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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Find the best ways to get to La Jolla from other San Diego County areas by car, bus, trolley or train.
A resident’s guide to the best places to eat breakfast or brunch in La Jolla that suit all appetites and price ranges. My community excels at morning meals!
Review of our stay at Four Seasons Hotel Madrid (we loved it) and how to book in using the same VIP benefits we enjoyed.
Hotel del Coronado has already announced a rock ’n’ roll party in its historic Laundry building. Here’s who else to watch, from the Gaslamp Quarter to Temecula Wine Country.
Review of our stay at Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston and how to book in using the same VIP benefits we enjoyed.
Learn insider tips and best things to do at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park. You don’t have to be a comic book or sci-fi enthusiast to love it.
We pride ourselves on aligning with trustworthy companies like aRes Travel, who we sell the majority of our theme park tickets through. We sell tens … Read more
Where to eat Thanksgiving dinner in San Diego restaurants or pick-up chef-prepared meals that you can reheat at home.
We’re regular visitors to the La Jolla tide pools. I share everything to know from directions to visible sea life — with tips from a Birch Aquarium expert.
