The Spotlight Lounge

Was closed when we went, but looked like a pretty cool place to hang out and chill while staying at this legit hotel.

on this, the last day of the san diego heat wave i have to thank kinsee m. for her informative review of the spotlight lounge and their pool.
yeah, the spotlight as a bar still is working out getting into its groove and deciding on an identity – are we a sports bar with a pool table or a wanna be swanky hotel bar with a pool? the first time i came to scope it out for a party location it was kinda empty and my friend and i opted not to stay that long.
it did however pass the location test.
i was planning a party to mark my academic «crossing over» and i needed to get 30 of my friends who are all over the map in terms of the social scene to one mutually happy location – one that had no lines, no cover, no parking problems, no dress code, wasn’t too far north or south, would fit the whole group, and would be a pretty enough place for the woman of the day (aka me). spotlight amazingly fits the bill on all these points and does it with beautiful back lit pool, tiki torches, and lots of mojitos flowing through the night air.
i’m telling you, if you ever want to throw a pool party but don’t have a pool… the spotlight lounge might just be the place.

This is pretty cool for the whole pool idea. You get a drink and the pool is yours. Pretty sweet, but I already have a pool at my complex, so not really something I see myself using much. But if/​when I move and I don’t have easy access to a pool, and I don’t go to the beach, then I am totally coming here. The bar is smallish. Only 1 local beer. I just feel like local/​small bars should support local brews. I tried the mojito per someones Unilocal,and it was good– I like mojitos. I also agree that they should play up their Hollywood nostalgia, but they don’t really. I wonder what this place is like on the weekend evenings. I wonder what this place was like back in its day.
+Cool pool access
+Plenty of patio space
+Fireplace
–Small bar
–1 local beer
-«incomplete» feel

Cute place! I drive by the Lafayette all the time and never realized what was inside. The Spotlight bar area is no great shakes like Kinsee said, but the patio is beautiful especially during sunset/​happy hour times, and they make sick mojitos. I usually never drink those things, despite loving them, because most bartenders screw it up one way or another. The mojitos here are delicious, and decently strong. Glad I found this place– thanks Becky K!

The Spotlight Lounge has some work ahead of it if it’s going to become a draw for the Lafayette Hotel. It has been recently redone, and it now looks like a decent hotel lobby bar: clean, subdued, nondescript. Boring! This hotel is full of glamorous Hollywood history, and that would be a great place to start when building an identity for the Spotlight, so I feel they missed the boat. The bar does now spill out onto the patio area around the pool, which is a big plus.
The service wasn’t spectacular, but our bartender seemed more like a novice than just a lazy jerk, so I can cut some slack for that. They are building some condos that will be connected to the Lafayette, and hopefully the new residents will demand some style be injected to the Spotlight. For now, I prefer to have a drink in the Red Fox on the other side of the lobby.

This sounds lame, but I’m for real here – The Spotlight Lounge is the best kept secret in San Diego. I debated over writing this review; I kind of like being one of the few «in the know,» and I don’t want the place to become overcrowded with hipsters like every other bar on El Cajon.
So here’s the deal; the Lafayette is a historic hotel. Attached to one end is the Red Fox Room & Steakhouse – that place is a whole other review altogether – and hidden inside is the recently remodeled Spotlight Lounge.
The bar itself is nothing to get excited about – in fact, the bartenders I’ve had so far have been scatterbrained and poured some pretty weak drinks – but the outside patio and pool area are what makes the place.
Buy one drink, and the pool and hot tub are yours. That’s right. The owners of the hotel have decided to allow bar patrons to have full access! Call your friends, tell them to bring their suits and have a pool party. It’s freakin’ fantastic.
Oh yeah, the Lafayette also likes to bring in live music. Last time I was there, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds were rockin’ the joint.