Ready to get away for a long weekend? Or a mid-week escape? Perhaps you want a weeklong vacation? If so, have I got the property for you!
It’s Town and Country Resort and it is a beautiful property located right here in the good old USA – San Diego, California to be exact! I recently had the opportunity to chat with both Allison Sayer, the Global Sales Director for Coral Tree Hospitality which is the management company for the property and Susan Penman who is the Director of Sales and Marketing at the property to get the scoop on this delightful resort – which recently went through a huge renovation – so huge that its practically a brand new hotel!
And with that – let’s not waste any time in checking out the newly transformed Town and Country Resort!
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Background: Susan related a great story that is best told in her words: “It’s funny I have watched this property for so many years. I’ve lived on and off in San Diego for 20 years and I would drive by all the time and say gosh I wish somebody would renovate that property. It’s an icon here in San Diego since 1953. It’s midcentury modern, it’s so Southern California, it’s absolutely stunning, it has great bones but just needed to be renovated. I got a call about two years ago while I was on the East Coast in the hotel business (as I’ve been for 30 years) and they said you know, we have a great opportunity back in San Diego – we think it’s perfect for you. And I said well where is it and they said Town and Country and I said I’ll be there on Wednesday! And that’s exactly how it happened! So, an hour into meeting with the vice president and general manager, who I had known for many years, I accepted the position. That’s how strongly I feel about this property. There’s an emotional attachment. It’s an amazing icon. It’s something that needed all this tender loving care and we gave it to the property and to the staff as well who’ve been here for years.”
Renovations: So basically, the property has been in continuous service since 1953 when it was built by the Brown family who are icons in themselves here in San Diego and then in Mission Valley. They owned almost all the hotels in Mission Valley at one point, in fact, it was up to 30 hotels at one point. Their father built the Town and Country property with tender loving care and money and proceeds from his time in the military and thus the strong ties to San Diego. Susan noted that when you looked at the property it needed every bit of what was done to it – over two years and $90 million dollars later. They actually took three buildings down and created a center, or a heart if you will, to the property. In addition, they upgraded all the Wi-Fi throughout the entire property so if you are looking to do a work-cation they have you covered! They have a beautiful new restaurant too – Arlo – that just opened and per Susan the food is scrumptious. It’s a combination of Baja and Cali food and the chef who is absolutely amazing – was formerly a chef at some of the best restaurants in the country and in wine country. And finally – part of the renovation was the addition of a three acre riverfront park since they sit on the San Diego River. In that park you will find a bridge that leads you right to the Light Rail which will take you anywhere in San Diego you want to go!
Accommodations As for the guest rooms – they are all over the property – including Palm Tower which houses about 300 of the rooms, the Regency Tower which hosts about 200 of the rooms and the remainder are in very cool two-story cottages that some people call bungalows – in any case they are right next to the pool which makes them the most appealing on the property! In total there are 675 guestrooms and suites and per Susan there’s some really incredible suites. The rooms come with either two double beds or one king bed. And there are some areas that are quieter than others such as the cottages or the Regency Tower where you can nestle away into an area, and you know just kind of be by yourself if you want and not be in the thick of things. And remember being built in 1950s and then having some buildings added in the 70s your you’re going to find these are very large rooms – in the 360 square feet size range – most with balconies. All rooms in the Palm Tower have balconies and about 40% of the rooms in the Regency Tower have them. You’ve got really great options here. For instance, when you want to be able to walk right out into the pool area you can or if you want to be in a tower so you can see the surrounding including the mountains and the golf course you can do that as well – there’s just options for everyone here. You know when you go to a lot of properties, you’re there, you’re in the tower, so you see the lobby, you see the elevator, you see your room – but that’s not what happens here. It’s not one big tower – its like a campus so you can walk around and look at the beautiful landscaping or you can just go out and find a place for yourself or you can go to their sports bar – Lapper – to meet other people, watch a game or play a game at the pool – whatever it is that you want to do they pretty much offer.
The Pools: They built a marvelous 4500 square foot signature pool in the center of the property – it’s a zero edge pool which means that you walk right in as if you’re going into the ocean – but without all those pesky waves! It’s about three and a half feet in the center so you can congregate and just enjoy each other’s company and it’s about a foot and a half on either side so that the kids can enjoy it to. Plus, there’s a children’s pool, a jacuzzi and a 150-foot water slide called Twister that’s four stories high! They also added beautiful cabanas to relax in when you’re not in the pool. Then there’s also the option of the Regency pool at the Regency Tower. It’s a little more of a quiet pool so if you really want to lay there and read a book and just totally enjoy yourself this is a perfect alternative pool to do so. It also features a super cool 1964 trailer which doubles as their bar and a little food bar. It’s absolutely adorable and a vintage trailer company retrofitted it for them. It really is an amazing place to sit and again it’s on the quiet side so you can spend half of the day at the busy pool and then come back and lay down and relax or read or have a snack – whatever suits your fancy.
