San Diego - The Faves

San Diego, CA

Gran Havana Cigar Factory & Lounge

The trip had so many highlights, it's really hard to pack it all in but I am going to do my best to recap. Each time, we visit a city, we uncover a gem - not necessarily a hidden gem but a gem that becomes our favorite in the city that we vow to return to if we ever revisit. This trip, we each found 1 place that we absolutely loved and visited more than once during the trip. For Thomas, it was Gran Havana Cigar Factory & Lounge.

Now to be clear, we BOTH loved this place but it was his top. We visited twice and was on our way back for a third but we got diverted. I think my feet were hurting after walking all ver this city for sneaker store. Anywho - This lounge was literally perfect. Located in the Gaslamp district of San Diego, it was the our go-to-coffee, tea, great desserts, hand rolled cigars, hookahs and fantastic ambiance spot. On our first trip, we sat next to the large open window to catch the evening breeze and the next, we nestled against a wall to relax a bit more.

Thomas has vowed that it is here where he had the best Latte in his entire life! I didn't get a taste but he raved about this Latte the entire trip and honestly is still talking about it now, it was that good. For this night, I had cups of Japanese Flowering Tea. It was a courtesy offered by who we 'think' was the owner and it was super relaxing so much so that I almost fell asleep...ok, I kinda dozed because it was so relaxing but whose fault is that?!?!? Certainly, NOT MINE!

Top of the Hyatt

The other fave, which was mine was a spot called 'Top of the Hyatt'. 40 Floors above the San Diego Bay and atop the Grand Hyatt Hotel, this sweet spot gave the best overlook of the bay, the Coronado Bridge, and the San Diego quarters. I came here twice and I honestly, never wanted to leave. Ever so cozy, it was the perfect place to take in the views of the areas surrounding the San Diego Bay.

The San Diego Bay

We had no beach access but that didn't kept us from getting close to the water. A few strolls along the bay, we captured sights of beautiful sunsets and makeshift sand pods nestled under Adirondack chairs. It was breathtaking and covered in the essence of peace. Another place that was hard to tear away from.

If there is a boat ride close by, best believe we are going to book it. We snagged an hour tour of the bay and it was super fun. On board, they served snacks and had beverages for purchase. I already planned ahead to book this cruise but as an incentive from our hotel, they gave me 2 free passes for the same cruise that was going to run about $70.00 so here I am winning!! LOL!

Litte Italy

Despite not spending a great deal of time here, it was still one of my favorite spots to visit. I was so looking forward to snagging some good italian food, wine or even pizza but leave it to a man to select a fried chicken spot in the middle of all these great italian selections! Either way, it wasn't a complete bust since the chicken food or whatever was good but if I had to do it all over again, we would have dined somewhere else but I guess that's where compromise comes in. We hit this location up on Saturday right before noon and most of the outside dining patios were filled with patrons having just a great old time as they should. It was here that I found this big ass Stella Artois chair so you know I had to snag a pic since it's literally one of my favorite beers.

Gaslamp District

Here is where the bustle is. Is that right to say? Either way, I am going with it. This is what I would call the center of attention for the city. Here is where we found just about anything we were looking for - dining, entertainment, shopping (sneaker stores, cough cough), the baseball stadium, and we were right by the San Diego Convention Center. During the day, the streets were not that busy at all but at night, whewww did it wake all the way up or what!! So lively and so much fun to visit. Here we found several spots that we hit up for a good time including his top fave - Gran Havana!

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