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FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2019
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THIS WEEK
Siblings sell Pantai Inn Family owned luxury hotel in LJ since 1946 BY DAVE SCHWAB | LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
Chef Giuseppe Ciuffa opens new restaurant on Torrey Pines Road SEE PAGE 8
Backyard Renaissance to bring magic to La Jolla Playhouse SEE PAGE 13
Belinda Barry’s hatbox hat earned the Most Outrageous award at Opening Day.
DIANA CAVAGNARO / VILLAGE NEWS
Horse-themed hats steal the day at Del Mar BY EMILY BLACKWOOD | LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS
Camp Cosmos celebrates children with craniofacial differences SEE PAGE 14
In a sea of hundreds of people celebrating the annual Del Mar Opening Day, no one stood out quite like Richard Polacek. A retired engineer and onagain, off-again participant of the Del Mar Opening Day Hat Contest, Polacek donned a hat for the contest’s 25th anniversary that
was at least two feet tall, weighed a dozen pounds and required two hand straps and a cushion for the top of his head. Despite his often complex designs and towering features, his hats have never won the grand prize in the seven years he’s been a part of it (though he’s won second place three times), but his reasons for entering are based
more on fun than competition. “We first noticed that there weren’t many men in the contest, going back six or seven years,” he said. “So my very first hat had some animation. It had some audio with an announcer calling the race and some horses on the track. I won second place with SEE HATS PG. 11
Sibling owners of Pantai Inn have sold their small, family held waterfront hotel in La Jolla to J Street Hospitality for an undisclosed sum. “We created a special luxury boutique hotel in the jewel of La Jolla,” said Laurnie Durisoe who, along with brother Larry Jackman, owned and operated the hotel at 1003 Coast Blvd. Pantai was built by their grandfather, Max Heimburge, in 1946. Asked what’s distinguished Pantai, Durisoe said, “The dedicated staff, the exceptional guest experience and our amazing ocean front location placed Pantai as one of the leading hotels in California. We have been ranked the No. 1 hotel on Trip Advisor in San Diego for more than three years, and in the top 10 hotels in California. This was a legacy property, an heirloom property.” Durisoe said Pantai’s new owners took over operations several weeks ago, describing the ownership transition as “smooth.” “J Street Hospitality is fortunate to have acquired the Pantai Inn, with its welcoming charm and personality, from generations of family ownership,” said Jeff Schwartz, J Street Hospitality executive vice president.“The Pantai Inn has its own unique character that guests love and we embrace, with many repeat visitors who have been coming here for generations also. “J Street is a San Diego company, with other specialty hotels in San Diego, Coronado, and San Francisco. So this was an ideal match for us to acquire a very special property in La Jolla.” Enumerating other assets, Schwartz added Pantai “is perched gracefully above La Jolla Cove in a spectacular location. But it’s the wonderful staff and warm Balinese hospitality that have made the Pantai Inn a long time guest favorite.” Pantai recently updated its guest suites and cottages with authentic and original artwork and design directly from Bali. Durisoe, who is retiring, said her hotel staff has been retained by the new owners. She said she and her bother had worked at Pantai Inn off and on since they were in their teens. Pantai Inn opened in 1946 as the Shell Beach Apartment-Motel. Then owner Max Heimburge, a successful shoemaker, was a German immigrant who also owned La Jolla the Universal Boot Shop and La Jolla Cove Hotel & Suites.