The beautifully landscaped spa at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California
Omni La Costa
The Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, just north of San Diego, is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a makeover, but the recently completed multimillion-dollar renovation has preserved the hotel’s sturdy bones and casual luxury, with its whitewashed stucco, colorful tile, palm trees, bougainvillea and rolling hills that make it the perfect Spanish Mission-style resort in Southern California dreamland.
As soon as we stepped out of the car, we were greeted by the region’s balmy warmth. Less than five miles from Carlsbad State Beach and the Pacific Ocean, La Costa is cooler than inland Southern California. On the August day we visited, it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the San Fernando Valley and 81 degrees Fahrenheit in La Costa. It was especially pleasant after protesters blocked the highway, delaying us by an hour.
The 400-acre Omni La Costa Resort & Spa welcomes you to a championship golf course, eight sparkling resort pools and an award-winning spa. This Carlsbad resort offers 607 rooms, suites and villas, most of which have been renovated.
The story goes that Merv Adelson, a Las Vegas real estate developer and later a Los Angeles television producer, enjoyed horseback riding in the rolling hills. He fell in love with the rural scenery and ocean breeze and teamed up with a partner to build the iconic property.
Adelson wasn’t the first to discover the area, as Spanish settlers built ranches nearby in the 1700s. Anglo-American settlers who flooded into the area in the early 19th century discovered abundant freshwater springs that researchers claimed had healing properties similar to those in the Czech resort town of Carlsbad. The area was later renamed “Carlsbad” and attracted tourists with its mineral springs, beautiful climate, and proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
Mary Arcangeli of Manhattan Beach, California, and her 3-year-old daughter, Gabriela,… [+] Steps from the pool at the La Costa Resort Hotel in Carlsbad, Calif. (Photo by Don Bartoletti/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
When the hotel first opened as a residential resort in July 1965, it was billed as “Year-Round Fun and Luxury for the Whole Family.” La Costa became a playground for the rich and powerful, hosting everyone from Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and U.S. President Richard Nixon.
Today, the hotel remains popular with adults and families, especially during the summer months. Children can enjoy two 100-foot water slides, the Kidtopia Club, and golf and tennis camps. Small children can also enjoy the toddler slides, which are available for children 36 inches and taller.
Upon checking in, kids are given a backpack filled with specially designed fun items. Many families use La Costa as a base to explore San Diego attractions like Legoland, the San Diego Zoo and Birch Aquarium, but there are also activities for kids and families, including nightly s’mores roasts, dive-in movies, treasure hunts, arts and crafts, limbo and hula hoop contests and more.
During our visit mid-week, there were many families with small children, so the hotel clearly places a strong emphasis on attracting families, while still offering sports, spa and other activities for both leisure and business travelers.
La Costa is a place to relax and gather – the hotel features 600 newly renovated rooms and over 100,000 square feet of meeting space – and, as the saying goes, most of the business is done on the golf course.
Group dining setup at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, which spans more than 100,000 square feet. [+] Meeting space can accommodate groups of 500 or more.
Omni La Costa
As the school year approaches, the clientele changes, especially during the week, and that’s where the 100,000 square feet of meeting space comes in handy. La Costa has long been a popular destination for incentive trips; the manager says that the hotel recently hosted 400 “winners” of a major corporate incentive trip, who enjoyed golf, tennis, fine dining, and local sightseeing.
For nearly three decades, La Costa and its Dick Wilson-designed par 72 course played host to the prestigious Tournament of Champions, with big names such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods competing.
Now, the golf course has been renovated and re-landscaped at a cost of more than $20 million. Golf Digest magazine is calling the new course, designed by Gil Hance and Jim Wagner, “the rebirth of La Costa.” The course has already hosted the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I Golf Championships, one week apart, and will continue to do so in the future.
La Costa has also long been known for its tennis facilities, with 17 clay and hard courts, seven lighted tennis courts for night play, and stadium seating for 1,000 fans. Omni La Costa offers a variety of clinics and tennis lessons based on skill level and desired training, including tennis 101 and 201 classes, intermediate and advanced clinics, cardio tennis services, tennis vacation packages, women’s retreats, and tennis camps for adults and children.
Stanford Cardinal’s Rachel Heck celebrates after winning the NCAA Division I women’s golf championship. [+] Championships at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Getty Images
It took less than a week to learn how to play golf or tennis, but we had a few hours to better understand pickleball. The Omni La Costa has dedicated significant resources to this trending sport. Gigi was a strict teacher, but my wife and I survived the grueling pickleball sessions, rarely setting foot in the “forbidden” kitchen on the court.
Speaking of kitchens, La Costa has plenty of dining options, from the traditional Bob’s Steak & Chop House to the contemporary VUE, which serves up fresh seafood and “comfort food” like braised short ribs, fried chicken and tri-tip beef. VUE has an outdoor dining patio, while Bar Traza overlooks the La Costa hills and the resort’s lush golf course. Marketplace offers grab-and-go snacks like cold brew coffee, but you’re also welcome to sit back and relax at one of the cozy tables and enjoy the breeze.
Rooms are spacious and have been redecorated with soft, casual textures and neutral tones, along with attention to detail like hand-painted tiles, artwork (ours had a painting of a tennis racquet) and wrought ironwork.
The hotel bathroom had a vanity and even electronic lighting controls on the main mirror, and golf cart attendants were on hand to shuttle guests and their luggage around the hotel.
One of the rooms at the newly renovated Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California.
Omni La Costa
The spa was the first in the country to receive approval from the American Medical Association and has recently been revamped to retain its traditional Mediterranean ambience while adding amenities such as three new relaxing and stress-relieving salt rooms, renovated steam rooms with new aromatherapy features, updated showers, locker rooms and treatment rooms including a Vichy shower.
At La Costa, there’s a new emphasis on wellness, from the revamped spa to the aquacise workouts in the outdoor pool. Our group was up at 6 a.m. for a sunrise sound bath and meditation event. In the pool, we floated on air mattresses and donned gentle eye shades to direct our gaze inward.
La Costa also embraces its outdoor traditions, keeping beehives and harvesting honey on the golf course and hosting magical special events, like evening white-tablecloth meals beneath festive lamps on the fairways.
Renovated and updated, this hotel is both classic and modern, but La Costa remains the iconic Southern California resort that it always has been, nestled in the lush hills near the ocean.
The outdoor event center at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, is the perfect setting for al fresco dining. [+] Experience Omni La Costa
Omni La Costa
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