A beach sport for the elite

This weekend you can watch a sport played in the sand that you rarely get to see, polo, the sport of the elite. The Polo America Beach Polo Cup. No, this isn’t some frat-invented game where the big guys are the horses; this is polo with real horses.

For as little as $100, folks can go rub elbows with royalty at the Hotel Del Coronado’s private beach, and royalty might be present – the president of the International Beach Polo Association, Joy Countess du Lau d’Allemans, was once married to the great-great grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Though divorced, she still uses the title, but may be better known as model and actress Joy Ford.

This event hosts fashion contests where anyone might look regal enough to sit on a throne. Couple that with white coat, tie and board shorts for men, and a ten-thousand square foot VIP tent-turned cocktail lounge. Tickets run from $100 for individual seats to $2,000 to $2,500 for boxes and tables for ten people.

Options other than watching the matches include the Million Dollar Road Rally, private polo lessons (at $200 a pop), and shopping at the Polo Village for luxury brands including Porsche San Diego, Silver Seas Yachts, Grayse, and Brady’s Men’s Wear.