August 28, 2008

Coup de Grâce

L’Auberge Del Mar gets a new look

When guests entered the L’Auberge Del Mar for its grand reopening after a seven-month hiatus, their eyes glided over the luxurious new lobby furniture and the inviting green and brown color schemes, to be caught by what was probably the cheapest of the $25 million renovations: a new view of the Pacific Ocean.

The resort and spa in scenic Del Mar closed its doors last November to undergo a hotel facelift of sorts: refurbished rooms, customized furniture, a new lobby and a renovated outdoor area with poolside bar, fire pit and cozy cabanas. One of the most catching changes, though, was the removal of several trees that had been blocking ocean views from the back terrace.

“It’s really designed to be a beach sophisticated estate,” said Michael Slosser, general manager at L’Auberge. “You feel like you’re walking into somebody’s home, and not into a hotel.”

The revamped restaurant headed by chef Paul McCabe is set to open in fall, and the updated luxury spa will debut in December.

Attendees of the June 6 grand reopening included Del Mar mayor David Druker, and the original L’Auberge developer, Jim Watkins, who built the hotel in the late 1980s.  After a few words from Druker commending L’Auberge for its contributions to the area—the funding of a local library and donations to two elementary schools—a few dozen doves were released by 13 children from the adopted schools.

“When I built it 20 years ago it was featured by Robin Leach as one of the great hotels of the world, so it had its day,” Watkins says with some nostalgia. “And now, it’s the next step up.”

The hotel was given a fresh look by Newport Beach’s acclaimed Barclay Butera, who custom-designed and built pieces to accentuate the beach estate theme. The lobby features an inviting array of furniture in breezy light greens and crèmes with dark brown wooden tables and flooring, while keeping its ocean ties in mind with paintings of coastal views by Laguna Beach’s Marc Whitney and seashells adorning the two console tables at the entryway.

“When you walk in you almost feel like you’re walking into a grand living room,” Butera says.

The 120 guest rooms were made over with furniture pieces matching the lobby, high-tech amenities such as wide-screen TVs and Wi-Fi, and touches unique to a seaside getaway, including a whitewashed piece of coral and books on California’s coast. The wide plantation shutters let in the sunshine better than the stuffy curtains of years past.

Guests who lounge by the seashell-bottomed pool can quench their thirst with a smoothie or summery cocktail at the new poolside bar, served up by a bartender in a straw gambler hat—a uniform essential for hotel employees that might conjure up images of a 1950s cabaña boy.

As the post-renovation visitors began checking in—bypassing a lobby line with the new in-room check-in service—some were impressed with what $25 million can do.

“The transformation is night and day,” said Mike Orlando of San Diego, who set the date for his wedding when he saw the plans for the new L’Auberge back in November.

Others found the changes less astounding.

“It’s just a different color,” remarked Trevor Olson of Denver, adding that this was still his favorite hotel in the area. “It’s beautiful here; you can’t go wrong.”

The clear view of the sparkling ocean horizon framed by palm trees seemed to be the most noticeable—and most fitting—of L’Auberge’s renovations. After all, what is a beach estate without a view of the beach?

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