Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Grande Colonial La Jolla was built in 1913 on popular Prospect Street in the heart of the village of La Jolla. The Grande Colonial is La Jolla's oldest original hotel and is on the registry of Historic Hotels of America. The original white and wood framed hotel was first named "The Colonial Apartments and Hotel" and soon became a popular spot for out of town visitors, celebrities and locals. In 1926, the nearby La Jolla Drug Store was purchased by the owner of the Colonial and moved inside the Colonial, who then added an ice cream parlor on the sidewalk that served up vanillla malts, chocolate sodas and banana splits. It is said that the drugstore became a prime location for locals to gather, talk and watch the people walk by. The pharmacist, employed at the drugstore, was known to be well loved by the townspeople, and was also the father of Gregory Peck, the famous movie star who grew up in La Jolla and eventually moved to Hollywood. Later on, the Colonial was a temporary home to some of Hollywood's up and coming stars that were performing at the La Jolla Playhouse, founded by Gregory Peck. Charlton Heston, Dorothy McGuire, Groucho Marx, Jane Wyatt, Eve Arden, Pat O'Brien, David Niven and many other celebrities stayed at the hotel during the 1940s and 1950s.
Today, after several owners and remodels, the Grande Colonial is one of the most elegant hotels to stay in and is centrally located just steps away from La Jolla Cove, the village of La Jolla with its eclectic and high end shops, gourmet restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and art galleries.
The Grande Colonial La Jolla, property has an outdoor
heated swimming pool and a health club is nearby. The rooms are beautifully decorated with Renaissance style furniture and most feature spectacular village and ocean views.
One of my favorite restaurants in La Jolla is in the Colonial, it is called "Nine-Ten". This delightful restaurant, is not your typical hotel restaurant, it actually has exceptional food, wonderful service. You can also enjoy your meals at the sidewalk café and relive the days of yesteryear when the locals used to sit at the sidewalk ice cream parlor in front of the Colonial and watch the passersby stroll down Prospect Street. My Coldwell Banker office in La Jolla is next door and I enjoy taking my clients there for breakfast, lunch or dinner - always a treat!
The Grande Colonial Hotel... another "gem" of La Jolla!
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