Description: My sister had vacationed in San Diego a few months before my wife and me. She raved about her stay at the Hotel Del Coronado, a.k.a.
The Del. She told us to check it out even if we weren’t staying there. Her recommendation turned out to be a nice one. This grand hotel has been in business since 1888 and is a national historic landmark. It has accommodated world leaders and has been featured in several movies; however, it was the laid back beach vibe that made our visit so pleasant.
To get to the Del, we had to drive across the Coronado Bay Bridge, one of the highest bridges I've ever seen. Once there, luck was on our side as far as parking. I found a metered parking space on the street in front of the hotel. The previous person in the spot had actually left enough time on the meter so that I only had to add a quarter to cover our visit. I definitely did not want to pay $20 to park in the visitor lot of the Del. My advice is drive around the hotel and neighboring streets to look for parking. I later saw some free parking along the beach.
The Del has expanded to be a lavish beach resort. The beach is one of the biggest I've ever seen. There are public changing facilities available. On the day of our visit, several weddings were happening both on the grounds of the hotel and on its beach. My wife and I spent time strolling the beach area and browsing the shops in the lower level of the hotel. We also took time to walk along the wide sidewalks of Orange Avenue which are lined with more shops and restaurants and frequented by people walking their miniature dogs. One caution I must pass along is to always cross the streets at the crosswalks and obey the traffic signals. Otherwise, hefty fines are enforced for J-walking in this area. Overall, I was most impressed by how clean this section of the city is. There was an air show happening in the area that day so occasionally, our peaceful walk and casual chatting was interrupted by the ear-splitting roar of fighter jets banking overhead.
We decided to celebrate our last evening in San Diego with dinner at the Del. We were seated on the outdoor terrace under the heat lamps (San Diego gets chilly at night). Our pricey meal was just okay but we had a gorgeous view overlooking the beach and ocean at sunset. We enjoyed chatting with our waiter as well. Even though he had lived in San Diego all his life, he was a fan of our hometown football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, because of his years of playing the Madden NFL video games.
A day at
The Del was a nice way for us spend time in sunny San Diego. It’s a leisurely place that can be enjoyed by all.
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