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!
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Would you like to stay at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club with kids? Let us know in the comments below!
A Note from The Travel Mama: My family was hosted by La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. All opinions are my own, as always.
We also love the beach! We are actually missing the beach already because it’s school days and your beach seems so nice to visit.
You’ll have to plan a visit to the beautiful La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club during the kids’ next school break! 🙂
Wow! It is nice to know that there are many things you can do. Love that they also offer tennis lessons. My little boy is into sports and would love to introduce him to tennis as well. Thank you for sharing this secret. We look forward to visiting soon.
Clarice – Tennis is king at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club! We loved our family lesson here. 🙂
Wow! This seems like such a lovely place! So massive! I wonder how come it’s not more well known.
Nish – There are so many hotels to choose from in San Diego County! The private beach and incredible beach parties really are the amazing secret at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, though!
FYI…ALL beaches in CA are public up to the mean high water mark. So if you can get there, you can use it. There are no private beaches in CA.
Dwayne – La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club opened in 1927 and has been grandfathered in as the owner of this private section of La Jolla Beach. The public may spend time in the water and playing wet sand in front of the resort if they want. There are plenty of public beaches in San Diego, though.
This is amazing, it looks so much fun to go with the family. I will keep this in mind to visit with my little brother and family.
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club really is such a great choice for families of all sorts!
Looks amazing. Those tennis courts are insane. The room on the beach would be an oasis!
Beth – Tennis lovers and beach lovers alike love La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club!
Sounds like there’s a lot to do here! In that tennis court photo, I also see a racquetball court, that’s where we would be when taking a break from the gorgeous beach.
Stephanie – There are pickleball courts at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club if that works for you! Lots to enjoy on the courts and the beach, for sure!
This looks like a fantastic getaway for active families! I know mine would love it there, especially the tennis and the beach.
The family vibe at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is really amazing!
La Jolla beach is so beautiful! I’ve heard the beach’s name before, but I never actually saw or read about it until I read this post. I need to take a trip there with the family.
La Jolla Beach is gorgeous! La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club only owns a portion of the beach, so much of it is open to the public for play, too!
Hi Colleen, You are right on with the word, “Thankful” when thinking about the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. I live in San Diego, but even though I spend a lot of time on the beach; it was impressive visiting this tennis club. Played in a tennis tournament there a few years ago; and after my tennis match, my wife and I walked over to the beach side of the club and it was breathtaking. The club is virtually situated right on the sand. We did not expect that we would be on the sand jumping in the cool ocean within 30 seconds after leaving the courts, and the view is just surreal. Thanks for sharing this with everyone!
Thank you for the comment, David. It’s all about the stunning location!
sounds amazing! my favorite photo is the dude with the cart. he is PREPARED!
Jessie – Oh that dude was just one of many who had a cart (provided by the resort) all piled up with goodies galore!
When are we going ??
Seriously, Sara…how much fun would it be to go with our two families?! Maybe someday…
Oh this is so nice, what better than a sunset on the beach. I’ve had this experience up in Northern Canada in the Summer to lay on your back at night and watch the “Northern Lights”. So breathtaking beautiful, you just feel so thankful for all Nature and world has to offer.
So true, Richard! We all need to take time out of our busy lives to just be still and connect with nature sometimes. Thanks for the comment!
I would spend my time watching the ocean for dolphins. Very special.
It was pretty incredible to see all of those dolphins joining the party!
Nicely done! And the beach with all the activities sounds like great fun!
It would be such a great place for a multigenerational trip, too!
Wow. That sounds heavenly. The beach, booze, and the fam are some of my favorite things.
Tricia – It really was pretty heavenly. I don’t feel a big need to go back to many places but I hope to return to La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club for another weekend (or longer!) retreat sometime!