Your San Diego Coastal Escape to Beat the Heat Wave
With plenty of activities to keep you busy this summer, you'll want to know that when things heat up there are a variety of ways to cool down. Pacific Beach is the perfect place to slow down, cool off, and make the most of summer with days spent by the water, frozen treats in hand, and unforgettable sunsets along the shore.
At Pacific Terrace Hotel, you're just steps from the sand and surrounded by San Diego's favorite summer experiences. From surfing and snorkeling to local dessert hotspots and relaxing afternoons by the oceanfront pool, everything you need for the ultimate beach getaway is within easy reach. Here's your guide to the coolest ways to enjoy San Diego this August, from indulgent sweet treats and waterfront adventures to magical evenings illuminated by bioluminescence.
Frozen Favorites in Pacific Beach
No trip to Pacific Beach is complete without a stop at Baked Bear, the build-your-own ice cream sandwich shop just a few blocks from our doors. Pick your cookie, pick your ice cream, and watch it get pressed together into the perfect handheld treat. It's such a local favorite that we've built it right into our Fun in the Sun package, along with two specialty ice cream sandwiches for you to enjoy poolside or on the sand.
For something that feels a little more virtuous between beach naps, Pacific Beach has no shortage of acai bowls and smoothies to keep you cool and energized. Rum Jungle Cafe has been a go-to for over a decade, piling fresh fruit and granola into generous bowls just steps from Mission and Pacific Beach. The American Açaí Cafe is another neighborhood staple, serving bowls made from Brazilian açaí alongside smoothies and cold brew. Either way, it's the kind of breakfast that tastes like a vacation.
If you haven't seen the fruit-shaped pastries all over your social feed yet, you're about to. Desserts by Clément on Garnet Avenue has become one of the most photographed dessert spots in the city, and for good reason. Chef Clément Le Déoré's entremets are sculpted to look exactly like the fruit they're flavored after, mango, raspberry, blueberry, pistachio, and more, then filled with mousse and cream that make the whole thing taste as good as it looks. Grab one to go and eat it somewhere with a view.
Cool Sips by The Coast
Adult Slushies are a grown-up way to cool off once the sun starts to dip, Pacific Beach has that covered too. PB Shore Club, right on the boardwalk, is famous for its Red Bull vodka slushie, a frozen, boozy classic that's become a rite of passage for anyone spending a summer evening by the water. Pacific Beach AleHouse serves up its own rotating slushie menu at the downstairs bar and up on the SkyDeck, with sweeping ocean views to match. Back at Pacific Terrace, our summer cocktail menu has its own frozen options waiting for you, so you never have to go far for a chilled drink in hand.
Ways to Stay Cool Along the Water
Learn to Surf
There's no better way to beat the heat than being in the ocean, and August's warmer water temperatures make it the perfect month to finally learn. Our friends at San Diego Surf School, located steps away from our hotel, take riders from complete beginners to confident wave-catchers right here on our home break. Even better, our Surf and Stay package pairs a night at Pacific Terrace with a lesson, so you can paddle out in the morning and be poolside with a drink by the afternoon.
Snorkeling and Scuba in La Jolla
Just up the coast, the La Jolla Underwater Park and Ecological Reserve is one of the best places on the West Coast to snorkel or scuba dive, with kelp forests, leopard sharks, and colorful reef fish just offshore. The water is calm, clear, and noticeably cooler than the summer air, which makes it one of the most refreshing ways to spend an August afternoon. If you've never tried it, this is the month to go.
Kayak the La Jolla Sea Caves
For a different angle on that same stretch of coastline, kayaking is one of the easiest ways to explore La Jolla's famous sea caves, and it's a fun, beginner-friendly outing for just about anyone. Locals' tip: August is peak leopard shark season in La Jolla Cove, so keep an eye out as you paddle by. These gentle, harmless sharks gather in the shallows all summer before heading to warmer southern waters in the fall, making it one of the more memorable wildlife encounters you can have from a kayak.
Pool Days at Pacific Terrace
Cool off with a cocktail and spend the afternoon by the heated outdoor pool at Pacific Terrace Hotel. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the pool side is an easy place to escape the heat, soak up some sunshine, or settle into a seaside cabana for a laid-back day steps away from the ocean.
After Dark: Chasing the Glow
If you really want an evening that feels like nowhere else, keep an eye out for bioluminescence. When conditions align, typically triggered by a bloom of plankton along the coast, the waves themselves begin to glow a vivid electric blue as they break at night. It's a genuinely rare, only-in-nature spectacle, and when it's happening, San Diego's beaches, especially up toward La Jolla and Mission Beach, turn into a nighttime gathering spot for locals and visitors chasing the glow. It's unpredictable by nature, so follow local marine and surf accounts for the latest sightings before you head out. If it's happening during your stay, it's worth setting a late alarm for.
Your August Escape Starts Here
Between the frozen treats, the ocean adventures, and the occasional glowing wave, San Diego in August has a way of making triple-digit heat feel like a distant memory. And with Pacific Terrace as your home base, oceanfront, walkable to everything in this guide, and just steps from the sand, you're never far from your next way to cool off.
Ready to plan your escape from the heat? Check out our Special Offers page, and let San Diego's coast do what it does best this time of year.
