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.)
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.
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
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