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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Your family will not run out of things to do in Los Angeles with kids between its museums, beaches, theme parks and more. These are our favorites.
A travel advisor’s Pendry San Diego review: which room to book, what the pool and amenity fee are really like, the minibar trap to avoid, and how to get Virtuoso benefits.
A review of Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris by a repeat guest and Four Seasons enthusiast.
I like these hotels close to SeaWorld San Diego because they balance location with family-friendly amenities and usually good prices. Here’s everything you need to know.
A list of the best SeaWorld San Diego rides for all ages from toddlers to teens (and even adults will love them, too).
It’s a long day but you can see most famous sights on a Cairo to Luxor day trip by air with a private guide. Here’s our itinerary.
We flew EgyptAir business class on multiple flights but most of this review centers on our excellent Athens to Cairo 737-800 experience.
See why Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort is one of the most well-thought-out luxury hotels for families that I’ve ever been to.
British Airways Club Europe regional business class is an efficient and pleasant way to fly short haul from London to Paris and elsewhere in Europe. Here is our review based on flights to multiple cities.
