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
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I’ll guide you to the right ticket or sightseeing pass for your visit. I can see the park from my house and have been visiting for four decades.
Loews Coronado Bay Resort offers a wide range of watersports, family amenities and access to Silver Strand State Beach. Here’s why I hesitate to recommend it fully.
My picks for downtown San Diego hotels, sorted by neighborhood, price, and the kind of trip you’re planning.
I live in La Jolla and have a lot of experience with Estancia La Jolla as a day and overnight guest. I’m delighted also to share that we now have VIP benefits here for you to use.
A San Diego Zoo history summary that touches on the unlikely yet interesting events leading to the Zoo opening its doors in 1923.
150 clean knock-knock jokes organized by category — food, animals, names, places, birthdays, and more. Print the free PDF for road trips, restaurants, and whenever you need a mood reset.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas discount tickets are easy to buy through authorized sellers so that you can visit this fun theme park on the cheap.
The best bento lunch box for kids is easy to clean and easy to use, right? Here are some great options.
Why we always stay at Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, Greece. A review of what the luxury hotel offers in regard to rooms, dining, extraordinary views, and location.
