Preview image for Five Things We Love: San Diego’s Hotel del Coronado

Five Things We Love: Hotel del Coronado

Hotel del Coronado, with its white exterior and red roof, sits beachfront on Coronado Island.

A calm day at The Del.

The San Diego landmark freshens up.

In all my travels writing about hotels around the world, the resort where I’ve spent the most time is actually one that I’ve never stayed at. For me, as a native San Diegan, the 136-year-old Hotel del Coronado is as much a part of the city’s fabric as our endless summers or world-famous zoo. It’s where I’ve celebrated special occasions with family and carted countless out-of-town friends for visits and meals over the years. Set bang on one of America’s finest beaches, the Del – as it’s affectionately known by locals – is one of the few resorts anywhere that has earned icon status. Now, as the 938-room hotel approaches the final stage of a $550 million project to restore its original wooden Victorian building and add additional accommodations, here are five reasons I’ll keep going back.

Location Is Everything

When founders Elisha Babcock Jr. and Hampton L. Story chose a site to develop a West Coast beach resort, San Diego was a very young community, and Coronado was a barely inhabited island protecting the harbor, just a mile from downtown. It was also isolated, requiring the hotel to have its own power station (it was the first hotel west of the Mississippi with electric lights) and a rail line to help lure visitors from the east. But from its 1888 opening, the Del was an instant hit: Coronado Beach rolls out from the hotel like a bountiful magic carpet, its waves gentle and kid friendly. Today, the village that has grown up around it is a beautifully tended resort community offering outdoor activities from golf and water sports to browsing beachy boutiques. What’s not to like about a place with its very own “Sandcastle Man” crafting fantasy sculptures on the beach?

Veranda views from a Shorehouse Room.

A Constellation of Lodging Options

While the original 367-room Victorian building – reopening in early 2025 – holds the historic character and romantic allure that inspired the 1980 fantasy film Somewhere in Time, the Del has grown to encompass other distinct lodging choices. In Beach Village’s gated community of residential-style beachfront cottages and villas, many of the balconies have firepits, perfect for San Diego’s notorious “May Gray” evenings. The 75-villa Shore House is a brand-new four-story enclave of Victorian seaside suites that work well for multigen sojourns, while the 97 freshly renovated Cabanas – rooms with either a private poolside cabana or a beach-facing terrace and fire pit – are my dream stay.

Ghost Stories

With a past guest list that tallies royalty, at least a dozen U.S. presidents, and countless Hollywood stars, history runs through the Del’s veins. Inside the Ice House, an exterior building with thick masonry walls that kept ice cool in the days before refrigeration, the hotel museum houses such relics as the china that was used for a 1920 reception honoring Edward, Prince of Wales – a dinner attended by his future wife, Wallis Simpson. Photos reveal behind-the-scenes moments from the 1958 filming of the comedy Some Like It Hot, and a 90-minute guided tour shares stories of the hotel’s notorious ghost, Kate Morgan.

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The Nashville “Hot Cycle” chicken sandwich.

A Dining Smorgasbord

From a pub set in the former laundry to a fish-taco stand on the beach and a Nobu outpost opening in early 2025, the hotel’s eight restaurants keep diners entertained. Find me at Serea, which celebrates sustainable sea-to-table dining in an alfresco, terraced setting. I love the view here, extending across the bustling Windsor Lawn to the Pacific Ocean, enhanced by locally sourced seafood. Served flash fried or wood grilled, whole catch of the day is deboned tableside and given Mediterranean flair, but don’t overlook the daily selection of oysters, the caviar service, or the wood-roasted cauliflower crowned with crispy chickpeas, a Marcona almond salsa, and red pepper romesco sauce.

Different Spokes

In 2024, the hotel retooled its bike-rental operation with carbon-belted traditional and battery-powered Priority bikes. Pancake-flat Coronado invites casual cruising, but on my latest visit, I hopped on for a nine-mile ride down the Silver Strand’s bike path to the Imperial Beach Pier, the West Coast’s most southerly community, backdropped by the hills of Tijuana (recommended stop: local brewpub and pizza-and-salad joint Pizza Port). Other summertime activities available to guests (or lookie-loos) include a roller rink and surfing lessons by the Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience. Each winter, the seaside Windsor Lawn – wedding central for most of the year – is converted into an ice-skating rink.

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