San Diego has become one of me and Jonny’s favorite places to visit. Fun fact: Jonny actually went to college at UCSD so visiting this gorgeous city is always nostalgic for him and I’ve loved seeing it change over the years with my visits. Last year, Jonny and I went to San Diego for our one year wedding anniversary and we had the best time finding all the best places to visit while we were there. With this trip (just for fun!), we visited a few of the same places but found a few new spots that I wanted to share with you. Let’s start talking about our 2018 San Diego highlights!
First up, The Lafayette Hotel. The last time Jonny and I went to San Diego, we stayed in an Airbnb in South Park. We had a great time but really wanted to try something new this time. I researched a few of the hotels that were close to areas that we love (North Park and South Park) and found The Lafayette Hotel. This hotel is actually one of the more classic hotels in San Diego and has a lot of history. Many old Hollywood stars have stayed here and you can tell that the this hotel has so much classic Hollywood charm. We absolutely loved our stay here (the pool is especially great) and it was within walking distance to my favorite street in San Diego, University Ave.
Of COURSE, Holy Matcha is a MUST visit for me every time we are in San Diego. I pretty much went every day because Holy Matcha actually knows everything there is to know about my favorite drink. Plus, their shop is incredibly cute and photogenic. It’s basically meant for me and I love everything about it. If you plan to visit Holy Matcha, I recommend going on the weekdays on the earlier side (the open at 9:00 am) and you will have the entire place to yourself so you can take your Instagram photos in peace.
It’s pretty rare for me to find one let alone TWO places that sell great matcha lattes and lucky for me, Communal Coffee is both beautiful and serves delish matcha. I love the idea behind Communal Coffee. Their Coffee + Flowers sign is quite accurate as this shop sells both coffee and beautiful floral arrangements that you can have someone create for you right after you place your drink order. How cool is that? This is such a popular spot that there are two locations, one in North Park and one in South Park. Both are extremely adorable and completely different. One is much larger (North Park) and has a flower shop inside to create custom arrangements. The University Ave. one also has the famous Coffee + Flowers wall out front so make sure you grab a pic in front of that! The South Park one is made out of a camper, which is placed in the most peaceful spot with tons of outdoor seating for you and your friends. You can still buy flowers here but the arrangements are pre made!
Lucha Libre Taco Shop is probably my favorite taco shop of all time. From the decor to the insanely good tacos, you MUST try this place if you are in San Diego. It’s so good that I made Jonny take me back twice because I wanted it as much as possible before we left. Wishing they would come up to San Francisco!
When it comes to Instagram worthy places, Pigment is where it’s at. From the living succulents that you can buy right on the spot to the most adorable baby clothes to the fun knick knacks you never knew you needed, Pigment is one of my favorite places to spend hours browsing in. Plus, you have this cute pink wall just outside that is sure to compliment any outfit you wear.
Jonny and I love going out to breakfast but we rarely go because it is always so filling. However, when we are on vacation, all bets are off and breakfast is our jam (GET IT?!?!). We discovered Great Maple on this trip and holy crap, it was some of the best breakfast food I ever had. This place is very popular with locals and it fills up FAST. We got there at opening (8:00 am) on our last morning because we wanted to make sure we could get right in before our flight and the place filled up within 10 minutes after opening and it’s NOT a small place. My very favorite thing was the pig in the blanket (featured above), which was the most delicious pancake rolled around some of the best pork sausage I have ever had. I highly recommend this place if you are in San Diego.
Even though it was hot as hell during this trip, Jonny and I still wanted to take in the sights. We went to Balboa Park, which is a collection of incredible museums and gardens sprawled across a great deal of land. It was beautiful! We loved exploring the cactus garden, the amphitheater, and the lillypad pond.
Okay, I found Harumama and wanted to go mainly to take a cute photo of these adorable Chinese buns. Turns out, the buns are as delicious as they are adorable. In fact, the found here was incredible. It’s pretty new to San Diego so you should definitely put it on your list of places to try.
Shop Good was kind enough to invite me in for one of the best facials of my life. Located in North Park (conveniently close to Holy Matcha…), Shop Good has been voted one of the top places to visit in San Diego by Glitter Guide and I can see why. Every inch of this shop is not only Instagram worthy, but good for you. All products are clean (even the makeup!) and the shop owner is very passionate about our bodies being able to heal ourselves. My facial was fantastic. Not only did my aesthetician understand quite a bit about my struggles with cystic acne, but she answered all of my questions and walked me through every single step of the facial. I loved being kept in the know! I also loved how well priced Shop Good’s services were and every woman that came in left smiling from ear to ear. I can’t wait to visit them again on my next future trip to SD!
Of course, if you are in San Diego, a trip to Old Town is a must. Jonny and I love Mexican food and Old Town is both full of history and delicious food. However, our favorite thing about Old Town are not the restaurants. We LIVE for the street tortillas. You can buy 2 for a dollar and Jonny and I stand on the sidewalk with the other tortilla junkies and dress or hot off the grill tortillas with melted butter, salsa, and salt. They are SO delicious.
I hope you enjoyed our San Diego highlights from our most recent trip. We had the best time and cannot wait to visit again! Thanks for reading!