Hotel del Coronado, California

2020 Update: the hotel is undergoing construction.  Some of the facilities are not open due to the construction, some due to Covid.  Most things were open while we were there, however, reservations at the hotel restaurants are encouraged.  And fitness area was not open.  So call ahead if there is something you need or want to do before making a reservation! But otherwise the Hotel del Coronado is still a great destination!

Hotel del Coronado, better known as “The Del”

My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this weekend and decided we needed to try someplace new to celebrate! As he is still recovering from achille’s tendon surgery we needed someplace that would offer convenience and variety. So we decided to try the Hotel Del Coronado. Celebrating 130 years this year (2018) it is an iconic hotel that has been host to many of our nation’s celebrities and politicians. This is where Marilyn Monroe starred in “Some Like it Hot” and Ronald Reagan took his family on vacation. Nestled in between two Naval bases on Coronado Island, this hotel was a fabulous place to celebrate 25 years with my hubby!

Some history & location

Located at 1500 Orange Ave in Coronado, CA, the Hotel del Coronado was established in 1888. Celebrating 130 years is great for any business, but as a historical landmark and with an incredible location, The Del is sure to be around for another 130 years! It is a Hilton premier property and has a variety of rooms to choose from. It offers suites, hotel rooms and vacation properties for purchase.

Transportation

Only a short distance from the San Diego airport, less than 10 miles, it was an easy ride via Uber to and from. While on the island you can use Uber or the free island shuttle. The shuttle is free during the summer season only. And there is a ferry that will take you to the Port of San Diego for $4.50 each way.

And of course, you can always walk. Just about everything you need is within walking distance. There are car and bike rentals on property too.

Our Service Members

And be sure to view the Navy training over the ocean and watch F18’s come in for a landing and take off from the pool or public beach!  Watching our service in action always makes me proud!  We saw a helicopter hover over the ocean while crew members dropped down into the water only to be lifted out again several minutes later! We also got to see the the Navy Seals training on their end of the island!

Of course, you can’t walk around on either of the Navy’s properties, but you can watch from the sidelines!

2020 Update: Room 3327 is the most requested room in the hotel due to para-normal activity!  Read about it HERE!

Rooms with a view

Don’t be overwhelmed by the room choices at Hotel del Coronado. With three main buildings and several cottages you can choose from; you may need to decide what is most important when choosing a room. We stayed in the California Cabanas as we preferred a balcony and a more updated room. With 2 queen size beds and small desk area, there was plenty of room to move around. We also had a beautiful balcony that overlooked the pool. Although the Victorian Building is beautiful and has a great history, it is older and the room sizes are not comparable. Ocean Towers is the newest building, but not all the views are equal!

2020 update: This year we stayed in the main building. Although the room  accommodated 3 people easily, it definitely needed a “face lift” and the bathroom was extraordinarily small.  

Activities on and off property

The Del offers a fabulous selection of activities on property. For the fitness buff there is a fitness center, yoga & spin on the beach, mermaid fitness and more to stay in fit while on your trip. There are also on-sight bike rentals, full service spa & salon, water sport rentals, clam bakes, movies on the beach (summer only), s’more roasts, pool and of course good old fashion beach time!

If you want to spend time on the beach and did not bring your own beach umbrella and chairs, you can rent them. But it will cost you! At $20 per chair and $25 for the umbrella, make sure you get there early and plan on spending the entire day! Because it is not cheap to rent the beach stuff you need! You can always take towels from the pool area and bring them ocean side, however, the sun can be intense so lots of sunscreen and a beach umbrella are suggested!

I would recommend getting inexpensive chairs and umbrella from Amazon (shipping is free with Prime!) and have it shipped so it arrives the day you arrive or the day after. You can have anything shipped to the hotel, just make sure you put C/O and your name then the hotel address. Letting the hotel know you are going to receive a package is always advisable too!  And last but not least, The Del has a 3D Sand Sculpture on property just about every day!  And he is fabulous!  He will change the saying on the sand art (for a price!) so you can ask your beloved to marry you or celebrate a special event!

2020 update: while in the ocean, there are lots of sting rays lurking in the sand!  So be sure to shuffle your feet and do the “sting ray shuffle” to avoid getting stung!  We learned that the hard way in 2020!

