Put a Spring in Your Step!
Local Concierges Picks for March

Spring arrives, officially, on March 20 just three days before Easter Sunday. Even if you don’t notice an abrupt change in the temperature, thanks to our area’s perennially mild your step and a creates a yen for a new outfit. Some of our hotel concierges suggest activities to honor spring’s rites of renewal.

Antonio Guzman of Town & Country Hotel says, “Easter speaks brunch.” Many popular restaurants will be laying out fabulous spreads. But you can create your own brunch picnic. Take a generous basket to a special spot. Antonio recommends the huge grassy area near Balboa Park’s lily pond. Afterwards, tour the beautiful botanical garden to show off your new bonnet.

Joyce Fitzpatrick of Hotel Del Coronado says, “Avoid spring cleaning.” Instead, she says, visit the dessert and hunt for wild flowers. The hotel’s renowned Easter brunch is a fabulous feast of spring. Make reservations early, if you want to partake. If you’re lucky enough to be a Hotel Del guest, you’ll be able to join in the famous Easter egg hunt.

James Houdek of Hotel La Jolla at the Shores says families love the Easter egg hunt at Ellen Browning Scripps Shoreline Park. Afterwards, take the kids to see animals in their natural habitat, he says. A visit to the seals off Coast Boulevard at the Cove is a favorite. A picnic at a public park with a lake or pond (Santee Lakes or Lake Murray in Mission Trails Regional Park are beautiful examples) offers the children a chance to feed the ducks.

Vicki Wiik of the San Diego Marriott Del Mar says this is the best time to visit the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. “The days are still cool and the animals are more active,” she says. And smaller crowds mean fewer people to block your views. The golf courses are great this time of year, too, because it’s not high season, she notes. Families with older children can head for La Jolla Shores to rent a kayak and take a guided tour of the caves. Enjoy an ice cream or a sandwich after at one of the many outdoor cafés nearby.

For a more expansive water adventure, try whale watching or sailing, favorite family activities of Bobby Udell of Paradise Point Resort.  While you’re out on the sea, you may catch sight of the yacht America, a replica of the 139-foot schooner for which the “America’s Cup” is named. For a special treat, take a whale-watching cruise aboard the boat yourself.            

If you missed the Easter sunrise services held atop Mount Soledad, at Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion or on Coronado’s beach, catch the sunset at La Jolla Cove or Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach.

At either end of the day, the sky’s pastel display is the best rite of spring.