With its enviable location on San Diego’s Shelter Island, Kona Kai Resort is a beloved local landmark. Part of the Noble House Hotels collection, the resort recently completed a significant renovation and expansion that added a new building and eight Coast Revival suites. Many rooms overlook San Diego Bay, Point Loma’s hillside, or the marina, and several suites include spacious private terraces.
Fireplace Junior suites feature double-sided fireplaces, large bathrooms with deep soaking tubs and rain-head shower fixtures, mini-refrigerators, sleeper sofas, separate sitting areas, and 42-inch flat-screen televisions. Bay and Marina Junior suites offer similar amenities with the added charm of four-poster beds draped in sheer fabric and sizable balconies that look out over the bay or the colorful marina.
The resort includes an outdoor pool, a well-equipped fitness center, and a full-service spa, SpaTerre, which presents a menu of restorative treatments. A signature offering is the Sandor Poultice Therapy, a soothing ritual that combines warmed, sand-filled poultices with aromatherapy oils while you recline on a heated crystal quartz table. A protective layer prevents the fine quartz sand from contacting the skin, while the warm sand naturally conforms to the body for deep relaxation. Other standout spa experiences include the Himalayan Salt Stone Massage, which uses warmed salt stones to release tension; a Balinese-style treatment blending acupressure with flowing, rhythmic strokes; and the Boomaglam Massage, inspired by Australian technique, which employs a boomerang-shaped tool and pure macadamia oil to deliver culturally rooted massage movements.
Although San Diego offers an abundance of notable dining options across the city, the resort’s own Vessel Restaurant is a destination in its own right and well worth a reservation. The glass-enclosed dining room overlooks the harbor and features a long, narrow wall display that adds subtle visual interest. Under Executive Chef Roy Hendrickson, the kitchen highlights the region’s bounty—fresh seafood, locally raised meats, and seasonal fruits and vegetables—presented through a contemporary New American approach. The menu balances small and large plates; signature items have included chef Hendrickson’s pork chops with mustard–parsley spaetzle, upland cress, caramelized cipollini onions, and sour cherry glace.
Dessert selections reflect the restaurant’s inventive spirit: a German chocolate waffle topped with toasted coconut, pecans, dulce de leche, and sour cream sorbet is a decadent choice, while a tangy key lime pie made with a cashew–graham crust, raspberry, and Chantilly cream offers a brighter finish.