S’mores Roast

The s’mores roast was a special treat we decided to splurge on as it was a special weekend that we were celebrating. But be aware, it is not cheap. You receive a fire pit and beach chairs for your party for 75 minutes for a cool $100. Then if you would like s’mores, it is $15 per person. Of course, the s’mores are unlimited, but then again, they should be! You can also add on to your experience some pizzas from the local pizza restaurant on property. It was a wonderful treat, but I am not sure we would do it a second time!

2020 update: the s’mores are no longer unlimited and it was over $200 for 3 people.  Lovely experience but you need to decide if it is worth the money!

On-site Eateries

There are nine on property eateries. They range from coffee joint, burger/sandwiches to 5 star meals. They also offer a fabulous Sunday brunch. But keep in mind staying on property means spending a lot more. At $5 per large cup of coffee and $6.50 for a large iced tea, we ventured off the property for most of our meals and were VERY happy with the results! Below I will review some of the restaurants we went to and how they stacked up!

Breakfast Places

We had a great breakfast each morning! With a short walk from the property we had light breakfasts that were inexpensive and filling. Our favorite go to was Bruegger’s Bagels on Orange Ave. It is located about 2 blocks from the hotel and had wonderful NY style bagels and breakfast sandwiches. The other eatery we went to was a bakery cafe that had amazing muffins and pastries, although I cannot find the name of it, it was next door to the Starbucks on Orange Ave! They had a fabulous lunch menu too, but unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to stop by for lunch! There was also a Panera’s nearby but we tend to go local when we can! Supporting small business is important to us!

Dinner Locations

We went to several different local restaurants for dinner. The first was called the Bluewater Boathouse and was down by the marina. If you make reservations via the concierge, you will receive a coupon for a free calamari appetizer. Overall, this was a good place to eat, but we found a better place on our second night! Brigatine was AMAZING! We were able to sit at the bar immediately, but I would suggest making reservations. We split the Brig salad and crab cake appetizer. Both were excellent! For dinner Shane had the seafood gumbo and I had the shrimp tacos. Both dinners were fabulous and the blueberry/pear cobbler topped off this delicious meal! With the bar staff friendly and attentive, I give this restaurant 5 stars! The last restaurant we tried on our visit was McP’s Irish Pub & Grill. With a “local” atmosphere and live entertainment all afternoon, this was a great little place to go for good food and outdoor entertainment. We sat outside under the beautiful canopy of trees on the outdoor patio and enjoyed the live band. With so many options, it was hard to choose where to go each evening!

2020 update: All off property eateries we went to were not taking reservations.  So be sure to plan carefully based on if you want to wait or not.  At the time of this update CA still had Covid restrictions for dining and only patio eating was available.

Little Italy’s Farmers Market

Every Saturday there is a amazing Farmer’s Market in the Little Italy district of San Diego. A short Uber ride away from Hotel del Coronado we decided to venture out and take a look! And we were glad we did! Although I could not justify buying fresh flowers, they were amazing!

There were booths of all kinds on the streets. Fresh fruits, veggies, food vendors and more, we had a wonderful time meeting and chatting with so many new people! We even purchased pints of berries and ate them as we walked! There were so many interesting and wonderful vendors to see! It is a great local event that you and your family would enjoy!

The Ferry

We then took the ferry back to Coronado for a fee of $4.50 per person one way. Another great experience! When you get to the island side you can either shop at the ferry shops or hop on the free shuttle and go back into town! Either way, it was a wonderful experience!

Overall Coronado Experience

Overall, we had one of the best vacations! Our original plan to celebrate our 25th anniversary was to go to Mexico again. Unfortunately, my hubby’s injury and lack of being able to do excursions changed our plans. But it was an amazing trip! And there was not a place that we went where the people were not friendly! All our restaurant experiences had fabulous service and the hotel staff was impressive! Friendly to a fault and always willing to help! This will not be our last trip to Hotel del Coronado, I can assure you of that!  Another great travel review is the Mirage  Hotel  in  Las  Vegas!

 

 

 

Hotels.com is the only place I go to make my hotel reservations!  And stay 10 nights via Hotels.com and get one night FREE!

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