~ The vibe: A reimagined Southern California resort where Gilded-Age glamour meets 21st-century style Location: 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado, CA | View on Google Maps Loyalty program: Hilton Honors From $435 | Book now ~ |
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The Afar take
It’s not every day you see a hotel live up to its own mythology. But after a $550 million overhaul, the Hotel del Coronado—the Southern California beachfront grande dame where movie stars mingled with presidents—has pulled that off. The six-year restoration of a National Historic Landmark preserves the building’s iconic red turret and stained-glass windows, while refreshing nearly every corner of the 136-year-old property.
Today, the resort comprises 938 guest rooms spread across several distinct “neighborhoods” along the sandy shores of Coronado Island near San Diego. During a recent visit with my wife from our home base in Los Angeles, the property was humming with life as a new generation of guests checked in and out and mingled in the hotel’s public spaces.
The Del’s past is storied—Marilyn Monroe was filmed in Some Like It Hot here; L. Frank Baum wrote much of The Wizard of Oz on site; Richard Nixon once held a state dinner for more than a thousand guests, including Frank Sinatra and John Wayne. The heart of that legacy is the turreted main Victorian building, the final piece to be completed in the renovation. Inside, the lobby, entrance, porch, courtyard, and guest rooms have all been restored with painstaking detail. Much of the work involved new fixtures that recreate original touches: parquet floors, a cut-crystal chandelier, restored oak paneling, and an upgraded birdcage elevator designed to mirror its original look.
The word “iconic” gets tossed around too easily, but the Del deserves the designation. Hotel del Coronado’s restoration secures its place in the 21st century, without losing sight of what made it a legend in the first place.
A lounge area near the beach at Hotel del Coronado
Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado
Who’s it for?
History buffs, families, and anyone drawn to Southern California’s near-perfect weather. It’s ideal for a quick getaway or a milestone celebration—during our two-night stay, we saw multiple weddings and even a beachside proposal over s’mores. This is the kind of place people return to for anniversaries; even for first visits, it’s a setting for memory making.
Most guests arrive at Hotel del Coronado via a bridge across the bay from downtown San Diego.
Courtesy of Kin Bitar/Unsplash
The location
Hotel del Coronado sits right on the beach in the city of Coronado, on a peninsula just across the bay from downtown San Diego. In its heyday, guests arrived by private train or boat. Today, most cross over via the sweeping road bridge. Just to the north, a naval air station reminds visitors that this is Top Gun territory—military aircraft occasionally soar overhead, much to the delight of aviation enthusiasts.
Hotel del Coronado’s restoration secures its place in the 21st century, without losing sight of what made it a legend in the first place.
A guest room at Hotel del Coronado
Courtesy of Hotel Del Coronado
The rooms
The Del’s 938 rooms are located in different “neighborhoods”: The Victorian (the original landmarked building); Beach Village Cottages and Villas (a gated enclave with private pools); the Cabanas (beachfront rooms and terraces); the Views (a glass-railed high-rise); and Shore House, a newer cluster of residential-style suites anchored by its own pool.
No two rooms in the Victorian building are alike. The renovation lightened and brightened the interiors while preserving a sense of history—think floral prints, vinyl raffia headboards, and checkerboard marble floors alongside contemporary art and lighter tones.
We stayed in Shore House, in a spacious two-bedroom apartment with electric blinds, a Sub-Zero fridge, and a wine cooler large enough for a sommelier’s stash. Blue rugs and warm woods added a coastal calm. Out on our extended patio, I sank into a rocking chair under the shade of a palm tree and found myself plotting home design upgrades before we’d even left.
Nobu recently opened at Hotel del Coronado.
Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado
The food and drink
Some half a dozen dining options line the space between the main building and the beach. The 156 seats of the new Nobu will be highly coveted this summer, but I enjoyed two dinners at the neighboring restaurants. Highlights included a plate of halibut, olives, capers, and lemon at Veranda and piquant local catch ceviche, spicy lobster rigatoni with Calabian chili, and swordfish piccata at Serẽa.
Most of the seating is outdoors, and with live musicians and beachgoers lining the boardwalks and pathways, the vibe is festive. Cocktails across the board were reliably moreish. (Try the kalamata dirty martini with feta-stuffed olives and truffle salt, or the Old Fashioned with sage-infused date syrup—though you’ll be hard pressed to go wrong.)
For casual bites, the beachfront taco shack is a fun spot. A more elevated approach awaits at Ocean Club next door, set in a historic building only available to members or overnight guests who pay an extra fee. Other options include ENO Market and Pizzeria for generously sized sandwiches (with a price to match), a charming ice cream parlor, a candy shop, and two more bars (the Sun Deck for lively evening drinks and the historic Babcock & Story Bar, with its 50-foot mahogany bar and restored cupola).
Staff and service
The sprawling estate was almost sold out on our visit, but the staff—from housekeeping to poolside servers to the valet parking attendants—managed with aplomb and a smile. We ordered our car and bellhop for an ordained time and both were waiting as scheduled.
Accessibility
The hotel is fully ADA compliant and offers guest rooms for the hearing impaired and ADA-accessible rooms. Many of the pathways were widened during the refit and a ramp was added to two entrances to the Victorian building.
Stepping back in time
The Hotel Del celebrates its heritage in several ways. The Ice House Museum building is full of black-and-white photos and timelines. The tours on offer, created with the help of hotel’s heritage manager, Gina Petrone, can take guests deeper. The Legendary Tour is a general 90-minute overview while the Haunted Happenings tour is 60 minutes of entertainment for those over 12. Keep an eye out for the chandeliers designed by L. Frank Baum and an 1888 ceiling fresco that was recently uncovered.
