San Diego North Positioned as Health and Wellness Destination

San Diego North’s year-round temperate climate and an abundance of outdoor recreational activities make the resort region a great destination for health and wellness. Visitors can get a whole body work out while having fun and stimulating the mind during a getaway that encompasses all aspects of total fitness: cardiovascular, strength, flexibility, mental and nutritional. Below are some examples of the many wellness activities found in the San Diego North region.

Unusual Health and Wellness Offerings

Visitors can experience activities that encompass health and wellness components characteristic of the San Diego North region, encourage healthy lifestyle choices and promote relaxation for a complete wellness getaway.

• “Surf & Yoga” – The world-famous Surf Diva Surfing School offers a special “Surf & Yoga” retreat where visitors can learn to surf and then stretch out vital surfing muscles with seaside yoga sessions. Healthy meals, rejuvenating massages and facial treatments containing all natural ingredients are also included in the wellness retreat for a complete Southern California experience.

For advanced stand up paddle boarders, the surf school also offers yoga/pilates fitness classes performed on a paddle board in the ocean. The combination provides paddle boarders with a new invigorating challenge in a serene setting.

•Holistic Lifestyle Coaching - The Grand Del Mar’s spa manager doubles as a holistic lifestyle coach, in which visitors can learn about nutrition and healthy alternatives prior to rejuvenating the mind and body through the resort’s therapeutic spa treatments. The resort also offers an assortment of active outdoor adventures including a guided canyon-to-waterfall hike, canyon bike tour, kayaking and horseback riding to a historic adobe ranch house.

•Golf Analysis and Fitness Screening - Visitors can perfect their golf skills at The Grand Del Mar with a customized golf fitness screening and putting stroke analysis. Using tests typically reserved for the pros, visitors will undergo a comprehensive golf and physical evaluation that isolates physical limitations and correlate the findings to individual swing techniques in order to provide a customized golf conditioning program. Golfers can also fine tune their game with a SAM-Putting Stroke Analysis used by top professional players to evaluate putting strokes and calculate specific parameters including rotation, acceleration and swing duration, providing the player with precise information on how to improve their score.

•Circus-Style Fitness – Instead of just watching the circus, visitors can learn trapeze skills and aerial tricks first-hand through circus-style fitness classes offered in Escondido and Del Mar that focus on both mental and physical well-being.

•Ayurvedic Healing - Founded by world-renowned holistic physicians Deepak Chopra, M.D. and David Simon, M.D., the Chopra Center for Wellbeing at La Costa Resort & Spa offers a special integrated healing approach to wellness through ayurvedic techniques, meditation and yoga classes. The center features a variety of workshops and wellness retreat programs to transform the body, mind and spirit for overall well-being.

Meditation Gardens

San Diego North is home to an abundance of serene gardens containing a colorful arrangement of plants and flowers year-round that are indigenous to the area. These gardens provide visitors with the ideal setting for therapeutic mediation in a unique garden environment.

•Self-Realization Fellowship Temple & Meditation Gardens – Visitors can attend group meditation classes and spiritual services at the center’s temple. The meditation gardens offer a peaceful retreat in the heart of Encinitas for tranquility, meditation and self-reflection with views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

•Wild Animal Park – With over 1,800 acres of garden area spanning across multiple themed gardens, the Wild Animal Park contains an impressive collection of diverse and rare horticulture specimens. Visitors can find their inner balance at the Bonsai Pavilion, meditate to the sweet smell of fresh herbs at the Chandler Herb Garden or discover Southern California’s native roots at the Nativescapes Garden among the many other themed gardens.

•San Diego Botanic Garden – Given the area’s diverse topography, visitors can choose their ideal mediation setting at the 35-acre gardens from a variety of distinct microclimates including desert succulents, tropical rainforests, sub-tropical fruit gardens and the nation’s largest bamboo collection.

Immersed in Nature


San Diego North’s wide open spaces, year-round temperate weather and unusual proximity to four distinct geographical regions (coastal, valley, mountain and desert) allows visitors the opportunity to explore a variety of natural landscapes including tide pools, winding canyons and desert mud caves. The abundance of active outdoor recreation options such as hiking, biking and nature walks make the region an ideal destination for overall health and well-being.