Other Amenities And Opportunities: Even though we’re highlighting a lot of the pool pieces of the property there’s also the opportunity at the property for anybody who wants to do a corporate retreat, or a family reunion or a multi-generational vacation or even if you want San Diego as a destination wedding. The property has a great deal of outdoor areas where they can do any size wedding, reception, party – you name it. There’s also a pool bar called Lap It Up – appropriately named! – with a private section where you can actually do a really fun casual wedding with an outside patio – so you’re not at the pool but you’re overlooking the pool. Plus, they have some amazing lawn space – like 8,000 square feet. And should you go the way of a conference they have 258,000 square feet of meeting space – with the largest being 41,000 square feet and the smallest being 17,000 square feet which of course they can break into segments and do all sizes of meetings. So, whether it’s just a corporate board retreat for 15 or an executive meeting or a fun meeting or even if it’s a family reunion – they can do all of those things. And Susan raved about their conference services team saying they are absolutely amazing, and they will do all the programming for you and take all that work out of your hands. And you guys I’m going to help you coordinate everything with Town and Country. I will help you with all the negotiations they will do the rest – you just tell me what your vision is, and Susan and I and the team will make it happen! And don’t forget about the riverfront park – what a great area to hold a yoga retreat – so for you wellness coaches and teachers if you want to have a retreat and bring your folks with you – whether it’s two or three days of wellness and rejuvenation – here’s a great opportunity at a fabulous property and just ten minutes away and you’ve got all of the beauty of San Diego!
Activities: Well, if you want to ride bicycles you can ride along the whole river park or if you prefer you can walk or jog it. In fact, you can do just about anything there, so it gives you that athletic element too. It’s a great area consisting of three acres of beautifully manicured land. You can even go over and do a yoga class and there will be other programming moving forward post COVID. Or for those of you guys who just want to pack it up have a picnic out there or do some star gazing – there is more than enough lawn space – not only at the river park but also on the concert lawn which is between the pool and lobby. This is a sweeping lawn where there will be music and you can actually get a picnic basket from the properties fresh food market and take it out there and sit under the stars with your charcuterie and a couple glasses of wine. And hey what a great proposal opportunity for you! And you know your Travel Guru is more than happy to help you coordinate all of it and I’ll have a photographer on the side so that way they can’t be seen but they’ll get it all on film! There are also children’s events at the pool like nighttime movies and s’mores as well as games like Twister by the pool that really take you back to your childhood. As Susan noted that really says a lot about the property as the idea is to take you back to the simpler fun times that we all remember when we went on family vacations, and all piled in the car and had those little fights in the backseat as siblings always do. But then you made it there and the kids are in the pool, and the parents are having a great time and there’s something for everybody to do – and it was so worth the trip. But that being said – as a couple you’re going to enjoy this property just as much because they have the fine dining, they’ve got a beautiful lobby bar and plenty of places to head to for some quiet. And there’s more! There’s 18 holes of golf right across the street, you’re literally five minutes from Old Town, you’re ten minutes from the beach, you’re ten minutes from the zoo and you’re ten minutes from SeaWorld. Then of course their little bridge goes straight over to the top mall in all of San Diego County that features a Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus and all of the individual stores with amazing upscale shoes and bags and perfumes and everything you could think of! So, you are right in the middle of absolutely everything that San Diego has to offer. Oh, and the weather is perfect almost all year round too!
Atmosphere: Susan noted that they’ve taken the best of everyone – many of the staff have been there for 30 or 40 years as they’ve stayed with Brown family forever. And that in itself tells you how amazing these folks are to work for and why you want to be here – that’s the treatment that you’re going to get – you’re going to get that warm welcome. Susan also said that she makes it a habit to know the guests names. She’ll go out and walk around the pool to personally meet all of them and the vice president and managing director do the same thing. They aren’t sitting in their offices – they are out and about meeting and talking to the guests finding out what they can do for them.
Updated COVID-19 Information: As of this writing California is open for visitors! For the CDC’s most up to date information on COVID-19 click here. And for the most up to date COVID protocols at Town and Country Resort click here.
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So what do you guys think? You have that really great Southern California vibe, amazing weather and so much to see and do both on and off property. I say this one is a no brainer for a family vacation, a couple’s getaway, a girl’s trip, a family reunion, a work offsite – you name it!
For more details on the fabulous Town and Country Resort, it’s price points and more – contact your Travel Guru! Oh, and if you need a payment plan to fund your travel adventure – we got those too!
Namaste!
