Departing from the San Diego Broadway Pier, my cruise started with the North Harbor, then docked to let people on and off before continuing on to the South Harbor. Both trips provided beautiful views of the water (and sometimes sea lions!), but it’s the South Harbor portion that heads over to the Coronado Bridge which is pretty impressive from underneath.
The History tour runs every day at 10am and 2pm while the Haunted Happenings tour is at 7pm with a 9pm option on Fridays and Saturdays. Both tours start near the tree that Hotel del Coronado says was the first to be electrically lit outdoors for Christmas.
The History tour guide had clearly done a lot of research. She dispelled a lot of misinformation (some of which was given on the other tours I took) about the hotel. For example, some believe Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward met on the grounds, but the guide said records indicate Simpson was not there during the Prince’s 1920 visit. The guide went into detail about the construction of the resort and how a change in plans for the railroad was very nearly a disaster for Coronado. She revealed that the fifth floor had been for the staff of guests (people traveled with their own maids) which is why the ceilings are lower and hallways are narrower. Although the tour doesn’t go to the floors with guest rooms, I had access as a guest, so I went to the fifth floor on my own. The view is amazing, but the halls are claustrophobic and the rooms are definitely smaller.
The Haunted Happenings tour is a must for anyone who likes ghost stories. Although the History tour touched on ghosts (mentioning that the fifth floor is said to be the most haunted at the resort), the Haunted tour goes in depth. Once again the guide was extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly enjoyed her subject matter. I’ve been on a few haunted tours in other cities and this one was the best so far. The guide stayed grounded in facts, but also shared accounts of paranormal activity that she and her colleagues have witnessed. As she pointed out features of the Victorian building (here there’s some repetition of the History tour), the guide shared the story of Kate Morgan and a few others who have met their end at Hotel del Coronado. During the hour tour, the sun set (I took a 7pm tour) and perfectly changed the atmosphere as the guide shifted from more of a historic overview to diving deep into the mystery that surrounds Kate Morgan.
I highly recommend both tours.
I arrived early Thursday morning to a stunning lobby not expecting to be able to access the Victorian King Resort View that I booked, but I received the happy news that a room was indeed ready though it wasn't the room I booked but an upgrade to one of the studio suites. My very minor annoyance at check-in was being told that, although I would keep the same room, I needed to check out/check in the next morning because I booked with a combination of points and a free night certificate. Fortunately, there wasn't a line Friday morning and the process was simple.
The first thing I noticed about my resort view suite (other than the security chain and low door handle) was how small the bathroom was in comparison to the walk-in closet that even had a window. I later learned on the History Tour that the original resort didn't have a bathroom for every room, so an extensive remodel was done that turned what had once been closets or hallways into bathrooms; I'm pretty sure my room's bathroom had originally been the closet. I'm a fairly small female, but I had little room between the toilet and bathtub and also found that I kept bumping my elbow against the grab bar when I took a shower. At least the hot water and pressure were impressive, especially for being an historic property. The small vanity didn't have much room for toiletries (the hotel provides two kinds of bar soap plus body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion along with a shower cap and package of cotton balls and q-tips) and the sink drain didn't fully close. There was also a hair dryer provided.
The king size bed had a nightstand with a lamp on either side as well as a small reading light. One nightstand had a clock and the other had a phone along with earplugs in the drawer. I was a bit surprised to find earplugs, but discovered that the rooms don't have much soundproofing (or maybe the guests are just a bit loud). The nightstands also have outlets built in which was handy, especially since there were no USB outlets in the room. Hotel del Coronado is undergoing an extensive renovation (which thankfully didn't disrupt my stay at all), so hopefully this will be changing soon. The bed was comfortable, but the pillows quickly went flat.
In the corner of the bedroom was the TV (on a swivel stand) on the top of the dresser which had a couple of drawers and a mini-fridge.
Just beyond the bed was the sitting area which had a table, chair, and sofa that pulled out to a queen bed. A few magazines about the hotel and San Diego were arranged on the table.
The closet in this room was astonishingly large (I think a crib would fit) and had an iron/board, safe, and two robes. I probably would've been really excited about the terrycloth robe if I hadn't just stayed at a Kimpton with a much plusher robe. The closet had extra pillows, but no additional bedding.
As a Hilton Gold member, I received a $15 dining credit for each day of my stay. Normally this is a breakfast credit and I haven't decided which I prefer. I'm not much of a breakfast person, but I did have the brunch buffet at Sheerwater one morning and discovered that the credit wasn't enough to cover the cost. So for people who do like a large breakfast, I'm sure this change would be a disappointment.
With the restaurants and beach, Hotel del Coronado already makes it so you wouldn't have to leave the property, but there's so much more. If your intent is shopping, there's plenty of that to be found. There's clothing, Del-themed souvenirs, and even the room toiletries available to purchase. The hotel features three pools (one is adults only and another is exclusively for spa guests), a fitness center (featuring a number of classes), and a spa/salon.
And that's not all there is to do on site! At night there's a roast where you can make s'mores and enjoy other selected food items at your own bonfire right on the beach.
