New Moxy San Diego Downtown/Gaslamp Quarter is Fun, Fun, Fun!

Story & Photos by Barbara Beckley

Simply the best city hotel I have ever experienced! Playful and different in so many ways. You check in at the bar – and the super friendly staff hands you a cocktail. My kinda hotel!    

Just being there was so much fun. Going up to my room, when the elevator doors opened on my floor – wow! A gigantic and very hip number 8, painted in battleship style (San Diego is a Navy town, after all) – stared me in the face. Then inside my bright and cozy room – OMG — scrawled across the mirror in what could have been lipstick (but wasn’t) was “Welcome to the Moxy Ms. Beckley!!” With a note “Hello Gorgeous.”  

A cheery octopus motif on my pillow was an added perk. I love octopi. My guestroom, like all the 128 rooms, was designed to resemble “a clubhouse with cushy beds” including a 42″ TV with a high-quality sound system and speedy Wi-Fi. Inspired San Diego skyline views added to my pleasure.

Created from scratch, on what was a parking lot before, the Moxy is totally new. It opened in November 2018 in San Diego’s trendy Gaslamp Quarter and is within easy access to restaurants, breweries and attractions including Petco Park, Seaport Village, Little Italy and the world famous San Diego Zoo. 

Super-Secret Room 56

Even the nightlife is built in – if you know the secret code. Text the code for reservations and entry into the Moxy’s super-secret speakeasy-style Room 56, located behind a library bookcase and down a winding staircase.

Inside the hip and dark, den-like club, I ordered the “Martha, Mary, Mercy” cocktail. A frothy twice-shaken sour with St. George All Purpose Vodka, blackberry, lemon and vanilla orgeat. Chatting with Valerie Bancroft, Room 56 manager and head mixologist, I was blown by the revolutionary concept of this cool club and my cocktail. Who would think? It’s named for the 56 signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. And my cocktail honors the women in George Washington’s life: Martha, his wife; Mary, his mother; and Mercy, his grandmother. How cool is that? Like these strong women, this tasty drink held its frothy design until my very last sip.

Naan and Tiki for Breakfast

Back at the Moxy Bar the next morning – everything revolves around the bar – I enjoyed the signature naan flatbread, topped with bacon and eggs for breakfast. And fell in love with a tiki mug used to serve the Moxy’s cool tiki drinks. (No, I didn’t have a mai tai for breakfast!) But I did have the complimentary coffee – served differently, of course – in chocolate brown-colored plastic cups with bright pink lids. So inventive! Just like everything about this fun new must-stay.     

For more, visit www.marriott.com/sanox