La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club with Kids (SoCal’s Best-Kept Secret!)

The sun begins to tilt toward the sea, stretching shadows and hinting at cooler temperatures and evening’s approach. It’s time. Carts and coolers are loaded with ketchup, mustard, bratwurst, shish-kabobs, a tray of brownies, and triangles of watermelon. There’s an unspoken buzz of excitement about what’s to come. Read on to discover the best-kept secret in San Diego County and learn why parents love staying at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club with kids!

La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club with kids
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club with kids (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

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La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Activities for Kids

This resort is all about beach activities. Think boogie boarding, shell collecting, seagull chasing, and sunbathing.

Seashell collecting at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club with children
Seashell collecting at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

After beach time, your crew might swim in the rectangular outdoor pool or sign up for swim lessons. Afterward, romp on the onsite children’s playground. Then order frosty drinks from the resort’s beverage service to cool down.

Pool at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Pool at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Later in the afternoon, sign up for family tennis lessons on the onsite hard courts. There is an array of lesson options available for kids and adults on their outdoor tennis courts.

Family tennis lessons at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Family tennis lessons at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Playtime for Parents

All ages are entertained at this Mediterranean-style resort, including parents and grandparents. Check youngsters into La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club’s summer kids club. They’ll be entertained for hours while their parents play.

Indulge in a match or two on the championship tennis courts. Play on the same courts that have hosted national tournaments with tennis legends like John McEnroe and Billie Jean King.

Outdoor tennis courts at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Outdoor tennis courts at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (Photo credit: La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club)

Get your heart pumping during one of their popular cardio tennis workouts. Or work off some vacation calories at the resort’s fitness center.

Want to play a round of golf during your family vacation? The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s Spindrift Golf Course is a unique 9-hole golf course. This par-3 golf course is great for perfecting your short game. Of course, junior players of all levels are welcome to join their parents, too.

Soothe sore muscles after a long day of play with spa treatments like massage services, cupping, and aromatherapy from the comfort of your own room.

La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club golf course
The resort’s 9-hole golf course (Photo credit: La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club)

San Diego’s Best Kept Secret

Despite the luxury price tag, this hotel/private club doesn’t feel all that fancy. It’s certainly not snooty.

But this hotel is home to the best-kept San Diego secret. La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club is located on the only oceanfront beach in the county where alcoholic beverages can legally be consumed. That’s because the hotel sits on a private section of La Jolla Beach.

As a private beach, San Diego’s beach alcohol ban does not apply. You need not be a big drinker to appreciate this detail either. In summer months, this exclusive stretch of sand becomes the best family beach party in Southern California. Exclusive access to this incredible beach shindig is provided to hotel guests and tennis club members only.

Beach party preparations at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Beach party preparations at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

A Multigenerational Landmark Resort

Booze on San Diego’s public beaches led to littering, crime, and a not too child-friendly atmosphere. At La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, on the other hand, parties are easygoing, family-centric affairs.

Toddlers and small children sit tableside, scooping sand into buckets. School age kids chase waves and each other, giggling in gaggles. Teens gather in bunches, pointing at who has a crush on whom this year. Parents clink glasses of wine together, celebrating another beach day done well.

Many of these children and adolescents have been coming here since they were babies. Families coordinate with beach-found friends and return year after year for the resort’s mellow, beachy vibe.

Best beach party in San Diego on private beach
Best beach party in San Diego (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Best San Diego Beach Party for Families

White picnic tables and chairs are set up for you at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club by the attentive staff. Table settings are elaborate yet homey at this unique dining experience. Road trippers bring cloth napkins with rings, flower vases for fresh-cut floral centerpieces, and votive candles to adorn their tablescapes.

You can order food for the beach party from La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Most families, however, pack their own BBQ goodies.

When ordering food from the resort, choose from a tempting selection of salads, desserts, and meats. Order either raw meat to barbecue yourself or opt for prepared grilled goodies delivered in Styrofoam containers. Menus range from simple kid-friendly hotdogs and burgers to elegant filet mignon, grilled salmon, and fresh lobster.

