You want the pool, the spa and the ocean air. You do not want to pay for a hotel room you will barely see. San Diego has a workaround, and TravelAwaits has rounded up 11 day-pass deals on the ResortPass platform that open resort grounds to visitors who are not staying the night.
Big pools and family splash zones
The Marriott Marquis San Diego sells a day pass or sun lounger pass into what the writer calls a tropical garden: multiple outdoor pools, plush daybeds and on-site places to eat. It is a classic setup, the kind you would expect in the Caribbean or Mexico.
Families get their own pick. One hotel offers three pools, a hot tub and a four-story slide called Twister, plus a multi-day pass that covers the whole summer season. The Bahia Resort Hotel sells several day-pass options, with beach swimming, a surf club, poolside lounging and pickleball, and a playground that comes with the pass.
Cocktails, rooftops and the beach
At the Omni San Diego, the writer’s own choice is the Tiki Day Pass, which includes two cocktails from the on-site bar. The Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa is quieter. Guests swim in a heated lagoon pool, then reserve a beach chair and move on to the sand.
In the Gaslamp Quarter, The Dana’s pass reaches a bayside infinity pool, a family pool, a hot tub and ping pong tables, and the hotel runs themed fitness classes and dive-in movies. It is affordable, with solid rooftop views. Another modern rooftop pool sells a hotel day pass, a cabana or a lounger, none of them expensive, with “delicious cocktails” on offer.
The Westgate Hotel’s AquaVie Fitness + Wellness Club pairs pool access with spa facilities across four floors, from a gym to a sauna.
For a bigger change of scene, Rancho Bernardo Inn sits about 25 miles from downtown. The Spanish-style villa has two outdoor pools and an 18-hole championship golf course.
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