On a recent San Diego weekend getaway, I wanted to explore more of the surrounding area and ended up spending four nights in Del Mar, just north of San Diego. I totally fell in love with this cute Southern California beach town and highly recommend Del Mar if you are visiting San Diego County! It’s a quiet beach town just 45 minutes from San Diego.

Del Mar Beaches

Del Mar is probably most famous for the racetrack in town, but I think the Del Mar city beach scene is the best reason to visit Del Mar. I LOVED that most of the beaches in Del Mar are dog-friendly beaches, but not specifically off-leash dog beaches. I was even more surprised that everyone was obeying the leash laws! Bailey doesn’t always love other dogs, so I was happy to bring her to the beach without worrying about other dogs approaching us. We spent hours just chasing waves and people-watching, enjoying the sea breeze and salty air.

Year of the Monkey has all the best dog-friendly beaches in California!

We spent most of our time at Powerhouse Park & Beach, just north of 15th Street in downtown Del Mar. I was able to find free street parking on Thursday and Friday during the day, but by the time the weekend approached, we resorted to the pay parking lot right across the street from the park. The parking rates vary by time of day and day of the week, and we paid anywhere from $12 to $20 for a few hours of parking. Totally worth it for the convenience. (Not to mention, I misread the sign at one of my “free” parking spots and ended up with a $46 ticket!)

We also visited Del Mar North Beach, which is an off-leash dog beach, and spent one day at the beach at Torrey Pines State Beach. We lucked out with a free parking spot right off the beach, although paid parking is also available. I definitely want to spend some time at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, as I heard there are nice hiking trails.

We were very impressed by all of the Del Mar beaches north and south of Del Mar. None of them felt crowded, and my sister, being used to East Coast beaches, loved the shallow surf where we could play pretty far into the warm water without getting washed away. My four-year-old niece LOVED the beaches and didn’t want to do anything else during our time in Del Mar. We had big plans to visit the famous San Diego Zoo, but this trip ended up being all about the beach!

Day Trips from Del Mar

While Southern California traffic can be overwhelming, you can try to time your trips not to coincide with rush hour. Del Mar is a great home base for exploring the area.

Find out what to do in San Diego with kids!

La Jolla

The village of La Jolla is just 30 minutes south of Del Mar. This beachside town felt a little more bougie than Del Mar, but we enjoyed watching seals on the beach and strolling Main Street for a few hours. La Jolla has several great beaches, and tide pools. We went to the area near the Children’s Pool to look for seals.

Coronado Island

Coronado Island is connected to San Diego by the imposing Coronado Bridge and is about 45 minutes to one hour from Del Mar. I love the little town on Coronado Island and much prefer staying here over the “big city” of San Diego.

The Coronado Island ferry is a cheap way to go for a cruise. Of course, there are other San Diego Harbor excursions you can take, but I’m content to just ride the top deck of the ferry for $5 each way. On the Coronado side, you’ll disembark in the adorable Coronado Ferry Landing, with cute shops and snack bars. On the San Diego side, you are dropped off downtown, about a five-minute walk from Seaport Village.

I’ve also done a super fun Bike & Kayak Tour of Coronado Island. On a Monday morning in May, I was the only customer, so I got a private tour.  We essentially pedaled around the island, either on bike paths, or wide roads.  Coronado Island does not have a lot of traffic to worry about, which is nice.

After a few hours on the bikes, my guide and I arrived back at the office and I was informed that I had 2 hours before the kayak tour would begin.  So, I went off for lunch at the Coronado Ferry Landing and came back for a private kayak tour with the same guide.  Any day on the water is a good one, and this was no exception.  Although we didn’t really go anywhere, it was nice to see the city from the water and to paddle under the giant Coronado Bridge.

Del Mar Restaurants

We tried several restaurants during our stay in Del Mar, and there were tons more I would have liked to try. The entire downtown area, including Del Mar Plaza, is packed with cute restaurants as well as several waterfront dining options.

Poseidon Del Mar Restaurant

For a nice dinner with amazing sunset views, Poseidon Del Mar is a great choice. We showed up on a Friday evening with no reservations, but they were able to squeeze us into a booth inside with a nice view out to the ocean. The patio was packed, though, so be sure to call ahead if you want to sit outside! My sister and I opted to split a couple of appetizers, as the main menu looked pretty heavy. The salad and pizza were both really tasty.

Roberto's Mexican Food

A coworker told me about Roberto's and I'm so glad she did! I went for super simple tacos. The carne asada was pretty good, but the fish tacos were really good. I always get fish tacos when I'm on the West Coast and Roberto's didn't disappoint. This is a super casual counter-service place with lots of outside seating, so it's also dog-friendly.

Souplantation

Ok, yeah, we hit up a chain restaurant in Del Mar, too. Sweet Tomatoes / Souplantation is one of my favorite places to grab food. I LOVE salad bars! On our last night in Del Mar, which happened to be a Saturday, we misjudged the crowds downtown and ended up driving around super hungry. All three of us get hangry quickly, so as soon as we saw this salad bar chain, we knew where we'd be eating that night. Sorry, not sorry!

Hotels in Del Mar CA

I spent four nights in two different dog-friendly Del Mar hotels. I would love to come back and stay in a Del Mar hotel on the beach. Although traffic and parking in Del Mar are not difficult, it would be nice to stay within walking distance of the restaurants and beaches in Del Mar. I love any trip where I can leave my car parked for days.

Hotel Karlan San Diego - a DoubleTree by Hilton

As a Doubletree by Hilton property, I got my employee discount and paid only $45 a night for this nice hotel in the foothills. I really liked the layout of the property, with several buildings scattered around the main lobby area. The neighborhood was great for dog walking, and as a Hilton Gold member, I got free breakfast!

Check rates at Hotel Karlan San Diego

San Diego Marriott Del Mar

I used points to stay two nights at the San Diego Marriott Del Mar, which was located in an office park area about ten minutes from the beaches of downtown Del Mar. The hotel was nice and it was easy to get in and out, although there isn't much within walking distance, other than a gas station. We did enjoy the pool here one afternoon after we left the beach.

Check Rates at San Diego Marriott Del Mar

Booking.com

Del Mar Events

Del Mar is one of those towns that always seems to have something going on. On the weekend we visited, there were several family-friendly events, but we could not pass up the dog surfing competition at the Del Mar dog beach. My sister and I are both crazy about dogs, and this was definitely one of the funniest events we've ever attended. Did I mention the dogs were also in costume? On surfboards? It was a riot! This particular chocolate lab was dressed like a buffalo, while his human was dressed as the wrangler. We were dying!

Just a few days after we left, the KAABOO music festival was bringing Snoop Dogg, Dave Matthews, and tons of our other favorite artists to town. I was super bummed that I couldn't stick around for that one. It seems like there's pretty much always something going on in Del Mar. Check the Del Mar events calendar to start planning your visit!