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Hotel Del Coronado Review

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Hotel Del Coronado

Address: 1500 Orange Ave., San Diego, CA, 92118 | Map It
Phone: 619/435-6611
www.hoteldel.com

Category: Hotels
Location: Coronado

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Fodor's Review:

One of San Diego's best-known sites, the hotel has been a National Historic Landmark since 1977. It has a colorful history, integrally connected with that of Coronado itself. The Del, as natives call it, was the brainchild of financiers Elisha Spurr Babcock Jr. and H. L. Story, who saw the potential of Coronado's virgin beaches and its view of San Diego's emerging harbor. The hotel opened in 1888, just 11 months after construction began.

The Del's distinctive red-tile roofs and Victorian gingerbread architecture have served as a set for many movies, political meetings, and extravagant social happenings. It's speculated that the Duke of Windsor may have first met Wallis Simpson here. Eleven presidents have been guests of The Del, and the film Some Like It Hot—starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis—used the hotel as a backdrop.

Broad steps lead up to the main, balconied lobby, which is adorned with grand oak pillars and ceiling and opens out onto a central courtyard and gazebo. To the right is the cavernous Crown Room, whose arched ceiling of notched sugar pine was constructed without nails. A lavish Sunday brunch is served here from 9:30 to 2. During the holidays, the hotel hosts Skating by the Sea, an outdoor beachfront ice-skating rink open to the public.

The patio surrounding the swimming pool is a great place to sit back and imagine what the bathers looked like during the 1920s, when the hotel rocked with good times. To its right, the Windsor Lawn provides a green oasis between the hotel and the beach. To the pool's left are the seven-story Ocean Towers accommodations, built in the 1970s. The History Gallery displays photos from the Del's early days, and books elaborating on its history and that of Kate Morgan, the hotel's resident ghost, are sold along with logo apparel and gifts in the hotel's 15-plus shops. In early 2008 the Del unveiled $150 million in luxury enhancements, including 78 new cottages and villas, a signature restaurant, a wine room, and a spa. The resort recently published a new book titled Building the Dream: The Design and Construction of the Hotel del Coronado.

Tours of the Del are available Tuesday at 10:30 and Friday-Sunday at 2. Reservations are required through the Coronado Visitor Center (619/437-8788. www.coronadovisitorscenter.com)

In-room: safe, Wi-Fi.
In-hotel: 5 restaurants, room service, bars, children's programs (ages 4-12), pools, gym, spa, laundry service, beachfront, water sports, bicycles, parking (paid), no-smoking rooms.
Credit Cards: AE, D, DC, MC, V

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