors in marketing, minoring in journalism. When she isn’t up to her neck in coupons she is enjoying the outdoors fishing. She loves doing reviews for technology, home products and beauty products. If you would like her to do a review for you look her up on twitter @downtownabby17.

downtownabby17@gmail.com