If you visit San Diego and stay in the downtown area called the Gaslamp Quarter, you won’t lack for hotels. This section of town has one of the highest concentrations of places to stay. It’s not an undesirable place to be – many of the hotels are within walking distance of the waterfront, the location of the decommissioned USS Midway aircraft carrier and the city maritime museum; Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres; and the convention center, where the biggest comic and entertainment convention happens every July.
This past week, I went to San Diego to see a Giants game with JRS at Petco. Originally, we were going to stay at a Hilton that wasn’t too expensive but was nearly two and a half miles away from the park. Naturally, that would have necessitated either taking a rideshare or public transportation, which we would have done. But since I needed to use a hotel statement credit for one of my cards, I decided to look up what would be available, and I found the Pendry.
Honestly, I hadn’t heard of this small chain of luxury boutique hotels. I was simply wanting a place closer to the ballpark – in this case, two blocks away. Pendry has ten properties across the U.S., one in Barbados and one in Mexico, with another there soon to open, and some of these have residences. They are all unique in appearance and amenities, and even though we stayed there for just one night, I appreciated the little bit of indulgence this place offered (it also helped that we received separate credits for both breakfast and for most amenities).
Accommodations
The hotel looks like something historic, but it is only nine years old and on the site of a parking lot. All the rooms have either one king or two queen beds, with either a skyline, bay, city or pool view, and they all have at least 350 square feet in space. Suites have a studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom layout. The décor is calming and sea-inspired, which fits with the city’s surf-culture vibe. Our beds were comfortable and only slight firm, which is the way I like it, with pillows of varying softness.
I made my morning coffee with Keurig-type espresso machine with two options for strength. The minibar was well-stocked, with different snacks and drinks, but we didn’t get anything from it, mostly because it wasn’t part of our credit. The bathroom was probably the most outstanding feature, with a large walk-in glass-enclosed stall that overlooked the room. Luckily, there was an outside curtain to hide the shower area for necessary privacy. The Pendry has its own line of bath products, which had an earthy-like scent that was suitable for everyone.
Amenities
Because of the credits, I enjoyed a couple of drinks and sat on the Pendry’s pool deck over two days, which is on the third floor. There are about a half-dozen private cabana areas with outdoor couches, chaise-lounges and TV screens, but nobody was using them when I was there. I sat at some outdoor tables next to the bar. There were about a dozen and half people around the pool and hot tub under slightly overcast skies.
Guests must access the pool through the spa reception area. I must admit I didn’t check this out, mostly because of our super-short stay, but even it was longer, I probably wouldn’t have anyway. As always, I did visit the fitness center, which was quite extensive with plenty of cardio equipment (including Peloton bikes) and free weights. Interestingly, there weren’t any machines. Some of the other services available include use of Cadillac vehicles and complimentary transportation to nearby venues, as well as baby equipment rentals.
Food and drink
The Pendry is a relatively small hotel, but it has a half-dozen in-house restaurants and bars. We experienced two of them, along with having a minor room service order. Now, we probably wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for that hotel credit, but since JRS wasn’t feeling well, we tried some chicken noodle soup, which turned out to be quite tasty. The next day, we had breakfast at Provisional, the main restaurant. We ordered oatmeal and a meal of side dishes (potatoes, chicken sausage and sourdough toast).
Like I mentioned earlier, I went to the pool deck to do some work but also to enjoy a mezcalita cocktail – essentially a margarita with mezcal instead of the usual tequila and a rim of spicy Tajin seasoning. Before we checked out, I also had an Albariño white wine, which was the perfect crisp and slightly citrus drink to have as the temperatures heated up. Overall, I would rate the Pendry as a superb luxury stay in you’re looking to be in downtown San Diego. And it doesn’t hurt to have those credits, too.
