California's Best Resort For 2025 Is A Spanish-Inspired Getaway With Luxe Casitas And A World-Class Spa

Southern California is legendary for its sunny climate and laidback vibe in beach towns like upscale La Jolla and San Diego, the Sunshine State's oldest city, which is also known as an ideal destination for watching breathtaking sunsets. Just a half-hour north of San Diego, nestled in the rolling hills of Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is a five-star hideaway that has long been celebrated as one of the best resorts in the West. U.S. News & World Report ranked this Spanish Mediterranean-inspired retreat #1 Best Resort in California for 2025 and among the top ten resorts in the U.S. based on guest reviews, expert travel opinions, and hotel class ratings. 

The resort is Southern California's only Relais & Châteaux property. Its 49 all-suite casitas, which feature hand-painted tiles, hardwood furnishings, deep-soaking tubs, and sun-warmed patios, are spread across 45 acres of fragrant citrus groves and flowering gardens. The resort's world-class spa and renowned tennis program are just two of its many amenities and activities. Its fine dining restaurant, The Pony Room, is a local favorite for dishes like miso-crusted sea bass with cucumber salad and filet mignon with Béarnaise, as well as 100 varieties of tequila. Guests also laud the resort's service as outstanding.

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is in an upscale residential community about one hour from San Diego International Airport and two hours from Anaheim, making Disneyland accessible.

The accommodations at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa begin at a spacious 900 square feet (the average hotel room in North America is 325 square feet). All suites, which the resort calls casitas, pamper guests with custom furniture, Frette linens, Stearns & Foster mattresses, barista bars, indoor fireplaces, walk-in closets, and a customizable minibar at no extra charge. Their setting amid courtyards, fountains, and olive groves offers a sense of serene seclusion. For guests seeking even more privacy or space, the resort's Private Residences offer multiple bedrooms, kitchens, and spacious living areas. "If I could give more than 5 stars I would," wrote a guest on Tripadvisor in August 2025. Another guest commented in June 2025 that "This place is truly magical, once you get there you don't want to leave." All this luxury comes at a steep price, with nightly rates hovering around $1,300 as of this writing.

The Forbes Five-Star Spa at Rancho Valencia is a serene haven, offering a holistic blend of wellness and fitness classes and beauty treatments. Choose from a menu of massages, body wraps, facials, and hydrotherapy, including a marine mineral seaweed wrap and a wellbeing ritual that involves cocooning and guided meditation. Book a hair, makeup, or nail service at the salon or enjoy the sauna, steam rooms, and a dedicated spa pool. There's also a state-of-the-art gym, yoga and Pilates studios, a spin room, and daily fitness classes that include TRX and Aqua Sculpt. 

At the heart of the property lies a world-class racquet sports program. According to Rancho Valencia, the resort has been ranked Southern California's #1 Tennis Resort by Tennis Magazine since 2008. Players can use 12 Plexipave championship courts, three European red clay courts, four pickleball courts — and now three new padel courts, introducing guests to one of the world's fastest-growing sports. Private lessons, group clinics, and social play are available for all skill levels. The resort's regular weekly programming spans guided walks through the property's trails, sound bath meditations using crystal alchemy singing bowls, and guided hydrotherapy sessions that entail submersion in waters of different temperatures. 

Rancho Valencia also organizes excursions that showcase the best of Southern California. Guests can sail San Diego Bay, surf at Del Mar, bike or kayak through La Jolla, or hike the iconic Torrey Pines trails with a guide. Wine lovers can enjoy trips to Valle de Guadalupe or Santa Barbara wine country, while golf enthusiasts have privileged access to nearby championship courses — with premium Callaway clubs provided. The resort's team can craft the perfect private beach day at Del Mar, Solana Beach, or Cardiff, complete with a picnic and transport. Whether on the courts, at the spa, or along the coast, Rancho Valencia offers a blend of activity and leisure designed to strengthen and inspire the body and spirit.