Travel Advisor & La Jolla Mom Owner
Favorite Place in San Diego
La Jolla Cove area
Favorite theme park
San Diego Zoo (Disneyland, a close second)
Favorite hotel
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Hi, I’m Katie Dillon. I’ve lived in beautiful La Jolla, California, for a long time, dating back to when I was a student at UC San Diego.
I’ve left only a few times (once to live in Del Mar). My husband and I were expats in London and Hong Kong for seven years. My daughter was born in Hong Kong. We bought and renovated our house in La Jolla while overseas (I don’t recommend this) and then eventually moved in. Each of these moves has defined this site.
I started La Jolla Mom as a place to write about lifestyle and motherhood topics to keep my brain active. It evolved into a travel business after I began covering tips for flying with kids and reviewing hotels we stayed in.
Living in a hotel apartment in Hong Kong is not unusual, so that’s what we did, and we stayed a lot longer in the hotel than most people do. It just happened to be Four Seasons Hong Kong. I’m very loyal to the brand because of our over four years in that fabulous property. And, I know a lot about hotels.
Eventually, readers started asking me for advice on San Diego travel. I added tips and things to do — becoming a resource for visitors and locals. (I’m a certified San Diego destination specialist by our tourism board.) San Diego has four of the nation’s best theme parks, so people started asking me for ways to buy discounted tickets.
I partnered with aRes Travel in Pacific Beach, down the hill from my house, to offer people cheaper tickets. I also aligned myself with Cadence Travel in La Jolla (where I am in the top 20% of advisors for 2024, 2023, and 2022) to bring travelers VIP hotel perks in San Diego and beyond.
That’s how I wound up covering our three main topics: San Diego, theme parks, and hotels. I want you to get the most out of your trip—whether by saving on tickets, enjoying added hotel perks, or using our resources to self-plan—so you always feel your vacation or day out is worth your time and money.
Recent Writing
Booked through an advisor, Hilton’s luxury hotels include breakfast for two guests, a credit to spend during your stay, and twice the usual Honors points. At The Del, the extras go further.
Mandarin Oriental runs two programs with similar names and different jobs. Fans of M.O. is for guests who book direct. The Fan Club runs through advisors, and it is the one that puts breakfast, a credit and an upgrade request on your reservation, usually at the same rate.
Universal turns the park into a nighttime event on select dates through November 1, with its own ticket and its own rules. This guide picks the ticket that fits your night, then walks through the houses, the scare zones, and what stays open.
Our local kids use their passes for a few hours at the end of the day, when the lines are shorter and there’s less pressure to make the day count. If you’re planning more than one visit, the Fun Card pays for itself on the second.
I had booked couples into The Cape for years before I finally checked in myself. Here is what the rooms, the food, the spa and the residences are really like, and what my Hyatt Privé standing adds to a stay.
Most October evenings the Zoo closes at 6 p.m. On fourteen nights it stays open until 9 p.m. for lights, live music, and costumed characters, on the same ticket and with kids free all month.
Hyatt Privé attaches daily breakfast, a property credit, and an upgrade answer within 24 hours of booking to the hotel’s standard rate. A Privé top producer explains how the program works and how to use it.
I’m writing this from my Deluxe King at The Plaza. What the rooms are really like, where to eat, the Home Alone package, and how to book with Accor Preferred benefits.
I spent a night at Nine Orchard on the Lower East Side, in the restored 1912 Jarmulowsky Bank. Here is what the rooms are really like, which category to book, and who this hotel suits.
