San Diego is a prime location for the staycation. There are lots of points of interest that residents lose sight of in the daily shuffle of living. Booking a hotel and enjoying the life of a tourist is a tempting – but expensive – idea. To get a sip of the visitor lifestyle without cutting into the rent budget, I visited three hotel lobby bars open to the public. Each had their own influences, drinks and ambience that set them apart from your typical neighborhood bar.
Lafayette Hotel’s Lobby Bar
2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park
619-296-2101, lafayettehotelsd.com
Prices: Cocktails for $17
North Park’s destination hotel boasts several bars and restaurants – including the New Orleans-themed Lobby Bar. The circular bar is in the center of a large room with a skylight roof. When our tour started at 4 p.m., the high glass atrium roof displayed the bright sky above – rendering the dozens of fanciful lamps, sconces, and streetlights scattered throughout the room redundant. However our bartender Krissy explained that at night, the lights reflect off the glass, casting the room in a warm orange glow and making the lobby appear lit by a starry night.
Krissy provided the inside scoop on the newly-opened bar. Cognac and bourbon are featured in many of the cocktails, all priced at $17, due to the New Orleans influence. The refreshing Pimm’s Cup is the top-selling cocktail of the summer with strawberry, cucumber, ginger and lime adding flavor to the British gin-based liqueur. Brandy Crusta is another popular drink on the menu which has cognac and apple brandy mixed with tropical fruits served over light shaved ice. As the weather gets cooler, Krissy predicts other cocktails will become favorites, including the flaming Old Fashioned and Absinthe Frappe.
For our parts, I ordered the Lafayette Fix with Jamaican Rum, Fino Sherry, apricot, cassis (blackcurrant) molasses and lemon while my companion enjoyed the Milk Punch made with Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry, cinnamon, Amaro Meletti and cream. The Lafayette Fix was very sweet but the molasses added warmth and depth to the drink which could otherwise fit on the tiki-inspired menu of the neighboring poolside bar. The Milk Punch is a dessert cocktail that reminded me of distilled rice pudding.
The maximalist décor of the lobby was a delight. The crosshatched wooden floor, blue-inked white tiles, plastered crown moldings, green cheetah print pillows, marble bar and central statue of Atlas carrying the world all came together into a stunning interior. Odd antiques add charm, such as a vintage chair with arms and back sculpted with stacked buffalo horns.
The lobby bar has attracted many locals curious about the Lafayette’s renovation. Friday nights draw a large crowd. Paired with a pool pass purchase, the lobby bar is a great way to experience a hotel’s luxuries without having to miss one’s own bed.
AC Lounge at AC Hotel
743 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp
619-544-1800; tinyurl.com/ACHotelSD
Prices: Cocktails for $12-15
This spring, Marriott International opened AC Hotel in the Gaslamp. The European-style boutique hotel has a lobby bar that serves tapas and small plates alongside local beer and cocktails.
The lounge is in the heart of the new pedestrian walkway district on Fifth Ave. It’s a short walk to Petco Park and the Convention Center plus the many venues in the Gaslamp. Its location attacks business travelers, especially those going to conventions. With so many male travelers, bartender Morgan, who has worked at the lounge since before it opened to the public, says whiskey is the most popular drink.
The simple cocktail menu is filled with classic European drinks that are spirit forward. My companion ordered the Seaside Margarita, a bright blue drink with its color stemming from the Lagoon Bay Apertivo, an orange bitter from Iceland. I consumed a Smoked Spanish Old Fashioned with demerara sugar that lent toffee notes to the savory drink.
With exceptions for Dodgers weekend, Morgan said the bar is usually a mellow place with only one large screen tv. Once past the historic façade of the exterior, the sleek interior features tasteful art amid cool neutrals. A narrow skylight over a cushioned booth highlighted the minimalist mountain range silhouette installation in faux marble. The long, open space of the lounge had seating options for people in groups or those who want to sip a cocktail while working on a laptop.
AC Hotel General Manager Katee Moala shared the history of AC Hotels, which was founded by Spanish hotelier Antonio Catalan and gained popularity across Europe in the ‘90s. Looking to expand in that market, Marriott International acquired the brand and brought the hotels popular among millennials to the states.
Rather than being a full-service hotel, Catalan focused on the details travelers desired to create a modern experience. Moala describes the AC Hotel as being “perfectly precise” in its offerings. For instance, with tons of eateries in the Gaslamp surrounding the hotel, there is no need for a lunch restaurant especially among business travelers away during the day.
The quiet, airy lounge is a bright spot to relax before rejoining the teeming Gaslamp outside.
Vistal inside InterContinental San Diego
901 Bayfront Court, Columbia
619-535-0485; Vistalsd.com
Prices: Cocktails for $14-18
Most lobby bars are on the ground floor but with InterContinental San Diego’s lobby being on the third floor, its anchor restaurant Vistal is still technically a lobby bar while providing elevated views of the bay. The indoor-outdoor venue has a gorgeous perspective of the sun setting over the USS Midway.
Vistal’s menu focuses on flavors of Baja California and the Pacific. The sustainability-focused venue features seasonal ingredients that are locally sourced. Even a summer cocktail that included pressed honeydew was nixed from the offerings because it was too wasteful as the melon had to be fresh each day. Its inventive cocktails are typically thought up by restaurant manager Charles Crisp. The semi-permanent cocktail names are homages to San Diego sites and culture. Other than the tequila, all of the spirits are made by California distilleries.
The Star of India drink incorporates hibiscus masala Crisp created after noting the crossover of spices shared in Mexican and Indian cuisine. The masala brings a warm, bright flavor to the Humboldt organic vodka drink served in a coconut on a plate of ice. Sweet coconut agave, lime, Mexican chile and mango boba pearls made it one of the most unique offerings throughout all of the lobby bars we toured. My companion ordered the Mexican Street Corn, which Crisp said is a polarizing drink due to the Nixta Elote Liqueur which people either love or hate. Despite the agave, lime, tarragon vermouth, hot mustard and fresh-pressed pineapple, I found the corn flavor overpowering. Meanwhile my companion said it was their favorite drink of the night.
On the seasonal Summer Soiree menu, I enjoyed the light and refreshing La Vie En Rose which mixed lemonade with Lillet Blanc and Rose wine. My companion enjoyed the spicy, fruity Mexican Riviera with Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila, orgeat (a tiki drink syrup), mango and butterfly pea flower. The restaurant’s commitment to seasonal offerings extends to a Summer Soiree theme in the lobby. A lounge installation outside the restaurant has a photo shoot backgrounds as well as QR codes with a curated playlist.
Our server Jaz, who has worked there for a year, said mostly patrons of the hotel visit Vistal with the hotel’s Italian-influenced Girabaldi attracting more locals when it is opened on the weekends as San Diego’s only indoor-outdoor speakeasy. InterContinental is another popular business traveler destination, although it has its own conference facilities on site. When we visited, a single corporation had rented out the entire hotel for a business retreat – taking up 400 rooms. Its bay front views make it an untapped destination for locals to enjoy a sunset over the water while sipping a specialty cocktail.
