The Lafayette Hotel and Club
Hotel · San Diego
2223 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104
Highlights
Retro hotel with a landmark pool & upscale dining
Retro hotel with a landmark pool & upscale dining
"An all-day food menu is available for those perched at the Lafayette Hotel’s pool bar or on the deck overlooking the handsomely restored pool area. Ranging from classics like deviled eggs topped with smoked salmon roe and a club sandwich to a banh mi, the dishes can even be ordered straight to one of the poolside lounge chairs, though visitors who want to take a dip in the pool will need to purchase a Swim Pass through OpenTable." - Helen I. Hwang
"Christmas has officially landed at the hotel, infusing the maximalist setting with holiday cheer, decorations, and festive drinks like a Hot Toddy with whiskey, chai, yerba santa, allspice, apple, ginger, and cardamom and Old Fashioned with bourbon, cognac, fig, creme de cacao, and dry vermouth that will be served all month long at the lobby bar along with a special holiday tea service. Christmas carolers will regale guests and Santa will be in the house on Friday and Saturday evenings from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m." - Candice Woo
"With several dining options at this North Park hotel, fanciful holiday decorations festoon every corner. Open 24 hours, the Beginner’s Diner will serve a Holiday Platter with braised turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole. The lobby lounge will host a Holiday Tea Service with desserts like eggnog panna cotta, and the cocktail bar will serve seasonal drinks like hot toddies." - Helen I. Hwang
"A colonial-style hotel dating to 1946, the pool—designed by Olympic swimmer and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller—is slightly shy of Olympic dimensions yet famously used by long-distance swimmer Florence Chadwick for training. Recent renovations preserved the maximalist period glamour, from black-and-white tiles and flamingo-pink ladders to green leopard-print loungers and a Swizz Beatz–curated soundtrack; the Pool Bar channels an Amalfi Coast 1980s vibe, and non-guests can book full-day swim passes for a modest fee." - Kathryn Romeyn, Nicholas DeRenzo
"From the moment you step past the stately columns of this Colonial Revival historic beauty, it’s clear that you’re in a local hotspot. Forget minimalism; here, the vibe is a riot of textures, patterns, and colors. Think canopy beds with tiger-striped fabric and red-and-blue striped textiles to match the upholstered headboards. Snake-shaped reading lamps twirl up bed posts flanked by opaque palm leaf sconces.Then, there’s the floor lamp with a fringed, cheetah-print lampshade and the camo-meets-houndstooth upholstered footstools. Even the toilets are hand-painted rococo thrones, in retro bathrooms with black-and-white tiled showers. None of this should work, but somehow it does, with the complimentary colors and luxe textures sparking excitement, not headaches. The vibe feels lush and layered, almost like it was added to over time by a favorite great aunt who watches Some Like It Hot every night while clutching an ice-cold martini." - Archana Ram, Beth Demmon