•San Elijo Nature Center – The LEED-certified nature center features an array of “green” amenities and conservation exhibits in addition to providing guided nature walks along portions of the ecological reserve’s seven miles of hiking trails.

•Torrey Pines State Reserve - Home to one of the nation’s rarest pine trees, the pinus torreyana, which can be found naturally in only one other location on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Santa Barbara, the reserve contains a variety of hiking trails leading to and from the beach and along the rocky, jagged cliffs that provide dramatic views overlooking the ocean. Visitors can also partake in a guided nature walk or interactive educational presentations at the reserve’s Visitor Center.

•Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve - Spanning over 4,000 acres, the preserve’s natural beauty, rich natural resources and historical adobes make it a popular location for hiking and cycling. The protected preserve is also a great location for wildlife viewing containing over 175 bird species, 500 plant varietals and rare reptiles, amphibians and mammals who reside within the canyon.

Therapeutic Treatments

As San Diego’s resort region, San Diego North is home to an abundance of spas, which utilize the region’s plentiful indigenous organic ingredients to help relax, rejuvenate and revitalize visitors for complete wellness experience.

•Rancho Bernardo Inn Organic Facials – The Rancho Bernardo Inn’s Made Fresh Daily and Made-to-Order facial treatments incorporate all-natural ingredients grown and hand-picked from the resort’s onsite garden. Visitors can customize their own therapeutic facial with a Made-to-Order treatment or indulge in a limited-edition seasonal Made Fresh Daily treatment that is accompanied by a healthy recipe from the resort’s professional chef and an at-home treatment recipe.

•Estancia – Partnering with the Scripps Center for Executive Health, Estancia provides visitors with the ultimate health and wellness experience with therapeutic spa treatments, customized healthy lifestyle plans and an in-depth personal health profile analysis. The resort’s spa offers a variety of wellness treatments that incorporate organic, natural ingredients. Among the many health and wellness spa treatments are a Rehab Massage that released lactic acid build-up caused from excessive physical activity, an Ayurvedic Neem Healing Treatment that purifies the blood to cleanse and restore balance to the system, and a “Be Centered” – Head to Toe treatment that utilizes Amazonian minerals and essential ingredients to maximize the skin and chakra balancing benefits.

Sustainable Food
With the region’s rare Mediterranean climate and plentiful sunshine, visitors to the San Diego North area can indulge in a variety of healthy food options while sampling native ingredients characteristic of the region.

•Local Organic Farms – San Diego is one of the top destinations for slow food containing the highest number of organic farms among all the counties in the nation in addition to the most organic growers in the nation, according to San Diego County Farm Bureau. Visitors can take a self-guided farm hopping tour or visit the region’s many farmers markets for an organic, all-natural San Diego North experience.

•Cooks Confab - Passionate about health, wellness and sustainability, many San Diego North chefs hand-pick their ingredients daily from locals farms and utilize naturally raised sustainable meat in their cuisine. This group of renowned San Diego chefs have united and formed the Cooks Confab for the common purpose of sustainability and love for food. The group hosts a variety of Iron Chef-like events using a central theme or ingredient. Among the noteworthy chefs in the group are Jeff Jackson, executive chef of A.R. Valentien at The Lodge at Torrey Pines; and Jason Knibb, executive chef of NINE-TEN Restaurant at the Grande Colonial Hotel.

•Healthy Microbrews – Home to over 30 different breweries, including three of the world’s top 10 according to popular beer website Ratebeer.com, San Diego’s nationally recognized craft beers also contain added health benefits. When consumed in moderation, the silicon found in dark beers can actually strengthen bones by aiding in calcium absorption and is also a good source of important vitamins and minerals including potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. Visitors can experience award-winning brews at La Jolla’s Rock Bottom Brewery or even treat their four-legged friends to a pet-friendly Yappy Hour at La Jolla Brew House.