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Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
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Hotel Review: Mission Pacific, Oceanside California

  • November 20, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
The new Mission Pacific Hotel towers majestically over the beach in downtown Oceanside, California. Although the six-story, 161-room hotel doesn’t sit directly on the beach, it commands a prime perch just above The Strand with spectacular views of the ocean. Opened in May alongside its sister hotel, the 226-room Seabird Resort, this dual hotel project is the largest oceanfront development in San Diego County in more than 50 years. 
The Rooftop Bar at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The beach in front of the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Mission Pacific belongs to Hyatt’s Joie de Vivre portfolio while Seabird aligns with Hyatt’s Destination Hotels. They essentially operate as one fully integrated resort complex where guests of both hotels enjoy signing privileges at either property, including The Seabird’s gorgeous ocean-view spa.

The developers (the same firm that created Two Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills) pulled together a stellar team of architects and designers for the project, including Delawie (Montage Healdsburg, Andaz Scottsdale), Studio Collective (Rivabella, In Sheep’s Clothing, Hotel Figueroa), Line Architecture (Fred Leighton, Sally Hershberger) and EDG (Viceroy Santa Monica, Ojai Valley Inn). 

Gloriously bucking the recent trend of downsized hotel lobbies, Mission Pacific has created a fantastic ground-floor drawing room with floor-to-ceiling windows looking into the hotel’s lushly landscaped courtyard. The lobby’s elegant, laid-back vibe takes its queues from Mexico’s mid-century icons along with a hefty dose of contemporary boho chic. The lobby offers multiple seating areas (socially distanced) with plush sofas amid a jungle of tropical foliage surrounded by macrame, leather, reclaimed wood and local stone. I can’t overstate how much I love this lobby. (The design next door at Seabird is classic California beach house, which is also very pretty yet totally different.)

The lobby at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Room detail at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Bathroom detail at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The rooftop pool at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Mission Pacific (foreground) and Seabird Resort in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The spa at Seabird Resort, sister hotel to the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Guest rooms are supremely comfortable and flooded with natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and spacious balconies, especially the corner rooms, which is what I checked into. In lieu of bottled water, guests are given complimentary reusable water bottles (to keep), and there’s a filtered water station on each floor. 

Sunsets from the rooftop pool are gorgeous. And art throughout the hotel(s) — ranging from modern 3D art to vintage surf photography — is truly spectacular, curated by the nearby Oceanside Museum of Art. Meanwhile, overlooking the train tracks on the backside of the hotel (which is surprisingly atmospheric), the 24-hour fitness center is one of the better hotel gyms I’ve seen lately, outfitted with Peloton bikes, rowers and even a squat rack with free weights (leg day!), the latter highly unusual yet greatly appreciated in a hotel.

One of Mission Pacific’s key selling points — and the hook that originally grabbed my attention — is Valle, a signature restaurant by chef Roberto Alcocer from Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, which opened in October. The restaurant, as the name suggests, is Alcocer’s ode to the Guadalupe Valley wine region where he continues to operate his original restaurant and claim-to-fame, Malva. Without doubt, Valle changes the dining equation for north San Diego County.  

Valle in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Spiced chocolate ganache at Valle in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The Rooftop Bar at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Oysters at The Rooftop bar at Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
High/Low restaurant at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Cocktail at High/Low at the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The Graves House in the courtyard of the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Additional food and beverage options include The Rooftop bar, also operated by Alcocer, and an all-day cafe adjacent to the lobby called High/Low. The latter is operated by the group that owns Mr. Lyons Steakhouse and Seymour’s lounge (among other concepts) in Palm Springs, and I regret that I never got around to dining at the cafe. However, I did discover their incredible monkey bread and locally roasted coffee (from Revolution Roasters) via takeout for breakfast, and a quick afternoon cocktail from High/Low in the lobby. Across the street, I enjoyed hand-made pastas and terrific locally sourced vegetables at Seabird’s flagship restaurant Piper, headed by chef Kurtis Habecker (formerly of Park Hyatt Aviara).

Still to come is a dessert bar housed in the super-charming Graves House, a small Victorian cottage (featured in the movie Top Gun) that was salvaged from the construction site, relocated into Mission Pacific’s interior courtyard and painstakingly restored. 

Bottom line: Mission Pacific is a fabulous mid-luxury hotel and an absolute bargain compared with competitors in nearby San Diego County as well as Orange County or Los Angeles. And the beachfront location one block from the train station, coupled with Valle restaurant, really does put Oceanside on the map. 

Rates from about $230; 201 N. Myers St., Oceanside CA, 855-365-5078, missionpacifichotel.com

The beach in front of the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The Oceanside Pier in front of the Mission Pacific Hotel (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
The beach in front of the Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside, California (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, James Beard Awards, World Food Media Awards, Food Photographer of the Year Awards, Society of Features Journalism Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as Editorial Director of the new luxury consumer travel magazine of the Global Travel Collection (launching Spring 2023).

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Quick Review: Valle, Oceanside CA

  • November 19, 2021
  • Brad A. Johnson
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Hey, OC. FYI in case you missed it, @ryegoods has opened a new location on Red Hill in Tustin, just down the street from Flight/Mess Hall. Same incredible breads and pastries as the original on the peninsula. No lines here, plus a huge seating area. #sourdough #pastries #coffee #orangecounty 322 9
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I’m not sure which I liked better about the @fstokyo, the valet greeter and escort from the train station, the view of the trains from our room, or the super comfy pajamas. Excellent service all around. #Tokyo #Japan #hoteljunkie 79 3
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Well, that was interesting.  A toast to 2022. And looking forward to ‘23. Cheers, and safe travels to all. 81 1
Brad A. Johnson
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Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

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