One thing to note is the pet-friendly property is valet only at a cost of $50/night, but does have charging stations for electric cars. There's also a $35/day resort fee that I was able to avoid by booking with points and a certificate. The hotel also gets very busy on weekends. My first day (Thursday) had crowds that I expected for a summer beach vacation, but that number exploded for the weekend. I was glad I had a room because the lines for the public bathrooms often extended into the hallways.
Before boarding the train, there’s a show which involves a shootout and a threat that the train will be robbed (which becomes part of the entertainment on the return trip). The jokes were silly, but it was a fun show.
The train has different levels of accommodation, so I went with First Class on the trip up and the Observation Dome on the way back. The seats in First Class were much more comfortable than the Observation Dome seats, but they are in groups of four that face each other with a table in the middle, so you might end up with strangers across from you (the Observation Dome is the traditional groups of two that all face forward). The view from the Observation Dome is much better as one might expect. Both sections offer complimentary snacks (cheese, crackers, fruit, and vegetables primarily), bar service, and entertainment. Other sections have different amenities. I think splitting up the trip as I did is the way to go as it saves money and the sparkling wine toast included in the Observation Dome ticket is only done in the afternoon. On the way up, my section had a musician playing guitar and singing songs about being on the road (like On the Road Again by Willie Nelson). On the way back, there were some magic tricks and then the staged train robbery. The entertainment is all a little cheesy, but it’s fun to pass the time during the two hour each way trip.
We set sail from the Columbia Point Marina in Richland, WA at 12:30pm. The marina has plenty of parking and it was easy to spot the yacht and where we needed to check in. After a short wait for others to arrive, we boarded the 96-foot yacht and were handed mimosas. At check-in we were given a table assignment, so we headed to our seats.
The brunch was buffet style and the food was delicious, especially the roasted potatoes. Water, coffee, and tea were free while alcoholic beverages could be ordered for an additional price.
On this tour there are a few stops (including a break for lunch at the Beehive House—being part of the tour gets you 10% off your meal), but the time at each location is pretty short; I definitely could’ve used more time at Pioneer Heritage State Park (we had about 20 minutes). Outside of the organ recital at Temple Square (which anyone can attend for free), my favorite part of the tour was our walk through the State Capitol building.
I arrived a few hours before check-in, but was greeted as an American Express cardholder and informed that my Deluxe Queen room had been upgraded to the Monte Carlo Suite and was ready for me. I’d also found a “code word” (a promotion that Kimpton occasionally runs) to give at check-in which granted me an extra $25 incidental credit. I ended up making use of the entire credit at the hotel restaurant Bambara for dinner, drinks, and brunch. My restaurant experience was great for dinner, but lacking at brunch when the waitstaff virtually ignored me and let my water glass sit empty for quite some time. The food at each meal was good, but overpriced. The drinks didn’t seem to contain any alcohol.
I next checked out the entry way closet where I was delighted to find two robes (sooo comfy!), an extra pillow and blanket, an iron and ironing board, an umbrella (handy for my rainy day arrival), and a yoga mat. (Kimpton properties all offer a yoga mat in the room and bicycles in the lobby.)
The living room and the bedroom were separated by a red curtain (red was definitely the theme here). In the living room, there was a pullout sofa with mismatched end tables and lamps plus a chair and wobbly coffee table. In this part of the room there was a desk (which had two built-in outlets and another two outlets on the lamp) with a chair.
As for the bedroom, my upgraded room had a king bed, which I found quite comfortable, with nightstands on each side. Both nightstands had a lamp with an outlet and there was an alarm clock.
In the room there was a sign to put out to refuse housekeeping in exchange for a $5 dining credit good for the restaurant or room service. No one cleans up after me at home, so I went ahead and took the credit. In the morning, I found a card on the outside handle of the door. I presented that card at Bambara and the $5 was taken off my bill.
My only real disappointment was the lack of a happy hour which was touted on the hotel website. On my first night I went down excited for the free beer/wine and maybe a few snacks. Instead I found the iced green and black teas (with peach and blackberry syrups), lemon- and lime-flavored waters, and apples that had in the lobby since I checked in. I waited a while thinking they were behind schedule, then inquired at the front desk. I didn’t get much of an answer (a different person from when I checked in was now working), but she confirmed that this was the happy hour. Later I got a text from the hotel asking about my stay, so I asked about happy hour again. This time I was told, “Unfortunately, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has ordered a cease and desist on our hotel. We’re working on getting our license back, but in the meantime, we’re unable to give guests free alcohol.” The missing happy hour was out of their control in terms of alcohol, but the hotel could’ve put out a sign as they did about the restaurant being closed on Memorial Day and they could’ve put out snacks beyond the apples to make up for the lack of alcohol.
As there’s normally a happy hour, it makes sense that people would spend a bit of time in the lobby. As such, there’s plenty of seating with charging stations. They also offer a lot of games like an oversized Connect Four to play while enjoying your beverages. The lobby also has free newspapers (local and national). Here’s hoping Kimpton gets to serve alcohol at happy hour again soon!
Since the Kimpton seems to focus on health with the yoga mats and bicycles, I wasn’t surprised to see a really nice gym. Along with the standard weights and machines, the gym offered up some more “fun” items like hula hoops.
