Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, CA

Back in 2017 I took the Old Town Trolley Tour around San Diego and hopped off to check out the Hotel del Coronado, which I found to be absolutely gorgeous. I decided at once that I needed to make a return trip and stay right there on the beach. While the summer rates would typically be out of my price range, as luck would have it, the property joined Hilton making it possible for me to use the points I earn from having a Hilton credit card.

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.

After receiving a map of the property, a bell desk attendant showed me to my room on the third floor. Normally I'd find this totally unnecessary as I travel light, but while the hotel hallways had fun wallpaper they weren't well-marked (I got lost a lot trying to get to the elevator) so I was glad to have someone show me the way.

The elevator is original to the 1888 building and operated by an attendant. It's cool-looking, but moves slowly so I took the stairs almost every time.

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.

The bedroom had a ceiling fan/light combo that I really liked. It had a pretty design and I'm used to sleeping with a fan circulating.

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.

To the side of this area was a desk/chair combo where there was bottled water and a Keurig with four pods (one tea, one decaf, and two medium roast). As I don't drink coffee, I requested more tea pods. I was told housekeeping would bring some, but I only received a single replacement the next morning.

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.

And speaking of disappointment and Sheerwater, I ate there twice and found the service lacking each time. My water glass was filled during brunch, but that was about it. I had to flag someone and ask for the check twice before finally receiving it long after I finished eating. I also went there for dessert and the waiter forgot to bring my drink. The food and drink were good, but I couldn't understand the poor service at a 4-star resort especially since the restaurant didn't appear to be busy either time.

Fortunately, I had a much better experience at Eno, one of the other restaurants at the hotel.

I also enjoyed sorbet from Sundae's.

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.

I decided that my feet needed a break, so I booked the Deep Sea Pedicure. In addition to the regular soak and polish, the Deep Sea Pedicure has a foot/leg massage and a sea weed wrap. It was already a great experience, but then I found out the pedicure is done in a massage chair.

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.

On select nights movies are shown on the beach. Tours are also available daily with one focusing on the history and the other being all about the hotel's supposed haunted happenings. I highly recommend both tours.

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.