Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [279]
Trattoria Positano (Map; 760-632-0111; 2171 San Elijo Ave; mains $14-29; lunch Mon-Sat, dinner daily) White-tablecloth Italian cooking and only partially obstructed ocean views in a mom-and-pop storefront. The garlicky tomato sauce for your bread is addictive, as is pasta with crabmeat and asparagus.
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ENCINITAS
pop 58,500
Peaceful Encinitas has a decidedly down-to-earth vibe and a laid-back beach-town main street, perfect for a day trip or a weekend escape. Yogi Paramahansa Yoganada founded his Self-Realization Fellowship Retreat & Hermitage (Map) here in 1937, and the town has been a magnet for holistic healers and natural-lifestyle seekers ever since. The gold lotus domes of the hermitage – conspicuous on South Coast Hwy 101 – mark the southern end of Encinitas and the turn-out for Swami’s Beach, a powerful reef break surfed by territorial locals. The fellowship’s compact but lovely Meditation Garden (Map; 215 K St; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun) has wonderful ocean vistas, a stream and koi pond.
The heart of Encinitas lies north of the hermitage between E and D Sts. Apart from outdoor cafés, bars, restaurants and surf shops, the town’s main attraction is La Paloma Theater (Map; 760-436-7469; 471 S Coast Hwy 101), built in 1928. La Paloma shows current movies nightly.
Approximately 80% of all the poinsettias sold worldwide originate in commercial flower farms in the inland hills, most notably Paul Ecke Poinsettia Ranch (Map; 760-753-1134; www.ecke.com; ), established in 1923. In December there’s an enormous poinsettia display at the ranch, and later its 50 acres burst into bloom with flowers. Try to visit in early spring (March to early May), when ranunculuses create a rainbow of color (it’s a great place to photograph kids). Call for directions.
The 30-acre Quail Botanical Gardens (Map; 760-436-3036; www.qbgardens.com; 230 Quail Gardens Drive; adult/child/senior $10/5/7; 9am-5pm; ) has a large collection of California native plants and flora of regions of the world, including Australia and Central America. There are special activities in the children’s garden (10am Tuesday to Thursday); check the website for a schedule. From I-5, go east on Encinitas Blvd to Quail Gardens Dr.
Sleeping & Eating
There’s a strip of lodgings at the north end of the town center, along Encinitas Blvd and its continuation, B St (west of Coast Hwy 101).
Moonlight Beach Motel (Map; 760-753-0623, 800-323-1259; www.moonlightbeachmotel.com; 233 2nd St; r incl breakfast $115-150; wi-fi) Upstairs rooms have private decks and partial ocean views at this mom-and-pop motel, 1½ blocks from the sea. Furnishings could use upgrading, but rooms are clean and quiet, and all have kitchens.
Best Western Encinitas Inn & Suites (Map; 760-942-7455, 866-326-4648; www.bwencinitas.com; 85 Encinitas Blvd; r incl breakfast $140-200; wi-fi) If you wear nail polish and white pants, you’ll be better off at this hotel, a few minutes on foot from the sand. It has all modern conveniences and recently renovated furniture, carpet and bathrooms. Some rooms have ocean or park views.
Swami’s Café (Map; 760-944-0612; 1163 S Coast Hwy 101; mains $3-10; 7am-8pm; ) For breakfast burritos, multigrain pancakes, stir-frys, salads, smoothies and three-egg ohm-lettes (sorry, we couldn’t resist), you can’t beat Swami’s. Vegetarians will be happy too. Most seating is on an umbrella-covered patio.
El Callejon (Map; 760-634-2793; 345 S Coast Hwy 101; mains $5-23) Raucous, fun local favorite Mexican joint at the north end of the town center. The menu is as long as the phone book of a small village, and would take you over two years of trying a different tequila every day to go through their tequila list.
Jamroc 101 (Map; 760-436-3162; 101 N Coast Hwy 101; mains $8-16; lunch & dinner) It’s little more than a roadside stand, but what a roadside stand!