New Deal From San Diego Marriott Del Mar Celebrates Partnership With San Diego Polo Club

New Deal From San Diego Marriott Del Mar Celebrates Partnership With San Diego Polo Club

Del Mar hotel deal includes deluxe accommodations, two tickets to polo match, appetizer from Arterra restaurant

San Diego, CA – Polo fans will ride off into the breathtaking Southern California sunset with big grins on their faces and extra savings in their pocket thanks to a new partnership between the San Diego Marriott Del Mar and San Diego Polo Club.

Visitors in San Diego who stay at the Del Mar hotel will reap the benefits of a deal that makes the Marriott an official hotel partner of the 2014 polo season. The San Diego Polo Match Package combines the best of SoCal with the grandeur, excitement and champagne of a polo match. The package includes deluxe Sunday night accommodations from $229 per night as well as two tickets to a match, discounted self-parking, complimentary transportation to the club and a free appetizer from the Del Mar hotel’s Arterra restaurant.

The San Diego Polo Club was founded in 1986 and features 60 acres of world-class polo and horse facilities in nearby Rancho Santa Fe. The club boasts one of the longest playing seasons in the country thanks to an onsite exercise track, riding trails, clubhouse, bar, polo training school and outdoor lighted arena. Polo matches take place at 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday from June 1 through Sept. 28, 2014. The final day of the season hosts only one match at 2 p.m.

“We realize there are many different choices you can make in finding a luxury hotel in Del Mar. We embody the spirit of Del Mar in our exceptional service and our support of the San Diego Polo Club,” said Brian Findley, general manager of the Del Mar, CA, hotel.

After an afternoon at the polo grounds enjoying matches, stomping divots and sipping wine, guests can head back to the Del Mar luxury hotel to enjoy their free appetizer and grab a hearty dinner at Arterra. The award-winning Del Mar restaurant and outdoor lounge features Southern California cuisine that is field-to-fork fresh. Dinner options include everything from lobster mac and cheese and local scallops to pork tenderloins and grilled beef filets.

Well-appointed, tech-friendly rooms await the weary when the day is done. Visitors can sit back and relax on thick mattresses topped with down comforters, custom duvets, cotton-rich linens and plenty of fluffy pillows while enjoying their favorite movie or show on 32-inch flat-screen TVs. High-speed Internet access allows polo fans to stay connected to social media channels to post photos and videos from their exciting adventure. Coffeemakers provide the extra jolt of java necessary to get a running start on a Monday.

To take advantage of the special polo package, use promotional code SPE when booking online or by calling 1-8000-228-9290. The offer is good Sunday nights only through Sept. 28, 2014.

About the San Diego Marriott Del Mar

The San Diego Marriott Del Mar at 11966 El Camino Real in San Diego, CA, sits seaside about 20 minutes north of downtown San Diego and just south of Solana Beach with Del Mar Fairgrounds, Torrey Pines golf course and Del Mar Racetrack all nearby. The hotel features 281 rooms and three suites on 11 floors, three concierge levels and14 meeting rooms with 12,078 square feet of flexible event space. The award-winning Arterra restaurant, a state-of-the-art fitness center, outdoor pool and whirlpool are among other amenities available. For information, visit www.marriott.com/SANDM or call 1-858-523-1700. Like the hotel on Facebook and add it to a circle on Google Plus.

 

International and Local Polo Players Kick Off 2014 Season with Opening Day at the San Diego Polo Club

Opening Day at the San Diego Polo Club reached a record breaking 3,200 attendees on Sunday, June 1, 2014. Polo fans and San Diego socialites flocked to Rancho Santa Fe for two thrilling polo matches, a fashion show, live DJ and plenty of people watching.

 

Land Rover of San Diego brought in a fleet of gorgeous 2014 Range Rover Evoques and Range Rover Sports, which was the main focal point during the fashion show & presenting ceremonies.

The well-dressed attendees enjoyed mingling in the Polo Pavilion presented by Riviera Magazine, watching the match from the VIP tent, toasting champagne glasses in the garden section and bumping into friends in the general admission area.

We had a few craft cocktails on draft, including a strawberry rhubarb Woodford Reserve julep and Herradura Tequila Flor de Paloma, two of our favorites. Guests also enjoyed an assortment of spirits, local craft beer, hand selected wines, and of course, champagne!

Our Sunday Polo Kitchen is presented by The Wild Thyme Company, offered plates to share (their cheese plate is delicious) or more traditional sandwiches, salads (another favorite is the beet caprese salad) and daily specials.

Their food is both classic and trendsetting while maintaining the highest standards of culinary excellence with an emphasis on seasonal options. The full menu can be seen online here.

Land Rover of San Diego’s Sales Guide, Matt Deep threw in the ceremonial first ball to kick off the 7-goal polo match. Team Rancho Santa Fe battled it out against team Del Mar.

Mia Bray (subbing for Colton Bancroft), Kimo Huddleston (subbing for Ashton Wolf), Graham Bray and Mike Manno made up team Rancho Santa Fe (6-goal team). New to SDPC, Emma Stachowitz, Jennifer Alexy, and John Eicher joined resident player Diego Cossio to make up team Del Mar (7-goal team). Because team Rancho Santa Fe is 1-goal lower than team Del Mar, a point is put on the board in favor or the lesser team.

Things started off slowly in the first half with two points for each team. Both Kimo Huddleston and Mia Bray scored for Rancho Santa Fe. John Eicher and Diego Cossio scored for Del Mar. Mia Bray and Graham Bray both scored  in the second half, pushing their team into the lead. Jennifer Alexy scored one in the 4th chukker and Diego Cossio scored two more in the 5th and 6th chukkers. Although each team scored the same amount of points, Team Rancho Santa Fe was crowned victorious due to the lesser handicap.

