Looking for a great house for a guys golf trip? Try Shorebreak where I just spent 4 nights with 7 other guys.
Itinerary
Arrived Sat morning, went straight to Encinitas Ranch public golf course for lunch and 18 holes. Lunch on the patio was the perfect start to the trip and the course was an excellent warm-up, with wide fairways and many ocean views. In great shape for a public course.
From the course we headed to the house (more on the house later) to freshen up, pre-party, and then head to Eddie V's for dinner. Got a table on the patio overlooking La Jolla Cove, but it was dark so the view was just looking at lights. Service and food were outstanding. Grade: A
Started the day Sunday with a Kayak tour of the cove, including entering the sea caves under Eddie V's. Guides were highly informative, and this is as much an educational tour as a kayak tour. Marine biology, plate tectonics and many interesting facts about the homes surrounding the cove were shared by our guides. Very enjoyable! Afterwards, we went to El Charro in "downtown" La Jolla Shores for lunch. It's not much to look at, but the chicken tacos were incredible. Very authentic and delicious, and the home-made salsa for the chips was outstanding. A+
Sunday afternoon was spent at the beach, where the sand and scenery were both top notch. Great body-surfing as well! Dinner Sunday was George's Ocean Terrace. The Cocktail Bar below the restaurant was very good (even in COVID times), but our dinner on the Terrace was disappointing. Amateur service, and food that was mostly just OK - although the pork shoulder was very tasty. C-
Monday was golf at the Fairmont Grand Golf Club in Del Mar. I'm not a world-traveled golfer, but it was the best course I've ever played: beautifully laid out, very challenging - but fair. $250 gets you 18 holes, a luxury cart and a well-informed fore-caddy included! Followed up golf with a sunset catamaran cruise thru Fun Cat. It was just us and the captain on the boat, and unfortunately there wasn't enough breeze to to sail for most of the trip. However, being out on the water, sipping beers and watching the sun go down, and then cruising along the downtown San Diego evening skyline was quite a treat. Price was right too.
Tuesday started at Torrey Pines South Course, which was being prepped for the Open. There must have been a ginormous sale on sand when they were building this course, as every fairway and hole were protected by roughly 27 bunkers. Ocean views abounded on almost every hole, but move this course inland and it would lose most of its desirability. That said, it's still a nice bucket-list item!!
Dinner Tuesday was the highlight of our culinary adventures. Javier's, while located in an outdoor shopping mall, had a fantastic interior, a great vibe (even for a COVID Tuesday), outstanding service and excellent Mexican food. I recommend this place very highly! A+
Now for the house. There are 8 beds, so no one had to "bunk up," but four of the beds are in a single bunk room. Our group unfortunately had a loud snorer, and he of course ended up in the bunk room - much to the chagrin of the other three. Two of them pulled their mattresses out in the middle of the night and moved them to other parts of the house it was so bad. I note that the cleaning people dutifully made up the mattresses each morning, which was a really nice touch. Despite the thunder-snoring, the house easily accommodated the 8 of us, and was a perfect place to stay - based on both its location and the interior of the house itself. The kitchen view is even better than portrayed on the website, and the house-long deck/porch was perfect for hanging out and sunsets/sun rises. Our only complaint was the ice maker in the fridge was very small and had no chance to keep up with us. I recommend you have the concierge stock the house with a couple bags of ice ahead of time.
For re-stocking, walk to the Neighbor Saver, which has a little bit of everything, and a lot a bit of alcohol - for those so inclined. And the village of La Jolla Shores has several shops and restaurants - but if shopping is your thing, you probably want to head to La Jolla itself.
Lastly, Jill Flyck was our trip planner and she did a masterful job helping put the itinerary together. She was very patient with my many questions and frequent changes in how the trip was scheduled. Once we arrived in San Diego, we found Aimee Loranger to be a thoroughly pleasant, kind and helpful onsite concierge. She tolerated my constant texts with funny, friendly and helpful responses.
As is hopefully evident from the above, this trip was a HUGE success. Thank you to everyone at Inspirato for making it so!!