My husband and I are celebrating my 50th at Thanksgiving. The choices are: Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa in Indian Wells or Coronado Island Marriott on Coronado Island. We are looking for relaxation, nature, and a great pool. Would the weather be better in one place over the other?

Don't know about the weather but I stayed at the Esmeralda and thought it was very nice. We had a corner room overlooking the pool. It was huge! It wasn't at the far corner but was at a part of teh hotel that juts out. Room service was great, pool and cabana were great. Bar was very nice. Ate across the streetish at Le St. Germain, fabulous.

Happy BD!

We stayed at the Marriot Coronado a few weeks ago and really liked it. The rooms were great - large whirlpool tub in the bathroom, nice sized balcony. If you choose this hotel, get a room overlooking the bay and downtown if you can. Our room was on the other side of the hotel, so we didn't have much of a view at all - just the tennis court, driveway, and neighborhood. There are ponds and little waterfalls in the garden on the bay side of the hotel and the pool area is really nice. At night it is really great because you have a view of the downtown skyline from the pool. There is also a wide, paved path along the waterfront, which is nice for walking.

Whether or not the weather will be ok for swimming - I guess it depends on your frame of reference.

Well the weather in Indian Wells would be warmer during the day at Thanksgiving. Temperatures are usually in the high 70's to low 80's during the day although it gets chilly at night. Also not much chance of rain during that time period.
As far as Coronado, the temperatures would be high 60's to low 70's. Sometimes we get rain in November but not a lot.

I think it really boils down to what you want to do and whether you like the beach or the desert better. If you want to just relax by the pool, go to Indian Wells. However if you get a room overlooking San Diego Bay in Coronado, you could relax on your balcony and take walks around Coronado. Have lunch at the Hotel Del Coronado and enjoy the ocean. Sitting by the pool could be chilly unless we get a heatwave.

Thanks so much for all your comments. It doesn't sound like we can go wrong with either destination.

Let us know what you decide and how your trip goes. Have a very Happy Birthday.

If you stay at the Marriott, be sure to try out their "Electric Lemonade" at the pool bar. Absolutely incredible!