L’Auberge Del Mar, set steps from the Pacific Ocean in San Diego’s coastal North County, may be reminiscent of a private Southern California beach house, but it’s loaded with all of the amenities and space for refined meetings and events.
I visited the property in August and met with Bob Harter, director of sales and marketing, who showed me around and shared some of its uniquely coastal group offerings.
The 121-room hotel has 6,500 square feet of indoor meeting space across several rooms, perfect for smaller groups. With the temperate Southern California climate and views of the ocean, groups can also take advantage of its 10,000 square feet of outdoor event space year-round. Bob told me that the hotel is also available for a full buyout for larger groups.
Meeting and event spaces include:
- Two ballrooms with terraces.
- Six meeting rooms, most with connecting terraces and windows.
- An amphitheater that can accommodate 120 people.
- Outdoor terraces, including the 5,000-square-foot Pacific Terrace that has a capacity for 400 guests.
Another special offering for groups is access (available by permit) to two seaside parks and the Powerhouse Community Center, as well as exclusive use of the Del Mar Surf Station, all within walking distance from the property.
Harter said these offsite venues are great for groups that want to really incorporate the coastal surroundings and lifestyle for themed and catered events.
The Del Mar Surf Station, across the street and overlooking the Pacific, was once the Del Mar Train Station but is now used only for events, which the team at L’Auberge can facilitate.
The venue has a kitchen and restrooms indoors, but the 3,200-square-foot event space is a grassy outdoor area with views of the beach.
The Del Mar Surf Station
L’Auberge Del Mar’s Group Activities Have Local Flair
L’Auberge Del Mar’s location gives groups plenty of options to experience the seaside community like a local, either during an event or when the meeting ends.
Planners can also incorporate San Diego’s love for craft beer with an onsite beer tasting from one of the city’s hundreds of local craft breweries. If beer isn’t to the group’s taste, wine tasting at some local urban wineries or a cocktail making competition can also be arranged.
When I toured the property with Harter, a standout in the meeting spaces was the surf-themed boardroom. Works from local artist Aaron Chung—known for his ocean photography—hang on the walls, as does a surfboard. Harter told me that attendees can go from the “boardroom to the boards” by pairing a meeting with surf lessons by hotel partner Fulcrum Surf.
The Surf-Inspired Boardroom. Credit: L'Auberge Del Mar
On-property, attendees can also experience Spa L’Auberge, which is designed to look like a beach cottage. Groups can take over the 5,000-square-foot spa or have the spa brought to them, with wellness breaks, treatments that can be customized to meet group programming, or even yoga on one of the terraces before or after the meeting.
L’Auberge Del Mar’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
The hotel is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and as part of the celebration is offering planners a Meeting Special Package.
“We have created a special 30th Anniversary Meeting Special for meeting planners and participants to enjoy our modern beach-inspired ambiance, while they revel in the surf, sand and sun L’Auberge Del Mar offers,” Harter said.
With the package, groups can kick off their onsite event with the Pearl 89 anniversary cocktail at the opening night reception. The offer also includes:
- One complimentary surf lesson with surf partner Fulcrum Surf.
- One upgrade to a Coastal View Room for any program of 25 rooms per night or more.
- One additional upgrade to a Pacific Suite for any program totaling 100 total room nights.
- A 10% discount on any custom audiovisual package through resort partner AVMS.
- One gift certificate for a complimentary one-night return visit to L’Auberge Del Mar.
Whether you book this year or next, a guaranteed blissful beachy retreat awaits any groups meeting at L’Auberge Del Mar.