 

During intermission, Raina Leon Style & Design presented the 2014 Opening Day Fashion show, featuring local boutique, Van de Vort. Sunglasses were provided by another locally owned brand, RAEN. Men’s fashion was sponsored by J.Hillborn.

 

After the fashion show, the feature match began with the parade of teams led by Matt and Patrick of Land Rover San Diego. Nationally acclaimed and Grammy Nominated Songtress, Sacha Boutros sang our National Anthem.

Sacha impressed the crowd with her amazing vocals.

Riviera Magazine’s partners threw in the first ball to kick off the 3pm match.

The 3pm match was between sponsors Woodford Reserve and Herradura Tequila. Ellen Greenhill, David Samaniego, Christopher Collins Jr, and SDPC president, Chris Collins made up team Woodford Reserve. Ramon Richard, Roberto Estudillo, Diego Velarde and Topo Mendez made up team Herradura Tequila.

The first chukker started off hot with 3 goals on the board for Woodford Reserve, scored by David Samaniego (2) and Christopher Collins Jr (1). Both Ramon Richard and Diego Velarde scored for team Herradura. Christopher Collins Jr. kept up the momentum by scoring an additional two in the second chukker. Topo Mendez scored 1 for his team. By the 3rd chukker, the score was 6 to 4 in favor of Woodford Reserve.

During half time, guests were encouraged to step onto the grass for the traditional champagne divot stomp presented by Korbel California Champagne.

Flutes of Korbel Brut Champagne and Korbel Rose Champagne were served from the backs of four beautiful Land Rover Evoques by our Van de Vort models.

Team Herradura Tequila increased their defensive strategy and didn’t allow team Woodford Reserve to score any in the 4th chukker, while Diego Velarde put one through the goal posts. In fact, their defense was so effective, team Woodford Reserve was not able to score for the remainder of the game. Team Herradura Tequila kept posession of the ball. Ramon Richard scored another goal and Diego Velarde scored two more for his team. Diego Velarde had the most goals on the afternoon: 5. Team Herradura Tequila beat Woodford Reserve 8 to 6.

Publisher of Riviera Magazine, Jessica Cline, joins winning team Herradura Tequila on the trophy deck to present trophies.

Sponsor, Armando Flores of Charco Design & Build poses with team Herradura Tequila before giving away an authentic Woodford Reserve polo jersey to a lucky fan.

 

With a San Diego’s beautiful people, it’s no wonder Opening Day at the San Diego Polo Club is such a fashionable affair.

DJ Here kept the party going by spinning beats until dusk.

Although we celebrated Opening Day at the San Diego Polo Club on June 1, the fun doesn’t stop. Join us every Sunday until the end of September for action-packed polo and family-friendly fun! See the schedule for more details.

Opening Day at SDPC

The place to be on Sunday afternoon was the San Diego Polo Club in Rancho Santa Fe.  With perfect weather, gorgeous people, and majestic horses playing polo, there was no other way to spend the day.   The San Diego Polo Club had their most successful day in 26 years with a record breaking attendance of 2,000.

Riviera Magazine sponsored the event, along with BMW of San Diego and Mini of San Diego.  Riviera’s publisher, Jessica Cline, was our guest of honor and presented Hermes trophies to the winners, compliments of Neiman Marcus.

The San Diego Polo Club debuted their first fashion show, with dresses by Poppy, shoes by Shoes Me, accessories by Nomadic Fashion and shades from Raen Optics.  Corals and blues are the color of summer.  Fashionista, Michelle Guerin of the San Diego Union Tribune said it best in her recent article, this season offers a kaleidoscope of prints and pops of color.

The Feature Match between Jetsuite/Monteverde and Starmeadow/Adeptus was a riveting one.  Both teams were neck and neck throughout all six chukkers with Mariano Gutierrez scoring the winning shot for Jetsuite/Monteverde.

Thank you to everyone who came out for a glorious, sun-filled day of Polo!  Join us this Sunday for our Father’s Day celebration including antique biplanes, cars, and cigars.

Special thanks to Frank Tupas and Dominick Lemarie for photography!

Meet Miguel Gutierrez

Our player profile this week features the somewhat shy Miguel Gutierrez of Buenos Aires, Argentina. If you are saying to yourself, that handsome face looks familiar, it’s because it graces our general admission ticket for the 2011 season. Miguel jokes it’s the first step in his eventual rise to fame. He hopes to someday upstage his cousin and fellow polo player Mariano Gutierrez, who was featured in the music video for Britney Spear’s Radar. Miguel wants to let Britney know if she ever wants to remake her Oops!… I Did It Again video, he’s available!

Miguel is a seasoned player who has professionally competed around the world and he comes to The San Diego Polo Club after finishing  a season at the North Church Farm Polo Club in London. Separate of Argentina, his favorite location to compete is Indio, California. Miguel says with a quiet voice, “I don’t know, I just love the mountains and the landscape of the desert and after playing there for so many years, it has become like a home away from home for me.”

There is no questioning his passion for the sport and when asked what he do would do if ever won the lottery, he softly remarks, “I’d still keep playing polo, I can’t really imagine doing anything else.” It’s a fitting answer, as polo is a tradition that is deeply rooted in his family. He learned the sport from his grandfather and he someday hopes to pass along the game to his own children.

When he’s not playing polo or dreaming of fame, he is usually listening to music or fawning over Rita, his fierce pittbull and in many ways the love of his life! Sadly, Rita was unable to accompany Miguel on this trip to San Diego and with a sad look on his face he tells us, “I really miss her….” It’s the first time the two have been apart since he rescued her from a gas station 10 years ago.