San Diego Gaslamp Margaritaville Resort Update; Rooftop Bar Is Open

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com San Diego Blogger

For those wanting to waste away the summer in San Diego, there are plenty of places do to it but only one will transport you to the mythical destination of Margaritaville.

It’s the 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar on the rooftop of the Margaritaville Resort on the corner of 6th & J in the Gaslamp Quarter. It is now open playing soft rock and – yes – Jimmy Buffett music by the pool. It has drinks (margaritas and vodka concoctions tho no boat drinks) and a daily Happy Hour until – get this – 7 p.m. That’s after the sun disappears behind other high-rise hotels. Draft beers are just $6 during that time, too, and a margarita is $9 ($13 non-Happy Hour). The Happy Hour times are 5-7 p.m.

The full opening, which includes a first-floor bar, won’t happen until the middle of August. PubClub.com has learned that Jimmy Buffett himself is planning to play a grand opening. That, tho, is up in the air, as Buffett is currently recovering from a trip to the hospital, which occurred soon after his San Diego concert in Snapdragon Stadium. The current update on Buffett’s condition is that there is no update and for Parrotheads, it’s best to think that no news is good news.

The pool bar at San Diego’s Margaritaville Resort is comfortable with a long, curved bar, tables for groups and a small pool with cabanas and lounge chairs. The staff told PubClub.com that the pool is open to all who go to the bar and is not currently restricted to hotel guests. That policy could change, however. For now, just buy a few drinks and you can cool off and splash around while listening to Buffett tunes.

The 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar has a small food and appetizer menu, tho no Cheeseburger in Paradise. A more robust food and drink menu is likely to be offered at the downstairs bar, which will be more like the Margaritaville bars in many other locations such as in Las Vegas. It’s interesting to note that the menus have a header stating The Rooftop at Solamar, which is the hotel being converted into the Margaritaville Resort.

Regardless, it’s Fins Up in San Diego’s Gaslamp.