San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is the most happening place in California today, with a fantastic vibe and a nightlife that even a dyed-in-the-wool party animal in New York would agree is sizzling. Welcoming you to this urban paradise is the Hard Rock Hotel (www.hardrockhotelsd.com), which sits at the entrance to the Gaslamp Quarter, and it is, in more ways than one, an entry ticket and a representative sample of the mind-blowing entertainment, hip restaurants and trendy bars and boutiques you’ll be going through. The Hard Rock is more scene than lodgings, more like a place where you spend the night, and evening….and the day, than a hotel where you check in and spend the night out on the town.
The location couldn’t be any more popular, with the Hotel already drawing the local crowd for the nightlife, and to add to their overbooking problems, the Hard Rock is across the street from the San Diego Convention Center and one block away from PETCO Park. Imagine the scene at the hardrock when it’s a weekend, there’s a big game on in the stadium, and a convention full of dentists or some equally wacky gang is filling up the bars and the pubs in the hotel and in the area. Absolute confusion, a crush of bodies, drunk chicks, ball crazy fans, nerdy dentists and just plain old tourists all mixing it up and trying to make the most of a night in the Gaslamp Quarter. In other words - One big party.
As hang-outs, the Hard Rock offers celebrity chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s Nobu restaurant with its Japanese cuisine, the sleek and stylish Streetwater Saloon with its individual beer taps and the rooftop Moonstone Lounge sitting alongside the pool. Then there’s also Maryjane’s Coffee Shop for casual dining and snacks. The hotel’s ‘Rock Spa’ offers full body treatments for guests. There’s also a 40,000 sq. ft. indoor/outdoor meeting space fror business mettings and events like weddings and parties. If you’re looking for the infamous rehab pool party that the Vegas Hard Rock hotel hosts, well…Go to Vegas. San Diego is good, but its not yet Vegas. Photo credit - redropereviews.com
As far as accomodation goes, the highlight of the Hard Rock Hotel is the million dollar ‘Black Eyed Peas Suite’, which has been entirely designed by the band - will.i.am, Fergie, apl.de.ap and Taboo - And everything from the bed linens to the furniture has been hand selected by them. Guests satying in this suite even get a video greeting from will.i.am with suggestions including his favorite haunts in the Gaslamp Quarter and choice tunes from his personal music collection.
The 12 story hotel offers 420 guest rooms and 17 ‘rock star suites’ stuffed with the latest in entertainment technology and artsy decor, custom designed furniture, dynamic lighting fixtures which help the choosy clientele finetune the lighting to their personal taste, and designer bath products. Each room has a 42″ flat screen LG HDTV with plug-and-play technology which allows you to plug in your MP3 players, PDA devices and laptops. Other amenities include both wired and wireless internet, an mBar refereshment center and a designer ‘Mix Me’ station where you can act as your own bartender, complimentary streaming music, a copy of Rolling Stones magazine, on-demand movies, a special compilation of CD music, in room safe, Hansgrohe rain showers and Aveda bath products. Some of the rooms have balconies and terraces.
The rock star suites have most, if not all, of the following - An outdoor terrace with a patio whirlpool, designer rugs and dark wood flooring, with a view of PETCO Park, fireplace, a Bose surround sound music system, soaking tubs with a view of the city, and a deck with a view of the Gaslamp Quarter entrance.
Room rates start at $334 plus taxes. That’s for two people, so if you wanna take along the family, that should be a-ok, but lemme tell you, you’re better off at some other San Diego family hotels which won’t have so many guilty and irresistible pleasures which might put some stress on your marriage, to say the least. Besides, this ain’t no place for kids. Put them up at a Hilton or a Marriot and take them to the San Diego Zoo.
Info:Hard Rock Hotel San Diego - Corner of 5th Avenue & L Street 207 5th Avenue San Diego, CA 92101; (619) 702-3000; Reservations - (866) 751-ROCK (7625); reservations@hardrockhotelsd.com