La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club Beachfront Room
Beachfront Room (Photo credit: La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club)

Rooms and Additional Features

Leave just the screen door open all day so you can hear the swoosh of ocean waves. You might get a glimpse of dolphins leaping in waves as you rush to the water’s edge to get a closer look at the ocean guests. In the evenings, breathe in the sweet smell of marshmallows roasting over a beach bonfire.

When it’s time to turn in, enjoy the cool of air-conditioned guest rooms. Resort rooms are also equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access and flat-screen televisions, but you just might find you don’t need them.

As a 4-star resort, La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club offers all sorts of extras to please families. Other amenities include dry cleaning, laundry facilities and laundry services, complimentary toiletries, hair dryers, an ironing board, and different tub combinations.

High tide at The Marine Room
High tide at The Marine Room (Photo credit: La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club)

La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Restaurants

La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Resort offers a few tempting dining options, from casual to haute cuisine.

Breakfast

Start your day with cooked-to-order breakfasts with an ocean view at the in-house restaurant. Or simply spoon cereal from bowls in your suite’s full kitchen, mere steps from the sea.

Local Bluefin Tuna at The Marine Room
Local Bluefin Tuna at The Marine Room (Photo credit: La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club)

The Marine Room

With unbeatable views of the Pacific Ocean and award-winning cuisine, The Marine Room is the place for a fine dining experience you’ll long remember. Although this is elevated cuisine, no coat and tie are required.

Start with Imperial Osetra Caviar with blinis and condiments at this seafood restaurant. Then order such gastronomic delights as Local Bluefin Tuna served with pickled ginger, Fresno chiles, and togarashi aioli. Landlubbers will be pleased to find steaks, chops, and salads, too.

There is no children’s menu, but The Marine Room is happy to accommodate young diners. Inquire about off-menu, kid-friendly options like pasta dishes.

The Shores Restaurant

For less fancy, more family-friendly dining, take the kids to The Shores Restaurant. Think tacos and ceviches plus kid favorites like burgers and quesadillas. This restaurant is located next door at La Jolla Shores Hotel.

Beach Hut lunch at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club
Beach Hut lunch (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

The Beach Hut

For dining with your toes in the sand, there’s the Beach Hut. It serves casual beachside snacks from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year.

SDolphin-spotting at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club with children
Dolphin-spotting at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Why Stay at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club

During a stay at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, don’t be surprised if you become overwhelmed by a sense of connection to the children at your side, the beach, the water, the dolphins, and the other beachgoers. As you gape at nature’s beauty and your small role in it, the word, “thankful” might arise in your mind as the sun lowers itself into the ocean.

La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club is a place for the simplest and best pleasures. Enjoy.

Campfire on La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club's private beach
Campfire on La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s private beach (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Reserve a Room at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club

Want to experience La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club with your family? Book your stay via Hotels.com now! To learn more, read additional reviews via TripAdvisor.

La Beach & Tennis Club's private beach
La Beach & Tennis Club’s private beach (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Explore More of San Diego

Before you visit one of the most popular attractions in Southern California for families, plan your day at SeaWorld San Diego with kids.

Young kids especially love the nearby Birch Aquarium at Scripps. As an alternative to SeaWorld, check out my tips for Birch Aquarium with children.

La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club is located just 12 miles from Balboa Park, home to numerous museums and gardens as well as one famous zoo. Read my suggested itinerary and tips for visiting the San Diego Zoo with kids.

Travel Mamas named La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club one of the best hotels for kids in San Diego County. Read about more incredible San Diego hotels for families.

Why Stay at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club with Kids

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A Note from The Travel Mama: My family was hosted by La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. All opinions are my own, as always.

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34 Comments

  1. Tennis lessons for the family sound Wonderful! The Beach Party sounds like a great wind down for the day. Such a hidden gem. Great photos 😊