San Diego Skyline From the Coronado Bridge

San Diego is known for its nearly perfect weather, sandy beaches and miles of blue Pacific coastline. It's the ideal location for vacationers in search of relaxation and nature, but the city also offers more action-oriented as well as cosmopolitan pleasures such as delicious dining, glamorous nightlife, world-class amusement parks, major sports venues and the latest art exhibitions. Here's your 72-hour itinerary for sophisticated fun in the sun.

By rental car, it's just a short jaunt southeast from San Diego International Airport to the stylish Ivy Hotel in the historic Gaslamp District. Set in the former 1914 Maryland Hotel in the hub of nightlife activity, Ivy Hotel's transformative design is sleek and sophisticated.

While the Ivy Hotel is our top choice, San Diego offers plenty of places to drop your bags and rest your head. Options include the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego (also in the Gaslamp), featuring one of famed restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa's outposts. If you'd prefer to stay outside the city, head northwest to The Lodge at Torrey Pines where you'll find Craftsman-style architecture and a fabulous golf course adjacent to the property. And ocean lovers will enjoy the views and modern design of Tower23 in Pacific Beach.

The Museum of Art

After you've taken in your new sumptuous surroundings, grab your suit and towels and drive northwest up the coast to La Jolla. The first day will be one of leisure, so take your time and stop to eat at the Brockton Villa, an historic, cliff-side cottage serving light California cuisine. We like the Coast Toast (soufflé-like French toast made with a hint of orange), eggs Ipanema (poached eggs on English muffins with tomato, crab cakes and spicy tomato-coconut sauce) and the layered Brie (stuffed with Danish blue cheese and fruit).

To work off a bit of that breakfast, take a walking tour in the surrounding village shopping district on Girard Street and Prospect Avenue. Longtime favorites such as Warwick's Books and Let's Go are interspersed with international chains like Ralph Lauren and Armani. Art galleries abound, including Quint, Tasende (with selected works of Nikki de Sainte Phalle, Andres Nagel and Auguste Rodin), Alcala, Images of Nature and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Then head over to one of the sandy beaches for sunbathing, to rent snorkel equipment, to experience the colorful cove marine life or to explore the sea caves in kayaks—Hike Bike Kayak San Diego is a good venue for this. Stroll south along the coast walkway to what the locals call the Children's Pool to see live seals—if you're lucky you'll get to see adorable babies or relax on a grassy knoll in the Ellen Browning Scripps Park.

Japanese Friendship Garden

For couples' dinners, enjoy your first night in Southern California with chef Jason Knibb's cuisine at The Grande Colonial La Jolla's Nine-Ten Restaurant. It's a cozy, sophisticated dining room with ambient lighting terrific for romance. Favorite menu items include port wine-braised short ribs with wild mushrooms and potato foam; Jamaican jerk pork with baby carrots, Swiss chard, black-eyed peas and sweet potato puree; and banana croquettes with salted peanut ice cream and caramel milk froth. Those more family-minded will love dining at Sammy's Wood-Fired Pizza, where the menu runs the gamut from pizzas to kefir cheese dip to beef quesadillas to their famed messy sundaes served spilling over old-fashioned parlor-style dishes.