Local delicacies are focus of Terrace's menu, whose mantra is,"serve fresh, serve local". By marrying British and French cuisine with fresh resources, Executive Chef Mike Taylor and Sous Chef Simon Jenkins present a unique and sophisticated five-course menu that changes daily. With an expanded à la carte menu, a traditional table d'hote continues to be available along with a new "light bites" menu that is available all day. A most delicious and refreshing addition to menu is a variety of ice creams and sorbets made fresh daily with local ingredients.

The first paragraphs of this article is a description of evening I enjoyed at The Terrace Restaurant. My fellow travelers and I were greeted by General Manager, Hamish and Linda Watson, who lead us to a lovely outdoor garden patio where they insisted we all try legendary "Cobblers Cooler". This innocuous concoction looks innocent enough but try more than one and you might find yourself on wrong end of conga line. The Cobblers Cooler is a delicious and dangerous combination of three ounces of local white and brown rum, fruit punch mix, peaches, pears, grapes, fruit cocktail fruit, a splash of Grenadine for colour, garnished with an orange slice and maraschino cherry.

We enjoyed tasty canapés with our Cobblers Coolers before moving to The Terrace Restaurant on edge of crescent beach, under a cozy thatched roof to savor a menu that was a delight to palate.

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Kris King, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

The palette of colors chosen for suites is straight from beach itself. Nature is director of this play of hues: tans, browns, whites, and gold, mimicking sandy shore lying a few steps outside door. Granite counters and tabletops and reed and bamboo accents on furniture continue to invite great outdoors inside. Heavy stone lamps and framed seashell artwork continue living space to coastal environment. Some suites boast balconies overlooking deep powder blue Pacific Ocean. All is balanced with just a hint of contemporary elegance, providing a carefree beach feel without sacrificing luxury. It is more mature and sophisticated, yet comfortable and easy. The perfect balance.

Now how can you top all of this off? With dreamiest bed imaginable!, a bed repeating natural theme — and bedding! Oh bedding could have been a magazine feature in itself! Soft, plump pillows, and a generous comforter that is beyond words cradled me like a white cumulus cloud on a perfect San Diego day. (Wait, I've never seen a day in San Diego that isn't perfect!)

Diamond Head Inn's location can only be described as P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

One hundred feet outside your door is beach, meaning an emphasis on smell of ocean, yet not so close that you can hear crowd.

Everything is accessible without renting a car or taxi. My daughter and I join famous 2-½ mile Boardwalk action, using every form of transportation other than motor vehicles: we hike, bike, skate, jog, and walk to nearby shops, restaurants, and Belmont Park, where rollercoaster and other rides thrill vacationers. We even bike to Mission Bay from hotel. The end of Boardwalk rewards us with one of most incredible views: bright flowers framing ocean blue.

The Boardwalk sandwiches between Pacific Ocean's crashing waves for more adventurous types and glistening Mission Bay for those dreaming their day away on a sailboat. A jetty connects two bodies of water and is breathtaking as white canvas of sails contrast against an I-can't-even-begin-to-describe-blue sky.

Just a short walk from Diamond Head is Crystal Pier, scene for fishing or watching surfers below. You're so close to surfers that you hear them cheer when hanging ten or swearing when there's a wipe out!

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Lena Hunt Mabra, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com