The Hotel del Coronado

We were originally planning to visit San Diego in April 2020 to celebrate Alison's birthday. We had a room booked at the Hotel Del Coronado. Alison had visited this area of Coronado a few times and thought it would be a fun place to stay. When we found out the Hotel Del Coronado is owned by Hilton it became a no brainer. We used some free nights we earned from Hilton to book our stay. Then Covid became a worldwide pandemic. This was the first trip we postponed because of the pandemic. We rescheduled it a few times, but it never really worked. That is until this past weekend when we were finally able to take this trip. 

We left on Friday night after work and flew to San Diego. Our first stop was at Salt & Straw. Alison keeps track of all of the Salt & Straw locations. Anytime we visit one of these locals it is requisite we stop and get some of their curiously delicious ice cream. It never disappoints. 

From Salt & Straw it was a short drive across the San Diego - Coronado bridge to Coronado. We checked into our hotel and turned in for the evening. 

We woke up on Saturday and meandered out to the beach for some yoga. This was complimentary for hotel guests. The class took place right down on the beach mere feet from the ocean. It felt good to do yoga with the ocean breeze in our face and sand under our feet. It was a fabulous way to start the day. 

When we finished our yoga class we were hungry. We found a nearby place, the Parakeet Juicery, that served Açaí bowls. We would come back every day of the trip for breakfast. We love a good Açaí bowl. 

After breakfast we headed back to the Hotel Del Coronado. We rented beach chairs and an umbrella and spent the entire day relaxing on the beach. It was good for our souls. Sitting on beach chairs enjoying the sand and the sound of the ocean. While we lounged we both read books. When it got hot we went and stood in the ocean. We also napped and ate food. Since we rented our chairs through the hotel they had employees coming around bringing cups of ice cold water and taking food orders. We both had some shrimp, fish, and carne asada tacos. These tacos were so flavorful - they hit the spot. Spending the day relaxing on the beach was exactly what we needed. 

As evening approached we stopped by our hotel room to clean up. Then we drove across Coronado to eat dinner at Peohe's. We have eaten here before and it was a memorable dining experience. This particular trip they struggled a bit. We had reservations, but as soon as we arrived they let us know they were running behind. It took about 30 minutes until they were able to seat us. Our poor waitress seemed stressed. They are facing the same difficulties as many restaurants right now - they can't find enough staff to meet the sky rocketing demand. We made sure to be as kind as possible to our waitress because we recognized she was doing the best she could in a difficult situation. The food was excellent. We also had a nice seat outside with views of the San Diego skyline. We watched the sun set and enjoyed the oceanside ambience. We finished off dinner with a molten chocolate lava cake. While it wasn't the best dining experience, it was still quite enjoyable. 

Sunday was more of the same. I woke up and went for a long run. I am getting back on track with my marathon training. We once again ate Açaí bowls for breakfast at the Parakeet Juicery. Then we rented some beach chairs and hung out on the beach. We read more of our books, lounged, played in the ocean and enjoyed another all around beautiful beach day. 

As evening approached we got cleaned up and then explored the hotel. The Hotel Del Coronado is a really cool place. We had a standard room. It wasn't anything special. It was spacious, but old. I wouldn't stay in a standard room at the Hotel Del Coronado and have high expectations. Despite the slightly disappointing room I would still recommend this hotel. The reason the hotel is iconic is because of its history and the beauty of the architecture. It commands a premium price because of the resort experience they are able to offer. The hotel has a private beach. It has many restaurants and shops. The service is also top notch. Because it has been around so long and it is so large the Hotel Del Coronado can provide an all-inclusive resort type experience very few other hotels can provide. We loved this experience and we would love to come back and spend more time here. 

We loved the whimsical pink umbrella motif in the hallways throughout the hotel.

Legend has it the hotel is haunted by the ghost of Kate Morgan.

There was a party at The Del on Sunday to celebrate Tom Rice. He also parachuted onto the beach (we watched and cheered). I hope I am skydiving at 100 years old. 

I also enjoyed the architecture in the area around our hotel

We went to dinner at a local sushi place. It was pretty good and right next to our hotel. After dinner we walked along the beach and watched a stunning sunset. 

The next morning Alison attended a beachside spin class. While she was doing that I enjoyed the peace and tranquility of a quiet morning on the beach. I wandered up and down the beach and around the hotel. At this early hour there were very few other people out and about so I had most places to myself. 

For breakfast we had Açaí bowls at Parakeet Juicery one more time. Then we headed to the beach. We arranged for a late checkout so we had a few hours to spend on the beach before we had to shower, pack and head out. 

Before we headed out we grabbed lunch at the Sun Deck Bar and Grill. Our last stop at the hotel was Sundaes Ice Cream & Gelateria at the Del. Alison got an ice cream cone and I tried one of the fancy ice cream bars. You pick a base ice cream bar, which they hand dip and then cover with toppings. It was rich and also delicious. 

Lunch views

We had a few hours before our flight home. We spent this time at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. We did some hiking. Here the sparse desert landscape drops precipitously off into the ocean. There are excellent views of ocean vistas. 

Then we flew home. This trip was exactly what we needed. It provided a good opportunity to relax and recharge. It was an excellent way to commemorate the end of summer.