The Omni La Costa resort in Carlsbad, CA, has been a classic sport to swing a golf club, hoist a racket or hold a highball since its founding in the mid-1960’s. Now it’s summer and the updated resort is ready to kick off its next 60 years with a nod to the celebrities, stars and athletes who have made La Costa a destination since its 1965 opening.
Of course, the classic Spanish Mission-style property is focused on offering what guests want in 2025. Renovated in 2024, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa offers over 600 guestrooms, suites and villas, an athletic club, and eight pools including an adults-only pool. Kids and adult thrill seekers get tall, dizzying waterslides.
And La Costa is offering a specialty booking package from now through December 31, 2025 which includes 25% off all accommodations (with a minimum of two nights) this year and $100 resort credit.
The property has a new state-of-the-art golf practice facility, offering Southern California’s most comprehensive game improvement program. Tennis and pickleball are also available, so guests can awaken their inner athlete when not relaxing at the spa.
The 43,000-square-foot Spa at La Costa includes a private pool, waterfall showers and café. The first-ever spa resort in the U.S., the Spa at La Costa helped start America’s wellness revolution. Guests can try standard massage, facials and other treatments as well as therapies from advanced hydrotherapy to customized skin rejuvenation to a therapeutic reflexology path. This summer the Spa at La Costa will offer night spa-inspired experiences as well.
La Costa also offers one of the largest resort meeting spaces in the Southwest, with Costa de la Luna ballroom and Luna Lawn added in 2021. The resort has 170,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Restaurants like Bob’s Steak & Chop House, VUE, and Bar Traza provide hearty food and drink.
This summer, the partying kicks off with A Star Spangled Spectacular. The Omni La Costa is celebrating Independence Day (July 4, 2025) with an evening under the stars, lighting up the sky with a drone show set to a live band. Ticketed guests will dine and enjoy an array of activities.
As for the 60th anniversary, La Costa will host a weekend-long celebration from July 11–13, 2025, featuring vintage-themed experiences for both locals and guests. Highlights will include:
- Retro Movie Night under the stars with classic concessions to snack on.
- A curated vintage car show.
- Throwback Jazzercise and Aerobics classes; no word on whether Jane Fonda will make an appearance.
- A Hollywood Golden Era -inspired golf tournament and casino night.
- A gala inspired by Hollywood glamour.
- A splash back Retro Daytime Pool Party
- An intimate Chef’s Table dinner featuring a four-course menu curated by Executive Chef Emily Brubaker
The La Costa celebration of its past and future will continue all summer long, as the Beach Boys sang. In addition to the 4th of July and the anniversary celebration, the La Costa calendar is full of live music, Secret Garden Spa Parties, Night Camp and Kids Movie and Dinner Night with child care.
There are Scoop Socials with an ice cream cart, and a Tiki Social. A specialty menu of tiki-inspired creations will celebrate the ultimate drink of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Families with children and teens are not forgotten at Omni La Costa, with its onsite Kids Club and special programs for teens. The resort’s kids club, Kidtopia, is now Little Sprouts. The counselor-supervised program for children ages six months to 12 years is available year-round but is especially valuable when children are off from school for the summer.
Kids get daily hands-on activities & experiences like gardening and outdoor excursions, arts and crafts, golf, and pool games. There are even night camps on designated evenings, offering a drop-off experience for children while parents enjoy a night out on the property.
With many families concerned about teen wellness and mental health, the Spa Summer Camp offers a seasonal retreat where moms, dads, and teens can unwind together at The Spa.
Through September, the resort is also offering Neon Nights for families, with a rotating series of glow-in-the-dark events including Neon Golf Nights, Neon Paint Nights, and Neon Pool Nights.
The La Costa story started in The1963, when Las Vegas real estate developer Merv Adelson discovered the area during a horseback ride through the coastal foothills north of San Diego. Adelson looked down upon the empty valley and a vision of a resort and spa appeared to him.
Adelson worked with partners to open La Costa in 1965 as the nation’s first destination spa. The resort featured golf and tennis, catnip to its celebrity clientele like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Bob Hope.
The original 72-par, 7,200-yard golf course covered 215 acres. It hosted the CBS Golf Classic, with players including Sam Snead, Ray Floyd, Arnold Palmer, Bobby Nichols, and Jack Nicklaus. The Tournament of Champions had a 30-year run featuring the greatest golfers of the era, from Nicklaus to Tiger Woods. In 2024 a revamped North Course was completed, that hosts the NCAA Championships through 2028.
Tennis was a draw for stars like Charlton Heston, Johnny Carson and Desi Arnaz, while The Spa provided relaxation for powerful people from Richard Nixon to Jackie Kennedy.
But as Shakespeare put it in The Tempest, “what’s past is prologue.” Perhaps this summer you can make a little family history at La Costa.