Cheery, eclectic design meets lakefront serenity at this North County San Diego resort. No creature comforts are overlooked: dine on nouveau comfort food (burratta and figs, bacon-wrapped Angus meatloaf), get a “lochnessa” salt scrub in your room, read pulp fiction in a hammock by the pool, float the lake in a kayak.

Meditate to the sound of the waves on your private deck. Also good for: recovering from “Beer Club” — the resort is in the heart of San Diego’s brew country.

Lakeside or poolside, all rooms hew to tranquil themes. Fun fact: the owner was inspired to build the entire hotel after finding porcelain tile that looks like antique barn wood.

Non-tradtional design for traditional summerhouse pleasures: reading, talking, board games.

Lake San Marcos is near ocean beaches and family attractions like the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Downtown San Diego is 45 minutes away.

Two pools, hammocks, a fire pit, and San Diego sunsets add up to glorious SoCal evenings. Family S’mores Night is a weekly event.

Fashionable, but not “edgy”—style just adds to the substantive lakefront fun.