Stop comparing options and building your own itinerary. We have already done it, every pick includes the full plan, insider tips, reservation advice, maps, backups, and the exact order to do it in.
Every one runs start to finish, the spots, the timing, the order to do them in, plus reservations, maps, budgets, and a backup for each.
A five-suite wellness inn two blocks from the sand, the first hotel in the world to earn WELL Platinum certification, and a 2026 Sunset Wellness Award winner.
Herb & Sea is the Top Chef–pedigree dinner in town, coastal plates, a buzzy room, and a raw bar worth building the night around.
Spend the day at Moonlight Beach, then walk the bluff to the Self-Realization Fellowship's Meditation Gardens above Swami's, free, quiet, and one of the best ocean overlooks in the county.
Encinitas runs mild and easy year-round. Late spring through early fall gives you the warmest water and the fullest 101, and Saturday mornings add the farmers market to the mix.
Take the Coaster from downtown San Diego and step off two blocks from the beach, no car, no parking math. Once you're here, almost everything worth doing is a ten-minute walk up or down the 101.
It's the escape that costs the least and surprises the most, just bring your passport and an appetite, and check the current border-crossing wait before you go.
Planning a guide like this yourself can take 4–6 hours. Here, it's already done, yours to download in seconds.
We've done every one of these guides ourselves.
Some are where we celebrate birthdays. Some are where we take friends visiting San Diego. Some have just become our favorite “we don't even need to think about it” go-tos.
These are the guides we recommend to the people we care about most.
Now go enjoy it,
The Five On ItPick one, make the reservation, and go - the hard part is already done.
Unlock all five guidesInstant access to your web guide, printable PDF, and map.