Travel & Experiences

Oh, how they glitter: 14 Southern California properties make AAA’s Five Diamond List, but how much will a night cost you?

By Catharine Hamm

Jan. 27, 2017 6 AM PT

It’s awards season again — for hotels. AAA’s Five Diamond Awards were unveiled Friday, and Southern California had 14 in the top category, an honor bestowed on just 120 hotels in the U.S.

Inspectors visit the hotels unannounced, AAA said, and evaluate properties on “guest services, hospitality and the hotel’s physical attributes.”

But we wanted to know how much one night in the lap of luxury might cost, so we selected a midweek stay (Feb. 22, a Wednesday, because rates tend to be lower at midweek) and found the best available rate using each property’s website.

Here are the Five Diamond properties announced Friday and the best rates we found (which may no longer be available). These prices do not include taxes and fees:

Beverly Hills

The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows: $645

Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills: $704.65 (prepay, standard rate $829)

The Peninsula Beverly Hills: $675

Dana Point area

Monarch Beach Resort, Monarch Beach: $398.76 (for a March 1 stay — no availability for Feb. 22)

The Ritz Cartlon, Laguna Niguel: $598

Laguna Beach

Montage Laguna Beach: $695

Newport Beach

The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Coast: $460

Ojai

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa: $329

Carlsbad

Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa: $279 ($252 with a AAA discount)

Westlake Village

Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village: $499

Santa Barbara

Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore Santa Barbara: $845

San Diego area

Fairmont Grand del Mar: $345

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, Rancho Santa Fe: $682 (Feb. 8)

La Jolla

The Lodge at Torrey Pines: $325 ($296.10 with a AAA or AARP discount, $289.52 if you’re a returning guest)

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UPDATES:

10: 27 a.m.: This article was updated to correct the price of The Lodge at Torrey Pines.

This article was originally published at 6:00 a.m.

Travel & Experiences

Catharine Hamm is the former Travel editor for the Los Angeles Times and became a special contributor in June 2020. She was born in Syracuse, N.Y., to a peripatetic family whose stops included Washington, D.C.; Honolulu; and Manila. Her varied media career has taken her from McPherson, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo., San Bernardino, Salinas and L.A. Hamm has twice received individual Lowell Thomas Awards, and the Travel section has been recognized seven times during her tenure as editor. Her favorite place? Always where she’s going next.

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