Tropical Island Resort near San Diego
Paradise Point Resort & Spa sits on a secluded 44-acre island across Mission Bay from San Diego’s Ocean Beach. The resort’s grounds overflow with palm trees and tropical flowers near quiet lagoons and sugary beaches. A 70-foot observation tower at the center of the resort provides an especially good vantage point for enjoying the scenery.
Amid tropical gardens blooming with orchids and bird-of-paradise blossoms, bungalows that look like they came straight from the South Pacific house Lanai Garden rooms. Interiors feature batik-print floral patterns, teak furnishings, and black porcelain tiles.
The resort’s Baleen restaurant offers patio dining described as "sublime" by the New York Times. You can sample lobster tail and deep-sea catches or head to beach- and poolside grills for quesadillas, tacos, and burgers complemented by colorful cocktails. The onsite spa administers relaxing and rejuvenating face and body treatments using practices perfected in Indonesia, Hawaii, Fiji, and other island locales.
San Diego: Year-Round Green Spaces and Coastal Adventures
San Diego's mild, semi-arid climate keeps temperatures in the 50s and 60s throughout winter—in fact, November–February is one of the area's sunniest times. In the heart of the city, the 1,200-acre Balboa Park contains forest groves and themed gardens intertwined with hiking paths. Playgrounds and a carousel built in 1910 entertain children, and several museums and examples of Spanish Colonial architecture can be found along the central boulevard of El Prado.
Jutting off the southernmost tip of the Point Loma peninsula, Cabrillo National Monument boasts spectacular views of the bay and harbor. Just beyond the park's 19th-century Old Point Loma Lighthouse, you’ll find a glassed-in observatory where you can watch migrating gray whales in January and February.